To: All Dear Ones
By email:
Date: November 30, 2001
Subject: An Account By Bhau of His Recent Tour of Andhra Pradesh

BELOVED AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI!

From Bhau:

I am happy to inform everyone that I had a really good trip to Andhra Pradesh. Had you come, you would have enjoyed it very much. Really speaking, Andhra should receive a continuous tour for two years. There are more than two thousand centers, but I could spare only ten days.

Though Baba had said Andhra is His head, He did not say that the people there did not have hearts. Actually Baba said, “Andhra is My head, and Hamirpur is My heart.” The people of Hamirpur are very innocent. People from Andhra balance head and heart, which is good. We did indeed find hearts in Andhra, and this shows their heads were cut off.

On Monday 15th, October, as soon as I arrived in Hyderabad, people came to meet me, and that afternoon I gave a talk. Unfortunately, due to a strike against the State Transport Ministry, the local buses were not running, so many people who would have otherwise attended were unable to do so.

I also delivered two talks at the Koti Centre, which was established many years ago in Hyderabad itself. In this case, “Koti” means “One billion.” This name was probably bestowed upon the center with the idea of offering salutations to the Beloved one billion times.

On Wednesday, 17th October, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Baba’s Manonash work in Hyderabad, I visited Manonash Hill in Khojaguda. Previously, as there was no road, the mountain had been difficult to climb. How had Baba managed to go up there and remain in seclusion? In 1999, when I went to Hyderabad, I could not go to Khojaguda because of this obstacle. But since then, Baba lovers have built a road up the hill. Nevertheless, the night before our scheduled visit, it rained and rained. People were wondering how they could possibly get up to the top.

That morning, however, the sun came out, and the roads were dry enough for us to make it to our destination. Many people came, and after they had their breakfast, we went to see Beloved Baba’s Koti (in this case, meaning “cave”), where He stayed while He completed part of His Manonash Work. I felt so happy to see it. It is a very small koti, and no one can stand upright in there. If anyone enters, he or she has naturally to bend their head down. Thus it is a good sign, and a very good message, for everyone to keep their heads bent down. When we went there, Beloved Baba’s vibrations still permeated the air and the rocks.

I sat for a while in the cave along with Baba lovers from Hyderabad and those accompanying me on my tour, Mother OM [Fayre], Mother M [Misti], Swami Broomanand [Max], Dr. Anne and Shiva [Lynwood].

After prayers and arti, we all emerged from the cave and congregated on the massive boulders on the mountaintop. I was given a very good opportunity to talk about the New Life and Baba’s work in His Koti.

When Beloved Baba was in seclusion in the cave during the New Life, the women Mandali remained in Hyderabad, in a nice neighborhood called Jubilee Hills.

Before Baba entered into seclusion in Khojaguda, He held a meeting there. At the meeting, He explained Manonash; that is “Annihilation of Mind,” the last step for a seeker. The companions had already become servants during the New Life, and when one attains the state of a servant, one becomes fit for Manonash. After the meeting, Baba completed part four of His Manonash work, the final phase of the New Life, in the mountain cave. [For further details, please read LORD MEHER, Vols. 9-10 pg., 3,695 and onwards.]

Now the Hyderabad Baba lovers have constructed a beautiful guesthouse in Jubilee Hills, so this guesthouse is also connected with Baba’s visit. They have also built a Meeting Hall on the hill beside the guesthouse. Both buildings are very beautiful.

From Hyderabad, we went Rajahmundry, where local Baba lovers had arranged for us to stay in a very nice hotel.

The first day after we arrived, I went briefly to the Rajahmundry Centre, and then across the Godvari River, to the Kovvur Centre, where Mehersthan is situated near the river bank. We returned to Rajahmundry for lunch, and following that and a brief rest, we went to Srirangapatnam, about 16 miles away.

“Sri” means “God,” “Rang” means “color,” “Patnam” means the “door.” So Srirangapatnam means the 7th door of God’s color. And what is God’s color? His Effulgence. That day in Srirangapatnam, there was just the color of the Beloved in every heart, as, for the time being, the world disappeared.

Around 1,500 people came from different places to attend the program.

Though I was in good form, I could not sleep at night and could not understand why. When I was in Hyderabad, they made special coffee for me, and I succumbed to the temptation to drink it. For the past six years, I have drunk neither tea nor coffee. But there, every day I would drink coffee at 4:00 in the afternoon. Then at night, I would not be able to sleep. The next morning, however, I still had to deliver my talk .

Assisted by Balaji #2, Mother Manju and Mother Lakshmi, were the mothers who looked after my lunch and dinner in Hyderabad. They made dosa without oil, which I liked very much. Subhar Rao would bring my breakfast. In Rajahmundry, Mother Bharti and Mother Annu, prepared all my meals. Because she was cooking for me all the time, Mother Bharti was unable to attend any of the programs.

On Saturday, 20th October, after completing the morning session in Srirangapatnam, we returned to Rajahmundry for lunch and rest. That evening, as we were returning, the skies opened up and it started pouring, elephant rains. There was danger that the roads might be flooded or washed out. Still, I was insisting that we continue onward. Dr. Anne was with me, and she was insisting that we go back to Rajahmundry. Baba lovers from Andhra were also in the car. They thought that since the doctor was prescribing that we should return, they must follow her instruction.

In my car, Meherprasad (from Rajahmundry) was phoning back and forth to Chinta Sai Baba (from the Nellore District), in the Sumo [similar to a Land Rover] behind me. Shiva, Fayre and Misti were also in the Sumo. The people with the cellphones were trying to determine whether we should proceed or not. When they found out that a pandal [a temporary structure with a cloth roof and supported by bamboo poles erected for ceremonial occasions] had collapsed because of the rain, and that there was nothing but water and mud everywhere, they thought we should return to Rajahmundry. But Shiva was with me, and he said, “It is the Divine Voice I heard: ‘Bhau must go to Srirangapatnam.’”

Still, the two men continued phoning and phoning. They came to know that a huge procession, comprising 1,500-2,000 people, was parading through the streets of Srirangapatnam, calling out Meher Baba Ki Jai!

In India there is no question of 100 or 200 people for a program; they come in the thousands! Last year, when I went to Warda, a large city in Maharashtra, 6,000-7000 people assembled for the program. They formed a procession, about three miles long, and proceeded in a circuit around the city.

Though all the Baba lovers in Srirangapatnam were drenched, they did not stop. They continued in their procession for two hours in the pouring rain, while we were sitting inside our cars by the side of the road for 45 minutes, discussing and discussing and arguing, and the two men were talking back and forth on their cellphones.

At last I said, “I must go to Srirangapatnam. If there is no place to sit and talk, I will just greet people. Then we’ll go onto Koteshwaram.” One couple lived there, very old Baba lovers, who were unable to attend the programs.

Then the question arose whether the road to Koteshwaram would be passable.

In response, I said, “Let us go. We will find out.”

Anyway, at last we proceeded onto Srirangapatnam. As it transpired, the KITCHEN pandal was completely destroyed, forcing the guests to eat dinner in the rooms of a nearby school. The meeting pandal itself, amazingly, had not been damaged, and the electricity and sound system were in proper working order.

Everyone in the procession had changed their clothes and was waiting for me in the intact meeting pandal. It was a joy to see how anxious they were, and, had I not come, they would have been very disappointed. How active Beloved Baba was in every heart! Forgetting their own happiness, the guests were feeling joy in the suffering caused by the rain. The world was not present for them, only the Beloved.

The Srirangapatnam Baba lovers presented a musical program and dances by their children. After the program, I gave a nice talk, and then, late that night, I returned to

When I returned to Srirangapatnam the following day, I gave a five-hour talk (with a ten-minute break) on God Speaks.

Actually, God speaks and I can’t hear!

So how can I tell people about God Speaks? I am quite ignorant in this matter. Again I used ‘words’ and told them what I could understand. God Speaks means God is speaking, and He speaks eternally, but we can’t hear because we are deaf. The words He gives are in the God Man’s Silence, not in God’s Silence, and these words create in us the longing to hear the One Word of God’s Silence. The words from the Silence of God are the words of Truth, and they can be heard when the ears of the heart receive the capacity to hear. In fact, there is only One Word, and that is the Word of Words, and this Word can be heard when words stop speaking. The Word is in God, and words are in illusion, and in order to hear that Word, the words of illusion must be totally forgotten.

Mother M., Mother OM, Swami Broomanand, Dr. Anne and Shiva were with me at the talk.

Dr. Anne is my Direct Doctor and had accompanied me to take care of me from the medical point of view. She was very concerned about my health, and would carefully monitor my rest and diet. Though I would not interfere with the dietary restrictions, still I was playing mischief. I would ignore her insofar as my talk was concerned and would go on speaking. Shiva had heard the Divine Voice instructing him that Bhau should continue talking. Dr. Anne was very much upset.

As I was watching her, what did I find? While I was giving my talk, she had put a banana in her mouth. Because I was speaking, I could not laugh, though I thought it was good that she was eating. Because the banana was in her mouth, she would not look at me, but would still send signals through someone else, instructing me to stop. But I continued.

Not only that, but when my talk was finished, I asked everyone to line up. First the women, then the men. I greeted each one personally, all 1,500 people. I felt quite strong and full of energy. I did not think about myself; only about the Beloved in those who were attending the program. His presence was very active in everyone’s heart, and they were very, very happy. Therefore, I, too, was very happy.

Meherprasad had arranged to bring the elderly couple to the talk, and seeing them was a great joy for me.

We returned to to Hyderabad by train, reaching the Jubilee Hills Centre in the morning. The bus strike still had not yet been settled. Nevertheless, many people came to meet me. I gave one talk in the morning, and then in the evening, another talk to all the workers. Dear M.B.G. Shastri also came to see me that day, and a few days later, he expired. It was good for him, as he was relieved from all his physical suffering.

The following evening, we all returned by train to Ahmednagar. Several Baba lovers from Hyderabad, including Rajendra Meher and A. Jamardhan Rao, also accompanied us. As I always do after returning from a program tour, I visited Baba’s Samadhi. I prayed for all those whom I met, and whatever I had received from them, I laid at Beloved Baba’s feet.

There had been no rain, and Ahmednagar was very warm and humid. Now there will be drought, which happens every three years. Other than that, the situation in India is more or less normal, though thoughts of the tragedy of the 11th of September linger in the minds of everyone here.

Because of this, the economic situation is very much disturbed. Pilgrims are not coming, and the Trust also is severely affected. There have been many cancellations for September, October and November, too. Merely a few Americans are expected, leaving only the residents to stay here.

The kitchen workers, however, are having a nice time. They have been relaxing for the last two months, which reminds me of a story Mark Palmer once told.

There was a man sitting in an armchair in the park. He had a long beard, and someone came up to him and asked, “Are you Kripal Singh?”

“No,” the man replied, “I am not Kripal Singh. I am relaxing.”

Whenever Alan goes to the kitchen, he sees the workers relaxing.

We, however, are restless, because we have to pay the workers. The amount in the kitchen account is fixed. If the Pilgrims are not here, we have to pay the workers from the Trust accounts. Because of this situation, the Trust is becoming thatte garu [“empty pockets”].

Still, the workers are demanding more and more! They even filed a case with the Labor Office, which was finally settled for the next three and a half years. The workers are relaxing, and we are restless. We simply laugh to see this situation, which has happened according to the Divine Will. But if the Divine Wish is followed, this situation will be resolved, and everyone will be happy.

Though I would like to visit the U.S.A., I cannot do it because of all my work here. It keeps on increasing and increasing. In fact, I wanted to go to the United States after visiting France. It was good that I did not go, otherwise, I would not have seen Eruch. Still, I had the feeling that after returning from France, it would become impossible to again go abroad. This indeed has come to pass, and I realize I cannot visit the United States or any other country. Therefore, I request Baba lovers to come to Ahmednagar and have Beloved Baba’s darshan in His Tomb.

Beloved Baba’s Manifestation is going on, and though it is gradual, it is gaining more and more momentum. It is the beginning of this Advent. When the tragedy took place in New York and Washington, the whole world became alert and aware of God. This is only the beginning. This awareness is momentary at present, but it will be lasting at the end, when He manifests Universally. So on one side, there is tragedy, and on the other, there is awareness towards spirituality. When the end comes, all the chaos of all the tragedies will be forgotten, and humanity will at last breathe peacefully.

We are really fortunate that we have recognized Him as the Highest of the High. The world will recognize Him 100 years after He has dropped His body. What difference will there be in people’s awareness? It will differ from person to person, but everyone will be inclined to proceed towards Divinity and not toward illusion. Attraction towards illusion will become minimal, and people will be bound in love for the Beloved.

In His love and service,

Bhau
Trust Office
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
November 30, 2001

P.S. Coming soon, a few footnotes and asides to Bhau’s triumphant tour, and on December 20th, a Christmas message from Bhau.

P.P.S. If you would like to read Bhau’s previous "Awakenings” but missed out on them, you can find those sent out prior to 29th June posted at www.JaiBaba.com. Recently, many people have been profoundly moved by the insight and sense of premonition of Bhau’s “Awakening” of 15th May, When that Time Comes, Nobody Will Know What to Do and What Not to Do. You might want to re-read it.

P.P.P.S. If you are not receiving these "Awakenings” directly but would like to, please send an email to shiva2001@indiatimes.com with "Add My Name to the List” in the subject line. No need to put anything in the body of the message. If you have added your name to the list but are still not receiving these mailings, either you or your service provider is blocking messages from this name/domain. Please modify your filters accordingly or supply an alternate email address.

P.P.P.P.S. Bhau sends his love and appreciation to dear ones all over the world, who, though they long and long to write or email him, know how swamped he is with Trust duties, and instead of corresponding, send their love greetings silently through their hearts or, per Bhau’s request in the above message, plan to go to India to deliver them in person.