Baba embraced the qawaal, telling him to always invoke his name before starting any program, and he and his musicians departed. The Poona bhajan group continued to sing.
Although Baba had stated he would leave at 6:00 P.M., it was close to 6:45 when the music ended and Baba left for Meherazad amidst shouts of his Jai.
Because he had stayed late, he joked, "Tomorrow, I will leave at 5:15 P.M. because today I have done overtime."
Baba had the car stopped near the dhuni, where he heard a bhajan sung by Lokhande's children, who were not permitted to attend the sahavas because they were too young. Lokhande had brought his children anyway, and they were kept with Rama Kalchuri in the Family Quarters. Sheela and Mehernath were also not allowed at the sahavas, although Rama herself was present. Bhau was staying at Meherabad, but he was not allowed to speak to her or to his children. Pophali's daughter's children had also come, and Baba gave his company to all of these children near the dhuni for ten minutes before proceeding to Meherazad.
Waman Padale had been sent to Meherazad for some work on the 16th, and in the evening, when he was to return to Ahmednagar, he missed his bus. He had to spend the night under a tree, but it all seemed "planned," because that night he came across a young, dark-skinned, handsome mast on the private road leading to Meherazad. When Baba was on his way to Meherabad the following morning, he saw the mast standing alone staring at the sky. Baba beckoned to him and took him in the car with him.
Baba arrived at Meherabad at 8:15 on Monday morning, 17 February 1958. Eight men took turns carrying him up the hill in his lift-chair. The sahavas group in their enthusiasm disregarded Baba's instructions to follow his chair and made much noise and raised a lot of dust by running in front of him. To control them, Baba ordered them to remain a few hundred yards behind him and to follow the women in an orderly fashion.