Gustadji and Pleader were nevertheless reluctant to continue staying so close to the scene of the death, and so Baba called them to Panchgani on 19 September.
Bhabananda had joined Meher Baba in Bangalore and had been staying in Meherabad. The men mandali later learned that, before meeting Baba, he had murdered a man and hence, presumably, his guilt led him to hang himself.
“”After hearing of Bhabananda's suicide, Baba commented, "He will immediately take another birth and advance spiritually."
Baba began eating on Sunday, 21 September 1941 and stopped his seclusion work four days later. On the 28th a telegram was received that Kippy had died in America. Baba left Panchgani on a mast tour with Gustadji and Kaka on the 30th. Baba visited many places, and contacted many masts, traveling some 3,000 miles in two weeks by the lowest train class. Baba's identity remained concealed, so he could travel incognito throughout the journey, and thus continue his seclusion. Baba visited Narsobawadi near Kolhapur, Kurundwad, Itarsi, Allahabad, Fatehpur, Kanpur, Ismailpur, Ajmer, Indore and Khandwa before returning to Panchgani on 14 October. At each place, Baba would select certain spots, and stay in seclusion for a short time, doing his inner work connected with the world.
All of Meher Baba's contacts with saints, walis, masts, yogis and advanced pilgrims have special and personal significance to him even though much remains unrevealed, and thus unknown and unrecorded. Among the significant contacts Baba made on this journey was the one in Allahabad, where he contacted the spiritual chargeman of the area, called Bashir Mastan . He was a rather unusual mast, Baba said, because he embodied the combination of five distinct characteristics of masts.
In Ismailpur, Baba again contacted the saint Gokhale Baba. In Ajmer, Baba communed again with the majzoob Chacha, and the masts Lakhan Shah and Qabristanwala (Socrates).
In Khandwa, Baba contacted a very good mast named Gorab Shah . This elderly mast would not ride in automobiles, yet without an external vehicle he would be known to visit different villages.
Also in Khandwa, Baba contacted the Hindu saint called Harihar Dadaji, who was the chargeman of the guru Dhuniwala Baba. And as Dhuniwala Baba always had done, Harihar continued to keep a sacred fire (dhuni) burning day and night. This saint was head of an informal ashram of disciples.
Perhaps again, Baba's movements were related to developments in the war in Europe and throughout the world, for during the period of his travel, Germany was heavily attacking Moscow.
