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to meet the party at Belgaum in December so that the four women accompanying Baba might be provided with the minimum of shelter during the long treks on foot to the North. From Benares onwards, the party was joined by a number of "four-footed companions," including horses, bullocks, a pair of donkeys, cows (and calves) and a camel which had a magnificent Persian bell round its neck. This last was in charge of Baidul, who, coming from Persia, presumably knew more than the others about this animal's rather uncertain temper! Can you picture the party en route! Many were the amusing incidents of this stretch of the journey, as related afterwards by Mani.
Life was not going to be easy for those accompanying Baba. Amongst other orders, Baba said, "It is not merely a question of hardships and difficulties like those encountered in Mast trips. The most difficult thing now is the need to control emotions and feelings and to have absolute readiness for split-second and on-the-spot obedience to whatever task you are told to do or not to do. I do not expect anyone of you to be free from your respective reactions of good or bad impulses like that of anger, displeasure, likes and dislikes, but what I do expect of you is not to make the least show or give any direct or indirect expression to your feelings and reactions. I will be free in every way and you will be bound in every respect. I will live amongst you as one of you like a brother. But at all times and under all circumstances you must continue to look upon me as your Master and to obey me implicitly."
"What has value and importance for us now is to live in the active present,” is but one stanza from Baba's beautiful poem entitled, "The Song of the New Life" which he dictated at this time.* For those of us who remained behind, this stanza alone was a challenge. We either looked back on the wonderful times with Baba or on the numerous lost opportunities when we might have been more quick to respond to his "call" when with him daily in the ashram. How often in the early days, Baba's warning to us that "the day is coming when you will not see me at all," fell on deaf ears! Or we were living and looking into the future wondering if we would ever see Baba once more, for he had told us before parting that we must give up all hope of seeing him again.
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