Upasni Maharaj likewise continued to do such menial work as he had done during the period of his descent to gross consciousness. In Kharagpur, for instance, he swept the dirty areas of the city and would sometimes spend the day scrubbing the toilets of the Europeans. Upasni would sternly tell people, "Unless you are ready to eat filth, how can you aspire for spirituality?" By this he meant that one has to endure untold suffering to become oblivious to pleasure, pain, cleanliness and dirt.
Upasni Maharaj always taught that God is in everything — the good, bad, beautiful and ugly. A man once brought an elaborate chair made of expensive sandalwood for Upasni to sit on and be worshiped in. Upasni reprimanded him, saying, "Burn this chair and perform your puja before the fire as it burns!"
As mentioned, the naked Sadguru wore only a gunny sack about his loins, yet he was accepted by all castes and faiths. Once, entering a mosque, Upasni sat smoking a cigarette and comfortably talking with several Muslims about Muhammad. He would also visit the homes of Christians and Zoroastrians and talk about Jesus or Zoroaster.
Also in Kharagpur was a man named Chandu Baba who was referred to as a siddha — one who possesses occult power. Chandu had undergone certain spiritual practices, called siddha-purush , and he would roam about dressed in only a cotton loincloth. At anytime and anywhere, Chandu would unwrap the loincloth and, slinging it over his shoulders, walk about uninhibitedly, completely naked. One day Upasni and Chandu encountered each other on a street. Both stared at each other for a few moments and then Chandu walked away. Chandu was an advanced ascetic of the subtle planes and he would frequently send people for Maharaj's darshan.
After spending ten months among the Untouchables in Kharagpur, on 4 August 1915, without informing anyone, Upasni quietly returned to Nagpur.
The devotees were shocked and wept at his sudden disappearance. On reaching Nagpur, Upasni sent a telegram to comfort them, but they had become devoted to him and felt the pangs of separation at his absence.
The British authorities, however, did not like scantily-clad sadhus or holy men roaming the streets and once, while Upasni was in Nagpur, a policeman and his superior accosted him. "You will have to put on more clothes if you want to walk on the public streets," they warned him. "Or you will be arrested."