THE BELOVED'S DHUN

 
Roshan's [Kerawala] remaining sister, Dhun, died in the early eighties. She became increasingly crippled over the years, and could only be moved by her servant from bed to chair, to toilet and vice-versa, as long as Dhun was taking Baba's name as directed by Baba. Otherwise movement would have required many more hands. She remained alert and attentive to activities at Akbar Press, maintaining some order among the servants despite her immobility. She loved sitting in her chair facing the window so that she could constantly see Baba's face in the leaves and branches of the trees outside. She delighted visitors with her ability to see images of Baba where they could not until shown by her.

She was of course not always so restricted in movement. In the late nineteen-thirties during the time that Helen Dahm was painting the inside of the Samadhi, Baba would sometimes take her there, and sit with her on the threshold, watching Helen at work. In later years, when Roshan at one time took her to Meherabad, she pointed to a figure on the left of Baba, and said to Roshan, 'That is me.' She also said to Roshan, 'Baba told me that He could cure me, but if He did so, then I would have to go through the same thing next lifetime — but without Him with me. So He said to finish my karma in this lifetime whilst He is with me.'

There is an interesting story of a time when she was staying at Bindra House. It was Amartithi 1970, one year after Beloved Baba had dropped His body. The family planned to leave very early in the morning of the 31st and return in the evening. Such a journey was impossible for Dhun, so Roshan stayed with her. Before the 31st Dhun's health was fine, but after the family left at 4 a.m. she began to have stomach pains. Then she began to vomit and have diarrhea, and this went on and on. No matter what Roshan gave her, even a little liquid, she was unable to keep down. By 10 a.m. she had become extremely pale from the loss of fluids. The servant had gone with the family to Amartithi, and with no one else in the house, Roshan could not leave Dhun and go seeking a doctor.

There was in the house a photo of Beloved Baba to which Baba Himself would go, and after removing His sandals, would bow down before it. Gaimai had told everyone that they should go to that photo and pray to Him over any difficulty they might have. Roshan remembered this, and so she prayed, 'Beloved Baba, You must please do something for Dhun. I cannot go on, and I have no one else to turn to. I leave her to You.' Then she tried giving Dhun again a little lemon juice, sugar and a pinch of salt, but she promptly brought it up.

She looked as if she would die, but she said to Roshan, 'What if I did die! That would be no great loss! Take me to the dining table and we will say the prayers after observing the silence.' Dhun always sat at the head of the table where Baba would sit when He came to Bindra House. Roshan was seated to her right, and the door was on Dhun's left.

They finished the prayers, and Dhun was so exhausted that she did not open her eyes. When Roshan opened her eyes, she saw Baba walk in through the door and stand between the dining room and the door. He looked at Roshan and looked at Dhun, and then He walked behind Dhun and stood patting her head. With this, Roshan cried out, 'Open your eyes! Baba has come!' Dhun opened her eyes, but looked towards the door, thinking that He would be there. At the same time, Roshan was thinking that Baba was giving so much attention to Dhun, and not even looking at her. With that thought in her head, Baba looked at her and smiled. Again at the same time, the moment that Dhun looked towards the door, Baba disappeared.

From that time, Dhun's health began to change. She shortly expressed hunger, and asked for arrowroot. At 3 p.m. she asked for mashed potato, and when Roshan cautioned her about eating too much, Dhun assured her that she was all right. By the time the family returned Dhun was normal in health. She told them that the incident had felt to her like someone putting their hands on her head. The family said how they had experienced Beloved Baba's presence in the Samadhi, so He had had to come all that way from there to be with her in Bindra House!