THE HABIT OF HAVING FOLLOWERS

 
At the Eastern sahawas there were four saints. Two genuine saints, and two — let us call them — saints. There was one: Yogi Sudhananda Bharati. He was on the stage with me; he loves me and wants to spread my message of love far and wide. Godavri Mai from Sakori also participated. She has a large following. People come and pay their respects to her and she is invited to different places. I call her Yashoda — the foster-mother of Krishna. When I call her for any occasion she comes and does everything I tell her. She obeys me implicitly.

It is very important to hear what I am going to say. There is a child who was born in central India whom they call Balak Bhagwan and he was very soon proclaimed as an incarnation of God. Thousands crowded around the child for healing purposes, for paralyzed limbs, blindness and so forth, and he would give these people dust or water.

Newsmen came also, and so many flocked to him that the police had to make arrangements for the crowds. Articles were written about him. They called him "Balak Bhagwan" or "Child-God."

The child grew up; he goes about in just a loin-cloth. He has a very good heart. He knows me. He has now formed the habit of having a flock of people pay their respects to him, bow down and garland him. One day something happened. He wanted to contact me. He was 17 years old.

I was in Pimpalgaon and he came all of a sudden and fell at my feet. He wept and embraced me and gave me a tight hug. I make him sit down close to me. He chatted with me and called me "Meher Mahan" — "Great God."

I told him he should be careful to allow no one to bow down to him. And if, in spite of this, people got healed through their faith in him, not to take it for granted that he had powers. He promised and went back. Then he came to the sahawas. I made him sit on the dais. I gave discourses during the day and I left Meherabad for Pimpalgaon every evening.

He also used to give discourses saying, "If you obey me, Baba will bless you". But all there were my lovers. When I returned the next day I heard what happened. He asked for my forgiveness, saying, "From now on I will just love you, Baba." But he has formed the habit of having followers.

One day I learned that a saint from Nagpur came for sahawas. He would sit in the crowd listening to my discourses and then in my absence form a group and give discourses. I called him and told him to obey. I asked him if he were prepared to obey me. Then I ordered him to leave immediately, to fast for 40 days, to take only plain water, and all the time to think of me.

He promised to obey and he bowed down to me. He left. For 12 days he fasted; then I sent an order for him to stop fasting, and told him to observe silence to July 10th.