ITALY  -  Sept. to  Oct. 1931

MAP ROUTE OF SS. RAJPUTANA - 1931

PORT SAID TO MARSEILLES VIA THE STRAITS OF MESSINA & BONIFACIO

STRAIT OF MESSINA, ITALY

STRAIT OF BONAFACIO

* There are no photos of Meher Baba taken in Pavia area on his visit.

This visit to to the Pavia church occurred a couple of days prior to Meher Baba boarding a ship the SS Roma in Genoa for New York. All these visits occurred during his 1st visit to the West in 1931.

The next afternoon - 17th October, Baba went by bus to the Certosa Monastery, about an hour's drive outside the city. He liked the place very much, as it was quiet and solitary. He had a complete look throughout the monastery. Baba liked the individual meditation cells the best. He sat on one of the verandahs facing an open courtyard for half an hour, and praised the spiritual atmosphere.

Unlike at other public places, Baba was not in a hurry to leave, and his former morose mood since arriving in Milan, Chanji noted, now seemed changed. There (and later), Baba explained about his spiritual work to Enid and a friend of hers named Theo, who had accompanied them:

Meher Baba said ;

It is absolutely impossible for an ordinary man to understand my work. With my Universal mind, I work [on an unlimited scale] for the universe; to understand what I do is not within the bounds of human intellect. I always work for the universe and not for myself. Why would I need to work for myself? I do my work through various mediums. With that object in mind, I visit places, see different sights, or go to plays, films, and do a hundred and one other things. But I don't enjoy movies or the theater as you do — I make them the medium of my inner spiritual work. My every breath does this work constantly, while outwardly you find me doing nothing [special]. You cannot grasp the internal mystery.

I have to do great work for the welfare of humanity — it is my Universal duty. Times are critical and due to [certain crises], my responsibility has increased in proportion to the circumstances and prevailing conditions. I am the Emperor of the spiritual kingdom and every second receive [inner] "reports" and messages from every corner of the universe. Because of the troublesome times we are facing, I am inwardly receiving only distressing reports, such as the conflict between China and Japan.

Such news pours in every moment and I have to issue inner instructions [to my agents].

You cannot see this outwardly, as I simultaneously manage an infinite number of things inwardly unknown to anyone. However, the effect of my work does appear outwardly, for example, when you find me suddenly and quite abruptly in a bad mood. One moment I look happy in a jolly mood; the very next, you find me serious, moody and morose. All this depends on the reports I receive, and I have to plan my work according to them. Or suppose I am quite happily having tea with you all, and at that moment I am inwardly informed that someone in India is passing through a great crisis. At that time, naturally I send out a message in reply on how to cope with or remedy the situation. And while doing that, my mood will change so that I will appear absent from my present surroundings.

You will have a thousand and one thoughts at this sudden change in me; but it is your ignorance which prevents you from either understanding the nature of my work or the cause of the change in my mood. You will be pained at my behavior and pondering it, thousands of thoughts will pass through your mind in a second! But all this is beyond intellect and you will never be able to follow it with the help of an inquisitive or arguing mind.

Lord Meher On-line p.1295-6

1931

On Sunday, 18 October 1931, Baba took the group by train on a trip to the Italian Alps. At Varese, they changed to a mountain funicular, and went up the steep gradient, enjoying the marvelous scenery.

1931 continued...

After returning to the city, that evening, they went to the Odeon Theater in Milan, where they saw a film (The Divorcee). Two days later (20th), they drove to Lake Como for a short pleasant stay.

Note : 

It's unclear what type of vehicle was used for this trip.

Also, it's not known where he and his group stayed during his brief stay, possibly 1-3 days, or where he went in the area of the lakes.

* There are no photos of Meher Baba taken in the Como area on his visit.

This visit occurred a couple of days prior to Meher Baba boarding a ship the

SS Roma in Genoa for New York.  All of these visits occurred of his 1st visit to the West.

On 25 October 1931, after a tea party at Enid's apartment in Pensione Agostini in the afternoon, Baba and his companions left Milan on the 6:40 train. The group arrived in Genoa after two hours and stayed at the Milano Terminus Hotel.

Baba, Meredith, Ali and Chanji boarded the SS Roma at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, 27 October 1931, bound for New York City. The cabins they were given (400 & 421) were cramped and uncomfortable; but the next day, after leaving Naples, they were shifted to two outward facing, spacious cabins (272 & 274). Meredith introduced a young woman from Toronto named Louise Skey to Baba. Louise was quite taken with Baba and visited his cabin several times.