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

60 THE GOD-MAN'spoke' on the subject he discussed it matter-of-factly and in the vein of occasional explanationsand discourses. First of all, he remarked that in spite of his repeated advice to the contrary,Jamshedji persisted in going away from Meherabad, and now, he said, he is really gone! Thenthe mandali were asked if they felt any grief, and all replying in the affirmative, Baba said theirgrief was hypocrisy and selfishness. At this someone said: 'But from a worldly point of view,everyone must feel it.' 'But why?' asked Baba. 'That is where the mistake is made. It is all false.''Was he not your brother? Is he not dead?' persisted another, to whom Baba replied, 'He wasindeed my brother, but he is not dead. On the contrary, he is resting within myself.' 'But how',asked a third member of the mandali, 'are we to know and appreciate that?' 'From believingthose who know the secrets of life and death', concluded Baba.Answering many more such questions, Baba dwelt at length on 'Death and the Cry Over it',the gist of which is reproduced:Death is common to all. It is a necessary step forward towards life. The soul changes into anew abode, and thus death means no more than changing your coat. Or it may be comparedwith sleep. The difference between death and sleep is that, after the first, one wakes up again ina new body, while in the latter one becomes conscious of the same body. Worldly people donot go into hysterics after one who goes to sleep at night, because they expect to see him awakeagain. Then why not exercise the same indifference when he sleeps the sleep of death, since heis bound to wake up again sooner or later in a new body? Thus the selfishness of not being ableto satisfy their minds in the absence of the sight of their dear ones makes them weep, not somuch the death itself.After the death of a person, a cry is raised from all sides. 'My beloved father is dead.' 'Thesource of my life is gone.' 'The light of my eye is dimmed.' 'where is my sweetheart?' 'Mysupporter has disappeared.' But in spite of the display of grief and pain, the 'my and mine'remain uppermost rather than consideration of the welfare of the one who has passed away.The sword of death has been swinging right and left since the beginning of man's history.Every day I see hundreds and thousands of my brothers dying without feeling anything, andJamshed's death is no exception to that. All admit that death is the unavoidable end, and thoughthe fact is universally acknowledged and experienced, yet at the time of its happening people startcrying. That is either madness or weakness of mind! But Jamshed is not dead. If he were reallydead