By Sunday, 8 January 1928, each boy would weep alone in a secluded spot. Vasant sat near Baba and wept on his legs. Memo, Pilamai, and Big Khorshed had come for a visit and were deeply moved by the outpouring of love from the boys.1 Kaikobad also visited again, and Baba praised his love. One other visitor two days later was Vishnu's friend Nilu, who was attending medical school.
On the 8th, Baba composed this couplet:
Who weeps for love, he weeps the best.
Who cries for else, he does but jest.
Later, while discoursing to the boys about the purpose of creation, Baba gave an example of a palace:
Suppose there is a palace and inside it is seated a king. The palace has one door, but no windows. It stands on three pillars. It has seven walls: one of iron, another of zinc, the third of silver, the fourth of gold, the fifth of stone, the sixth of wood, and the seventh of pearls.
In front of the palace is a compound in which there are three ponds: one is filled with water, the second with milk, and in the third is rosewater. A little in front of these ponds is a lane. There are seven tigers guarding the lane.
At the end of the lane is a garden full of sweet-smelling flowers. Above each section of flowers is a canopy; coiled on top of each canopy is a snake.
Coming out of the garden you face a desert you have to cross. After crossing the desert you face a river you have to cross. On the other side of the river is a city, and then finished [you reach the end].
Baba concluded, "If you understand this example, the whole Vedanta will be intellectually revealed to you."
However, as it was late in the day, Baba did not explain the full meaning of this symbolic landscape.2
Baba continued to give explanations on creation every morning. On 9 January, he called the classes earlier than usual, at 7:15 A.M. After spending the first fifteen minutes in general conversation, he began again where he had left off the previous day, but after a few minutes he suddenly stopped, explaining that he was not in the mood to finish.
Footnotes
- 1.Shireenmai returned to Poona on 13 January, while Pilamai remained in the ashram with the women mandali.
- 2.The symbolism of the metaphorical images may be as follows: The palace — the seventh plane; the three pillars — the three worlds (gross, subtle, and mental); the seven walls — the seven planes; the three ponds — varying stages of the purifying of consciousness; the seven tigers — the devouring of sanskaras; the lane — the spiritual path; the flowers — chakras; the snakes — the powers of maya; the desert — nirvana, nothingness; the river — the gap between the sixth and seventh planes; the city — where all Realized souls dwell.