After this mast tour in the South, Baba returned to Mahabaleshwar on the evening of March 19th. As usual, in Mahabaleshwar Krishna and Venkoba Rao were the night watchmen outside of Valley View bungalow. One night a tiger came near the house. Krishna saw it but did not move from his position, though he was frightened. The tiger glowered menacingly. Krishna had a rifle with him. (1) Just as he was about to take aim, Baba clapped. Krishna came inside and told Baba there was a tiger nearby. “Should I shoot it, Baba?” he asked.
“Wait, I’ll come,” gestured Baba. But Baba did not come, however, for five minutes, by which time the tiger had stalked away. Baba motioned, “Now shoot.” Krishna fired in the direction taken by the tiger, but the bullet lodged in the trunk of a tree.
Inside, Baba asked him, “Were you scared?” Krishna admitted that he was. “Don’t be,” gestured Baba. “The tiger won’t devour you. Why were you afraid?” Krishna could not explain.
Teasing him, Baba remarked, “My burden would have been lessened had he eaten you.” After this incident, Baba instructed Krishna to sit in their hired bus during his watch instead of unprotected out in the open.
(1) When Krishna sat inside Baba’s room, he was not supposed to bring the rifle or long snake stick inside, but only a flashlight.
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 8, pp. 2863 – 2864