Silla's birthday was celebrated on 20 April 1940 with fresh mango ice cream — this time without garlic chutney! Irene and Elizabeth became ill for a few days, and were kept under treatment.
Besides an abundance of mangoes, Amboli had plenty of poisonous snakes, whose bites were said to mean certain death. Baba ordered all not to move about in the dark without a lamp.
Once Kitty and Nadine forgot their lanterns, and the next day, Baba took them to task, asking, "Why did you break my order? Do you think I am a fool?"
Nadine reasoned, "But had a snake bitten us, we would have died in your presence."
"How would that have benefited you?" Baba asked.
"We would have merged in your Ocean!"
"Instead of drowning, you would have been carried to the shore! Merging in the Ocean is not for those who disobey. They are tossed up on the beach like an old piece of dried driftwood, and there they die! What gain is there in such a death?
"With me," Baba continued, "one has to live while dying, so that you can live eternally, after dying such a death. Do you follow?"
Nadine nodded that she did.
Baba left Amboli at two in the afternoon on the 20th and traveled to Belgaum. They arrived three hours later, and stayed in a bungalow three miles from the city, which belonged to the Maharani of Savantwadi. Don drove Elizabeth's car, with Elizabeth and Baba in the front seat, as she was still unwell. In Belgaum, too, Haldankar had made all of their arrangements, and Indu and Sushila continued to do the cooking.
On the 22nd, Baba took the women to see the spot chosen for establishing Baba's center in Belgaum, and the Maharani of Savantwadi again came to see him. The next morning, Baba left at 5:00 A.M. for Sakharpa, where he arrived at noon.
In Sakharpa, he received a letter from Belgaum, informing him that another piece of property had been donated to him to use for his center. Norina, Elizabeth and Don drove back to Belgaum to inspect the land on the afternoon of 24 April, and returned the next day. During the whole tour, Norina remained occupied discussing with Baba the various plans for establishing a large center in India.