AVATAR AND CRICKET-LOVER

 
From a letter from Mehera, we read that "Beloved was very happy the day the cricketers came (April 2, 1959). He told them of His love for this game and that He was particularly very good behind the wickets. He was a member of the junior cricket team of the St. Vincent High School, but He was selected as a wicket keeper even in the senior team. Baba said that, from His childhood days, He was always chosen as a leader by His schoolmates, and, whenever there was a quarrel or fight amongst the students, Baba invariably was chosen to arbitrate between the quarreling parties.

"Baba said, 'When I was a child, children got attracted to Me; and when I grew up, God was attracted to Me; and when I became One with God, people all over the world became attracted to Me. I was a student of the Catholic School, St. Vincent; and just recently, at the request of the principal, Father Rego of St. Joseph's School, Bombay, I, the Avatar of the Age, visited the school, embraced and blessed 1,500 students and in this Catholic school, Eruch declared me as 'One of them,' and as 'a Compassionate Father and one with God.'

"Baba said He loves children. When He meets children, He becomes like a child. He loves to play marbles with them, fly kites, and play cricket. Often when He is driving in a car and if time permits, and He finds small children playing cricket with a plank as a bat and a rubber ball, Baba would ask the car to be stopped and watch the game with interest. Baba has many a time explained that His visits to witness cricket matches and sitting amongst crowds intently watching the game, has a great spiritual purpose behind it.

"While describing His childhood days and love of the games, Baba told the pressmen, 'I am One with God; and when you give reports of this meeting to your papers, you should include also, that, as One with everything and everybody on all levels of consciousness, I live the respective roles at the same time.'

"One of the cricketers asked Baba to bless the team, so that they could put up a good show in England. Baba then told one of the mandali to give the players a tip — that they should embrace Him with all their hearts and love, and they would be sure to take His Love with them to England. Baba blessed them all and said, 'Do not be nervous, because of your show with the West Indies lately. If you play with one heart, My Love will help you to win at least one test and on the whole you will put up a better show than you did with the West Indies. But all will depend on your love for me.'"

P.S.: They won some of the County matches.