"Very happy," he replied. "It is sheer joy to live with you, and day by day I understand you more. The first day I saw you, I took you to be a saint; the next day, I took you as my Master; now, I consider you to be God. But, because my buddhi [head] is in Kaka's hand, I must first bow to him and then to you!"
The cook said all this with such animated gesturing and acting that Baba laughed heartily, as did the Meherazad mandali — Eruch, Kaka, Baidul, Krishna, Gustadji and Kumar. From that day on, Baba would call the cook and bring up some topic in his presence to elicit his response and enjoy his flamboyance.
One day Baba called him and said, "Your heart is very good, but what about your character?"
In reply, the cook took out his handkerchief and explained, "This is mine. Why? Because I have paid for it. Likewise, when I sleep with a woman, I pay for it. Where is the sin? You are God, you tell me. I pay for it, so where is the sin?"
At this, Baba laughed and laughed.
Baba then left his cabin for the hall.
In the hall, the Poona bhajan group had just started singing the song Awake! O Wake Up! The Avatar Has Come! when Baba remarked, "This reminds me that I have not yet inquired how you slept last night."
S. N. Kulkarni of Nasik, an old devotee and Upasni Maharaj's brother's son, stood up and said, "In my dream last night, I asked Baba certain questions, but he would not reply to a single one. I was very disappointed, but when I woke up I felt light and happy." Beckoning him, Baba embraced him, and Kulkarni wept silently on his shoulder.
Vinoba Bhave was a well-known social leader. Bhave's cousin, A. V. Bhave (a teacher), stood up and said, "I am not sure whether I was asleep or awake ..."
Baba with a wry smile interrupted him, "Then you are now nearing the Beyond, Beyond state of being wide awake in sound sleep!"
All laughed, and Baba embraced him, also.
At Baba's request, Madhusudan resumed the song.
Baba joked, "All are awakened!"
At 8:05 A.M., Baba left the hall and went outside. A great throng was waiting for him. Vibhuti had brought many men and women in bullock carts from Kup Bhalwani, a village 30 miles away, to take Baba's darshan. Baba instructed him to have them wash, take food and rest until he returned from the hill.