From tavern-talk at divinenet.com Fri May 9 08:37:59 2008 From: tavern-talk at divinenet.com (Tavern Talk) Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:37:59 +0200 Subject: [Tavern-Talk] HEART TALK: William Donkin's Diaries, 25 Message-ID: HEART TALK - Donkin's Diaries: Twenty-fifth Installment 30/4/43 Last week-end I went up to Panchgani to spend a day with Baba. I reached Panchgani at about 4:30 in the afternoon and after pottering around Panchgani with Nilu and Vishnu for a bit we walked up the 4 1/2 miles to the Mandali Bungalow. Next morning Nilu and I went up to Baba's bungalow about a mile off (Bhilar Bungalow) to bring Baba down. I was allowed to hob-nob with Margaret, Kitty and Rano for 20 minutes. They told me that Baba had said that Norina's present publicity lectures in U.S.A. were not his way of working, but that it did anyhow help his work. Baba then came down with us to the Mandali bungalow, and stayed there till 4:00 pm. He said that as he had come down that day specially for me, he would, in answer to my query, say something about the war. He said there were 4 points and that these were: 1. There would be Hindu-Muslim riots in India. 2. There would be anti-British riots in India. 3. Japan would try to establish herself in Bengal. 4. Turkey was the key to all these points; As well as these 4 points he said that all would subside in 2 years, and that India would be the key to the final solution of the problem. He says that I shall be with him next August, and that August is to be a "big month ". I am in any case to be with him throughout May 15th to June 15th during the specially applied for leave. Well - what Baba says usually turns out to be true, though his dates are not often right, so as regards the war and India and Turkey we shall wait and see. Baba is really looking very fit now. He says that apart from his Divine Bliss that he is happy to have his 24 chief men disciples - they are jewels he says - in spite of their obvious faults. I left Panchgani on Sunday evening for Poona, and am looking forward to seeing Baba again on 15th May at the special meeting then. 23/5/43 Panchgani (Bhilar Bungalow) I reached Meherabad on May 15th evening, and so missed the first day of the special meeting there. I was however present for the main part of the meeting, which lasted from 16th to 19th inclusive. Throughout the meeting we were constantly seeing Baba, and there was a general fast of one meal a day only and twice tea. About 100 to 120 were present, all of whom had signed the promise to obey Baba to the ultimate limit: i.e. to loss of life if necessary. The programme was to centre round the diagram, first its explanation by Baba, then discussion and meditation on it. Thus on 16th Baba explained the programme for the 4 days. The spiritual explanation was postponed till 17th morning, 7:30 to 10:30, with tea before and after. A small copy copied from original of the chart is attached. That day we all saw a lot of Baba, he came for songs etc in the hall, and was in very good mood. The next morning (18th) we all meditated from 7:00 am to 10:30 am on the chart sitting about in places shown by Baba; I was in the main hall at M'bad opposite to the clock, and so could see how slowly the hours passed. Baba explained that he wanted strange thoughts to come in, and wanted us to fight them. After this meditation Baba called us all together and said that he was very pleased and that on 19th morning we should each have two pastries with our tea. The following day we bathed and fed the poor, each looking after one man, whom we had to consider as Baba at the time. Everyone was told to leave by midnight on 19th, though I stayed on because Baba ordered me to take a month's leave to be with him; this has been curtailed to 3 weeks by my unit unfortunately. I rather feel that apart from Baba's spiritual working, about which we can know nothing, that the meeting was a chance for all to see a lot of Baba, and that the programme was just a way of filling in time, and keeping all happy. The thing that really matters is contact with Baba. Baba throughout this meeting was promising that in August God Realization would be got by all who were destined to receive it: circle members to get it whether they want or not, others if they deserve it. But after the meeting, while allotting rooms to Mandali, said jokingly, of course, that the August programme of Realization could be postponed, but Kotwal's programme of living with his wife and son in the Arangaon family quarters could not be postponed. It is such remarks as these which make us fonder of Baba. On May 21st Adi senior, Behram (Baba's brother) and myself, with Baba, left for Panchgani by car. We stopped a few hours in Poona, and reached Panchgani at about 11:30 a.m. Baba snoozed a little in the car, as He said he had not slept that night, at all. Here in Panchgani Baba has been with the ladies the whole time, and I have only seen Him for short periods. But He is in very good mood and looks very fit. Yesterday I drove Him to the Hindu High School for Boys, which is run by Kalemama's son-in-law; Baba had tea there; He really looked as fresh and simple as a child as he sat there; for all His 49 years - mischief monger as He is nevertheless. Baba teased Nilu and I this morning because we got back 5 minutes late from a 3 hour walk across the valley to Baba's cave and back, and we had some fun, ending in Nilu being stung by a small bee, and Baba forgiving both of us as a result. Baba says he is infinitely anxious that I shall be with Him in August. We leave here for Meherabad tomorrow morning at 7:00 am, stopping in Poona on the way; I am driving the bus and Baba is to come in the bus. 26/6/43 We left Panchgani with Baba sitting in the front of the bus with Nilu and myself on May 25th. Baba seemed cheerful and happy and we got to Poona without mishap at about 10:30 am. I was driving the old bus. This is the same old Chevrolet bus which Baba has used ever since about 1938, though Sarosh has now had it painted and overhauled: but she no longer pulls as she used to. At Poona we stopped for a meal at the Jessawalas and left for Ahmednagar at about 12:30. We had a very hot drive from Poona to Nagar; reaching Nagar at about 3:00 pm. The following day Baba came down to the Mandali and was in a very bad mood indeed; everyone getting it in the neck. My trunk was in Baba's special room at His special order, and I had taken it out to arrange clothes etc in it. When Baba came and found that it was gone he was very fed up and gave me a dressing down accordingly. By the evening however his mood had improved and my box was ordered back to its former place - Baba said He had ordered it to be kept there as a link with me: I dare say this was so - so anyhow the 'link' is now restored. I didn't of course know about this special order of Baba's that it should not be touched. >From 28th May until June 1st I was ordered by Baba to take 2 meals a day only, and to meditate on the Evolution chart for one hour, from 7:00 - 8:00 pm every evening in Baba's special room. I didn't like the fast, too fond of eating to enjoy fasting, but the meditation business was not very arduous. Over these days Baba's mood steadily improved; one evening he came down at about 9:00 pm to us and started discussing the war for about an hour or more. He says the war will go on for 2 or 3 years more - I hope this is not true. The night before we left with Baba for Panchgani he played cards with us all for about 2 hours and was in rattling good form: that war discussion evening he seemed rather mysterious, in one of those moods where he is only 1/2 with us, while he perhaps functions with most of himself in some other place or plane. On 1st June Baba called me and asked me to leave that afternoon to go and get a bungalow for him in Rawalpindi. This was to be kept secret from everyone. I thus left by the afternoon train for Bombay. I unfortunately failed to get a bungalow in Rawalpindi, and had to wire Baba to that effect. Today (26/6/43) I have had a wire from Baba to meet him any day between July 4th and 14th at an address in Lahore, so am looking forward to seeing him then. =================================== Jai Beloved Baba! Archives Team Avatar Meher Baba P.P.C. Trust Other Heart Talk letters can be selected at: http://www.ambppct.org/archives/collections/written_materials/correspondence/heart_talk.htm To learn more about the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Archives go to: http://www.ambppct.org/archives Heart Talk, Diary Part 245, 8 May 2008 Copyright 2008 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust