He, too, ran off toward the surrounding fields. Baba directed the mandali to bring him back. All shouted at Chhagan to stop, that it was Baba's orders that he return, but Chhagan did not even turn around. In fact, Chhagan had run so fast that they had lost sight of him. The mandali searched, but they were unable to find him. Baba himself then set out in a small horse-drawn tonga to look for him. The tonga was not able to traverse the rough terrain of Meherabad easily. So after some time, the horse was detached from the tonga, and Baba directed Rustom to go on horseback in search of Chhagan.
After much difficulty, Chhagan was found three or four miles away. He was brought before Baba, who explained certain matters to him and he was pacified, thus bringing the situation back to normal. Everyone, including Chhagan, was exhausted from the chase, so Baba directed the men to relax for the rest of the day. In the evening Baba played cricket with the mandali, and then went for a spin in a large motor vehicle to Shindewadi with a dozen of the men.
While explaining about sanskaras, Baba stated:
By keeping company with a God-realized being, a person's worldly sanskaras get burned up through the Master's spiritual heat. That is why those near a Sadguru derive great spiritual benefit, and the merit of those who serve the Master is indeed immense.
But their contact can only be formed if you have good sanskaras and deep devotion — the preparedness of past lives. Whatever we are, it is because of our sanskaras. When we are completely free from the bindings of sanskaras, we realize God.
Take the example of a ball of twine with many knots in it. The twine itself is in illusion because it finds itself bound by knots. The knots are the sanskaras and the twine is the soul. Because the soul is unconscious of its own Self as God, its attention remains focused on the knots. To be freed from its knots, it must be taken hold of at both ends and twisted in the opposite direction — then all the knots will automatically come undone. The instant the twine is free of knots, it becomes conscious of the reality that it is twine (soul) and not knots (sanskaras), which had formed a snare of the body and mind.