Because Kishan Singh would bring people for Baba's darshan in Dehra Dun, Baba ordered that a similar board be put up at their residence stating that darshan would not be permitted until 23 March.
Baba enjoyed the situation immensely and related to Kishan, "Although I am God, I am coming back from the swami's door without taking his darshan — and you tell me that if I don't give darshan to people I would be hurting their feelings!"
From there, at about 10:30, Baba went to the ashram of Kali Kamliwala, but he did not look pleased or satisfied, even though he bowed to a number of sadhus. The reason was that the manager of the ashram recognized and garlanded him, so that the work Baba wanted to do incognito could not be done. Baba wished to bow to several more of the sadhus, but word got out that Meher Baba had come.
Baba later remarked, "My work was spoiled there, and what I wanted to do could not be done because of the reception given."
A great mast named Nilkanthwala lived near a waterfall in the depths of the Nilkanth forest, thus his name. This high mast was of the sixth plane and was completely naked and very robust. He was quite tall and people also called him Nanga Baba — the Naked One. After leaving Kali Kamliwala's ashram, Baba contacted Nilkanthwala and was highly pleased with his contact.1
Baba then contacted several sadhus in Keshav Ashram and another mast nearby also called Nanga Baba.
After lunch and a short rest at Shanti Koti, Baba left with the mandali to continue his work. They took a rowboat across the Ganges River, where Baba contacted more sadhus at the Swarg Ashram. They also visited Gita Bhawan, a building which had the entire Bhagavad Gita painted in bold letters on the walls. Thus, by evening, 500 contacts had been made that day. On the way back, they stopped briefly at Swami Shivananda's ashram, where Eruch delivered a message to him from Baba.
After completing his work in Rishikesh, the next day, Tuesday, 3 March 1953, at 10:00 A.M., Baba and the mandali drove to Hardwar. Hellan was driving Baba in Kishan Singh's car, followed by Elcha driving an open jeep with the mandali.
Footnotes
- 1.Thereafter, in that area, Nilkanth was nicknamed "Meher Baba's Mast." Baba contacted this exceptional mast several other times, and later even had him brought to Satara, Poona and Meherazad.