The mind is entrapped in maya and does not want to be freed; and so to achieve merit, hired prayers are being offered. Can this ever result in any meritorious action or virtue?
If you want to remember or offer worship to God, do it honestly and loyally with all your heart and mind. Even if you can only remember or pray to Him a few minutes each day, do it sincerely. Compared to babbling for hours on end, a sincere prayer of two minutes has more effect. It immediately reaches God's ears. The reason is that God always listens to the voice of the heart.
On Saturday, 13 July 1929, Chhota Baba gave the Master a bath with Raosaheb's help.
The next day Baba put on a new, short black coat and gave the chocolate-colored one to Ali Akbar. That day Padri, accompanied by Ramjoo, Rustom, and Freiny, arrived in Dhulia with the new bus. Rustom and Freiny left for Nasik that evening after meeting with Baba, and a program of bhajan singing was performed until midnight.
Kalemama and his family took great care seeing to Baba and the mandali's comfort. The whole family was absorbed in Baba's love and dedicated their lives to him. Kalemama's two sons, Babu and Murli, were still in Meherabad. Babu was longing to be with the Master permanently as one of the mandali.
At ten-thirty in the morning on 15 July, Baba left Dhulia in the new bus for Indore. Many had come to see him depart and they bid him farewell with tears in their eyes.
The seating arrangement in the bus for the group of twelve was as follows:
Baba's special cabin had windows on both sides and a separate door. The men sat on benches in the back; their windows had no glass, only canvas curtains. At the time of leaving Dhulia, Baba ordered the mandali to wear only a langoti (loincloth) for 24 hours.
"Those who fail to do so," Baba threatened, "will be made to get off the bus, and be abandoned on the roadside."
But when some of the men said they had not brought a langoti, Baba exempted them.
The group reached the Khalghat dak bungalow at nine that night and rested after dinner. On 16 July, after tea, they left at seven in the morning and reached Indore. Gustadji's brother Slamson had lived at Meherabad previously, during 1928, but had returned to Indore in January.