Beloved Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
From Bhau:
At 6:15 a.m. on Friday, 13th July, 2001. I was taking a walk in front of my room, and I was thinking about Beloved Baba. All of a sudden, I heard in my heart that He was saying, "My lovers ask you how they should serve Me, and you are thinking about the question. The other day I told you how they should serve Me, and how they should share My work …
"I also abolished the Labor Phase and announced, 'Those who want to be with Me should be like servants. Without demanding anything, they should serve Me like servants.'
"Afterwards, I carried out My Manonash work. In the Labor Phase, while doing these different plans, you have to be like My servant. That is the middle path. But actually, while leading the Labor Phase, you become the servant of God. Then, of course, annihilation of the mind begins. Your mind does not work. In the middle path, you think about right and wrong, but in the phase of servant, there is one thought: the thought of God the Beloved. You are His servant, so you don't have any other thought or any other desire. That is the phase of servant. Now in that phase of servant, you prepare yourself for Manonash, annihilation of mind.
"Those who want to serve Me should prepare themselves for the phase of servant while serving Me through various centres."
"You were thinking, 'How to reply to those people who have asked me how to choose an organizing body, the office bearers, etc. for their centres.'
"You can tell them from Me, that if they want to become real servants to serve Me, then they should work for any centre, as a president or a secretary or a member. Externally, they should maintain their post, but internally, they should always think and know that they are My servants. Only then can they work for Me and share in My work. This is the great opportunity I am giving to My lovers, so that they may serve Me in a practical way and do their meditation in action.
"You know what I was doing when Sarosh came to Meherazad one day?
" Eruch was reading the programs for My birthday in different centres. In Andhra, if I were 60 years old, they would plan a program of 60 days to end on My birthday. There were other centres that would begin on My Birthday and continue for 60 days. In this way, programs would go on. So when Sarosh came, I told him, 'Just see what My lovers are doing. Sixty-day programs elsewhere, and what are you doing here at Ahmednagar? I am so near Ahmednagar, and there is darkness. Light is there in Andhra."
"Sarosh said, 'Baba, this year you will see what I will do!'
"He went back and arranged a big Birthday celebration in Ahmednagar. On the day of My Birthday, there was a very big procession of 10,000 people.
"For the first time, Meherazad workers wanted to decorate inside and outside Mandali Hall, which I permitted them to do. They worked day and night. Big decorations were there. You came to Me for night watch at 3:00 p.m. I said to you, 'Sarosh has arranged a big procession today. If it rains, the whole program will be upset.'
"'Baba, this is February,' you replied. 'It never rains in February.'
"And I said to you, 'But if it rains, what will happen?'
"You still insisted, 'Baba it will not rain. You don't worry.'
"You were telling Me not to worry, but I kept on asking you, continuously, up until 5:00 p.m., when I said, 'Go and see whether there are clouds.'
"You went outside and were amazed to find dark clouds covering the sky. While you were coming inside the room, it started pouring heavily. I asked you to go immediately and tell Aloba to phone Adi from the pumping station and find out whether it is raining at Ahmednagar. You went immediately and got wet. You told Aloba, and came back, and I asked, 'Did you tell Aloba to come and give Me the news here whether it is raining at Ahmednagar?'
"'I did not tell him to come here," you answered, "because once You retire, You don't allow anyone to come into Your room.'
"And I said, 'Go immediately and tell Aloba that he should phone and come here to tell Me whether it is raining at Ahmednagar.'
Again you went in the rain to tell Aloba, and you were drenched. You were very wet, and when you came back, I asked you, 'Are you wet?'
"Your mood was not good, but you did not say anything. You were thinking that I would send you to your room to change your clothes, but I did not. I asked you to take off your clothes. I gave you one bed sheet to wrap around your waist, so you took off your clothes. I called you near Me. I took My hankie and dried your body. You had tears in your eyes, but you did not say anything.
"When Aloba came back, he brought the news that the sky was clear. There was not a drop of rain. Now listen to Me. When Sarosh did all this in order to please Me, what a responsibility I took upon Myself. Because of his love, I had to take care, and though it was to rain at Ahmednagar, I changed it so that it rained at Meherazad.
"And therefore, those who want to serve Me should know that if they serve Me honestly, sincerely and lovingly, how responsible I become for them. But if they say they are serving Me, and put up some show, it is painful to Me. I suffer for them, though I don't reject them, because when I come, I accept one and all. Whether they accept Me or they reject Me, praise Me or criticize and oppose Me, I accept all. But for those who serve Me lovingly, My suffering is enjoyable. I feel pleased to suffer for them. But those who oppose Me, criticize Me and reject Me, I also help, because I am them. But the suffering for them is not enjoyable for Me. I help them because I am duty-bound. I have to do that. I also know why they behave like this. There is nothing for Me but to forgive them for their ignorance and help them create the awareness towards God.
"When I went to Andhra, northern India and other places in order to give mass darshans for the first time in 1953 and 1954, at every place, thousands of people would come for My darshan. One police inspector was observing all this. Afterwards, he was promoted to become the Superintendent of Police. He would observe the big Birthday celebration in Andhra. So once he thought, "If such big celebrations are here, how big must the celebrations be where He lives? So on My Birthday, he came to Meherazad to see the big celebration.
"And how was the celebration there?
"Mandali members would be ready at 5:00 a.m. After taking a bath, they would assemble in Mandali Hall, where they would say seven times, 'Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!' Then they would come to Me and embrace Me. That was the celebration, and the day would start. So many telegrams, so many greeting cards, so many letters Eruch and you would read out to Me. Now the Superintendent comes with the expectation of seeing a great celebration here at Meherazad. He did not see anything; nobody was there to receive him.
"A boy who was working there came to Mandali Hall and informed me that someone had come in a car. I told Eruch to go and see.
"That man told Eruch that he had come from Andhra, and that he was a Superintendent of Police. Eruch informed Me, and I asked Eruch to call him.
"So the Superintendent came and I embraced him. 'What are you thinking?'
"'Nothing Baba.'
"And I said to him, 'I know that you feel amazed.'
"Then he said that he had been thinking that there would be a big celebration at Meherazad. There were big celebrations everywhere, so he thought that the celebration would be much bigger at Meherazad.
"I said to him, 'Do you know what My celebration is? My celebration is to remember My lovers. Through the greeting cards, telegrams and letters which I am hearing, I remember My lovers. I remain present there with them. This is My celebration. You will find My presence less here, but you will find My presence very active there, because while sitting here I remember them. That is My meditation. I always meditate on My lovers. I cannot forget them.
"Remember all this and inform My lovers that if they want to serve Me, they should serve Me honestly, sincerely and lovingly without any expectation and without any temptation. I will give them much more than they can imagine. They have no idea what I give them, but that, too, they should not expect. Only then can they serve Me.
"There are many, many centres in India and in the West. I have not asked them to construct any mosque, church or temple. I told them to be the centres for My work. Really speaking, My centre is every heart, and when your heart becomes the centre it can serve Me. This is the opportunity I am giving them, that while working in their centres, they should make their heart the centre. And if they make their hearts the centre, they will become My servant, and serve Me in order to please Me.
"This is My wish, and I know My lovers will long to fulfill My wish and serve Me as I ought to be served. I will help them. I am for this work of helping them to serve Me in the real sense."
In His love and service,
Bhau
Trust Office
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
Monday, 16th July, 2001