In reference to the abundance of so-called saints and false gurus in the East, Baba … commented: “They are like seashells scattered on the beach, their superfluous glitter attracting the loiterers on the beach, who pick them up and think they have gained the treasure of the sea. But it is a far cry from the ‘Pearl’ ensconced in the depths of the Ocean. And so it is that Hafiz says:
How foolish people are who compare pearls with seashells.
The real pearl is here. Do not run after shells.
When Baba quoted Hafiz’s “the real pearl is here,” he pointed to himself.
-www.lordmeher.org, p5017
June, 1963; Guruprasad