On February 5th, (1946) Eruch brought a mast, and then returned to Poona. Baba would work with the mast in seclusion and then go for a walk on Tembi Hill with the women. They would collect bright pebbles and rocks from the hill; at times both of Baba’s pockets bulged with the shining geodes. These were eventually put in the foundation of the main house at Meherazad; so these rock-hunting recreative walks of Baba’s were not without a purpose.
EVER SINCE returning to Pimpalgaon, something very mysterious and strange was happening to Krishna during his nightwatch. All the windows and doors of Baba’s room were tightly shut. At midnight, Krishna would see a shadow fall across the window. Soon a spirit would appear inside the room. The apparition was that of an old man with slightly reddish eyes, a white beard and no legs. He was wearing a white kafni, with a white cloth tied around his head. “He was wonderful and attractive to look at,” related Krishna, “so I wasn’t afraid. But whenever he appeared, I lost all my strength. I couldn’t move.”
The spirit would approach Baba’s bed. As soon as he came near Baba’s feet, Baba snapped his fingers and the spirit disappeared. Baba did not say anything and Krishna also did not report what he had seen. Every night the same thing happened: when the spirit appeared, Krishna would feel immobilized and his energy drained away. After a few days, he complained to Baba that the spirit was taking away his strength. Baba decided to move to a different room.
Half a mile from the Pimpalgaon ashram was a small cottage, used as a storeroom, belonging to Ratanshah Gyara, a Parsi resident of Poona who was devoted to Baba. After retiring from his job as an engineer, he farmed some land he owned near Pimpalgaon. So, from February 9th, because of the ghost, Baba began going with Krishna to Ratanshah’s small cottage every evening at nine o’clock to rest for the night. No one stayed in the building, as it was used to store grain and farm implements. Because Krishna felt so weak, Baba instructed Kaka Baria to come at 4 A.M. and relieve Krishna, but neither Kaka nor anyone else was told about the spirit.
The spirit never appeared at Gyara’s cottage. For a few days things seemed to be going well when one night at about two o’clock, someone knocked on Kaka’s door. “Kaka, wake up!” the voice cried. “It’s four o’clock.” Kaka sprang out of bed, frightened that he would be late, and ran from Pimpalgaon to Gyara’s cottage. From the window, he shone his flashlight on Krishna’s face inside. Krishna came out and asked, “Kaka, why have you come so early?”
“Early?” Kaka said. “What’s the time? Why did you wake me up?”
“It is 2 A.M. I did not wake you up. I’ve been here with Baba all the time. How could I have gone to your room and left Baba alone?” answered Krishna. Kaka returned, puzzled. Who had roused him in the middle of the night? The next night the same thing happened. After three or four days of being awakened early, Kaka also saw the apparition. He told Baba that he could no longer do his duty, because the spirit kept waking him up.
The next day, Baba shifted back to Pimpalgaon. At midnight the spirit appeared. Baba himself got up, opened the door and went out. At 12:15 A.M., he came back into the room. He was covered with sweat. He closed the door and indicated to Krishna that he wanted to change his clothes. He then washed his face and went to sleep. From that day on, the spirit never returned.
Krishna wondered about it, and on the third day he asked Baba, “I have not seen that spirit lately. Why hasn’t he come?”
“The work is finished,” Baba motioned.
“What work, Baba?”
“I will explain,” Baba replied. “Remind me tomorrow in front of the mandali.”
The next morning at eight o’clock, Krishna came, even though he would normally be sleeping at that hour. Baba asked why he had come and he reminded Baba about the spirit. Baba spelled out to the mandali, “Ask Krishna what was going on every day.” Krishna related what had transpired, and Baba explained, “The spirit was a great and powerful man. If he wanted to destroy the world, he could have done so within a second. He was that powerful.
“For some reason, he committed suicide. He wanted to be freed, but I was avoiding him. He was coming to me for that purpose. Four days ago I relieved him and gave him a body. Now he won’t come around.”
Hearing this, Krishna lost his temper. “Baba, look at me. How weak I’ve become. Why didn’t you relieve him the very first day? Why did you let him cause so much trouble?”
Baba smiled and dictated, “The time had not come. When the time came, I gave him the body.”
Baba did not name the mysterious spirit.
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol 9, pp. 3095 – 3097.