The same day, a mendicant showed up at about five o'clock, expressing his desire to see Meher Baba. On being told the Master's instructions, he spoke very forcefully, saying that he would have Baba's darshan or else he would not leave. He went to the well where he washed himself in preparation for meeting the guru. Afterward he sat under the neem tree near the dhuni, silently repeating God's name.
According to Baba's wish, travelers and fakirs who came from long distances were always given a meal, and so the mandali requested that the mendicant join them for supper. He answered, "Without the guru's darshan, I shall not touch food or water!" The mandali tried to persuade him not to act so stubbornly and overrule the Master's orders, but the fakir would not listen. That night, after hours of useless persuasion, he was invited to come and sleep inside with the men, but he even refused this and continued to sit by the main road.
The next morning the mandali found the fakir sleeping on the verandah of their quarters and concluded that he must have given up his foolish behavior. But when the man awoke, his face was beaming, and he declared, "The guru heard my voice! My desire has been fulfilled. I had the guru's darshan last night."
Thinking he must have seen Baba in a dream, the mandali told him that Baba often appears to his followers in their dreams and he was fortunate to have had such an experience. At this, the man jumped up, rebuking them, "What are you talking about?! This was not a dream! Meher Baba came to me, in person , gave me his darshan, and then returned up the hill."
The mandali did not believe him, as Baba was in seclusion and never came down the hill once he retired for the night. But then one of the mandali who had been on nightwatch appeared at lower Meherabad and related how for some unexplained reason, Baba had walked down the hill during the night and then returned. The fakir was proved correct. He was given breakfast and left happily.
Baba later explained to the mandali the events of the previous day:
The three groups that came yesterday reaped the benefits according to their capacities. Those who came to sightsee carried back, unbeknown to them, the benefits of this sacred atmosphere. The Hindu couple who came with devotion and stayed to listen to stories about me gained more spiritual benefit.