COOKING POTS ON THEIR HEADS

 
As I have mentioned, Baba told my mother to meditate by repeating God's Name for one hour each day, and while we did our household work she would sit on the carpet in our room and quietly repeat God's Name.

At this time [circa 1925] Mani was a young child of perhaps six. She had come from Poona to stay with us for some days, and she was mischievous and full of fun. When it came time for my mother to meditate, Mani saw how serious my mother looked as she sat repeating God's Name, but Mani did not take her meditation seriously at all. In short, Mani could not resist teasing my mother.

She knew that Daulatmai loved to hear Persian spoken. And although Mani could not speak this language, she is a very good mimic and could imitate the intonation of Persian in such a way that she sounded as though she were speaking it. So Mani began to speak "pretend" Persian to my mother, and Daulatmai was so fascinated by Mani that she stopped meditating and turned around to listen to her.

At that moment Baba came into the room. He immediately saw what Mani was up to, and He seemed very upset.

"Come here," He told her. Mani was very startled for Baba did not look at all pleased with her. She went over to Him, and this is how Baba punished her: He took a cooking pot from the shelf and put it on Mani's head. Poor Mani! It went right over her eyes, down to her ears, and she could hardly see.

"Now come and stand in this corner, and remember this punishment," Baba told her. "Never again interrupt people's prayers. Didn't you know she was praying? Why did you interrupt her? Now turn your back!" And Baba left the room.

So Mani stood in the corner feeling very ashamed of herself.

A little later small Khorshed came into the room, and when she saw Mani standing in the corner with the pot on her head — Mani looked very funny — Khorshed started to laugh. At that moment into the room came Baba again! "What are you laughing at?" He asked Khorshed.

"Mani looks so funny standing there with the pot on her head," Khorshed replied.

"Oh, so you think she looks funny, do you?" said Baba, "Then come here." And He took another pot and put it on Khorshed's head! "Now you can both stand in the corner," He told them.

They both looked so funny that we had to quickly leave the room before we, too, started to laugh.

So Baba taught them their lessons: not to interrupt others' prayers, and not to laugh at others' misfortunes. And their punishment was itself funny; it appealed to Baba's sense of humour. It was not Baba's way to punish them by slapping them. Of course, Baba then embraced them, and they were completely forgiven.