One day a fair was held in a nearby village. The Sadguru told his disciple, "Go to the fair with a cup of milk in your hand, and return with the cup still full. Then you will be one with God!"
So the disciple, thinking it an easy thing, did as he was told. But when he reached the fair he was so engrossed with the alluring sights around him, he forgot about God-realization. He pushed through the crowds, so as not to miss seeing anything, all the while spilling the milk. When he came back to his Master's residence, no milk was left in the cup.
Seeing him approach, the Master said, "Now, according to my promise, I will give you God-realization; but let me first see the cup." The disciple was ashamed, and confessed that all the milk was lost amidst the wonderful carnival.
The Sadguru said, "What can I do now? You were attracted by worldly allurements and forgot my order. Had you real desire for attaining God, you would not have been caught napping, and tried your best to save the milk. But you were ensnared by filthy things of the world which bind you, so how could you long for God?"
The disciple then realized that, despite years of service to the Master, as long as worldly attractions last, there is no hope!
Baba's mandali, too, had the answer to their ruminations, and they laughed over their foolish thoughts.
On another occasion, explaining about meditation and prayer Baba remarked, citing this example:
Don't meditate mechanically. Meditate in the form of a prayer, and get so much drowned in it that you lose yourselves.
An Arab always wore a golden ring on his finger. He was a great lover of God, and when he prayed he forgot everything. Once when he was praying, a thief cut off his finger and stole the ring. But the Arab was so engrossed in prayer he did not feel the slightest pain.
This is called prayer ... This is real prayer!
While Baba was in seclusion, when he went out to contact masts or to visit places with the women, he had to be careful getting into the car to avoid anyone coming to him and taking darshan. When he was about to leave Panchgani on 28 October 1941, at noon, a God-mad man called Jagannath , who was singing loudly, started walking toward Baba.