Baily was ordered to find someone who would be able to translate the book into Marathi and who was also spiritually inclined. From a list of names, Baba chose Nath Madhav, 40, a popular intellectual Marathi writer, who lived in Bombay.1 Baba instructed Baily to give Madhav both parts of his manuscript, Sakorina Sadguru, (Volume I and Volume II) together with a sealed envelope containing an amount of cash from Baba as prasad. Like Sorabji Desai, Nath Madhav was to be told that everything about this Marathi edition of Upasni Maharaj's life would be left to him — the editing, proofreading,, as well as the selection of the press, size of the book, quality of the paper, the binding, the writing of the preface, titles of the chapters, the glossary, et cetera
Baily met Nath Madhav and explained at length the purpose of his visit and furnished him with further information on Baba and Upasni Maharaj. Madhav read the manuscripts and agreed to do as Baba requested. Baily was told to bring Madhav to Manzil-e-Meem, where he met Baba. Baba embraced him and the Marathi author sobbed continuously. Baba made him sit down on a chair and he himself sat on another chair next to him.
Madhav was so overcome that he forgot to offer Baba the garland and bouquet he had brought. He stayed with Baba for an hour. They embraced again and before departing, Nath held Baba's hand and kissed it.
In the taxi on his way home, he commented to Baily, "I have had Paramatma's darshan; my life is fulfilled today. I've never seen such a Mahan Murti [great being]. His noorani [divine light] is like a magnet; my heart and mind got so attracted — which unfortunate fool would not surrender his all to such an Avatari Purush [God in human form]! It is most unfortunate that people without seeing, knowing or recognizing Baba, ridicule or slander him for their own selfish reasons. It must be my past life's good karma that I got this opportunity for his darshan and I became worthy to serve him and obey him."
For the Urdu edition of Upasni Maharaj's biography, Ahmed Abbas and Asar Saheb were assigned the work of translating Volume I of Baily's manuscript, which they did at the Manzil. They closeted themselves in their rooms during the day, allowing no one to enter. They would come out only for meals and games.
Footnotes
- 1.Nath Mahdav was the pen name of Dwarkanath Madhav Pitale (1882-1928). He wrote historical and other novels that condemned pernicious social practices such as arranged child marriages, and encouraged reforms such as the education of women and permitting widows to remarry