"What do you want?" Baba asked.
"You are someone great. I have come to beg water of you. If I find water my problem will be solved. I have full faith that you will grant me this boon."
"How deep did you go?"
"Forty feet."
"Don't stop digging. Go five feet more. God is great; He will help you."
The villager left satisfied with Baba's advice.
Baba then remarked to the mandali, "Today I committed a very serious mistake. I don't know how I did it! I asked that man to go five feet more and if he doesn't find water, what will happen? He will lose his faith in me and in God. Here you are digging and no water is found in my well! How then will he get water? I made a very serious mistake today."
After a week, the same man along with other villagers arrived with all the paraphernalia for performing Baba's arti and puja. The man looked elated. When Baba asked the reason he was so happy, he replied, "Water has been found in my well by your grace!" He performed arti and garlanded Baba. Afterward Baba distributed prasad to all the villagers and they left singing his praises.
After their departure Baba remarked to the mandali, "Believe me — I am telling you the truth — I did nothing! It was the man's faith that brought water."
This remark was too much for Rustom to bear. "What about us?" he asked. "We are digging a well but don't find water."
Baba answered, "I am God, and I asked you to dig a well for me. To have faith there must be someone in whom I can put my faith, but I alone am. There is no one besides me. I know faith works, but there has to be someone in whom to put faith — and I have no one. That is why you don't find water."
Rustom said, "But we have faith in you. So why don't we find water?"
"I don't know about that. But this much I know: That villager found water because of his faith. I did not do anything for him."
Baba repeated the same thing over and over again, and Rustom became irritated.
"It is useless for us to be with you," he argued. "Obviously you think we have no faith in you. We are with you day and night, but it seems you believe we lack faith — while a villager who shows up suddenly one day has enough faith to strike water."