SECLUSION HILL

 
"You are all really fortunate to have come with Me on the hill, with My leading the way. That is a very dear piece of land, that hill. When I was there I fasted on only very weak tea. The hill is now barren, but a time will come when there will be much construction there by My disciples."

Baba then told us to sit quietly for five minutes, when we would have fruit juice to drink. Baba then referred again to the pictures of Himself and the locks of hair which He had entrusted to Lud, and told him again to show them to us at Meherabad and return them.

"Some of them," interjected Fred Winterfeldt.

"All of them," rejoined Baba, "and more. They will come back with your love."

While we were having fruit juice, reference was made to the various places where Baba had retired in seclusion at different times — Mount Abu, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Angarishi, Panchgani, Khuldabad and Meherabad, all were mentioned.

Then came the most moving event of the day. One of the girls appeared with a large shawl, which she carefully opened. Out of this, she drew an old patched coat, originally brown but practically covered with patches of blue and black. Baba told us that this was the most sacred of His possessions. He had worn it steadily for eight years from 1921 on. This included His period of seclusion in the "jhopdi" in 1922.

"What it has in it will be revealed after I drop the body. Then thousands and thousands of men and women will come to worship."

Next an ancient pair of sandals were produced and, following this, a white robe.

"These are the sandals and the robe that I wore when I wore that coat," Baba said. "The sandals were discarded when I first went up the hill at Meherabad."

Eruch then told us that after Baba had stopped wearing this coat, He used to change his clothes frequently and then would give them away, but these things Baba would not part with. We were also told that these things were produced today for the first time in many years. Even the Mandali had not seen them for a long time.