A man named Kulkarni of Ahmednagar, along with some Marwaris who owned the cinema, had arranged their meals and rendered other service.
Since they had not stopped at Narayangaon and had reached Sirur a day earlier, it was decided to spend the 19th there also. It was Diwali and the town was aglitter with an array of lights and exploding fireworks. But being tired, the companions went to bed early and awoke refreshed the following morning.
After breakfast on 19 October, Baba again emphasized the conditions and principles of the New Life:
"I am telling you this in order to help you, but after the 1st of January there will be no question of any help or care. Life during that period will be lived at the mercy of the world! It will be a life of complete helplessness and hopelessness."
Pointing out the difference between small and large mistakes, Baba explained:
"Small mistakes relate to a breach of individual duties and personal orders; big mistakes to a breach of rules and conditions of the New Life — such as not touching money, not purposely touching women, hoping to return to the Old Life, and so forth. Small mistakes consciously or unconsciously committed will be forgiven until the end of December. Big mistakes unconsciously committed will also be forgiven until that time. But big mistakes consciously committed will never be forgiven."
The companions were given laddoos with afternoon tea as promised by Baba to celebrate his escape from injury when he fell off the table. Baba then asked everyone to take a bath. As there was no bathroom in the theater, the open-air urinals were thoroughly scrubbed and the men bathed there.
At seven o'clock that evening, Kaka and Pendu left in the truck with the baggage for Belgaum. Discussing their walk from Supa, Baba teased the men,
"The women completed the sixteen miles with ease. In fact they were complaining that they were handicapped by being unable to increase their pace because you were so slow."
In the early hours, at 1:30 A.M., on Thursday, 20 October 1949, Baba and the group left Sirur by public bus, which had previously been hired for their journey to Belgaum. Reaching Satara via Poona at eight that morning, they stopped for half an hour to wash their faces and hands and have a snack.
Nilu wistfully remarked to Adi Sr., "When will we ever be back in Meherabad?"