They left afterwards and arrived at the Nimbgaon Jali dak bungalow at 9:00 P.M. They had covered 26 miles and all were so exhausted that they immediately went to sleep.
After eating breakfast, they left for Bableshwar at 10:00 A.M. At Loni they stopped for a short rest under a tree where Baba ate rice and dal. They left at 5:30 P.M. and, before sunset, arrived at a bungalow in Bableshwar. The house was situated at the junction of the Sangamner, Belapur, Sakori and Ahmednagar roads. Their plan was to proceed the following day to Sakori, which was only ten miles away.
Baba instructed them, "Fast from seven o'clock this evening until you have Maharaj's darshan. Thereafter, you may eat whatever is served to you at Sakori."
Slamson stayed behind with Baba at Bableshwar, and the rest of the mandali left for Sakori at 4:00 A.M. on 1 November 1923. They also took the empty cart and bullocks, as Baba wanted them given to Yeshwant Rao.1 On the way, Rustom and Ramjoo went to purchase garlands. Rustom paid a gardener to collect and string the flowers and wished to give him something extra, but he had no more money. Instead, for an odd tip, he gave the surprised man the contents of his pockets — a pencil, a bar of soap and a silk handkerchief. At Rahata (a mile from Sakori) they met Padri, Vajifdar, and Burjor, who had arrived by train according to Baba's instructions. Finally the men reached Sakori, after a two-week walk from Bombay.
After washing, they went to take the darshan of Upasni Maharaj, who was seated inside the small bamboo cage in his thatched hut. Maharaj had confined himself to the cage for the past ten months. As soon as mandali stepped into the hut, Maharaj welcomed them with loud abuses. He angrily lashed out at them, "Get out! Get the hell out of my hut!"
After being bombarded by his choicest Marathi curses, the mandali had to comply and meekly retreated outside to sit in the compound. Disappointed, most of them had not even had a chance to catch a glimpse of Maharaj.
In the past, whenever Baba's disciples had visited Sakori, Maharaj had usually talked lovingly with them and then discoursed about spirituality for hours, always seeing to their comfort during their stay with him. But on this occasion, after walking 200 miles for his darshan, they were insulted and mistreated.
Footnotes
- 1.The cart would no longer be needed to carry their luggage, as it had been decided to go by truck from Bableshwar to Ahmednagar.