There is nothing wrong if a snake is killed, according to Meher Baba. In fact his advice is The same day (March 28, 1938) a five-foot-long snake was seen outside the kitchen with a sparrow in its mouth. Baba was called, and he came with a few of the men. One man struck the snake on its back, and it released the sparrow which flew away.

Baba gave the final killing blow, crushing its head. Later in the evening after dinner, he remarked about snakes, “Unless a snake is killed by a human being, it remains always a snake. Never leave a snake wounded, as it takes so long to die. Once wounded, a snake will always remain near you to be killed outright.”

On another occasion, the men killed a snake at lower Meherabad, and Padri brought it to Baba who crushed its head. To Padri, he explained, “In evolution, the snake form is like an entangled rope which you cannot undo or unwind. However, if it is killed by a human being the knot untangles itself and the soul is free to continue on its way through evolution.”

On March 24th, (1940) when asked as to how the advanced God-mad (the masts) had come to the state they are in, and what that state actually is, Baba explained and answered questions:

“These men may be called yoga-brashtas. Apart from the circle, who are taken to the Goal blindfolded, there are very few who receive the grace of a Master and who are pushed to even the sixth plane. All this depends mostly on past sanskaras. It is very little of this present life which brings one in contact with a Perfect Master.

“These souls you see here had been on the path in their past lives, but were entirely lost as yoga-brashtas, and became spiritually dazed. Among many examples, one man held on to the fruit of a tree for four years, remaining in the same position until a Master came and gave him experience, so that he released his hold on the fruit and branch he had been holding.”

One of the mandali asked how these men could withstand all the tests physically. Baba stated, “All of you have three bodies – gross, subtle and mental. Ordinarily, everyone uses the first two – gross and subtle – for experiencing the gross and subtle worlds, the former in the awake state and the latter in the dream state.

“After a soul is spiritually advanced and is stationed on the spiritual planes, he assumes a body which is called karana sharir (mental body). When in this state, the soul has immense powers in proportion to the stage of advancement which he has attained.

“The power itself sustains the physical body even in the hardest strains and trials. That is how, even oblivious to the world and their own physical needs, they keep living as fresh and strong as ever. Otherwise, an ordinary man would drop the body even under a thousandth part of the strain on the physical body they experience.

“Material happiness is a millionth shadow of the true, divine bliss,” Baba concluded.

Someone then asked how Baba was able to take so much of the strain and suffering of the work of bathing and feeding the masts, fasting, et cetera, upon himself. 

Baba replied, “It is not strain – nor suffering. It is a pleasure in the performance of a mission and its fulfillment. Besides, those who come down to the world for duty after God-Realization bring with them the infinite powers, which sustain the physical body. Their mind is a universal mind, and the body mahakaran – a universal body. With the help of the universal mind and body the Perfect Ones can approach and contact anyone at any time, anywhere. Time and space do not exist for them.”