Baba reassured him, "Never mind if you lost. Bet again; I'll stake you."
But Khak replied, "I will never bet again in my life! This loss is my gain. Now I only want to be the dust under your feet."
The servant-companions also remembered Khak's poetry (called Shairi ) and how effectively he had replied to Ghani's ghazal "Jeremiad to Saki." The men remembered many good times with Khak Saheb, but they could not talk about them. The New Life was a lesson in detachment from the world, because only with complete detachment can one truly love.
As instructed, Pratap Ahir returned to Mahabaleshwar after a week. Baba was upstairs when he arrived and sent some of his own food for the boy with Vishnu. Pratap ate and was then summoned. Baba had just taken a bath; his hair was untied as he stood on the landing. Pratap recalled: "Baba was standing with his hair flowing to his shoulders, with rays of sunlight falling on his face. Baba watched me as I approached the verandah. He was looking at me with so much compassion, I have never forgotten it. He looked radiant, as if light was coming out of his eyes. I never saw that look again."
Baba beckoned to Pratap, who climbed the stairs, and Baba greeted him with kisses, embraced him, and gestured, "You are very fortunate. I do not meet anyone in this New Life. You have a very old connection with me."
Baba led Pratap to a hall and made the boy sit close to him on a cot. On the alphabet board, very slowly Baba spelled out questions about Pratap's parents, family, and school, commenting that Pratap's family, too, had a close connection with him.
Every few minutes, Baba would kiss Pratap. Sitting next to Baba, the boy carefully watched Baba's fingers move on the alphabet board. It was surprising that he was able to read the board and follow what Baba conveyed.
Suddenly, Baba asked Pratap to get up and stand about ten feet away. Baba gestured for him to remove his clothing. Pratap remembers, "For a fraction of a second, I was a little hesitant because I thought someone else might be looking. Baba reassured me that nobody else could see." Pratap obeyed Baba and removed all his clothes. Baba gestured for him to turn around, and then immediately instructed him to put his clothes back on.