PART FIVE: MASS CONTACTS IN SAONER.

Saoner itself is a small town, but due to the silent love and service of a handful of BABA'S men living there, it has become the cultural centre for a large number of the surrounding villages. Many years ago when BABA paid his first visit to this centre, it had proved itself even then to be another "Hamirpur" in its unbounded love for him.

When BABA and his men arrived here on the evening of December 30th, Saoner was en-fête, with welcome signs, arches, buntings and pandals (open tents) spread over an area a mile long. Instead of a single huge pandal a chain of shelters were so erected as to ensure the maximum shelter for the masses and at the same time a greater proximity to BABA.

Following the 'Poor Service' and in addition to attending special functions and visiting the homes of his local devotees, BABA gave darshan for two days to the public who flocked to him from the town and surrounding villages in thousands prior to and on the eve of the new year (January 1953).

The local press, both English and vernacular, reported these events in detail. The English daily "Gitvada" of Nagpur ( Nagpur being about sixty miles from Saoner) in its issue of January 2nd reported as follows:

"Shri Meher Baba, the world personality in the spiritual field who has been observing silence for the last twenty-seven years, has arrived in Saoner . . . Yesterday he bowed down to seven poor persons and gave them prasad , one of the characteristics of his Fiery Free Life; this Fiery Free Life, which will make the world understand that Meher BABA and every one is one with God."

At the end of a speech made at one of the receptions which BABA honoured, he dictated on his board explaining that the highest state of God-realization was seeing God in everything and becoming one with God. "Miracles;" he said, "do not consist of bringing the dead to life, but in life becoming dead to the ego. Miracles are small illusions in the great illusion called the world."

BABA seemed deeply concerned over the reports of the son of one of his devotees at Andhra. This boy, who is in his teens, had seen BABA only once, but ever since he had done so he had become so enamoured of BABA that he started going into trances, observing silence, keeping long fasts and to all appearances leading a saintly life. Despite the fact that he was shortly going to Andhra and regardless of the traveling expense and