A lengthy discussion ensued on this point, and it was finally decided that the moment they arrived, they should be sent to the seashore to bathe and wash their clothes. They would be admitted to the Manzil, but only after they had discarded all the fine gifts and food which they might have brought for Baba and the mandali. However, when Sadashiv Patil and Khak Saheb arrived at eight o'clock that night, Baba ordered that hot water be poured over them. They were made to take a bath in the compound with all their clothes on.
Meanwhile, rehearsal for the play, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar , to be staged during the Master's birthday, created much merriment but also much confusion.1 Some of the men were overacting and some forgot their lines. In the end, it was decided to cancel the play.
On the 11th of February, a new daily schedule came into effect in the Manzil. It was noted on the bulletin board:
NEW SCHEDULE
From 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. — Playing of any game 11:00 to 12:00 noon — Lunch 12:00 to 1:00 P.M. — The Gutta meeting 1:30 to 3:30 P.M. — Rest 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. — Any game 6:30 to 7:00 P.M. — Dinner 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. — Bhajan Singing
The Poona mandali arrived the next morning and were sent to Chowpatty Beach to bathe in the sea and wash their clothes. Upon their return, they were permitted inside the Manzil.
On 13 February, a large pandal (tent) was erected over the backyard of the compound for Maha Shivratri and Baba's 29th birthday celebration. Bhajan singing was held there at midnight. Baba, however, spent most of the time with Ghani in the upper hall.
While talking with Ghani about esoteric matters, the Master explained the difference between natural, unnatural and supernatural principles:
By acting according to the principles of nature — and not going against it — the result arrived at is natural. But by not following the principles of nature and going against it, naturally the result is unnatural. By following the natural way, if the result proves unnatural, then that can be called supernatural. For example, it is natural to eat food by the mouth and pass excrement from the rectum. But it is supernatural to eat by the mouth and not pass any stool. If, instead of feeding oneself by the mouth, one is fed through the rectum, then that is unnatural.
Footnotes
- 1.A silent Italian film, Julius Caesar (1914), was one of the first films ever shown in Poona, around 1917. Baba had taken his brother Jal and cousin Pendu to see the film.