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meetings, and I want you to receive as much as you possibly can from them. Then, when they are over, I want you to go home as quickly and directly as possible, so that you can carry with you, still fresh, what you have received."

 

Baba then told us to get our sun-hats and come with Him. First He led us to the tomb, which He had had built for Himself, which is located on the side of the hut in which He spent twelve months in seclusion years ago, [1927], taking only coffee twice daily. Later He told us how, twice daily, a thermos bottle full of coffee had been ordered sent to Him from the Ashram below. It was brought by a young boy, [Lahu], but each day, when the bottle arrived, it was only half full. Still, every day only half a bottle arrived. Finally, when the seclusion had ended, Baba went to the woman in charge of the arrangements, and asked her why she had sent Him only a half-bottle instead of a full one. She protested that she had always sent a full one [Mehera filled it]. Baba then sent for the boy, who confessed that every day, half-way up the Hill, he had grown tired, and had drunk half the coffee. Fortunately, Baba had not required even the half that was sent to Him. In fact, He was so strong, when He came out of seclusion, that 15 men of the Mandali, lined up one in back of another, could not push Baba one inch.

 

The inside of the tomb has been decorated with lovely murals by Helen Dahm of Switzerland. Then Baba led us outside and showed us the tombs of His Mother and Father, of Nonny Gayley, and of Nadia Tolstoy, stopping on the way to show us another room where he had shut Himself up many years ago for months, not seeing anyone, and only communicating with one of the Mandali through a small slit in the wall.

 

From here He led us down the Hill at a brisk pace to the men's ashram, stopping once to ask Will Backett if He was walking too fast for him, and resuming at a slower pace oven though Will replied in the negative. At the foot of the Hill on the road into town, a bus full of natives had seen Baba descending the Hill, and had stopped to pay their respects to Him; and other Hindus, men and women, from nearby, had also congregated to greet Him. As we entered the grounds of the ashram, a private bus drove up and fourteen of Upasni's women disciples from Sakori descended, and all of us entered the ashram, where the women prostrated themselves in turn before Baba, taking the dust of His feet. One of them was Godavri Mai,

 

9

 

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