THE WORLD DID NOT EXIST

 
As I told you earlier, we were governed by certain rigid instructions from Baba. These were like handcuffs on us. We were even, so to say, in a straight jacket, and yet at the same time Baba made it very easy for us. All we had to do was concentrate on trying to keep ourselves happy.

Baba said, "All these instructions boil down to one little thing which can be of great help to me in my New Life, and you, being my companions, can easily do that: keep the company lively." Under no circumstances were we to have long faces. If we could do this, just keep happy all the time and not worry about anything, everything would go smoothly.

Don: Did he say in so many words not to worry about anything?

Eruch: Yes — not about anything.

Don: So he placed emphasis on that. This is the thread that goes throughout Baba's ministry: "Don't worry, be happy."

Eruch: In spite of this life we were to lead of complete helplessness and hopelessness, he put that in the same way, "Don't worry, be happy." And we tried our very best to do it.

The companions who were with Baba were fully convinced that they were not going to return. They were convinced of this by Baba's statements. And once they were convinced, the world did not exist because they had left behind their possessions, families, wives, children, brothers, sisters, mothers, aged people, everybody. They didn't care for anything. They dared undergo anything.

On a month's notice, just one month, they turned their backs on everything and followed Baba. If they were able to do this, why should they care for anything else in the world? They were determined to go through this New Life with Baba.

So we started out on the New Life.