Chhabu and Banaji Karani had also been laughing the whole time.
Baba scolded them, "Leaving everything and everyone aside — even my mandali — I am laboring for you, and you are laughing! I have no objection if you laugh while playing or at something humorous. But why laugh unnecessarily? Do you ever take food while answering nature's call?"
This quieted them down.
Tuesday, 23 October 1928 was the Hindu holiday of Dassera. On this occasion, Baba came out of his twelve-day seclusion and broke his fast of 43 days. He had started passing blood in his urine and his general health had severely weakened.
When Ramjoo expressed his concern, Baba explained, "When I observe a fast, it amounts to all the people in the world having observed it, since it is no one but I in everyone."
The Master transferred fifteen of the boys from the Prem Ashram back to Meher Ashram that day, leaving eighteen boys in Prem Ashram: Aga Ali, Ali Akbar, Baban, Babu, Chhabu, Dattu, Daulat Padir, Espandiar, Hormusji, James, Jawanmard, Khudabux, Maruti, Nana, Sahu, Suryabhan, Tukaram, and Vasant. Dattu's younger brother Pundit wept profusely, pleading his usual case: "Give me one last chance. You are God, and I am but a little boy! Why be so harsh with me?" And he was therefore included among those remaining in the Prem Ashram.
Lobhaji, Bhiwa, Chander and Banaji also would not stop crying and threatened to leave, but Baba consoled them, and in the end they obediently joined Meher Ashram. Changdev and Genu begged the mandali to plead with Baba to forgive them. Baba called both before him at four o'clock. Changdev said that he would be his servant "until death" and prayed that Baba overlook his past mistakes. Feeling their sincere, tearful entreaties, Baba forgave them and allowed them to remain in the Prem Ashram.
The rest of the day was filled with cries of repentance. Those boys who were transferred wept bitterly. Hari nearly went mad with grief, tying a scarf around his neck to choke himself. After another ruckus, Baba decided to keep four boys — Shapur, Bansi, Jamshed Gustad, and Jamshed Namdar — separate in the "Meherabad" (mandali's) section of the Toka ashram. A boy named Raghunath was ordered to get up at four o'clock in the morning and meditate. Baba gave some of the boys his kerchiefs, bottles, dishes, photographs, and other personal items to pacify them, and at 5:30 that evening all were dismissed.