Baba draws those who have a special connection with His work in his own inimitable and irresistable way. I would like to share two such examples that have touched me. One concerns Hedi Mertens, from Switzerland, and the other, D. Sree Rama Murthy, from South India.

It was Hedi’s husband, Walter, who first heard about Meher Baba in the early 1930s. Hedi was not much interested and when Walter first went to meet Baba, Hedi, who was not feeling well, did not accompany him. Walter came back from his meeting very excited and, when the opportunity arose some time later to visit Baba in Italy, Walter was keen not to miss this opportunity. Hedi, on the other hand, had no interest in going whatsoever and it was only with much persuasion that Walter was able to convince her to accompany him. And even then, Hedi made it clear that she was not going to Italy to meet Baba but was simply going on a vacation jaunt with her husband.

When they reached Genoa, however, Hedi suddenly felt as if she had entered a big circle and that something was pulling her, drawing her on. Instead of letting her husband go to bed after dinner as was his choice, she insisted they continue on to get closer to where Baba was staying and they didn’t arrive until midnight. The next morning, Hedi met Baba.

Although the meeting only last a minute or two, she was deeply moved. After leaving Baba, she walked out into the garden and noticed Princess Norina Matchabelli there. She went up to Norina and asked her if she would go in and tell Baba that she was willing to do anything that Baba should ask her to do. She had barely finished this sentence when Margaret Craske came into the garden, walked over to them and announced, “Baba accepts with much pleasure.”

(With thanks to Sufism Reoriented)

D. Sree Rama Murthy was a staff nurse in charge of the kitchen of a government hospital in Andhra when Meher Baba visited for the second time in 1954. A friend of Murthy’s and an ardent Baba lover asked Murthy if he would provide some western style bread for Baba’s party. Murthy refused saying that the bread was for the patients and that anyway, these so called spiritual masters were: “Thieves. They simply plunder the country in the name of ‘Babas.’” The friend was not easily put off, however, and continued to press his case until finally Murthy agreed, “Because you are my friend, I am giving this bread to you, and not to your Baba or His followers.”

The next day Baba was making house visits in Eluru, a fair sized city, when He suddenly ordered the car to stop. No one knew why. All the vehicles that were following Baba’s car also stopped. The local man who had been directing Baba’s car from house to house said, “Baba, this place is not on our list of scheduled visits. We must go much further.” But Baba indicated that He knew what He was doing. Meanwhile, people had gotten down from the other vehicles and had hurried up to Baba’s car. Those on the street, when they realized that Meher Baba was in the car began shouting to their friends and family members to come quickly as Baba was there. In short, there was soon quite a commotion. The noise reached D. Sree Rama Murthy who had been napping in his home. Wrapping a dhoti around his waist, Murthy rushed out of his house and pushed his way through the crowd to Baba’s car (which had stopped in the street in front of his gate). Baba had already opened the door and was sitting sideways on the seat with His feet dangling down. Baba smiled at Murthy and gestured to him to come closer. When he did so, Baba gestured, “What was the problem about bread?” Murthy was completely taken aback. Before he could say anything, Baba went on, “And why did you give it?” Baba’s loving omniscience dissolved all of Murthy’s previous hostility and in speechless awe, he simply folded his hands and bowed down to Baba’s feet.

Thus Murthy too was pulled into the orbit of Baba’s love and became a stalwart in His work. Concerning Baba’s feet, Murthy one day related to me the following incident. Maybe because of this first meeting with Baba, Murthy had a strong desire to touch Baba’s feet again. When He came to Meherabad to attend a Sahavas program later on, however, it was made very clear that no one was to touch Baba’s feet. In fact, those around Baba were so energetic in trying to control the crowds that Murthy ended up getting jostled from behind and fell forward, right on top of Baba’s feet. Thus, in a natural if somewhat comical way, Baba answered the secret yearning of his heart. Truly unique are Baba’s ways of drawing His dear ones to Him.