Enthused by her new liberties, one of the Western women suggested to Baba that he allow them to go swimming or on a tiger safari with Rustom. On March 4th, (1937) Baba observed:
Very hard nuts to crack, all of you! Picnics are good, walking also. Games too are good, such as ping-pong and so forth for exercise. But this does not mean going daily for a swim or hunting and killing tigers! Have you come to want to do such things because Rustom shot a tiger?
You can take long or short walks, but do not make new suggestions. Read through the restrictions carefully and do as you are told. It is because I love you that I am saying this.
Turning to Margaret, Baba inquired, “You did not leave your ballet school to Mabel just for killing tigers, did you?”
Picnics once a month are all right. I am happy about that, but do not ask me for other privileges. This displeases me. If I did not like your going out for picnics, I would not have said to Elizabeth, “When will you go? Why don’t you go too?” And if every day you go out walking for miles or go to the bazaar for shopping, I do not mind. But you are not to go bathing in the river or go hunting.
The main point is that you should not bring up new suggestions. Do not ask for more than I give you. If I give you a finger, do not try to reach for the whole arm.
Now just because I have given certain freedom to one does not mean that I should give it to everybody. What is good for one might not be good for another. You must keep this in mind.
As I have said, on picnic days, meditation and Urdu lessons will be forgone, but not for those who choose not to go. For them, meditation continues as before. This aversion to meditation and learning Urdu many have. Meditation – some of you love it, and some of you don’t like it. I hate it, but I like being meditated upon because then I help directly.
Love is meditation in its highest form, but only that love which does not forget the Beloved for a single moment. Then meditation is not necessary. It is superfluous. Majnun thought of nothing but Leila. He saw Leila in everything. (1)
(1) The story of Majnun and Leila is a famous Persian tale of the height of human love. Majnun (meaning “possessed by a djinn” or “love-struck” though his real name was Qais) and Leila (meaning “sweetheart” — her actual name was Laila bint Sa’d) loved each other profoundly. They were from different tribes and were never united in love, and because of that pain of separation Majnun nearly went mad with love and his love saw Leila in everything. His love intensified to such heights that he came into contact with a Qutub who bestowed God-Realization upon him.
Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol. 6, pp. 2121 – 2122.