ON WEDNESDAY, October 30th, (1957) Adi telephoned from Ahmednagar to inform Baba that, after a few days of not feeling well, Gustadji had passed away that day at 3:20 P.M. Eruch informed Baba, who had tears in his eyes for a while after receiving the news and reminiscing about his old friend Gustadji. This was one of the very rare times Baba was ever observed to weep when he heard that someone had died. This, in itself, was a fitting tribute to Gustadji and a testament to how dearly Baba loved him. Baba then motioned to the mandali to leave the room, and he picked up a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.
On learning of Gustadji’s demise, Baba commented, “My old dear friend and companion in silence, Gustadji, has realized my Real Self at the time of dropping his body.” This was the first time that Baba implied someone had “realized” him. Usually, Baba would state that the person who had died had “come” to him – meaning they had attained mukti (liberation) or would be reborn in a Baba family, or come back to him in the next life.
According to Baba’s wish, Gustadji’s body was taken from Meherazad to Meherabad, where it was buried twelve feet from Ali Shah’s humble tomb. At age sixty-seven, Gustadji was the oldest of the mandali and he kept silence until his last breath. He was Baba’s “Dark Side,” the closest and most loved of Baba’s intimate circle and companions. Gustadji was the most stalwart member of Baba’s inner circle who, in the end, attained the Goal of Realization. It was well said that he served the Lord with every cell of his body! (1)
(1) After Meher Baba returned to Ahmednagar, he found out that Gustadji had died alone with no one to care for him at the end, and he reprimanded Adi for leaving Gustadji unattended at his death. Adi regretted his mistake and his excuse of being too preoccupied with work, for he knew he should have better cared for Gustadji and been there when he died. Adi and Gustadji were connected from the earliest days with Upasni Maharaj in Sakori, with Baba at the Fergusson Road Hut in Poona, and Manzil-e-Meem in Bombay.
Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol. 15, pp. 5238 – 5239.