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

290 THE GOD-MANBaba was able to be brought to Meherazad on 12 February, and on the 15th of that month, thecompletion of the year's 'seclusion', he touched the feet of800 poor people there, then putting his hand tohis forehead, giving to each his prasad of sweets and a piece of material.Before the accident at the end of October, Baba had given instructions that all who love him, and ifpossible those who are even just interested in him, should observe the 15 February when he emerged fromhis seclusion as a fast for twenty-four hours, starting at midnight the previous day. The fast was to becomplete, not even water to be taken; those participating were to think of Baba and repeat his name asoften as possible during working hours.On 18 April he went to Sakori, not to disappoint Godavri Mai for darshan. He went to Poona on 28 Aprilfor darshan at the St Mira School, keeping his promise to his 'beloved Dada', T. L. Vaswani, when peoplecame from all over India, many thousands altogether. These were strenuous efforts for one sufferingphysically as he was. Indeed, he was moving about on his crutches in a way that astonished everyone.Pendu, however, was getting on slowly, and it looked as though it would be some time before he couldwalk again.On 25 May and 9 June he called on each occasion about fifty men disciples from Bombay and otherparts for meetings with him. This communication with people went on throughout the summer. A fast andsilence was kept by everyone, East and West, on 10 July, the thirtythird anniversary of Baba's silence.During September tentative arrangements were put in hand for the combined East and West sahawasintended for January-February the next year. No one was really certain whether the meetings would bepossible, for Baba was having much pain and his movements were greatly restricted. He called a meetingof his intimate followers including the resident mandali, thirty in all, for Sunday 8 September atMeherazad, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when he began by distributing sweetmeats, saying, 'Let me sweetenyour mouths before I make you swallow some bitter pills...'."I intend to tell you things straight from my heart and I expect you to let them reach your heart, not justyour ears."I am no saint. Because I am Beyond, I am therefore beyond all saints. The world, once it knows who Iam, will understand then what I want you to understand now - that from the beginningless beginning I amthe Ancient One, immutable and eternal. You may wholeheartedly