At this time, there was an old woman living in Satana who was considered peculiar. Despite being a widow, she continued to wear an array of bangles on her arms, contrary to the custom of the day which dictated that once her husband died a woman must break her bangles and not replace them. People would ridicule the old woman, calling her "the sorceress," and children would also harass her. Kashinath himself was disrespectful and mischievous, taunting the old woman often, saying as she passed, "Old witch, why do you keep your bangles on? Don't you know your husband is dead?"
Young Kashinath was often sick; he suffered from severe stomachaches throughout his childhood, and despite various medical treatments, he did not improve. His health became critical, and the doctors diagnosed him as incurable with no hope for survival. His parents were not completely resigned to the boy's imminent death. After the doctors' treatments failed, Kashinath was taken to "the sorceress." But when the old woman saw him, she became angry and cursed him, saying, "Let him die! He has troubled me often and because of this he is suffering. He should die!" Kashinath was overcome with fear and asked the old woman's forgiveness.
She scolded him harshly, then warned, "If you expect to get well, you must visit me every day." Kashinath promised to do so and he began visiting her at her home, where both would sit alone in a closed room.
By obeying the old widow's instructions, Kashinath was gradually freed of his chronic ailment, but another pain arose in him — the pain of a burning fire that had been lit in his heart. While keeping the old woman's company, he soon discovered that she was no witch or sorceress, but a true lover of God. By her influence, the boy's personality changed as an intense aversion for worldly things overcame him. He withdrew within himself, and his heart set out on a secret search.
The boy refused to go to school, but devoted himself to performing puja and other devotions. He kept himself aloof, venturing into the forest to meditate.1 Once, when he was ten years old, his uncle Damodar found him weeping in his room and asked the reason. Kashinath, after much pressing, said, "It makes me sad to think I have to live off your labor. I do nothing. I don't make any contribution toward the family's upkeep."
Footnotes
- 1.Later in life, Upasni Maharaj said in reference to himself, "Since my childhood, I was disgusted with the world. I therefore spent my days in caves and jungles in divine contemplation."