Accompanied by Raosaheb and the two boys, Baba walked for a little while along the road. The group reached Delhi at nine that night and checked into the Raj Mahal Hotel.
From eight until noon the next morning, 23 July, Baba set out with the mandali and boys on a sightseeing trip through Old and New Delhi, then to the Qutub Minar (all the way to the top), the Red Fort and other places of interest. Baba pointed out a mast named Hafizji Nabeena , who he revealed was the spiritual chargeman of Delhi.1 Baba's mail had been forwarded to Delhi and it was brought from the post office. After Baba replied to the letters, he sent Chhagan to Pandharpur with Kaka Shahane, instructing Chhagan to remain there and fast for seven days.
Leaving Delhi on 24 July, the group arrived in Ludhiana around 7 P.M. after covering 191 miles in ten hours.
Baba informed the mandali, "The one on duty here is blind."
In Chhagan's absence, Padri cooked their meals and the other mandali helped. Only one room was available in the dak bungalow, which Raosaheb occupied with the boys. Baba slept in the bus and the mandali in the garage.
The following morning they left towards Lahore, reaching Amritsar at eleven o'clock. Amritsar is the main city of pilgrimage for the Sikhs, and Baba viewed the magnificent gold-plated Golden Temple from a distance, outside in the large compound, but he did not enter the shrine.
They left Amritsar and reached Lahore at 2:30 that afternoon, staying at the Empress Hotel. There was a ban on bus traffic within the city so they had to walk seven miles to find a place to eat. (Padri had not cooked that day since he was too busy cleaning the bus with Vishnu.)
On 26 July, they stayed at the hotel the whole day. Baba spent the day listening to records and playing cards with the mandali. In the evening he went for a stroll with Raosaheb, Aga Ali, and Ali Akbar. This was the first occasion during the journey when they had stayed in a decent hotel and had been comfortable.
Baba remarked, "Today amiri [wealthy], tomorrow fakiri !"
Then he stated to the mandali, "You must learn to accept every type of life and have equipoise in all situations and circumstances. Every situation is, after all, a temporary situation and liable to change. So remain detached and not influenced by change; be steadfast in changelessness."
Footnotes
- 1.Baba contacted this mast several times in 1939 and 1941.