[Tavern-Talk] HEART TALK: William Donkin's Diaries, 25

[Tavern Talk]

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

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Heart Talk, Diary Part 245, 8 May 2008
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