As announced, Baba entered seclusion in the mast ashram on the hill at noon on Saturday, 1 June 1940. From that day on he was preoccupied solely with the masts. Although Baba had been working with them since returning to Meherabad, his work now intensified. (Baba indicated that his mast work done during his seclusion "receives a push.")
Raosaheb arrived on the 1st with a friend, but they were not permitted darshan due to Baba's seclusion. They left for Bombay with Sarosh, despite Pendu's advice to Raosaheb to remain as Baba might call him. Soon after they departed, Baba sent for Raosaheb, Pendu and Baidul, indicating that he wished to give Raosaheb some important work, but he had already left.
Eruch had been the manager of the mast ashram. After Pappa returned from Karwar, he was put in charge while Eruch was in Bangalore with the rest of the family. The five boys who had been brought from Bangalore (Krishna, Venkoba Rao, Raju, Kalappa, Amdoo) were also working in the mast ashram, along with Gustadji and Savak Kotwal.
During his seclusion, Baba's schedule was rising at 5:00 A.M., tea at 7:00 A.M., lunch at noon, tea again at 4:00 P.M. and no dinner. Vishnu would come at 7:30 A.M. and again at 3:00 P.M. with the mail, at which times Baba would attend to correspondence. Baba's work with the masts would begin as soon as he woke up and continue until late at night. Each day, he would spend time bathing, reclothing, feeding and shaving the various masts, primarily Chatti Baba, Phulwala, Shariat Khan, Mohammed, Ramshish (a mast who had been brought from Bangalore) and others, and working with them individually in seclusion.
On Monday, 3 June 1940, Baba remarked:
This two-month special seclusion is for my special Universal work, particularly to speed things up regarding the war.
After the stirring-up during the seclusion period, unusually startling changes will take place in the war situation. One after the other, 32 nations in all will eventually be involved, including Italy and America.
Situations will be so grave they will verge on breathlessness! All of a sudden, unexpected developments will take place which will be the turning points. Those who had the upper hand will be eventually subdued and thrown off, and others, who had been strangled and made to suffer in breathless suspense all these months, along with millions of others in the world, will breathe a sigh of relief!