THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

THE FIRST TEN YEARS 45building used as an office for book publishing, much to the annoyance of the landlord, and on 2September Baba decided to take living accommodation elsewhere. This was arranged the sameevening, but the next morning he left the new rooms and took others in a new building oppositethe Kohinoor mills; but hardly had that been settled before he gave instructions for other roomsto be searched for, which were found in Irani (now Tafti) Mansion No.6, on the street joiningthe Central Railway, Dadar station entrance, crossing the present Dr Babasaheb AmbedkarRoad. There the party stayed for six weeks, and on 19 October, the office in Bombay havingbeen closed, the party packed up and set off on foot for Sakori, taking their belongings on abullock cart. Eleven days later they reached Bableshwar, ten miles from Sakori, and there Babadecided to remain with one disciple, sending the others on to Sakori to pay their respects toUpasni Maharaj. Next day, they set off to Sakori. Upasni Maharaj had converted a portion of hishut into a small wooden cage in which he had placed himself for the past ten months. By Baba'sorders the members of the party had fasted since the previous evening, and were given tea. Theyreturned to Bableshwar the same evening. Next morning all went offby motor lorry toAhmednagar, putting up at the Khushru quarters.There arrangements for the visit to Persia were discussed, and Baba said that he would takeeleven disciples with him at the beginning of February. When they set off he gave definiteinstructions to various members of the mandali 1 (as these close disciples began to be calledwho lived with Baba under his orders), and decided that the others should pass the time at ornear Karachi. That city was reached on 14 November, and a bungalow was taken for the stay.A week later, however, Baba decided to go back to Bombay by sea, and the journey wasstarted next day. While at Karachi a letter had been received from one of the disciples whohad been sent to Bombay to obtain the visas from the Persian Consul to the effect that thelatter would not grant the visas unless the members of the party presented themselves to himin person: all except Baba, who, said the Consul, had already come to him in his office to saythat 'he will send his passport with his man for him to endorse.' Baba, however, had not beenin Bombay for a month and a half.Bombay was reached on 24 November and Baba announced that he would pass some timein seclusion in the neighbourhood of Lonavla, taking only two disciples with him. The partywas therefore broken1 Mandali is a Sanskrit word meaning a group or company: as with other words, Baba gives to it his own meaning.