Baba sent the group away and called about twenty of the workers of the Eluru Meher Centre to his room. He spelled out to them, “I say with my divine authority that I am God.”
He repeated his statement, “I declare with my divine authority that I am God.”
Then he concluded,”I am God in human form. I alone am real; all else is illusion. Love me from the depths of your hearts.”
… Baba then departed to give darshan in a nearby village. Along the way, he had the car stopped along the road and approached a tongawala resting under a tree with his horse. This man had been ferrying lovers to Subba Rao’s garden for Baba’s darshan, but being a Muslim, he had been offended one day when one devotee had informed him that Meher Baba was “Khuda” – a Persian name for God (the Supreme Being). Now Baba was standing before him.
Although Baba had already eaten breakfast, he told the man (through Eruch) that he was hungry and wished to share in his meager meal. Knowing the man’s heart had been hurt, at one point Baba asked him what he was thinking, and the Muslim replied, “Baba, your followers say you are Khuda.”
Making a play on words, Baba replied in Hindi: “My Khuda hu, isliay my khud aya hu,” meaning “I am God, that is why I have come personally to you.” The man was so moved, he prostrated on the ground, weeping in front of Baba for some time.*
*Footnote in LM: This humble tongawala became one of Meher Baba’s lovers and several years later died at Meherabad during an Amartithi celebration.
www.lordmeher.org, p3266
Jan, 1953, Andhra Tour