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

THE NEW LIFE 207meet him. Baba was particularly happy in this meeting. Before leaving he gave the followingmessage to a group of students:"India has gained its national freedom. Let us now try to gain our Spiritual Freedom besidewhich every other kind of freedom is a binding .... The purpose of life is to realize God withinourselves. This can be do ne even whilst attending to our wor1dly duties. In the everydaywalks of life and amidst intense activities, we should feel detached and dedicate our doings toour Beloved God. Enough has been do ne to make people food-minded. They must now bemade God-minded."I give my love and blessings to one and all for the understanding of the One Infinite Godresiding equally within us all and beside whom everything else is false and illusory."From Delhi Baba returned to Ahmednagar for the routine examination of his leg. For about10 days he visited various places in Andhra Pradesh State, where his main work was withmasts, with no public darshans. In the month of December he visited Amraoti, Saoner and inJanuary, Nagpur, Allahabad, Madras and finally many places in Andhra Pradesh. At Amraoti,besides public darshans, Baba visited Shivaji Art College and performed the openingceremony of a hall there named after the great Rishi Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), whoseportrait was unveiled by Baba. He went to Nagpur, and from there to Allahabad to contactmasts, saints and sadhus. There were no public darshans at Allahabad, whence he went toMadras for a couple of days for mast work, and came to Tadepalligudam in Andhra Pradesh.The last ten days were the climax of the tour. No one was permitted to come to Baba'sresidence, which was kept away from the town, people from ear1y hours of the morning untillate at night gathered for a glimpse of him. Several villages and towns in the district werevisited. At Rajamundry - a place of spiritual and political importance - a gathering of about4,000 waited upon him, and though he had a very, short time there, they were given darshanindividually and some messages were read. The last place visited was Ellore where on the lastday, a very large crowd of people came.Meherjee, who was present, wrote at the time:The most significant thing we witnessed in this district was the spontaneous outburst of loveand divine longing amongst people of all shades. From judges and ministers andeducationalists to farmers, villagers and depressed classes - all came to see Baba. Baba hasnever