Baba then offered this prayer: "O God! I will improve if I am kicked. I will be benefited if my ego is destroyed and the mandali, too, will benefit by this. What have they gained by being with me during these last two years? At least, if my pride is crushed, they will gain something from that."
He told the three men, "It is you who have bestowed Baba-hood on me, and I now want to get rid of it because I have experienced that I myself have no 'stuff' in me. In this way, in the course of taking darshan of sadhus and saints, if I come across a Maha Purush [Perfect One] who humiliates, rebukes and abuses me, I will remain with him, follow him and never return. You, too, should do the same so that your life may be worthwhile; or else neither are we fakirs nor amirs [neither ascetics nor worldly men]. We are neither here nor there!"
These seemingly strange remarks had a direct bearing on what was happening among the men. Baba was fed up with the fighting between Gustadji and Behramji, and his arrows were directed particularly toward them. Both men were stubborn and would constantly quarrel on the slightest pretext over the pettiest things. In their moments of anger, they would often disregard Baba's orders. By criticizing himself and them, the Master was giving them a lesson in humility and self-effacement.
Baba had decided that their next venture would be in Calcutta, and he led Padri, Gustadji and Behramji to the train station. Again there was a throng of people clamoring for tickets, but Padri shoved his way through and purchased four inter-class tickets. But when Padri presented them, he found Baba to be very annoyed at his having bought inter-class tickets, which were slightly more expensive than third-class tickets but less than second class.
Baba chastised him: "Why did you buy them? Why this extravagance? Is your father a raja [king]? Does this money belong to your father? Answer me!"
Padri explained that there was such a swarm of people near the third class office that it was impossible to get tickets.