Last Meeting of Upasni Baba and Meher Baba – October 1941

Page 2723 – Panchgani
Selusion

FOR SEVERAL Years, Sadguru Upasni
Maharaj had been earnestly telling Gulmai K. Irani, “I wish
to see Merwan!” During this period, Gulmai repeated this to
Baba who replied, “I will see Maharaj only once, and once
alone,” meaning Maharaj should not ask for another meeting.
Baba stipulated that the place of the meeting should be away
from either Meherabad or Sakori, and added, “I will see him
on the condition that, since I am still observing silence, I
will not speak to him.”

Gulmai told this to Maharaj, and he
consented to the terms. Maharaj took Gulmai to Dahigaon, a
few miles from Sakori, where he showed her a hut. Gulmai
returned to Panchgani, and informed Baba, who fixed the date
of the meeting for October 17th. He stated, “To meet
Maharaj, I will come out of my selusion for one
day.”

(2)
Baba summoned Sarosh to Panchgani from Ahmednagar with his
car on October 16th. That whole night, Baba’s health
appeared terrible. He had such a high fever, the mandali
though it would be impossible for him to keep the
appointment the next day. But by the following morning, like
a beautiful blossoming rose, Baba appeared with his usual
smiling conuntenance, and asked each of the mandali, “Do you
know whey I am seeing Maharaj?”

All gave a different answer, and
Baba explained, “I will present Maharaj with my
locket.”

Baba left Panchgani at 7:15 a.m. on
Friday, October 17th, 1941, in Sorosh’s car, with Savak,
Rano Gayley and Sarosh driving. They reached Poona at 9:30
a.m., where is mother, Shireen gave lunch to the
group.

(3)
Baba then left for Meherabad at 11:15 a.m., arriving there
about 1 p.m. Sarosh went to Ahmednagar to pick up Gulmai and
Kaka Baria, returning to Meherbad at 2 p.m. Rano was left at
Meherabad to do some othe rwork, and Padri was taken in her
place, after he and the other mandali entreated Baba to
allow him to accompany them, as Padri was anxious to take
photograps of the two Masters together.

Dahigaon is about forty miles from
Meherabad. The group left at 2:30 p.m. and reached there
after an hour and a half. Baba look over the site and was
satisfied with it. There was a small thatched hut surrounded
by a beautiful garden. Yeshwant Rao was waiting for them, as
Maharaj had sent him in advance to unlock, sweep and clean
the hut.

(4)
Baba sent Sarosh and Gulmai to bring Maharaj from Sakori at
4:30 p.m. He asked Gulmai to bring only Maharaj and no one
else from the ashram.

They drove to Sakori and returned to
Dahigaon at 5:30 p.m., with only Maharaj. Alighting from the
car, Maharaj stode toward the hut, where Baba was already
sitting alone. According to Baba’s order, all the others
kept outside the compound, and were not to even look towards
the hut. They were only to enter boundaries of it when Baba
clapped.

After half an hour, the mandali
heard clapping. It was 6 p.m. They saw Maharaj, and then
Baba, come out of the hut. Baba’s face was flushed. Gulmai
rushed forward and garlanded both, and the mandali offered
obeisance. Yeshwant Rao went forward to take Baba’s darshan,
but Maharaj prevented him saying, “Meher Baba’s order is not
to take darshan!” Baba laughed at this.

Padri was busy trying to take photos
in the diminishing evening light. But both Masters would not
stand still. Maharaj look at the camera in Padri’s hand and
asked, “What is that box?” Padri was afraid Maharaj would be
annoyed and take a swing at the camera, but nothing like
that happened, and Padri went on taking pictures –
immortalizing the momentous meeting.

After final salutations, Sarosh and
Gulmai then drove Maharaj back to Sakori. Before leaving,
Maharaj remarked, “This meeting place was ideal – solitary,
and at the same time so near.” Gulmai remained at
Sakori.

Baba was meeting Upasni Maharaj for
the first time in nineteen years, since October 15th, 1922.
It was to be their last meeting. October 17th, that date of
this most significant meeting, was also an important Hindu
holy day – the Day of the Master.

It was the day when the Infinite was
to meet the Infinite! God and His perfection: the Infinite
Ocean met Its reflection!

When Sorosh returned after leaving
Maharaj at Sakori, Baba and the others left for Meherabad.
Savak Kotwal amused Baba on the way back with his Hindustani
and English songs. They stopped at Khushru Quarters for
dinner, prepared by Sarosh’s wife, Viloo, and then went on
to Meherabad, where Padri got down. Rano returned to
Panchgani with Baba, where they arrived at 1:20
a.m.

On the way, Baba was in a happy
mood, and remarked to the men about the meeting: “I took his
darshan. Avatar or not, he was my Master! He lifted me with
both hands, embraced me heartily and wept like a child. We
sat down, and he talked for half and hour abou the war, my
speaking , suffering, et cetera.

“Then I motioned, ‘I must be going,’
and he said, ‘Wait for five minutes. We will not meet again.
Now Merwan, you have all the work and powers of the great
Sat Purushs – the five Perfect Masters. They are all focused
in you. I leave everything to you.’ And so saying, he folder
his hands in reverence, and I felt moved. I presented
Maharaj with a box of my locket, which he surveyed with deep
thought.

Baba concluded, “I will speak any
day from February 15th, 1942, to February 15th, 1943,
unanncounced. It will be when all the world has gone to the
dogs! And Upasni Maharaj will at the same time leave his
body. It will all automaticaly be so. But I shall speak
unannounced. You won’t know even a day or an hour ahead. In
the future, there will be infinite suffering for me
physcially, too.”

No one dared ask Baba more; but back
at Panchgani, the mandali persuaded Vishn, the usual
‘stooge’ in such matters, to ask. Baba elaborated slightly
in cryptic fashion, “I can bring down the stars…I now have
full powers…Maharaj has handed over his side of things to
me.”

What was said between the two
Realizers comes from ‘The God-Man’, The Life, Journey and
Work of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of his Silence and
Spiritual Teaching by C.B Purdom 2010 edition.

These are the words of Meher Baba.
p. 256

“Later on Maharaj sent word by Adi’s
mother Gulmai, “Soon I shall drop this body, so tell Merwan
to come and see me. I said I would not set foot in Sakori,
so a meeting was arranged elsewhere in a hut. We embraced
each other and I put my head under his foot. He said, “You
are Adi-Shakti” (The Supreme Power). He started weeping, and
said to me, “Keep you eye on Sakori.” Then we both went
away, and three to four months later, Maharaj dropped his
body, and Godavri was given charge of the nuns. Godavri was
in the secret all the time but never said a word about
me.