When Rustom blew the horn, the frightened girl panicked and ran across the road right in front of the car, which hit her. Horrified, Rustom screeched the car to a halt. Miraculously, the girl was not hurt and only the water jug was broken. Baba called her to him and embraced her lovingly. Seeing this, Rustom wept. Falling at Baba's feet, he burst out crying, "Baba, you have saved me! There was no hope that the girl would escape uninjured. By your nazar, she was saved!" Baba nodded in confirmation.
The girl was from a poor family. She was taken in the car to her house and compensated for the broken jug. She was also given money to buy a new dress, as the one she was wearing had been torn. Since his identity had not been revealed, the girl's parents had no idea who Baba was, though they looked at him intently. Unknown to them, Baba sanctified their hut by entering it and sitting on the earthen floor for a while. After this incident, Baba and the mandali drove back to Nasik.
On 30 December 1929, Baba held a discussion with K. J. Dastur and the mandali about The Meher Message magazine.
Baba told Dastur, "Stop publishing The Meher Message as of now. All circumstances in Nasik are adverse to my staying here. The mandali have no work and the expenses continue to mount."1
About Nasik, Baba commented: "Nasik, being a place of pilgrimage, has thousands of sadhus coming daily, and residing here are mostly Brahmins who are very proud of living in such a holy place. They think of themselves as being something great."
Yeshwant Rao of Sakori met Baba on Friday, 3 January 1930. Baba remarked that Upasni Maharaj had once been to Gyas Manzil some years before during a visit to Nasik.
Life with Baba was often rigorous, sometimes taking a toll on one's health. On the 4th, Baba explained to the mandali why he was always concerned about their health:
Whenever you are with me, always take care of your health. When you are away, it does not matter. You should never give your Master the least chance to serve you, as happens in the case of illness or indisposition through negligence on your part. If you fall ill, your Master then has to look after you which is an extra burden of duty for him.
This is not so when you are not in his presence. So always be careful regarding your health when with me.
Footnotes
- 1.The Meher Message continued to be published for two more years.