Baba in Toka with boys
Although several of the boys had been quite mischievous during his absence, Baba did not reprimand them. At five o’clock on Sunday evening, 7 October 1928, Baba went for a walk to the riverbank with the boys. The river was more than a mile away, and while walking they had to remove thorns from their feet and walk on rough stones along the path. When they reached the river and all had gathered around Baba, he stated:
“See what troubles we have taken to reach the bank. We decided to come and have arrived. Had we been in the ashram, we would have had no idea about the river — its powerful current, the expanse of its water, et cetera. You drink water here and tell others you have drunk it and invite them to do the same. The inner path is similar.
A person has to undergo terrific hardships and becomes annoyed and tired, but I tell you not to give up patience and not to retrace your footsteps. Once you step on the Path, never go back, but always go forward. This is only a river, but I am the Ocean. Remember that.”
-www.lordmeher.org, p976
October 1928; Toka