He would rise at 10:00 A.M. and, after washing and drinking tea, begin his work with Ali Shah. Baba visited the women each afternoon.
Again, from 6 to 9 March, Baba fasted on water whenever he was in the hut or cabin.
During this seclusion period, Don received a telegram from London informing him that his mother was seriously ill. He did not tell anyone about it and appeared his usual congenial self. No one else knew of it and, even if they had, no one would have told Baba. Don also did not wish to inform Baba.
On one occasion, Baba sent for him and in the course of conversation asked him, "Is there any news from home?"
Whenever Don received mail from his family in England, according to the conditions of the New Life, he did not open it. But in this instance, he did not know who had cabled him and so had read the telegram. He was worried that he had inadvertently broken Baba's order.
After remaining quiet for a few moments, in answer to Baba's question, Don said, "Yes, news has come from home." He could not tell a lie, so he acknowledged his mistake and told about his mother. Baba directed him to pack a suitcase and start for London immediately. On 5 March 1951, Don left for Bombay and from there flew to London two days later. He returned to Mahabaleshwar after a short visit.
From 10 to 12 March, Baba's seclusion work intensified. He fasted on only liquids, spending the entire three days and nights alone, either in the hut or the cabin.
For eleven days, from 13 to 24 March, Baba continued his seclusion as before, taking food once in 24 hours. In the hut he was engrossed in his work for a full hour at night — half an hour in total darkness, half an hour in bright light. During Baba's seclusion, the Korean War escalated and the world witnessed some of the most grueling and cruelest fighting in American and Asian history.
Baba suffered intensely during his seclusion in Mahabaleshwar. One day he suddenly burst out of the enclosure. His face was drained of color; he was panting and extremely agitated.
"Today I worked so hard that I had to come out momentarily," he said. "Otherwise, I might have dropped my body."
The mandali remembered his words the previous month that he might become apoplectic.
In addition, his hemorrhoids and a fissure were painfully inflamed. He was also passing a lot of blood in his stools. Baba sat for hours in seclusion despite his painful condition, and though his body suffered, the work did not. He never allowed his body to prevent him from fulfilling his duty to the universe.