I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANOTHER LIKE HIM

 
I saw Meher Baba for the first time on platform number two of the Poona Railway Station. He was on His way to Andhra Pradesh with a large number of His disciples; Francis Brabazon, the Australian poet, was among them. Meher Baba was seated on a comfortable upholstered chair, radiant and garlanded, receiving the homage of His devotees. He was flanked by two tall men standing on either side and a large number of people were struggling to get near Him. Most of His devotees in Poona were there, besides the passengers ... seeking His darshan.

I have an inherent aversion toward crowds. Hence, though longing to go near Him, I left the idea of forcing my way through the crowd and contented myself with seeing Him from a distance. I climbed over a raised portion of the bridge connecting the platforms from where I could see Him clearly.

The moment I got there, Baba coincidentally got up and walked into the train and occupied a seat near a window where I was able to see His every movement very clearly. I stood there absorbed in His presence for over an hour or so.

It was, I think, a specially reserved compartment for Baba and His men. People were crowding in front ... trying to get near ... if possible to touch Him. Some were offering Him gifts of fruit and small packets of sweets, biscuits, etc. He was accepting them with one hand and giving them to people as prasad with the other. He was a magnetic personality, utterly impersonal in being.

There was a smile on His face — a beam of light shining into the hearts of all, giving an ineffable joy that made people forget their woes, at least for as long as they were in His presence. His smile was so enticingly enchanting that those who were blessed to witness it would want to lose themselves in it.

There was Eruch mopping perspiration from Baba's face. There were other Mandali around Him who, later on, were destined to enter deeply into my life. Gadekar was there too, busy running up and down. All were so absorbed in Him that they paid no attention to the world around them. When the train moved out of the platform, I got down and went to work.

"I have never seen another like Him," was the impression I carried with me when I returned. And His smiling face seemed to accompany me.