According to schedule, on the 15th, he stopped fasting on fruits and began his fast on tea. A separate house was rented to house the masts, where Baba remained in strict seclusion for a week, from the 22nd of April. During this time, he did not even see the women mandali, and was fasting on only water. He worked with Chatti Baba and also with masts brought by Baidul and Pappa.
Baba had fasted many times before, but this monthlong fast considerably weakened his health. Kaka had been away for a few days and arrived on the 26th of April; Chanji, Deshmukh and Norina came to see Baba on the 28th, after their lecture tour. Chanji discussed various matters with Baba for a few hours, and then returned to Bombay as instructed with Nadine (who had some work there).
During their conversation, Baba appeared so weak that he could barely nod his head to give a "yes" or "no" to Chanji's questions about the work. The mandali had never seen such an ebbing of Baba's strength. "This was a very painful sight," Chanji recorded. "In the past, Shree has often fasted, but never have we seen such weakness.
Conditions in the world are at a critical stage, Baba said, and on top of that, after 9 August [1941], he wishes to go into complete seclusion."
Chanji elaborated in a letter to Minoo Kharas (dated 30 April 1941):
This time, [Baba] means "business" and although surprises as such have lost all charm for us — his seasoned disciples — we would still be surprised for anything that may happen, any day, any moment, and would have a rude shock of our life. The trend of events world over and the strain of work (internal) which Baba is having on himself portend drastic events in the near future. It seems everything has to be shaken from its very foundation, especially things that have stuck deep down and rigidly for years. And it will need no small shock to root it all out of its foundation. Let us wait and watch.
Vishnu wrote to Adi Sr. at this time:
Baba must be working internally very hard. I've never seen him looking so run-down or feeling so weak during any of his previous fasts. This time his weakness must be due to his working very hard under the tremendous pressure of the war ...
Nilu also recounted:
During Baba's fast, especially on water, he was growing very weak, but he used to bathe and feed Chatti Baba daily, and attend to other things. Moreover, he used to send Baidul and Pappa Jessawala far and wide to bring him good masts, whom he used to feed and then send back.
This strenuous hard work was telling upon his health during the fast. He never took notice of my constant and repeated protests against his hard work. I had to examine his heart very frequently every day, and owing to his tendency to high blood pressure, his heart could not stand even a slight strain during his fast. But he never listened to me, and went on with his work, keeping me worrying all the time.