find anywhere, and in this sense the darshan is continual.

One of the group very cogently noted that it was particularly important for Baba to have this darshan without His physical body so that we could realize that the darshan is given to us by ourselves. For me Baba 's presence in the chair was uncanny, but it was none other than my true Self. Baba in the body is an externalization of what is within each of us. He is pure love, the ultimate distillation of what we are.

For me this first darshan was the high point. For some others, the high point occurred at other times, perhaps at the last darshan on the 28th, perhaps at Baba's tomb, or anywhere else, or everywhere, or not at all. We are one, but our personal histories and impressions carve out their own unique paths to His door. At one point I saw Baba as a love magnet who eventually will draw all souls to him.

We gathered the next morning at Guruprasad and began the program with three shouts of "Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai." Then a group of Myrtle Beach and Meher Center residents under Jane Haynes' direction presented two of Francis Brabazon's short plays, "The Stranger," and "The Moon." They were very stirring and amid the applause at their conclusion cries of "author, author" arose from the audience. It occurred to me that this could refer to Baba as well as to Francis Brabazon. Francis may have thought that too, because he had to be physically pulled to his feet before he would shyly acknowledge the applause, and even then he playfully hid behind one of the cast members as they stood up in front of the hall.

Francis read to us next, a section from his new work, "The Word at World 's End." "Elegy for the Young Poets." This new writing of Francis seems even more vigorous and beautiful than his previous work. Francis is the perfect interpreter of Baba for the West, with his unique combination of spiritual love and earthliness, irony and social conscience. His reading is beautiful, in precisely articulated Australian with a continuous tone of love for the Beloved and humor for the lover. He is Hafiz and E.E. Cummings in one.

After Francis read, Adi spoke about Baba's departure from his physical body.

He said that there is no difference between Baba being in the body and now; Baba as The Divine is not here, but Baba as Divinity is here.

At another time during the week Eruch spoke about his feelings in regard to Baba not being in the body. He feels now like he did when Baba would send him away on some journey, say to Bombay, while Baba would stay behind. So even though it is Baba who has physically departed, Eruch feels it is he himself who has gone away rather than Baba.

Later that day the group piled into their buses and went to several Baba places in Poona. The first was Sassoon Hospital where Baba was born. The hospital was quite barren and stark compared to western hospitals, but while some members of the group were passing through it, one of Baba's nephews who was outside with the rest of the group taught them the song Baba Bhagavan and they began singing it, its simple lilting melody carrying up into the hospital hall.

Following the hospital visit we went to Babajan's shrine where we each paid homage. The shrine itself is a small enclosure that contains Babajan's crypt, which is raised and draped in green velvet, and extends to cover the base of the tree where Merwan Sheheriarji Irani was given Divine Realization. This whole scene struck me as heavily exotic and disconcerting. There was the thick scent of incense burning outside the shrine, a large number of onlookers, many children pressing around us and shouting out, the guide trying to get us through, and rapidly telling us of "the four main ways to pay homage," and to choose the one that suited us. And yet I could feel the spiritual and historical significance of the spot shine through all.

On Saturday, the 26th, at Guruprasad Hall, Eruch introduced Pukar, a rather husky lover from Uttar Pradesh who can be seen in one of the films from India as Baba's "horse," riding around on all fours with Baba sitting on top of him.

Pukar had been a leader in one of the Northern provinces during the Indian movement against the British. His powerful and stirring voice (his name means call) had brought many of his countrymen to join forces against the British. In later years when Baba's name started spreading