Baba met all 300 children, kissing some, patting others, taking a few on his lap and distributing prasad to all. The program had originally been scheduled to last an hour, but it went on for an hour and a half. No garlanding or bowing down was allowed, but at the end of the program, all 300 children shouted in unison "Avatar Meher Baba ki jai!" Baba stood and, taking Shantadevi's hand, unaccompanied by any of the mandali, he briskly walked the length of the verandah and around the house, followed and surrounded by laughing children — himself happy and smiling like a child amongst them.

Age noted, "After months, at last Baba appeared in a joyous mood that day. His face was glowing with divine beauty and his smile spread its message of joy. Seeing him, no one could imagine how terribly he had suffered; they could not see what lay behind the veil of his smile! Such was his divine play."

On 10 May, Baba was in a happy mood again when Rustom and Sohrab, along with their servant Narya, enacted a humorous skit about a father agonizing over finding a suitable match for his daughter. Baba enjoyed it thoroughly and remarked:

The world is a drama. You weep, you laugh — to weep and laugh again. It is all a tamasha [a show]. When the inner eye is opened, you will see this clearly.

Mind is always caught by some sort of attachment. You free yourself from one and get tethered to another. The grip of maya gets tightened in your very attempt to loosen it. It can be unfastened in a flash of a second, or it may not be loosened at all after billions of years. The trickery of maya continues until you discern the Divine beneath this mayavic mischief.

Adi Sr., Ramjoo, Manohar and Mona Sakhare, Digambar Gadekar and Girja Khilnani were also present, and they too enjoyed the performance.

As announced, the portals of Guruprasad were to be flung open once more from the 15th of May, but before that, at 4:00 P.M. on Sunday afternoon, 14 May 1961, Baba called his local lovers and those who had already come to Poona. About 50 close ones spent a joyous two hours with the Divine Beloved.

One of those meeting Baba for the first time that day was Shaligram Sharma, 33, of Hamirpur. After Pukar introduced him, Baba asked, "What do you most desire?"

Shaligram answered sincerely, "To surrender to you, Baba."

Baba observed:

He met me only today and wants to surrender himself. Why do you want to do that? If you get it you will become useless to the world.

No one knows how to surrender to me. They love me, yes, obey me, also, but no one knows how to completely surrender to me. Instead, I have to surrender to you all [pointing to the audience]. Mind makes you conscious of the body and of doubts. You must have the consciousness of a human, but become as a stone. Only then can you become dust. Your body will not be here a hundred years hence, but the mind does not leave you. It is the mind that wants attachments and keeps you entangled with worldly things. To completely surrender to my will, your heart must be pure and your mind empty of all thoughts.

Baba gave the simile of a log. If you beat it, it won't produce much sound. But if you hollow it out, it becomes like a drum. "Similarly [to overcome all obstacles on the Path], you have to empty your mind of all thoughts."

Sharma repeated, "If you are to give me anything, give me complete self-surrenderance. Give me your shelter and give me the capacity to accept it."

Baba raised his right hand and pointed upwards with two fingers. Immediately, there was a tremendous clap of thunder and a flash of lightning outside. "Khuda [God] has heard your voice," Baba pronounced. "Everything is granted and this is the proof!"

Also among those gathered that day was a woman from Australia named Diana Snow. Diana, 52, had first heard of Baba from Francis Brabazon in October 1953 and she met Baba in Australia in 1956 and 1958. She had been in England, and her daylong halt in India on her way back to Australia just happened to coincide with the relaxation of the barring of visitors. Before leaving England, Diana had written to Francis, asking if he thought Baba would allow her to leave the ship at Bombay and come to see Francis for a day. She did not suggest seeing Baba and, in fact, did not expect to, since she knew it was strictly forbidden.