In Rahuri, on Sunday, February 7th, (1937) Baba gave up solid food and began fasting for the last ten days of his forty-day fast on only water. Two days passed and Baba went to Nasik. Gathering the group, he explained some spiritual points, starting with agents:
Qutub in Sufism means center. That center controls the whole universe through his agents. Meetings are held, but these meetings cannot be seen with the physical eye. The agents who control the gross only are called abdals. They are capable of changing their bodies. The Urdu word badal means change. Abdal, therefore, is one who can change.
Nadine Tolstoy asked what it is like for Baba to feel himself to be God. Baba replied, using her given Russian name Nadia:
Heaven and hell, God and man all are here. You are now God, plus Nadia. When Nadia disappears, God remains. So, Nadia must go. Let Nadia go, and then God remains.
Nadia has to make Nadia go. If you merge in me, Nadia goes. The easiest way for Nadia to go is to forget herself – to forget herself as Nadia. How? Think less of Nadia by thinking more of Baba. When Nadia merges in Baba, Nadia is finished. Baba remains.
But if you go on thinking how to do it and how to merge, then this thought keeps you back. Don’t think of how and when – think of Baba.
But better even than this, and safer too, is to merge in my orders – to do as I say. That is, all should obey instantly!
One of the group asked, “What if we want to obey, but for some reason are not able to do so physically or mentally?”
If you want to obey, then it is not disobedience. If, for instance, I say fly and you cannot, it is not disobedience, but you must try to fly! Do not say, “I cannot fly.” But just try.
In one sense it is easy to obey, but to do it with heart and soul is difficult. For example, if I say to Adi Sr., “Kill your father,” he will kill him. That is easy; he won’t be happy to do it, but he will. Complete obedience, complete blind obedience, is very, very rare.
If I tell Malcolm, “Kill Jean,” if he has full faith he will do it, but not willingly. Hence, there is a difference. Complete blind obedience is the outcome of complete faith.
At one point, Baba again warned that continually thinking of how to get rid of the ego and how to merge in the Infinite is a hindrance on the path rather than a help. Continuing, Baba emphasized obedience:
You will always find very many who do not obey. They are just devoted. They worship but do not obey. Is this clear? Obedience is more important than devotion, even if it is done unwillingly. It counts for a great deal because afterward, in the process, duality vanishes and responsibility falls upon one person – the Master, the One you obey. If he tells you to get up, you must. If he calls you, you must go.
Love is even higher than obedience. In real love – not ordinary love – love, obedience and devotion are inherent. Such love gives life, body, soul – all to the Beloved. This love is higher than both obedience and devotion.
The next step to this love is union. Therefore, love. Give more love, and more and more love. Big hearts always give and give in; small hearts take and take in.
One day, I will explain more about love to you all. Love is not understood properly. Every emotional act cannot be counted as proceeding from love. The true sign of love is to give everything – to give and give!
One day, I will explain about pure love. A mother loves her child. But this is not pure love. It is love plus self-satisfaction. In real love there is no desire for satisfaction – only for satisfying!
Nowadays, even lust is taken for love. The subtle difference is missed. There is a very subtle difference between love and lust, but it is quite clear. They are two different things. You love rice and curry; this is lust. You love a cigar; lust again. You love curry and eat it, but do not give anything by the act. You finish the beloved!
(February 7, 1969 – Beloved Baba’s beautiful Form was interred in the crypt, which is now His Samadhi. It happened to be His birthday according to the Parsi calendar.)
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 6, pp. 2090 – 2092.