To the men, Baba commented: "This is maya and it hampers me during my seclusion. But even maya does all this according to my wish. Everything happens according to my will."
Once, after finishing his work with Kaikobad, Baba remarked that maya had greatly impeded his work that day. At Baba's request, Kaikobad told the mandali what had happened: "When Baba was about to commence his work, my legs became cramped and I had no strength left either to stand or sit down. I felt weak, as if I were going to pass out. But when Baba massaged my legs for five minutes, I felt normal again and Baba could begin his work."
Baba commented, "Despite maya's obstruction, my work was done very successfully."
Another facet of maya's working was seen during August 1958 as, one by one, each of the mandali fell ill with different ailments. Gadekar was already in poor health with a heart condition and asthma and had a cough and cold. One day Kumar suddenly had a heart attack, and Baba forbade him from carrying the lift-chair. Bhau developed terrible eye pain, but because of Baba's seclusion, he was not permitted to see a specialist. Another one suffered from stomach problems.
Besides working with Kaikobad, Baba would relax with the men playing cards, and he would usually have his lunch while playing.1 Card games with Baba invariably proved far different than those enjoyed by others. If there were four players, Baba would play Coat Piece , but if there were more (at times up to 30 persons played in Guruprasad!), he would play La Risque .2
Both games are essentially the same; players bid and make hands. The more the number of players, the fewer cards were dealt to each, and to win they had to make fewer hands. The losers were required to rub their nose on the carpet before Baba. But at times, because of the large number of participants, it was difficult to conclude which party had won and which had lost, and amidst the confusion, players of both parties would rub their noses. Sometimes, if Baba's side lost, and the losers rubbed their noses, Baba would ask the winners to follow suit on his behalf.
Footnotes
- 1.A carrom board was sent to Meherazad, also, from Rustom Kaka.
- 2.The rules of Coat Piece and La Risque are not known exactly.