Meher Baba copyright 1987 Charlie Mills

Search

Lord Meher

Advanced Search

Browse By Page

Browse By Year

Home

Notes

Terms of Use

Feedback

Help

Go To Previous PageGo To Next Page
1392THE WEST LEARNS TO SING1932

As they left the church, they saw an old man with a white beard sitting on a bench. He was blind and begging. Baba sat down beside him and took his hand. He motioned to certain ones to give the old man some money, remarking, "He is a good soul; I know him well."

They returned to Lugano at 7:00 P.M., after stopping at a restaurant for tea and cakes. They went to a film that night.

At the hotel Baba's meals were served in his room. Adi Sr. was occupying the room next to Baba's and ate with him. Adi related:

In Switzerland we stayed in Lugano, lovely lakes and hotels. I stayed next to Baba's room; the other mandali were in another room. Baba's food and my food were served in his room. When Baba decided to take his food he asked me to sit down and take mine, but he never allowed me to finish. The moment I sat down to take it, on some pretext Baba would ask me to get up and bring something — water or soda water or Vichy water or whatever. I would bring it, and Baba would say, "All right, all right! Sit down, take your food." Again, as I was just putting a morsel in my mouth, he would say, "I have finished eating, wash my hands!" So I would get up and wash his hands. "Sit down and take your food," he would say. Then as soon as I would do so, he would say, "Bring me a napkin to wipe my hands." I got up and brought the napkin. "Sit down and take your food," he said. I said, "Yes, Baba, I am." Then he said, "Bring me a toothpick" ... And after the toothpick, he sent me downstairs for a newspaper. I honestly felt like jumping into the lake! I felt completely exhausted mentally because he asked me to do two things at one and the same time: eat and not eat, bark and not bark, do and do not do. 

Margaret (Craske) arrived on the 30th and joined the group. That afternoon they went up Mt. Brè by funicular where they had tea. (Baba had only biscuits and water with lemon juice.) On a small plateau they played a game of gilli-danda, which Baba enjoyed. They went for a drive the next afternoon, also, although it was raining, and to the cinema in the evening.

Kitty had shouldered all the responsibility for the visit to Switzerland (at her own expense). So during this trip, she was minutely supervising every detail of the arrangements for food, travel and lodging for Baba and the mandali, and was thus engaged from morning to night. She was doing her best to please Baba and labored sincerely in Baba's service.

In spite of this, on Sunday, 1 May 1932, Baba pointed to Kitty and spelled out to the others present, "Jeanco [New York devotees] love me more than Kimco, because Kimco left me when I was sitting here alone yesterday to go out for a walk."

Quite hurt, Kitty could not prevent her tears. Baba then consoled her, "Why are you crying? It was a joke. Here [in Lugano], no sun is to be seen, the rain continues to fall and the weather on the whole is depressing. I don't like it, but Kitty's love has made me remain here. Otherwise, I would not have stayed here for one hour under these circumstances.

"In this unfavorable climate, your love is everything to me. I know how all of you love me, and I love you for that. But to let such 'arrows' fly is also part of my work, which is for your own good. By such taunts and prickings, I create more love within you, and you should not mind or feel pained by it."

At the hotel, a Ping-Pong table was procured by Kitty, and Baba played several spirited games with Ghani.

Go To Previous PageGo To Next Page