The group was looking for the dak bungalow, when Slamson happened to cross the road. He stopped the bus and guided them to a Hindu serai. They stayed in Indore overnight and left in the morning for Bhopal, which they reached at 11:15 A.M.
“”In Bhopal, Baba directed Buasaheb, "Start learning the Kashmiri language as soon as possible, because I will have to sit in seclusion there for a few days."
On Thursday, 18 July 1929, the group drove from Bhopal to Guna. They started late because of rain. The road was in a poor condition due to the incessant monsoon rains. It wasn't muddy, but the wet conditions caused the bus to skid two or three times. For the first hour, Padri had to drive very slowly at only ten miles per hour. They stopped for lunch under a tree and reached the dak bungalow at Guna in the early evening. Chhagan prepared tea and then cooked dinner.
Meanwhile, Baba set out for a walk with Aga Ali, Ali Akbar, Raosaheb and Kaka Shahane (who had joined the group). On the road, a strange-looking man, half-naked wearing only a langoti, approached Baba directly and silently bowed to him. He said something to Baba, as if he were "reporting to his superior" Chanji noted, and handed Baba a flower. Then, just as mysteriously, he walked away.
At 7:30 P.M., Baba called the mandali to the kitchen verandah and explained that the man was the spiritual chargeman of the area:
“”My next real work in this journey starts from today. As you are aware, all my movements and such journeys in particular have some significance. This journey may be compared to a personal inspection tour of state by a king to see how his work is progressing at different places.
When I was on a walk this evening, a man on duty here gave up his charge to me in a very peculiar way. We saw a man who looked like a sadhu, wearing only a langoti, coming straight toward us from the opposite direction. When he passed us, he gave me a flower, folded his hands to me, turned and walked straight back from where he had come. Neither while coming to us, nor while going away, did he look forward, backward or sideways, but he walked with his eyes straight ahead without minding anything in the surroundings. His eyes were very bright like Ramakrishna Paramhansa's [the Sadguru of Calcutta].
