GOD WILLED IT TO HAPPEN IN AMERICA

 
I had just joined the New India Assurance Company, and within three or four days the newspaper report came that Baba had had the car accident. That's how I came to know of it, and it was a huge shock to all of us. Baba's circular had come out in January, 1948, in which He mentioned that a great personal disaster had to come to pass, and apparently God willed it to happen in America. He had to shed his blood there. The entire left side of His body had been shattered, and that's a very striking thing to me.

Recently it dawned on me that in America it was the left side of His body that was damaged. When facing North, the left side is the West side. At the time of that accident, Baba had been with only the women mandali in the car. Four years later when the accident occurred in Satara, it was His right side that was badly smashed up, and only the men mandali were with Baba then. In Hindu mythology or spiritual history, the left was Shiva's female aspect and the right was the male aspect. We don't know what the significance of all that may be — it is simply fodder for our speculation.

All those accidents were entirely predetermined by Him, such as the way Baba delayed getting into the car so that the accident with the other car would occur at a particular time and place. Prague, Oklahoma, is almost exactly at the center of the United States. In a way it was His particular sense of humor that He was just quite natural and allowed the whole thing to happen. Just imagine if you or I had been there and we knew that the accident was going to happen. We would have been all jitters and shivers.

Before Baba left for the West, Meherjee came to Bindra House and filled us in a bit as to what was going on. Prior to launching on the journey, Baba had called the men who would accompany him. He was in a very serious mood. "What we are going on is not any picnic our joyride. I have very serious work to do, and I am entrusting to each one particular duties which you all have to carry out with great attention and care, so don't think that it is all nothing but fun for you to come with Me. I am warning you now."...

Meheru and Mani had the fewest injuries, whereas Baba, Mehera and Elizabeth were all seriously injured. Baba was thrown out of the car and lay bleeding on the side of the road. He later commented, "I had to spill My blood on American soil." Soon after the accident, the car with Sarosh, Dr. Goher, Rano, Kitty and Delia arrived on the scene. When they saw what had happened, Goher (who had earlier felt hurt at being excluded from being in Baba's car) realized why He had insisted that she go in the other car, because she was needed to tend to the injuries of Baba, Mehera and Elizabeth.