Goma Ganesh Pathak, one of the former teachers of the Meher Ashram school, was doing social work in Ahmednagar and would come to see Baba from time to time. He invited Baba to the upcoming opening of a nursery school, Babawadi, for poor children, where they would be given free milk. Baba went for the opening in Ahmednagar on October 25th, (1946) accompanied by Elizabeth, Rano and Norina.
This message from Baba was read out:
Selfless work, as you all know, has many aspects in the social and political fields. Each aspect thereof, though tinged by a particular cultural background, has its own merit and consequential reward. But the work relating to the welfare of babies is in a class by itself. Babies and infants, everywhere in the world, are the very epitome of God’s purity and innocence. They are guileless and helpless – and yet they desire and expect nothing. Why do men see and recognize the enemy and the criminal outside? Because the so-called enemy and the criminal are already within them. Babies have no criminal or enemy within and, therefore, see none outside.
I am also called “Baba,” which endearingly means a baby. In fact, all God-Realized souls are unsophisticated, like babies. I therefore see and enjoy my purity and colorlessness in the unselfconscious ones – the babies. This is what is real selfless service, when you are serving the little selfless ones – and this is tantamount to rendering service directly unto God. The Biblical statement “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me,” bears out what I have said.
I bless you all.
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 9, pp. 3305 – 3306.