THE TEN CIRCLES

 
In the early years, another theme Baba often brought up for discussion was the circles. Baba had explained that while a Perfect Master has a circle of twelve intimate disciples, the Avatar has ten circles of twelve disciples. The mandali got intrigued with this explanation and began trying to figure out which of them belonged to which circle. There was much discussion and speculation amongst them as to their places in Baba's circles.

It was around this time that Pleader, who had come to Baba for God-realization, was informed that he wasn't in any of the circles. Pleader took this very hard and eventually went to see Baba to complain. "Baba," he exclaimed, "the others say that I'm not in any of your ten circles!"

"That's right," Baba agreed. "but would you like to know why not? It's because you are my chargeman."

Well, naturally, Pleader was delighted to hear this. As chargeman he was Baba's spiritual heir and as such his position was more exalted than any in any of the circles. He was overjoyed to hear this and, after making him promise not to show it to anyone, Baba even gave him a piece of paper with the names of all of the members of the circles on it. I never saw it but some of the early mandali told me that Pleader used to carry this in a small pouch which he wore at all times as a "seal" of his office.

When the others heard that Pleader was the chargeman, this was too much for them. "But, Baba," they protested, "how can he be your chargeman? He doesn't even love you! He just wants God-realization." And others would say, "We've been with you all these years and now you make Pleader, who has only just come, your chargeman?" If anything the bickering only got worse.

I think Baba must have been amused at all the petty squabbling. At any rate, Baba later explained when he was dictating God Speaks that the Avatar, unlike a Perfect Master, does not even have a chargeman. I remember I joined Baba in '38 in the middle of the circles controversy. One day Baba asked me, "What do you do when you're not with me?"

"I go listen to the others, Baba."

"And what do they talk about?"

"Circles, Baba. But not like any circles I've ever heard of. I've had geometry and trigonometry but I can't make heads or tails of the kind of circles they're talking about."

Baba laughed and then gestured, "Let it go in one ear and out the other." And before too long, the whole question of who was in what circle was totally forgotten.

Baba always gave us room to be ourselves, which meant occasionally indulging in such silliness as worrying about what circle we were on, but eventually Baba always put things into perspective for us, and we came to realize that loving and obeying God was the only thing which had any real importance to it. Nothing else mattered.