Baba was informed that Gulmai K. Irani’s daughter Dolly, who was staying in Ahmednagar, had been feeling depressed during his absence. Baba went to Ahmednagar to see Dolly on November 15th, and gave her a discourse that afternoon. He had it typed out and distributed for everyone to read:
You say you do not like to live. You feel tired of this life and this body. Unwelcome thoughts, bad thoughts, disturb you and make you unhappy. But life is thoughts, not body. The body is there when you are asleep. You do not then feel the need to end your life. The moment you are awake, you begin to think again. In actuality, nobody is satisfied with his lot. Nobody feels completely happy in this world. You know the great position and wealth of so and so; yet when he saw me, he told me he was a very unhappy man.
Why should you be unhappy? You are neither too tall, nor too fat. You are quite healthy. You can read, you can write. Think of the poor creatures, the paralyzed, the lepers, the disabled. The paraplegic or leper knows that he is progressing toward a sure death and is likely to die in a worse state than he is in. Yet, there are thousands like these, silently dragging on through their days.
Why not compare your lot with the dumb illiterate millions in this country? You are most fortunate. You live with, and move in, the surroundings of a Master. What is there in the Himalayas and the jungles? Did you not see the picture Tarzan, which depicted the jungle life full of strife and struggles? In spite of having bad thoughts, you do not indulge in bad actions; therefore, what higher life can you live than this?
It is normal to have bad thoughts; so long as you do not interpret them into actions, you thereby get an opportunity to exercise control. If no thoughts assail you, then what is the difference between you and a stone which has no thoughts at all?
-www.lordmeher.org, p1576
Nov, 1933; Ahmednagar