Baba had announced that the second phase of his work during his 40-day fast would be with sadhus in the Central Provinces of India.1 More specifically, Baba planned to attend the gathering of 30,000 saints and sadhus in Allahabad at the Kumbha Mela.2 He sent Baidul and Babadas in advance to arrange matters.
At dawn on Saturday, 7 February 1948, Baba left Pimpalgaon for Bombay, driven there by Adi Sr. in his car. Eruch, Jalbhai and Dhake accompanied them. That afternoon at 3:15 P.M. Baba contacted the mast Ali Asghar in Mahim, a suburb of Bombay. This was an extraordinary contact: Ali Asghar had one brother and seven sisters who were masts from birth. His older brother, however, was not a mast. (It was said that their father was a saint.)
After working with Ali Asghar, Baba went to Colaba where he contacted a fifth-plane mast named Pathan Baba .3 In 1942, Kaka had contacted Pathan Baba, who at that time had refused to meet Baba (in Lonavla), declaring, "What should I come for, since your soul and mine are with him?" He then gave Kaka an orange, claiming about Baba, "The key to the whole world is in his hand — all countries, Russia, Germany and others. Do as he directs!"
Another mast was found in Bandra, living behind the Mount Mary church. He was called Billi[cat]wala because of his penchant for being surrounded by stray cats. Baba gave him a rupee during the contact.
After working with these masts, Baba entrained for Allahabad the same evening, joined by Sadashiv Patil and Vithal Bhokre from Poona. Baba and the mandali arrived in Allahabad at 10:00 P.M. on the 8th, and were met by Baidul and Babadas. The next morning at seven o'clock, Baba began his work of contacting sadhus at the Ardha Kumbha Mela, as he had done six years earlier. Baba did not permit the mandali to witness his work; but it can be presumed that he went to the different camps where the sadhus had gathered and laid his head on their feet. Baba returned near 10:00 A.M. indicating that his work was finished. He had contacted an amazing number of 4,000 sadhus in the short span of just three hours.
Footnotes
- 1.The Central Provinces was a province of British India and consisted primarily of the present-day state of Madhya Pradesh.
- 2.Kumbha Mela is the major gathering of sadhus, ascetics and mahatmas from all over India. It is held every three years, alternatively at Nasik, Ujjain, Allahabad and Hardwar. The river water at each of the four places is considered sacred, and for a sadhu or seeker to bathe in these sacred waters is an act of purification.
- 3.The mast was also known as Esur-e-aazam Baba