On March 10th, (1940) Baba wrote to Minta Toledano:
Your last letter ticked me off – for tempering or balancing my eternal suffering with eternal bliss, while humanity has to suffer without the joy of infinite bliss and happiness, implying was it fair?
Darling Shalimar, I want you to be always outspoken and free with your Beloved. I know you love, but imperfectly as yet, hence your lack of understanding. The Avatar has to suffer eternally for the world, but added to this is the often unnecessary suffering caused by his dearest and chosen ones, just because they do not understand him or his ways.
This gift of understanding is more precious than any other attribute of love – be it expressed in service or sacrifice. Love can be blind, selfish, greedy, ignorant, but love with understanding can be none of these things. It is the divine fruit of Pure Love, the rarest fruit or flower of the universe. It has been called “the sweetest flower in all the world.” Age cannot wither it. It grows more lovely as it casts off its outer garment, disclosing its unseen beauty within.
What a wonderful opportunity to learn that this “love with understanding” is given to those whom the Beloved – himself the epitome of Perfect Understanding – calls to live near him. What a tragedy for those who refuse! If they had any understanding of what they had passed over, their suffering would indeed be unbearable. No physical suffering, no suffering of the present war, could compare with it. If they had understanding they never would have refused. How complicated is life!
But love cannot force. To serve, please and love me is a very different thing from what, let us say, Hitler asks of his followers. They obey; if not they are shot or imprisoned. My followers obey me voluntarily, a far more difficult ideal.
Learn, eventually, you will. But in a school where suffering may not be combined with the presence of Eternal Bliss and happiness as it would if you had come to me as I asked. There is so much in you which I need for my work. Such capacity to understand, had you the desire to learn and the grit, determination and courage to strive for the goal. Who better than you were able to realize my changing moods, my present need, my unspoken wish, but you grew tired and wanted change! Like a child, you wanted the fairy palace, the fine jewel, without the climb and toil for its attainment.
Now, darling Shalimar, don’t be miserable because this time I have ticked you off. Write again soon, and tell me all your plans, and what you would like to do. You have chosen the longer of two paths toward the happiness you sincerely desire, but it is a path and I will lead you along it to the end. So you have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. Mine you always were and mine you will always remain, whether there or here.
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 7, pp. 2535 – 2536.