From childhood Kaka had been interested in visiting the tombs of well-known saints. While in Nagpur he met Tajuddin Baba, who assured him, "All will be well with you."
He also visited Hazrat Babajan when he was in Poona. Even though he would see her regularly, he would never say a word to her. One day she inquired why he never asked her for anything. He replied, "You are the Ocean and I am but a traveler who has come to drink from the Ocean."
Kaka met Narayan Maharaj as well, who had him sit near him and treated him kindly. Finally he met Upasni Maharaj, and it was Maharaj who actually told Kaka to go for Meher Baba's darshan.
Since no barber in Toka was willing to cut the hair of the Mohammedan and Harijan boys, Pendu was asked to shave and cut the hair of the boys and residents. A structure made of bamboo matting was improvised with two mirrors, two chairs and a bench for keeping newspapers and magazines. A man named Subedar volunteered to help Pendu.1 The opening of the shop was on Sunday, 8 July 1928, when Pendu shaved Baba, his first "customer." Phonograph records were played in the background and the atmosphere was filled with lighthearted fun. Meherjee entertained the group by doing gymnastic tricks, and tea and refreshments were served.
Later that day Baba recounted this tale:
A Sadguru once caught hold of a boy and said how he wished that he would become his disciple. The boy was not interested, but the Sadguru persuaded him to be his disciple by promising him progress on the spiritual path. He promised to take the boy through the planes and let him have powers. Day after day, the boy regularly came to the Master solely in hope of this achievement. He waited six years, but never entered the planes. He eventually realized that the Master's promise was a ploy and meant something else.
It is the work of Sadgurus, it is the profession of Sadgurus, and it is the wish of Sadgurus to keep those of past connection near them by giving them "false" promises to make them stick to them.
From the 1st of July 1928, a sanyasi named Shankar Pate had been staying in Toka. Baba had instructed him to meditate while seated under a tree, and he was given one meal a day. Of all the sanyasis, wandering yogis, mendicants, and fakirs who came to the Master, this one proved to be the most steadfast, remaining under Baba's direct instructions for six months.
Footnotes
- 1.Subedar had lived at Meherabad for a time in 1927.