When Baba had Eruch tell me what Baba had just said about the manner in which he composed and gave out especially works to be printed and addresses to groups of lovers on special occasions, he then followed with a direct command to Don:
Pointing his finger at me while Eruch gave his words, he said, "And it is your responsibility to tell my lovers what Baba has explained to you today."
This is a very clear statement and I doubt that anyone who loves Baba would have taken that directive lightly.
Yet, the complications that follow on trying to follow this clearly important command are extraordinary and, instead of diminishing, become more numerous as the explanation he told me to spread becomes more widely known. Naively, I thought that such an important enrichment concerning words, given out by the Beloved himself, would be welcomed by all. But, sadly it is not so.
Reflecting on this, I cannot help but ask myself very seriously if in some manner I have neglected some part, or badly chosen some words, or even failed to find any words to explain some of what Baba had Eruch tell me that day in mandali hall at Meherazad.
What had set in motion the entire unprecedented interchange was my comment to Baba during the editing of the Deshmukh five volume edition of the Discourses, that "I do not know what good it will all do." Baba's demand to me to explain what I meant by that, and my story to him of the general discrediting of words and philosophy and logic by seekers on the spiritual path in our day, precipitated Baba's withdrawal into incredibly long minutes of interchange with Eruch, of which I understood none of Eruch's replies to Baba's hand gestures.
Finally, when Baba turned back in my direction, and Eruch attempted to explain the gist of what Baba had laid out to him in that considerable lapse of time, it was to explain that Baba had clarified that words given for these special purposes were charged with something like atom bombs of spiritual energy. This energy, Baba went on to explain, a devotee who worked with those words would absorb, even if he had not understood intellectually one word of what he had read.
"And furthermore," Baba then had Eruch add, "this energy will be invaluable to the spiritual seeker in his advance on the path."
Then followed the finger-pointing portion and my responsibility to Baba's devotees to tell them what Baba had explained that day in mandali hall to me.
I had always thought this was very simple, clear and important, and that when I felt the day had come to start to deliver what Baba had told me, it would be readily understood and welcomed as a sign of the great love of the Avatar for his lovers. In fact, the first time I told this in a rather important public occasion was on the final day of a joint meeting Mani had proposed shortly before her death. This was a joint conference between the Trust Committee on Publications and Copyrights, and the Books Committee of Companion Enterprises.
During this final summing up, V.S. Bhau Kalchuri had made time to attend, after having given much valuable help and attention to the proceedings during the earlier days. When I had added this story to the proceedings, as it seemed very apropos, all were rather stunned at what Baba had said. Bhau then faced us all and said, "Don, what you have just told us is extremely important." This was the total of Bhau's remark, but it was so clear and affirmative that I did not doubt that one of Baba's key disciples recognized at once the import of what Baba had said.
Now it is several years later, and I have carried the torch of this message from Baba personally to a great many groups around the world, through the medium of what I have called, "God Speaks Seminars." The response from those attending has frankly far surpassed what I might have expected, and in any case, it was in each instance very gratifying to me personally. But, gradually, the reaction emerged. The only honest enumeration I could give of what works are accredited to Baba or closely associated with him, obviously did not include all the favorites of all Baba's devotees. Even in certain cases, it did not include all of a given title from Baba himself. The most noteworthy of that situation was God Speaks itself. This unique work actually consists of three parts, the first eight chapters being given directly by Baba to Eruch and expanded by Eruch and at once meticulously corrected by Baba. The last two chapters were written by Eruch under Baba's general guidance and supervision, but were not formed in the same manner as the first eight sections.
Then, the real dilemma for many to absorb: What was to become the Supplement to God Speaks had been written up by Dr. Ghani as note-taker from Baba, and then apparently recast into a quite different content by Ghani. Finally, when Baba had this read to him after Ghani's death, it was almost completely discarded by Baba. However, eventually it was rescued from threatened oblivion by Ivy Duce under a flexibility of choice granted her by Baba, and then, in some degree incorporated into the final book of God Speaks as the Supplement. To this day, there remains much confusion about how much of the Supplement is totally from Ghani and how much was initiated by Baba himself.
The understandings and discrepancies and counter citations from various authoritative sources abound and seem never to diminish nor simplify. It was recently about here that I began to wonder if an important part of the fog and smoke might be due to a lack of more careful precision in my sharing of what Baba was obviously telling me, and what he obviously had not said in any case. This can be so important that it is this portion of the story that I wish to lay out here in some detail.
Frankly, to be a bit querulous, I do not know why it should be necessary for me to tell not only what Baba did say, but to point out as well what he did not say. But if that is helpful, now I have added that important observation.
The next thing I think may be confusing, and on which I might be able to add a few words to calm some of the concern that tends to arise, is simply that the Avatar has a great many points of entry into our lives and helps us with a very great many different problems that beset us. It is not only making progress on the Spiritual Path that is important in our ongoing and in which Baba helps us. I cannot count the number of stories I have heard of different devotees finding themselves in baffling and desperately painful predicaments, when they call upon Baba's help. The tales of how Baba has apparently interceded in such instances are numerous and touching. This is another kind of help, and of vital importance; and it is here that I feel Baba gives us the great book of daily life, the Discourses, which contains such a tremendous store of principles designed to help us along. While I have nothing from Baba that indicates that it is a reserve of spiritual energy for progress on the Path, I think it would be frankly insane to say or even imply that therefore this book from Baba has little importance, or even considerably less, than another work of his, or even of God Speaks itself.
And now a final point. While my own direct conversations with Baba and Eruch gave me a number of clear cases of knowledge concerning the manner of composition of several major works, those intimate interchanges certainly did not cover all the words Baba has given out to everyone, and it may well be that other works have had exactly the same treatment that Baba had Eruch describe twice to me. Baba did not pretend that Don should be the repository of all cases of all importance for his words and vital help. Everyone is a repository here who loves Baba and is loved by him. My only function is to pass on what Baba clearly expressed to me, as well as to tell as much as I can of the background of his statements that I heard directly from him. Beyond this I cannot and will not go. To the person who says that obviously Don has left out something very important or does not know some very pertinent facts that are known to others is obviously not only probable but certain. Let us not get excited by omissions when there have been few, or even almost no, words set out concerning backgrounds of many of Baba's works.
In this regard, Laurent Weichberger and I were astonished and delighted some weeks ago to find in conversation with Meherwan Jessawalla that from all his memory and evidence available, the book Life At Its Best was handled by Baba in almost the same manner that he used with Eruch for the major portion of God Speaks. We at once wrote an article (reviewed and approved by Meherwan) about what Meherwan told us and suggested with joy that this was almost certainly another invaluable resource of the sort of spiritual energy that Baba had described on that memorable day in mandali hall.
Is there any reason really why one should cast under even a slight shadow any of the words that have come from Baba, or even been in his close vicinity? Aren't they all bound to have a great treasure for us? The only thing to try to regard with care is the proper use and preservation of those words, which we know indelibly he indicated as having special properties that can be of great help in our advance on the return path to the One.
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