THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

THE PERIOD OF WORLD TRAVEL 113America. Earlier in the year he had sent two Indian disciples to Australia and New Zealand. On21 November 1932, he sailed for Europe on the Conte Verde. He sent a message to India on thisvoyage, which read as follows:"India is a spiritual country. It possesses the most fortunate and unique position in the world ofbeing the land of saints and spiritual masters, since ages. Therefore the spiritual atmosphereofIndia must be kept up even at the cost of being in bondage and materially unhappy."It does not matter how much India suffers, as long as its spiritual power is retained.Moreover, the result of its present suffering will be freedom and happiness."It is only after experiencing bondage and misery that the true value of freedom and happiness isreally appreciated."But to bring this suffering to an earlier end, there must be love for friend and foe, goodwill,patience, and forbearance. Also, India should try to remedy its own defects, instead ofclamouring at the faults of others. The hatred between the leading communities, and their pettyyet disastrous quarrels and fights, must cease-and the freedom and happiness of India are ensured."The world will soon realize that neither cults, creeds, dogmas, religious ceremonies, lectures,and sermons, on the one hand, nor, on the other hand, ardent seeking for material welfare orphysical pleasures, can ever bring about real happiness-but that only selfless love and universalbrotherhood can do it."Baba arrived at Venice on 2 December, and after visiting Milan and Paris reached London on 6December, where he stayed at a Knightsbridge hotel until the 14th, seeing a large number ofpeople; he then left for Switzerland, sailing from Genoa on the 17th by the Esperia for Egypt,where he remained until 3 January the following year.After a visit to the Pyramids, Baba left Port Said on 3 January by the Baloeran with theintention of going to Ceylon, which was reached on the 12th. He stayed in Colombo until the30th of the month. While there he went with three of his disciples for a short stay at Bandarawelain the hills. One day he expressed a desire to find a place where he could retire into seclusion fortwenty-four hours, in the same manner as he had done at Assisi. The party walked up by a narrowpath to a Buddhist temple. The novice who was looking after the temple was not anxious to allowthem to enter, so they descended some steps into