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

230 THE GOD-MANyou explain that sometime?' Baba promised that he would explain tomorrow. Then he turned again to Max.'Max, you don't like me; anyway, I like you all the same, all the time.' Baba then went on:"Before I met my Beloved in union - I lost everything, ego, mind, and lower consciousness, but thaGod, as I have just said, I did not lose my sense of humour. That is why I appear amongst you like this, onyour level. Yogis and saints in India you will usually find in meditation, with long beards. You would not beallowed in their presence with shoes on, or smoking, but with me you can do all these things because I amone with you and one of you. From tomorrow I shall work so that this visit of yours will not be merely apicnic or sightseeing."There are three types of lovers of God. The first is the mast, who loves and knows only God. He losesall consciousness of self, of body and the world. Whether it rains or shines, whether it is winter or summer,it is all the same to him. Only God exists for him. He is dead to himself."The second type of love is one who lives in the world, attends to all worldly duties fully, yet all the timein his heart he knows that this is temporary, that only God exists, and he loves God internally, withoutanyone knowing it."The third type, which is the highest, is very rare. Here the lover surrenders completely to Christ, to theAvatar, to the God-Man. He lives, not for himself, but for the Master. This is the highest type of lover.Unless you have such love, merely to criticize and to judge others will take you nowhere."Baba then joined us at luncheon, sitting first at one end of the table, then at the other. He questionedeach as to whether the food was to his liking. Then he took up his alphabet board:"I wonder if you understand how fortunate you are to have me with you in this way? Think of thosepeople at the darshan on the 12th, who fought so to have a chance to touch my feet for a fleeting second;who wanted so earnestly to receive prasad. They are the ones who love me. The others, the social people,the political people, the intellectual people, they make their speeches and they leave the platform."In Andhra for fifteen days we had two or three darshan programmes every day, with thousands ofpeople coming from surrounding villages in bullock-carts and on foot. They would not understand yourbeing