He praised his munificence and blessings by his taking up residence in their close proximity. After a short time, Baba was buried under dozens of garlands and soon began perspiring. Eruch was continually taking the garlands off Baba's neck and wiping his face and brow. Deshmukh's son, Prabodh, began fanning Baba with a book, but Baba stopped him, indicating that he was afraid of catching a cold.
Gadekar sang Baba's Marathi arti (composed by Deshmukh), and Baba then visited almost every house in the village. Men and women fell over one another trying to pick up the dust from his feet to apply to their foreheads, and amidst the mêlée, women dragged their tiny tots and children and forcibly placed them on his feet. Age observed, "In the morning Baba was the worshiper and now he is the one being worshiped!" In every house, Gadekar repeated Baba's arti.
Pointing out the villagers' poverty to Ambika Charan Shukla, Baba remarked, "Materially they are very poor, but in my love they are really rich!"
The villagers had cleaned their huts, and some had even decorated them. Baba spent more than two hours going from house to house, trudging through the narrow, dusty lanes. But Baba did not mind the dust because of their love, and he chatted and laughed with all as if he himself were one of them.
Baba then walked to the Family Quarters, where the women of the resident families performed his arti, and he met the masts Ali Shah and Mohammed before returning to Meherabad.
Before departing, to prevent a throat infection, Baba instructed each man of the sahavas group to wash his own face and feet and gargle before drinking water, which each should do only after fifteen or twenty minutes. He also instructed them to gargle with hot salt water the following morning before washing. It was past 6:30 P.M. when Baba took his seat in the car and left for Meherazad amid continuous acclamations.
That afternoon, Dr. Moorty told Baba that he had urgent work in Poona and requested permission to leave.
Baba asked, "Can't you remain until the sahavas is over?"
Although it was untrue, Moorty replied, "No, I have to see my father's friend who is seriously ill."
Baba permitted him to leave, but told him, "Go, but never return here again."
When Moorty reached Poona late that night after many delays, he found to his astonishment that his father's friend's residence was locked and no one was around. He did not know anyone else in Poona. He had told Baba a lie and as a result had to spend the night on the railway station platform. The next day, he went to Bombay where he had a friend, but this friend was in a coma. He decided to return to his home in Kharagpur and bought a train ticket to go there. But at the station, his ticket and wallet were pick-pocketed, and he was left with only Rs.15. Despondent, he purchased a ticket to Ahmednagar and returned to Meherabad.
When Baba saw him he said, "I told you never to come here again. Why did you do so? Go at once, you are a liar."
Baba's mood suddenly changed.
He embraced and kissed Moorty, reiterating, "Never doubt for a moment I am God. I forgive you. I know everything."
Moorty learned a hard lesson about lying to Baba, but the incident established his deep faith in Baba and his head bowed at Baba's feet.
On Thursday, 1 December 1955, Baba arrived in Meherabad at 7:30 in the morning. As usual, Baba first met with the mandali in his cabin, where he related a humorous incident that had recently happened at Meherazad. A Goanese Christian cook from Ahmednagar had been hired to prepare food for the men mandali. Baba would call him daily and inquire about his health, family and so forth. Kaka Baria, who was very strict, was the manager at Meherazad, and the cook was terrified of him.
One day Baba called the cook and asked, "Are you happy?"