Eruch replied, "You asked me not to reach before six and you don't want to wait here."
Baba had moved from the front to the back seat, changing places with Pendu and Vishnu, saying he wanted to sit with Nilu. After ten or fifteen minutes, at 5:05 P.M., fifteen miles outside of Satara, Baba had the car stopped and switched places again. He again sat in front with Eruch, while at the back Vishnu (on the left) and Nilu (on the right) occupied the window seats and Pendu moved to the middle. Baba's fingers were working continuously, indicating his serious mood.
Eruch now was apparently driving too fast, because Baba warned him to slow down. They drove on and neared Udtara, twelve miles from Satara, where Baba had played cricket with the mandali and other lovers a year and a half before. Baba pointed ahead to the spot and recalled the day.
At 5:15 P.M., almost directly opposite where they had played cricket, as Eruch was reading Baba's gestures, the steering wheel suddenly and inexplicably went completely out of control. The car swerved, dashed against a stone culvert and landed eventually in a shallow ditch on the other side of it, pointing back towards Poona. All the men in the car, including Baba, were seriously injured. Baba was bathed in blood, his tongue was torn, his hip bone fractured, and he had abrasions on his forehead, nose, cheeks and legs.
Yet, at the time of the accident, when Vishnu saw Baba's facial expression, he felt uplifted! Catching a glance of Baba's bleeding face, Vishnu was overcome and saw Baba's glorious Universal Body and a dazzling light on his face.
Vishnu later described it:
The whole thing happened in the flash of an eye. When I came to, I found I was the only one in the back of the car. I stepped out and went to the front to see how Baba was and saw him reclining in the front seat, with blood on his clothes and face. [Even though Baba was bleeding], never in my life have I seen such utter radiance and luster as was on Baba's face then! He was like a king, a victorious king who had won a great battle. Lord Krishna must have looked like that in his chariot on the victorious battlefield. The radiance was blinding! I could see nothing else, not the car, nor the surroundings, only Baba's face in glorious triumph!
After a few moments, Vishnu asked Baba if he was hurt much. Baba nodded, pointing to his mouth and leg, but gestured for Vishnu first to see how the others were. The sight had infused Vishnu with strength. Although one of his legs was injured near his knee, and he had facial cuts and a broken rib, Vishnu forgot the pain and began moving about trying to help the others. Eruch, Pendu and Nilu had been thrown out of the car. Nilu and Pendu were unconscious lying on the ground. Impact with stones from the culvert wall had caused severe internal injuries to Nilu; Pendu's leg was broken. Eruch was conscious, but five of his ribs were fractured. Nevertheless, he managed with superhuman effort to stand up and lean against the car and talk to Baba.
