On Baba's direction, all the men stood as Eruch and Kaikobad recited the Master's Prayer and the Prayer of Repentance. Kaikobad prayed for the success of Baba's 75 days of work and for purity of heart for the mandali. Baba stood face to face with Kaikobad after washing his hands three times. The atmosphere was very serious and spiritually charged. Baba then bowed to each of the men as each uttered God's name according to his own respective religion — Hindu, Muslim, or Zoroastrian.
Baba observed: "All the medical remedies which have been tried are of no avail for my bodily pain. You do not know how I suffer. There is pain day and night. At night, I cannot sleep. My legs give me jerks many times during the night, and Jal and others have to hold them down and press them. I have stopped walking and have to be carried about in the lift-chair.1 I have now chalked out a program for the next 75 days, and if you act according to the instructions given you, and if you follow my instructions wholeheartedly, and if you obey me 100 percent, my pain will subside after 75 days."
Baba then instructed Baidul to pray to Babajan; Aloba to pray to Upasni Maharaj; Kaka to Tajuddin Baba; and two of the other men to pray to Sai Baba and Narayan Maharaj, to let Baba's mission for the world be carried out. Baba then laid his head on the feet of seven poor persons, giving each five rupees as dakshina. The poor were then fed and sent away.
Baba ended the meeting by stating: "All of you, both men and women, should remain cheerful during these 75 days, and help me in my work by willingly carrying out my orders and instructions."
He asked everyone to be extra careful during these next 75 days because any mishap in his orders would come in the way of making the pain subside.
Afterward, Baba and the men played marbles (brought by Sadashiv) until two o'clock. Baba, Sadashiv and Sidhu were on one side, and Dhake, Eruch and Chhagan on the other. At 2:00 P.M., Adi left with Jalbhai, who was returning to Poona. Baba then played a game of carrom for another hour.
At 3:00 P.M., Baba went to Kaikobad's room to bow down to him.2 Baba stated that he would bow to Kaikobad 100,000 times during the next 75 days — or 1,333 times a day.
Footnotes
- 1.The "lift-chair" was a specially built wooden chair with a long horizontal pole on each corner, so that four or more men could carry Baba.
- 2.Kaikobad's room was the room next to mandali hall.