Espandiar Vesali had been a student in the Prem Ashram in Meherabad in 1927-1928. Soon after the school closed, he returned home to Iran and had not seen Baba since 1928. Espandiar longed to have Baba’s darshan, but he wrote saying he had no money to travel to India. Through Baidul, Baba wrote back asking how much Espandiar was earning and what was the means of his livelihood. He answered in detail that he had a modest income from a cherry and apple orchard, but that most years the winter frost destroyed the blossoms on the trees. If he had a good crop, he would sell it and should there be any leftover amount from what he needed for his maintenance, he would be able to come to India. Otherwise, he would not be able to see Baba.
Baba instructed Baidul to write back saying that Espandiar should go to the trees in his orchard and speak to them: “It is 35 years since I have seen Meher Baba, and I want to go and visit him. So you, my crop, are not allowed to freeze. I beg of you trees to bear fruit in abundance so that I might be able to go to see my Lord. The frost and winter should not destroy my crop this year.” Baba instructed him to walk around the trees and utter these words, and then not to think of anything else and not to worry.
So, Espandiar “spoke” to his trees every morning.
Certain of the fact that he would not lose his crop, Espandiar borrowed money and flew to Bombay. He arrived at Guruprasad on 5 May 1963 and was extremely anxious to meet his Master after more than 30 years of separation, but Baba did not grant him darshan at once. On the contrary, he sent word for him to sit outside and read verses from theĀ Divan-e-Hafiz.Ā Espandiar sat on the verandah reading the book. After about half an hour, Baba called him inside. To see him meet Baba after so many years was a touching scene. Putting his head on Baba’s feet, he wept and wept. After a few minutes, Espandiar was lifted up and he embraced Baba.
…Later that year, when the orchard crop was harvested, even though surrounding orchards had been severely damaged due to a harsh winter frost, Vesali’s trees gave an unprecedented yield ā much to the local farmers’ amazement.
Espandiar once had an unusual experience at his home in Tehran. One day he heard a knock, he opened the door and found an Imam (a Muslim priest) standing at the door. The Imam related that he had had a dream in which a voice told him that the eagerly awaitedĀ Imam MehdiĀ (Saheb-e-Zaman, the Rasool) is now on earth and he would find him at a certain house in Tehran. In his dream, he was guided to the house which he saw clearly in vivid detail. The next morning, the priest went in search of the house in the city, found it and knocked on the door. As he spoke, tears ran down Espandiar’s cheeks, for his house served as the Avatar Meher Baba Center in Tehran, where weekly meetings were held.
-www.lordmeher.org, p4981
Apr, 1963; Guruprasad