When the lendi procession had started, the Master had been severe; now he was luminous, beaming as if the sun had descended, taken form and stood smiling before him. No one except Sai Baba and Merwan knew the reason why; the message Sai Baba delivered, Merwan alone could understand.
After Merwan had risen, he and Khodu slowly walked away. As the proclamation of "Parvardigar!" fell twice more from Sai Baba's lips, Age bowed to Merwan — the Ancient One. But Age is ever powerless to sing the praises of Parvardigar unless enabled by Him to do so. Age had to wait some years more to reveal Merwan's divine presence among humanity.
Merwan felt drawn to visit an old Hindu temple on the outskirts of the village, where they were informed Sai Baba's chief disciple was staying. It was the Khandoba Temple where Upasni Maharaj lived. Upasni was seated on its steps, naked and virtually as thin as a skeleton. As Merwan approached, Upasni picked up a stone, stood up and threw it with all his strength at Merwan, striking him on the forehead exactly on the spot where Babajan had kissed him. The force of that holy blow was so strong it drew blood and left a permanent scar on Merwan's forehead.
"What sort of strange reception was this?" Age wondered? "He whom Sai Baba addressed as Parvardigar has been struck with a rock by Upasni! Yet what is there to be surprised at? Just look at Merwan. With the impact of the blow, his eyes have begun to show more gross consciousness of the world.
Merwan had been divinely absorbed in his own Godhood and had very little normal consciousness of the world around him since Babajan had kissed him nearly two years before. With the wound from this stone thrown by Upasni Maharaj, Merwan's worldly consciousness was to gradually increase and eventually return completely — though the process was to take nearly seven years.
Age noted saliently, "Stone, the grossest form of worldly manifestation, became the medium to bring the God-Man back to gross consciousness."
After being struck by the stone, Merwan — instead of running away in fright — walked closer to Upasni Maharaj. Upasni took Merwan alone inside his temple inhabited by snakes and scorpions, while Khodu stood some distance away startled by what he had witnessed. Khodu could not understand why this was happening.