Before Baba's Death

Baba’s personal assistant, Dada Keshavananda, told us about the days leading up to October 21st:

Since August, He was clearly in a hurry. He spent very little time alone, instead calling frequent group and individual meetings.

Over the last weeks, many times in the wee hours of the morning, say 3:00 or 4:00, He woke me, and instructed me to call certain workers. The first time it happened I told Him that it was 3:00, and that they would surely be sleeping.

He became angry, and said, If those workers are not here within ten minutes, I shall never give them the program that’s in my mind.’ Of course I got them. We all became exhausted with His speed, but instead of slowing down, He accelerated.

Sometimes we talked between ourselves, wondering at the cause of His haste. No one, however, came close to imagining that He was busy putting the final touches on His life’s work.

“Only one week before His departure, Baba gave kapalika initiation to the largest number of workers ever. He requested one hundred candidates. Because He had always been very selective in approving workers for this purpose, we were not prepared, and could only round up seventy-nine. He always rejected more applicants than He approved.

But this time, without even asking any questions, He approved all. We were bewildered at His behavior.

“Immediately after the initiations, Baba became sick. Well, at least that was normal. After taking on many persons’ samskaras, He usually became sick. And this was by far the biggest number.

“On the last day, October 21st, His health actually improved. It was better than it had been in a long time. The morning was normal. He was working with the same tremendous speed that he had shown during these last months. Though late on the previous night He had composed the final 2 Prabhat Sangiits (numbers 5017 and 5018), He rose at 3:00 a.m. as usual to perform His spiritual practices.

Later, He reviewed the work of various departments and gave instructions while shaving- even this was usual for His hectic schedule. He always told us, ‘You should not only be prepared to die while working, you should even work while dying.’

These words He clearly practiced.

“Shortly before 2:00 p.m., He said to me, I want to think.'

As I shut the door, I thought, He’s never said such a thing before. After a few minutes He called me. I believe it was during those minutes that He carefully reviewed all His planning, and confirmed that nothing remained to be done.

He called one of the new avadhutas, and spent 1 hour alone with that Dada. That was the last work of Baba’s life – personal attention given to a young worker. After that, He said to me, I want to rest now.'

These words also He had never before spoken.

About 5 minutes later, He rang the callbell, and when I came, He pointed at His chest, and said, ‘Heart.’

“I immediately ran for the doctors. They came quickly, and began massage. But as they felt for Baba’s pulse, their faces became ashen. When they said, ‘The life-force is gone,’ we could not believe it.”

Dada Mantreshvarananda, the Central Public Relations Secretary said:

“Why did He leave so suddenly? I remember several years ago, Baba said, ‘When my work is done, I will leave immediately. I won’t remain even a single extra moment.’

He wrote hundreds of books, provided sufficient guidance in every realm of work and life, fully established the global structure, and, most importantly, trained the workers.

What more was there to do? The rest depends on us.

“Yes, it depends on us. About 10 days before, I think it was 12th October, during the reporting session, Baba asked us 3 times, ‘Can I depend on you to carry on my mission?’ We repeatedly replied, ‘Yes, You can depend on us.’

“Many workers wondered what it meant, because the wording implied Baba was leaving us, though no one dared utter such a thought.

Then He made us take the following oath: ‘All my energy, all my mind, all my thoughts, all my deeds are to be goaded unto the path of the collective elevation of human society without neglecting other animate and inanimate objects right from this moment until the last point of my living on this earth.’

“The power was such that everyone became super-charged, and felt ready to do any work.

“A few days later, Baba asked me, ‘Mantreshvarananda, which Prabhat Sangiita do people generally like?’ I mentioned a few songs, then I added more, and still I couldn’t decide, and added even more.

Baba said, ‘If I give you time, maybe you’ll list all the songs. But do people like, Tumi esechilekaokenabolenabolia cholegde?” (Meaning: You came without telling anyone, and You went back without telling anyone.) I said, ‘Yes, Baba, that is a very sweet song.’ I’ll remember forever how He smiled at that time.

“About the same time, while dictating a book to 3 of us—Vijayanandaji, the General Secretary and me—He said, ‘Do you know that all the doctors are experimenting on me? But they cannot cure me.

And no one can Cure me. It depends on my samkalpa— my vow of determination. If I think disease, disease comes. If I think cure, cure comes. And it completely depends on me what I should think.’

“The Calcutta Circle workers meeting finished on schedule on the 17th. But Baba did not give those workers permission to leave. This violated His long-standing system.

The Delhi Sector meeting started, and also some global workers arrived. Only on the 21st, did we realize He had thus arranged for maximum workers to be here for His Great Departure.

“On the 20th, the night before His departure, He held a meeting for Prout workers—both Margis and Dadas. He questioned each Margi, one by one, taking their reports. Then He had us repeat the oath, the same one which we had pledged in the October 12th meeting. As far as my knowledge goes, this was the first and last time He had not only Dadas but also Margis collectively making a promise.

He then explained the situation of the whole world, describing how demonic people are making efforts to destroy the social and ecological orders, while good people are rapidly uniting together, preparing to fight those demons.

“Then He said, ‘Serpents are exhaling venom everywhere. It is the right moment, it is the proper moment, it is the most opportune moment. Now at this critical juncture, should we go on preaching the gospel of peace? No, no, no! So before my departure from this world, I have made the necessary preparation for the fight against these demons.’

“He added in verse-form: Serpents are exhaling venom everywhere. The sweet gospels of peace sound like empty mockery. That is why on the eve of my departure from this world, I send out a clarion call to all those in every house who are preparing to fight against the demons in human form.

“We were all shocked. What is this? Baba is departing from this world? Then He added, ‘So said the great poet Rabindranath Tagore.’

We all breathed a sigh of relief, believing He had simply been quoting a poem. No one guessed that in truth this was His own message, and last message .34

“After the reporting, Baba talked to me alone in His room. He asked if everyone was inspired, which I confirmed. Then He asked me what they all thought about the poem. I said, ‘Baba, it is appropriate, and really it is happening in each Margi’s life.’ He nodded His head.

2-3 weeks ago, Baba said, ‘Many people may say, “Baba, I love you.” In truth, they may or may not love. But he who loves my ideology really loves me. Because I have merged myself with my ideology.’”

Himanshuji, Baba’s youngest brother, came to Calcutta a few days ago, together with several other family members. He said:

“I was in His room on the last night, the 20th, with some of our family. While taking His meal, He spoke to us all, ‘Whenever the senior person of the family or the guru dies, the others must be very careful for one year, because many misfortunes may come.’

“I didn’t accept what He said at face-value, and said, ‘Why need it happen like that, Baba? It will all be due only to psychological reasons, which can be overcome.’

“‘No,’ He said. ‘There is no scientific explanation. You have simply got to accept it. Have you heard the phrase Maha Guru Ni Pat? It means the departure of the Great Guru. It means the nearest and most dear one leaves this world. Do you know what you should do in that case?’

“As we didn’t know, He continued, ‘For one year, one should not make any luxurious function, construct any special lighting or decoration, or arrange any party. Sorrow should be observed for one year. You must be very careful for one year.’

Baba’s exact Bengali while quoting Tagore’s poem was: Na’giniira’ ca’ridike pheliteche vis’a’kta vishva’sSha’ntir lalita va’n’ii shona’ibe vyartha pariha’sa. Vida’y neba’r a’ge ta’i d’a’k diyeja’i Da’naver sa’the sam’gra’mer tarePrastiita hatecheya’ra’ ghareghare.

“I believed He was only speaking philosophy or theory. I never imagined we would have to apply His words from the very next day.

“Another point is that I used to inform Baba of the day I would return to my home and take permission from Him to leave. But this time, for the first time, He asked me when I was leaving.

I was thinking of leaving after two days, that is Monday, but I thought He was asking because He wanted me to stay much longer. Since I didn’t want to annoy Him, I couldn’t find any words to reply.

Then in a loud voice, He said, ‘I’m simply asking if you’ll be here tomorrow, Sunday, or not.’ I said,

‘Yes, Baba, I’m leaving on Monday.’ He said, ‘I’m not asking about Monday, only Sunday.’

“At last He sang a folk song of Bihar to us. I laughed at this, thinking He was joking. He noticed my laugh, and said, ‘It’s not ordinary music. It’s a classical song.’ The song’s meaning was ‘If I will not be here any longer, my cart will still continue to move by the power of God.’”

Dada Vimalananda told us about an incident that explains, perhaps better than any, why He had to leave us:

“A few years ago, during a meeting of Proutists, one Margi asked, ‘Baba, when will Prout be established?’

“Baba replied, ‘When you are perched in a fruit tree, you can only eat the fruits on the tree, not the ones on the ground. When you stand on the ground, you can only eat the fruits which lie on the ground, not the ones hanging on the tree.

Those who will get This (He pointed to Himself), will not get That (meaning Prout society). Which one do you want, This or That?’

“The Margis protested, saying, ‘Oh, Baba, We want both. We want both Prout and You.’

“Baba said, ‘No, no. You can have only one or the other.’

“He didn’t solve all the problems before He left. He left the guidelines, showed some demonstrations, and provided the force to achieve the solutions. We have to solve the problems. We have to establish Prout.”

After this story, Vimalanandaji told us another one which explained something about the purpose of Baba’s life:

In the early 1960’s, when Margis could chat intimately with Baba, one Margi — perhaps Dasarath Dada, a family achaya — said, “Baba, You meditate every day even though You have no need to meditate.

What is the object of Your meditation? And, Baba, if You don’t mind, can You tell us what is Your mantra?”

Baba became quiet and then said, “I meditate on all of my children throughout the world.”

“And Your mantra, Baba?”

His mood shifted, and some profound emotion swept through His facial muscles as He said, “My mantra is Manus’oham (I am a human being). If I miss ideating on this mantra for even a single breath, My worldly existence becomes jeopardized.”

With these words, Baba took a deep breath, and His body shivered.

The Margis grabbed His feet, rubbed them and, fearing He might in that very moment depart, they cried.