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

THE MASTS OF INDIA 143bowed down to by different beings, so I must be free from butter, bread and shoes'. This illustratesBaba's method of ending a serious remark with a joke. On his birthday about twenty men describedas 'a few moderate masts, the majority mad, and a handful of destitute beggars' were bathed and fed,and during this work which lasted until two o'clock, all fasted. Everywhere the same routine wasfollowed; the mandali would go out to find the masts who were received as always, Baba thensitting with some of them in silence. Most of the men were kept for a day or two only. Amongthose whom he received at one place was an old woman, known as Khala Masi, a highly advancedmastani who had been brought from Seoni, about seventy-five miles away.He did not go back to Meherabad until May, as related at the end of the last chapter, when thewomen returned with him. He made constant reference to the threatening war at the end of June1939 saying in the course of talks reported by Irene Billo:People want war - either a bloody war - worse than the last affecting every part of the world,even America and Persia, or economic war throughout the world, which would be worse than abloody war. This will result in internal revolution. Germany fighting with Germany and killingHitler. Italy fighting with Italy and killing Mussolini and so on. Better would it be to have war. Ifnot, everywhere there will be civil revolution.Do you know what happened in the French revolution? It will be like that everywhere.The 'No God-No Religion' campaign is flourishing and the 'God and Religion' campaign is low.Russia, France, Italy and Germany are internally and unconsciously becoming 'NonGod' believers.So also are Persia, Turkey and India.Germany believes Hitler to be its Saviour, Italy Mussolini as its Saviour. What about Russia?Can you believe how horrible it will be when war starts? London, Paris, Berlin - in a few dayslike a desert. Women and children - all will suffer. It is complete chaos. Here we are safe and I bearthe sufferings of all.For some weeks he gave attention to the mad and mast ashram, and in July returned to Bangalore,and the men from Meherabad were brought there. They were in a large house, beside which in thegarden a small building was erected for Baba himself so that he could fast and remain