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

THE FIRST TEN YEARS 71to attain to this 'stopped' state of mind for good; they can at the most stop thinking duringmeditation, concentration, or samadhi, and even this creates new sanskaras; no sooner havethey come down from the samadhi state than their minds start to work and the store of pastundestroyed sanskaras gets added to. Hafiz has likened the body to a pot, the smoke of the fireto the soul, and sanskaras to a large stone on the top of the pot. 'For all its attempts', he says,'the smoke never succeeds in throwing off the stone.' For that, a sage must come and lift itaway. Similarly, a bird may try to open its cage from the inside, but the door will never beopened till help comes from the outside. In short, those who desire to gain spiritual benefitmust be brave and patient."One day at the beginning of April Baba went on a visit to a house in the city. It was theoccasion of the Hindu New Year holiday, and after the distribution of sweets among theschoolboys and the recitation of special prayers he set off at 10 a.m. As soon as he hadarrived Baba asked for dinner; but it was not ready, so he asked for tea, and that could not begot ready either. He then appeared to be grieved, and made as if to return to Meherabad atonce. At the repeated entreaties of the host and his family Baba agreed to remain, and withinhalf an hour tea was served. 1By this time a number of people from adjoining houses had gathered to pay their respects toBaba, including many ladies. He then gave a discourse on the 'Duty of a Woman' for about anhour. In this discourse Baba referred to Babajan's early life. The moral of her life, said Baba,was that the things of this world are destroyed sooner or later, ending in nothing: aspire onlyto the things of the spirit.When dinner was served at one house, places were set separately for the untouchables inthe same room; Baba wished to sit with them, but at the entreaty of the host and some of themandali he was induced to sit with the others, though a look of displeasure on his face cast agloom upon the assembly.One evening a devotee from Poona and his family came to pay respects to Baba, as theywere about to make a visit to Kolhapur. The devotee's wife, before they left, asked Baba togive permission for one of the family to take tea at Kolhapur should they be pressed to do so,for Baba had given an order that the family should not take tea at all. Baba granted thepermission. Later he said to the devotee: 'It is a1 This action of asking for food at unusual and inconvenient hours is not uncommon.