That brings me to another instance, a beautiful story I recollect” It happened in Europe, during Baba’s first visit there.
Baba was seated in a small room, and those who had come to see him for the first time, attracted to him by those who had already met him, would be with him for a few minutes in that room. In the small crowd one day, of those who had come, there was a young Russian woman. She was very beautiful, very healthy and well-off, and there seemed nothing wrong. But when she was brought inside the room and she looked at Baba, she fell down on her knees and with her head on Baba’s knees, started sobbing. And she wept and wept and wept. So Baba, the great comforter, sat there and comforted her. She went on weeping until about fifteen minutes had passed, and then she calmed down. Baba’s clothes were wet with her tears.
Baba lifted her head, looked at her and said ‘You are so beautiful, so young, so healthy, why are you so miserable?’
‘I know I am beautiful, I know I am healthy I know I am young and to top it all, I am very wealthy. And yet I feel that I am the most miserable person on earth, unworthy to live. I want to commit suicide.’
Baba said, ‘Very good. You must commit suicide. Commit suicide at this instant in my presence.’
And Baba put her head down on his feet saying, ‘There you are, you are dead!’ After a while he lifted her up, ‘Now live again. Live a new life now. Completely forget the past and leave it aside, it has nothing to do with you. You are dead.’ And this is a new, fresh life. Committing physical suicide will not release you from your miseries: you carry the mind, all your mental impressions with you.
Only this will release you: your firm determination to have died to your past, and to begin now to live a new life. Stand up again renewed and refreshed with all the strength of a new life born in my love.’
– “Not we but one”, p134, Eruch Jassawala