Baba had brought three alphabet boards with him: one made of plywood, one plastic, and the other cardboard. The plywood board he presented to Kumar, and the plastic one to Dhake. The third alphabet board made of cardboard, which Baba had used much the past years, had printed letters and numerals pasted on it. The zero of this board was
partially torn off, but a portion of it was still hanging on.
Baba remarked, “I have been using this board quite roughly, and still the zero is suspended to it. Due to a broken piece, three-fourths of the zero on the board is wiped out, one-fourth is saved. If this dangling piece separates from the board, it will be best for the world.”
Baba flung the alphabet board to Savak Kotwal, and the piece came off. Baba then gave the board to Eruch to send to Padri at Meherabad with instructions to preserve and take the utmost care of it. Baba added, “Only God knows the value of this zero and that which it signifies.”
Giving the detached zero to Savak, Baba stated, “Keep this most carefully until your last breath.”
Baba then stated, “No correspondence from the 8th of October. If anyone has anything to say, I will hear it, but will give no reply. From the 8th, no alphabet board and no correspondence.”
At 5:30 P.M., Baba asked Savak, “Where have you kept that piece of the zero?”
“I placed it in my trunk,” he said.
“Had I been in your place,” Baba told him, “I would have cut a piece out of my flesh and kept the piece there! Do you really want it?”
“I did not realize its importance,” Savak replied.
“That piece of the zero will create great havoc,” Baba warned.
“Then it is useless for me to keep it. I’ll return it.”
Savak gave it back, and Baba remarked, “You are a fool to return it!”
Then, smiling he stated, “I wanted the piece, and Savak has given it voluntarily without my asking for it.”
Handing the zero piece to Eruch, Baba directed him to send it to Padri along with the board and write that he should also very carefully keep the zero piece with the board.
At 6 P.M., Baba addressed the mandali, “Go and wash your hands, and also sprinkle some water in your pants, as at times urine drops remain there.”
The following twenty men were present on this occasion: Gustadji, Baidul, Kaka Baria, Pendu, Vishnu, Eruch, Ramjoo, Donkin, Nilu, Savak Kotwal, Kaikobad, Krishna Nair, Bhau, Aloba, Kishan Singh, Kumar, Dhake, Adi Dubash, Dr. Sharma and Krishnaji.
When the twenty men had returned after washing, the doors and windows were shut, guards were posted outside on all sides to prevent anyone from coming inside, and Baba stated, “I have to discard the alphabet board today. But, before doing so, I will offer my obeisance to the Five Sadgurus.”
At 6:30 P.M., the obeisance ceremony began. Eruch read out the following prayer in English which Bhau translated into Hindi. Baba had dictated the prayer the day before:
O Sai Baba, Upasni Maharaj, Babajan, Tajuddin Baba and Narayan Maharaj! You, the five in One and the One in five, the Divine Beings representing the Absolute One, I now bow to you in perfect homage. It is due to you, the five Men-God, that I am what I am – the Ancient One, the Everlasting One!
May the Beloved God, with Whom you five are One and for Whom you five are working universally, give me in your names, the strength, power and wisdom to fulfill all that I have taken this form for, and see that all I have declared
at the last Meherabad meeting comes to pass.
I now give up using the board, it being my gesture before God for breaking my silence soon.
A white sheet was spread on the floor, and a stool placed on it. Baba instructed: “Each of the twenty of you present should come to me one by one and stand on the stool. When my forehead touches your feet, you should utter: “O Sai Baba, Upasni Maharaj, Babajan, Tajuddin Baba, Narayan Maharaj! Baba is offering you his last obeisance!” saying
their names in the exact order I have given.
One by one, the mandali and guests came forward, and Baba placed his head on their feet as each loudly repeated the invocation. If the order of the Perfect Masters was changed, the person had to repeat it again until the order was correct. Krishna Nair had to say it five or six times. Gustadji began the ceremony, with silent hand gestures, and
Kaikobad was the last. After all had finished, Baba alone saluted himself by bowing down to himself – touching his hand to his forehead and then to his feet. Because he was silent, he asked the mandali to repeat the line simultaneously.
But they could not do it in unison, so Baba told them he would raise his finger and they should all shout, “Sai Baba!” and, when he raised his finger again, they should repeat, “Upasni Maharaj!” and in this way the entire invocation “Babajan! Tajuddin Baba! Narayan Maharaj!” was repeated by every man present.
After that, Baba washed his hands and asked Gustadji and Kaikobad to stand in front of him. Standing between them, he joined hands with them and asked Eruch to repeat the prayer twice, and Bhau to say it in Hindi once. As the prayer was being said, Baba would raise his arms beseeching God, and it looked as if he himself was seriously praying to the Almighty.
Then Baba again bowed to each one – Gustadji first, Kaikobad last – this time telling them to repeat: “Parabrahma, Paramatma, Ya Yezdan, Ahuramazda, Allah hu Akbar,” as he touched their feet. After doing so to each, Baba alone bowed down to the stool as all said the line in chorus.
At 6:45 P.M., Baba washed his hands. He kept some water in the bowl on the stool, and after washing, sprinkled the water seven times on the floor. After doing this, he began to return to his original position, but again returned to the bowl and threw water seven times on the floor, as if only now it was done to his satisfaction. There was a divine glow on his face, and a peculiar luster in his eyes. Baba stood with folded hands before Gustadji, and asked the prayer to be read again, twice by Eruch and once by Bhau.
Then Baba took his seat on a chair, and at exactly 7 P.M., placed the cardboard alphabet board with the torn zero on the stool. Baba handed it to Eruch and instructed that it be given to Padri, along with the white sheet on which he had stood during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, Baba sat quietly for a few minutes. It was a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Suddenly, Baba remarked, “How happy I am! It is hard for you to grasp how happy I am.”
Baba listened to the phonograph, playing a few bhajan and qawaali records until 11:30 P.M. after which, at 11:45, the Parvardigar Prayer was said by Eruch in English, and then repeated by Bhau in Hindi. The prayers were over at midnight, and all the mandali accompanied Baba to Grafton.
Thus Baba stopped using the alphabet board from October 7th, 1954…
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 13, pp. 4557 – 4560.