It was in the 19nineties when I met him first in Haidakhan. Everything was new for me and I felt a little bit lost. It was sunny and hot and Prem Baba was sitting with an other indian man in front  of his room when I walked along the Broadway. They  invited me to come. I had no idea who Prem Baba was but I felt that he was something special. So I made Pranam and set me down.

Prem Baba looked at me a long time and than he said many things I didn`t understand. The only thing the other man translated was that he inviteded me to come to his chillum party. Friendly I refused. He asked me again and again I said friendly but very clear no. (Because for me it was important to make my spiritual exeriences with a clear head and without drugs. Only this was for me a true experience.) Later other devotees could not understand why I didn´t follow his invitation. They told me that it would be something special to get an invitation from Prem Baba.  But for me it was a test and Prem Baba liked my reaction. He gave me a pat on my back and laughed. Always in the next years when I met him he repeated this little game to check if I changed my mind.

 

Some days later  I went to Prem Baba to make pranam. He wanted to see my new mala I weared around my neck. I gave him the mala and he started to bluster because the mala was not tied. I had no clue about this. Thus he kept it and after two days I got my mala back proper tied from him. After I wared my mala for some years without taking off  and the mala "workes" till this day after more than twenty years.

 

Prem Baba loved it to take me and other ladies by surprise. In the resttime after the bandhara when our dormitory was full with ladies, sleeping, resting or  changing the clothes,

he came in our room to bring us the sweets he got from the devotees and really every lady got the prasad. Altough all ladies protested every day against his invasions, because a man should not be in the privacy of ladies dormitory, he came in. And altough  I was just sleeping Prem Baba waked me up to give me my prasad. And I had the difficulty to fall asleep again. - I am shure that he enjoyed some views he could make in space of  so many ladies. But behind all the roguishness I saw the deep love, sweetness  and a deep understanding in his eyes when he looked at me.

And today I understand, to give the prasad was Prem Babas way to give me comfort and to look after me when I went through my inner process in Haidakhan.

 

With a little taxi I drove with Sarala, Prem Baba and a devotee of him from Italy or Spain to Chilianoula. I was sitting in the middle in the back, not very comfortable, Prem Baba to my left side

and his devotee was sitting beside the driver. What a drive! I don´t know what the young man had done, but on the whole travel Prem Baba railed at him and slaped to him. And the young man was still and suffered without any word.

I had so many compassion to him and later I asked him why he allowes Prem Baba to behave in this way. And he said very soft: "He is my guru, what shall I do."

 

Shobha