The Combined Diary
"According to Baba the only Sadguru among all these Saints is Hazrat Zar-Zari Bakhsh who Shri was pleased to add is the Master of Hazrat Sai Baba! Thus it was for the first time that anybody could know as to who was the Guru of Sai Baba," folios #2v307-2v311, 2-5 June, 1927.
At the morning meeting the mandali debated the social impact of education with Panday taking the negative position and Gitay the positive. Baba ended the debate by signing, "Education however faulty and incompetent is always better than ignorance. It is and does much good. If not always good financially, education brings about a lot of good mentally. It is a step further towards human advancement, betterment and progress. Under all circumstances and at any place I would repeat and declare that education is and does good. A system may be defective, even bad, yet you must not blame the one for the other, i.e. the education for the system....."
Being Thursday there were many visitors and Bhausahib sang bhajans to Baba and the mandali in the afternoon. Afterwards Baba gave his attention for an hour and a half to the "little ones" in the Ashram.
As night fell the new 400 candle power Petromax lamp was lighted at Meherabad for the first time amid cheers from the mandali and the boys. Coconuts were cracked and their meat distributed. Baba instructed Ravsahib to take good care of the lamp, conveying, "If any accident happens to the lamp I will march out of Meherabad in an unknown direction."
On a visit to the D.S.P. to discuss the Lobha case, Rustomji discussed spiritual subjects at great length and answered many question about Baba's activities and teachings. The D.S.P. requested copies of Baba's discourses to share with his friend the son of Mathew Arnold, who had recently come to India to study dharma.
Baba called an afternoon meeting where he proposed a "flying visit" to Aurangabad on the following day. During the discussion he suddenly asked Adi to go outside and yell at the clouds, "Come rain, come!" Adi complied in a half-hearted way and Baba sent him out again to shout. To everyone's surprise very strong winds began to blow and clouds gathered overhead. Soon the meeting dispersed and heavy rain fell.
Despite having a cold and feeling discomfort in his body Baba arrived at the Makan in cool, damp 5 AM air to awaken the mandali. They departed immediately, stopping at Khusroo Quarters in Ahmednagar for breakfast and continuing on by bus. As there was no bridge or causeway across the Godavery River they pushed the bus through sand and knee-deep water; they reached the Government Inspection bungalow in Aurangabad by 10:15. While some mandali went to purchase food others played cards with Baba.
After lunch they drove 15 kilometers to the Ellora Caves near Khuldabad. Although many caves and temples are hewn into the cliff, the mandali visited only the best and largest of them, the Kailash Temple.
Khuldabad is reputed to be the burial site of 1400 Muslim saints as well as Emperor Aurangzeb. Baba visited the "hut-like" residence of a local man named Ramjoo who served as attendant at the tomb of Perfect Master, Hazrat Zar-Zari Bakhsh, whom Baba revealed was the Master of Sai Baba. In an "excellent mood" Baba discoursed on the subtle universe and heaven and hell.
On the way back through Aurangabad Baba selected the location for a new branch of Khan Sahib's garage; that spot turned out to be the very place that Adi had thought to purchase. The return trip to Ahmednagar ended with supper at Khusroo Quarters. By 8 PM the party was back at Meherabad.
Part 156: The Combined Diary
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