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

312 THE GOD-MAN"One day something happened. He wanted to contact me. He was 17 years old. I was in Pimpalgaon andhe came all of a sudden and fell at my feet. He wept and embraced me and gave me a tight hug. I madehim sit down close to me. He chatted with me and called me 'Meher Maban' - 'Great God'."I told him he should be careful to allow no one to bow down to him. And if, in spite of this, people gothealed through their faith in him, not to take it for granted that he had powers. He promised and went back.Then he came to the sahawas. I made him sit on the dais. I gave discourses during the day and I leftMeherabad for Pimpalgaon every evening. He also used to give discourses saying, 'If you obey me, Babawill bless you'. But all there were my lovers. When I returned the next day I heard what happened. Heasked for my forgiveness saying, 'From now on I will just love you, Baba'. But he has formed the habit ofhaving followers. 1"One day I learned that a saint from Nagpur came for sahawas. He would sit in the crowd listening to mydiscourses and then in my absence form a group and give discourses. I called him and told him to obey. Iasked him if he were prepared to obey me. Then I ordered him to leave immediately, to fast for 40 days, totake only plain water, and all the time to think of me. He promised to obey and he bowed down to me. Heleft. For 12 days he fasted; then I sent an order for him to stop fasting, and told him to observe silence toJuly 10th."A discourse was read on 'The Play of Ego', at the end of which Baba commented:"In India we find people without spiritual authority allowing others to bow down to them.Even one of my old followers, after many years of contact with me, left me 30 years ago and establishedan ashram at Nasik. You have seen or heard of it as a place of spiritual pilgrimage. He used to tell people,'Baba has made me his charge-man'. People paid homage to him. The news reached me and I sent one manto tell him to stop all this display and nonsense and come to me. He didn't listen. He was very happy withhis surroundings. Three years passed and he established a big following, among whom was a verybeautiful woman. It was not a proper marriage and the woman conceived. The police heard of it and theman got frightened. He left and ran to me. Then I1 This young man was present one day at the East-West gathering, four years later (p. 367) when he sat atBaba's feet on the platform. He is now known as Balak Meher, i.e. the child of Meher.