Still if any of you wish to be with me, it should be with the knowledge that I am not God but merely a friend; and in that case, you should not have the slightest expectation of any spiritual or material benefit from me. You will get only food and clothing and nothing else. But if you chose to stay with me, strict obedience to my orders will still be required, in spite of what I have said.
What I want to impress upon you is that all this — everything in the world — is absolutely nothing. It is only a dream, an illusion. I have known and experienced this much, and there is nothing [more to understand]. So I will only keep a few suitable people around me and keep them away from kam and kanchan [lust and greed].
All of the mandali expressed their desire to continue their stay with Baba. To celebrate their decision, a game of cricket was played, and Baba afterward served milk tea. Meanwhile, Kaikhushru Masa, his wife Soonamasi, and their daughter Khorshed arrived from Bombay and began living at Meherabad.
On 8 February 1927, the mandali signed a new agreement, promising to remain with Baba for a period of three years.
The following day, a group of Indian Christians approached Baba with a request for a donation for their new college in Ahmednagar.
Baba smilingly asked them, "Do you follow the teachings of Christ?"
They replied that they did.
Baba reminded them, "Christ's teaching is to leave all and follow him. This means you have to give up anger, lust and greed. Have you done that?"
They answered truthfully that they had not.
"In that case," dictated Baba, "I am a real Christian, because I have renounced everything."
Baba's simple statement deeply impressed them, and they invited him to visit their school.
On the 10th of February, Baba again asked the mandali for their opinion on whether or not to open the high school.
None showed much enthusiasm for the idea, and Baba observed, "I don't find a single enthusiastic worker among my mandali who is willing to shoulder this responsibility. I feel like forgetting the whole idea and simply letting the primary school continue. Besides this school, I also plan to open a free dispensary for the poor of the surrounding villages."
The fact was that the mandali were not keen about the prospect of opening and conducting another school, considering the many practical difficulties involved — not to mention Baba's ever-changing moods and the general ascetic life at Meherabad, which those in the world would find hard to adjust to.