DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

54 DISCOURSESonly exhibit great understanding, keen sense of humour, unendingpatience and consummate tact, but they also take great trouble tohelp their disciples, and adjust themselves in numberless ways towhatever might be entailed by the needs of the situation.Some of these points are effectively brought out by thestory of the great mystic Bahlul. Bahlul wanted to contact certainnotables of Persia for reasons of his own. The only way to do thisStory of Bahlulwas to go to the Prince's party which wasattended by these notables. Unfortunately Bahlulwas bald-headed, and in those days no one without hair wasallowed to attend a party given by the Prince. The Prince had lostall his hair, and to see others without hair reminded him of it andprevented him from enjoying the party. Since the Prince was verysensitive on this point, no bald person was allowed to come to theparty, so when Bahlul, who was bald, went to the party in hisshabby clothes, he was thrown out. The party lasted for three days,however, and on the second day Bahlul borrowed some fineclothes and a wig, disguised himself and again went to the party.During the party no one recognised Bahlul, and in his fineclothes he made a great impression upon all the notables. He madehimself so agreeable that even the Prince offered him a warmwelcome and invited him to sit near him. No sooner was Bahlulseated than he winked at the Prince. The Prince did not understandthe meaning of his winking but vaguely felt that such a gesturefrom an illustrious man like him must mean something important.Thinking that it immediately required a suitable response, he alsowinked. Those who were nearby saw this exchange of winking andfelt impelled to imitate them. They also winked at each other, andsoon the winking spread throughout