gap, so would send her mother over to argue with Babajan to leave her boy alone. The two old ladies would sit down, gaze deeply into each other's eyes, and spend the afternoon quoting Persian couplets of the old Sufi masters back and forth. After several pleasant hours, Shirinmai's mother would get up to go and say — "Oh, by the way, Shirinmai says to leave her son alone." "Her son?" fired back Babajan, "her son? You tell her Merwan is my son."

P.S. While I think of it, Baba has said that Eruch's mother will be Baba's mother next time. (By the way, Baba had a younger sister, who died. Baba once asked Upasni for a sister, to make up for the one taken. Finally she appeared, in the person of Mani. Baba used to rock baby Mani in the cradle.)

Once, during the Blue Bus travels, Baba stopped outside of Jaipur with the women mandali. Baba said, "look! " pointing up the hill where, in a brilliant parade, the regent of Jaipur was coming down amid loud triumphant music. "Now who do you suppose," said Baba, "is the one really in charge of Jaipur?" And again Baba pointed. There strode a lithe mast-like figure of a man, nearly naked, with rippling muscles, and brown skin that merged with the background. "That one," said Baba, "he is my agent." They never would have noticed him if Baba hadn't pointed him out.

Mani had us sing Baba Bhagavan, which she accompanied on the sitar. This is a song with the simplest of words. . . a remembrance of all the sorrows taken on by Baba each time, and a recognition that, sure enough! — here we are in the Kali Yuga, with no way out, and Baba has once again given His all for us. Mehera was struggling not to weep at this time. I knew I was going to, so to prevent it, I sang louder and louder. Mehera shook her head at me fiercely. Oh no, I thought. My loud singing is making it even harder on Mehera! Later, Mehera told me, in the gentlest way possible, that I was singing out of tune.

Mani said, of the song: Baba Bhagavan: "Baba was resting in Meherabad in the Tomb, and some of the lovers from Andhra sang it and it was just a spark and it caught fire. For all the seven days, we sang it: therefore we continued to sing it, and whoever heard it started to sing it like the first darshan group did:

"Baba Bhagavan (that means God) Meher Baba Bhagavan —then all the names of the Avataric Advents, Zarthus Bhagavan — that's our way of saying Zarathustra; then Ram Bhagavan, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, then for some reason we've always said Allah instead of Mohamed, that 's how it was said at the "Tomb, and that 's how we continued."

Mehera murmured "Mohammedans don't believe in the God-man, they don't take Mohamed as God." Mani then got out her sitar and played it for us and we all joined in. There was a bird in the background, that joined in too! Next, Mani said: "It's been fascinating how the different families of Baba at different Meher Centers have all made a song with Baba's 'jai' in it — 'jai jai kar', for instance. But one song fascinated us, it was simply "Avatar Meher Baba ki jai" — so catchy and lovely. This was the group from Hamirpur and they had bells on their feet and made rhythm with it —."

She played and sang this on the sitar, and we all joined in. Mehera translated: "In every house Baba's jai should be said, may the whole world say Baba's jai. Poona Boli Baba ki jai, Bombay Boli Baba ki jai, one day the whole world will say it . . . someone in the group said America Boli Baba ki jai!"

Mani (continuing translation of song). . ."Baba's jai is being called in the mandirs, in the mosques . . . in the guru dvara of the Sikhs. Jane Haynes got excited and said Myrtle Beach Boli Meher Baba ki jai! There was another chant in which one group asks, 'Who is the Redeemer of the World?" and all answer, 'Meher Baba.' 'Who is the Beloved of all?'. . . 'Meher Baba.' 'Who is the Protector of the Poor?'. . .'Who is the Avatar of the Age? "'

Again, we all chanted this together. Mani continued: "There is another line we sang up at Meherabad during the seven days' darshan, words Baba Himself had