The same day (March 28, 1938) a five-foot-long snake was seen outside the kitchen with a sparrow in its mouth. Baba was called, and he came with a few of the men. One man struck the snake on its back, and it released the sparrow which flew away. Baba gave the final killing blow, crushing its head. Later in the evening after dinner, he remarked about snakes, “Unless a snake is killed by a human being, it remains always a snake. Never leave a snake wounded, as it takes so long to die. Once wounded, a snake will always remain near you to be killed outright.” On another occasion, the men killed a snake at lower Meherabad, and Padri brought it to Baba who crushed its head. To Padri, he explained, “In evolution, the snake form is like an entangled rope which you cannot undo or unwind. However, if it is killed by a human being the knot untangles itself and the soul is free to continue on its way through evolution.”
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 7, p. 2269.