"You may decide on going by foot or train. I leave everything to you. So, why do you hesitate?"
Baba consulted Adi, Pendu, Eruch, Don and Sadashiv, but each man declined, as he was convinced this innocent-looking independence would in fact turn into a rope around his neck. They opined that Baba should continue the present arrangement of begging for food.
Baba asked Ghani, "Why don't you come forward now? You and Adi are chronically dissatisfied with the food. This is your opportunity. Why don't you seize it?"
"If I have the cooperation of every man, I am ready to take it on," Ghani replied.
Eruch said, "If this satisfies Baba, I am 100 percent ready to cooperate, but I do not wish to be either the supervisor or the manager."
Not one man was prepared to be the manager, but some voiced their assurance that if Ghani were appointed manager, they would extend their full cooperation to him. So Baba took a vote. Including Baba there were sixteen in all, but Ghani only managed to get nine votes. (Baba himself voted for him.)
Baba said, "I am not happy with the result, as I wanted a unanimous decision."
Don proposed that a committee be formed with Pendu, Eruch, Adi, Vishnu and Ghani as supervisors.
No one liked that idea and, setting it aside, Baba remarked, "You people fail to grasp that I really want to be free to look after other details of the New Life. You did not trust me when I said that I would be pleased if you make some independent arrangement for food. My conscience is clear. Now your disgruntled dissatisfaction, murmurs, grumbling and other complaints about food will have no place in the New Life."
How skillfully Baba had tackled this question! In fact, he had wanted no griping about the food. Now there was no room left for them even to think about complaining. How naturally he had brought all this about in such a marvelous way.
During their discussions that afternoon in Jaunpur, Baba also finalized 20 conditions for begging: