The ghamela yoga labor now concentrated on reconstructing the well for Ardeshir's orchard area (to the south of the Jhopdi). A large platform of stones had to be built around the well and channels built to divert the water for irrigation. Large stones were to be brought to the construction site, so a chhakda (small bullock cart) full of the heavy stones would be pulled by the mandali. At times, the stones were brought from as far as a quarter of a mile away. Only the strongest men could pull the cart through the undulating fields of Meherabad. The soil had been recently plowed and, while going over the loose earth, the wheels of the cart would often get stuck. Barsoap was one of the men who would drag the chhakda; he brought humor to the backbreaking work, for he would huff and puff as he pulled it.
When the Hindu mandali were singing bhajans in front of the Jhopdi on Sunday morning, 11 May 1924, Baba interrupted them and abruptly asked, "Do you all use a lantern while going out at night?" Receiving a negative answer, he upbraided them: "What is the use of your bhajans when you do not follow my instructions? What do you expect to gain by singing devotional songs? Obedience to my orders is the only real bhajan. Only if you obey me will your bhajans have any meaning!"
Baba asked the rest of the men whether they carried lanterns at night when they went outside to urinate. After those who said they had not been carrying lanterns received an upbraiding, all promised to follow his behests. At that time, there were numerous dens of cobras and adders hidden in the fields of Meherabad, and Baba often warned the mandali to be very careful about the deadly snakes. It was his strict order that everyone had to carry a lantern when going out in the dark.
Padri was in charge of the medicines, and Baba instructed him: "If someone is bitten by a snake, tie a tight bandage around the portion above the bite. The wound should be cut open and filled with potassium permanganate, then the victim should be sent to the Ahmednagar hospital with four of the mandali. If anyone is stung by a scorpion, Ardeshir should be consulted and he will treat the person."
For the past few days, ill-feelings for one another had been prevalent among the men.