Merwan continued to lie motionless, staring into space. "Merog, can you see me?" she asked, becoming worried.
Her dear son's eyes were open, but did they see her? He seemed to be gazing somewhere into a distance, far, far beyond — without the slightest movement of his eyelids. His face looked normal, but there was no life in his body and he did not speak. "Merog, what has happened to you?" Memo asked anxiously.
Enraptured by glimpses of the Divine over the past months, Merwan had become aloof and had not confided in anyone. As mentioned, no one in the family except his father (who did not speak about it) had any idea of Merwan's true spiritual status. Although the family had observed some abnormality in his behavior since he had started his association with Babajan, they ignored it and thought it was no more than a passing fascination with the old saint.
Memo was bewildered. She grabbed Merwan and shook him, making him sit up in the bed. Examining him she saw that he had neither fever nor any physical injury. "Merog, you will be all right," she said.
She confided in Bobo, "Merog must be very upset over something, because he refuses to speak ... We will let him rest all day and lie in bed. He seems very withdrawn. This evening he should come out of it." Bobo nodded in agreement.
But no matter what Memo did, Merwan remained in this coma-like condition for three days. Only when he was made to sit up did he change his supine position. The entire family became more and more concerned.
Suddenly, on the fourth day, Merwan began to move. He went downstairs and, without saying a word, began pacing back and forth in the house. His eyes had not closed in three days. He had not slept for three nights and his eyes looked vacant — hollowed out. He seemed subdued; his manner around his parents and brothers was reserved. He showed no appetite or thirst. His body simply moved about the house robotically, like a somnambulist.
After a few more days of Merwan's strange behavior, Memo had had enough. Terribly worried, she and Bobo spent a considerable amount to consult the best physicians in Poona. Many were called to treat Merwan — chief among them was a family friend, Dr. Bharucha. He gave Merwan an injection of morphine in an attempt to induce sleep; but the narcotic had no effect and the young man's eyes remained open.