You will have to experience both the comforts of Nasik and the discomforts of Rahuri and Meherabad, and be detached from each.

Talk at Nasik, Meher Ashram, December 23, 1936

Baba is never worried. It is natural to be tired on account of the body. Although body and mind are two different entities they are interdependent. When the mind feels tired the reaction is felt by the body; when the body feels tired so does the mind. Only the soul is aloof from both. All this feeling is done by the ego. The 'I ' does not feel okay, that means 'I am unhappy,’ ‘I am in trouble,' — all this is the ego.

Now this limited 'I' takes all that is unimportant as important, and vice versa. So the bodily needs and comforts are unimportant but necessary. There is a world of difference between importance and necessity, and the spirituality which is important but externally unnecessary is taken as unimportant.

See how unimportant the external is. Quetta was a flourishing town and within five minutes it was destroyed. This is unimportant. If it were of real importance the Infinite would not have it destroyed. Look at Spain. All that was thought to be of importance was destroyed.

The soul remains as it is — unchanged. All illusions come and go but the soul is unchangeable and this is to be realized. What is meant by God-realization is to actually experience this important thing — that the soul is eternal.

I would so much like you all to live a simple life in India, then resume your habitual life in the West and not be affected by either one. I do not make you sleep on the floor now. Why do I arrange all these comforts for you? Because it would affect the body and react on the mind and make it difficult for me to impart truth through the mind. Drastic changes would have reaction on the mind and the body. Gradually I will withdraw comforts from you, then again return them to you.

The world is slave to needs. The needs must be your slaves. I don't want you to give up your needs but I want you to be free from them. So in the beginning you might feel confused, tired, restless, blank, — but don't worry — soon I will begin guiding you and giving you duties and works which will make you feel okay. Once I start nothing can stop, so rest as much as you can until January 15, on the 16th will commence earnest work.

There are lepers mingling with people in the Bazaar. The health officer wanted an asylum where these lepers could be separate and asked me to take charge of it. I said I would do so if I could have entire charge so that I could wash the lepers myself. However infected it does not affect me nor my men who work for me.

On my birthday I will give food and a piece of cloth to fifteen thousand people. All of you will have to contribute in the work by making up the packages.

On the 16th of January you will have to get up at 6:30 A.M. and retire at 9:30 P.M. and carry out duties which will be given to each of you. From time to time I will take you to interesting places and beautiful caves around Nasik in the hills where the Rishis used to reside and meditate, but until my birthday I do not want you to go out without my permission or order. After that you can go where you like in Nasik. This is for your own benefit. The visits to Meherabad and Rahuri start from the 5th of January.

Meher Ashram, Nasik, December 25th, 1936

On Christmas evening in Nasik Ashram after our evening meal, with Christmas surprises given to Baba and then distributed by him among us, he said: "My love flows eternally to all humanity, but at this particular moment we will remember those of the group who are physically absent."