MEHER BABA'S SCENT

 
One day after Meher Baba had emerged from a long period of seclusion, we were sitting in Mandali Hall with some of His close lovers whom He had permitted to visit Him, and Baba asked them whether they remembered Him during the time they were away from Him.

In unison, all those present said that they loved Him and remembered Him.

"And how do you do that?" asked Baba.

One of them said that all the lovers gathered and performed His arti, another said they sang bhajans and a third said they repeated His name. Yet another mentioned that his group not only remembered Baba but created a Baba atmosphere as well.

"How did you do that?" asked Baba.

"Baba," he replied, "we heard of a saint in our town and we visited him often. You have told us not to go to saints and yogis but you have also said that You are in them. So I went with my family to visit this saint and I saw You in him."

"If you saw Me in him," said Baba, where was the need for you to come here today? You wanted a Baba atmosphere and you felt it in the presence of that person. There was no need therefore for you to come here."

When the man had no reply, Baba continued, "I am also in the prostitute, in the vagabond and in the thief. Why do you not visit them? You will find Me there."

Then as tears of remorse began to trickle down the man's face, Baba continued, "What you say and you felt is right. I am in everything, but I am not THAT. The saint is the saint while I am the God-Man. What do the police do to track down a criminal? They use dogs which smell out the criminal by first bringing the dogs to the site of the crime. Similarly, your coming here is like a preparation to catch the stealer of your hearts. I steal the hearts of mankind and if you want to track Me down, you must come to the site where I have spent so much time.

"Sometimes the dogs lose the scent and the police bring them again to the site. Likewise, you must come again and again till you are certain that you have My scent and are not likely to lose it. When you have saturated that scent in yourself, then there will be no need for you to come here."