Each of the mandali had to wash his own smaller items of clothing. (A laundryman did the heavier work.) Baba ordered Kumar to wash Bhau's things. Bhau hesitated giving him his laundry, since Kumar was older than he. Yet to fulfill Baba's order, he gave him a coat which he had never used. After four or five days, the same coat was given again for washing. Baba heard of this and asked Bhau why he did not give his clothes to Kumar to wash. Bhau replied that he gave Kumar his coat.
"Don't irritate me!" Baba chided. "Do you think I am a child? Whatever you have done, do you feel it is proper?"
Bhau admitted his mistake and assured Baba that in the future, he would have his clothes washed by Kumar. Baba, however, freed him from the order.
Once while talking with Kumar, Baidul got enraged over something Kumar said and openly expressed his anger.
Baba intervened and scolded Baidul, "All your prayers and recitation of God's name are useless! Your prayer is helpful only if you can keep your heart clean! This is the purpose of prayer. If the heart is clean, no prayer is necessary.
"You keep awake to do the japa from midnight until 1:00 A.M. and again at 4:00 A.M., hardly sleeping each night for three or four hours. How you wail while praying to God during the japa! But all this is of no avail as long as the heart remains unclean. If you keep your heart pure, you will be matchless! I bow with folded hands to one who does not show his anger."
Once in the hall when Baba was gesturing to one of the mandali, two others were talking amongst themselves.
Baba became annoyed and asked, "If such is the state of affairs when I, the Exalted One, am present in your midst, what will happen when I drop this body? Why are you talking when I am talking with someone? Be warned! When I am talking, pay full attention to it."
Saturday, 6 September 1958 was coincidentally the birthday of both Zoroaster and Krishna according to the Zoroastrian and Hindu calendars. On that day, the women mandali wished Baba a "double" happy birthday!
It was becoming obvious that Gadekar's health was deteriorating. His only son, Digambar, had been awarded a scholarship for advanced study in geology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Gadekar was worried about his going to live in America. Baba advised him to stop worrying and repeated to him the following rhyme of Sir Walter Scott, which he had learned as a schoolboy:
Come he slow, or come he fast, It is but death who comes at last.