On Sunday, August 7th, (1968) Baba had Rama Kalchuri prepare and send bhajiya for himself and the women. The next day, Rama sent Baba a rakhi (a bracelet-like amulet tied by a sister to her brother’s wrist on the Hindu festival of Rakhi, devoted to Lord Shiva). Baba accepted the symbolic act.
Although Baba’s exclusion work ended on the 30th of July, 1968, he kept working alone in his room for twenty minutes in the afternoons. He commented: “Something was left out from the last stages of my work, which I have to make up.” He later called it “the tail” of his work.
Now that the major part of his work was completed, Baba began spending more time with the men in Mandali Hall every morning and from 1:30 P.M. in the afternoon. In the mornings, he would listen as Bhau read out his Hindi translation of The Wayfarers. Eruch would massage Baba’s feet while Bhau read.
During the past several months, Baba’s feet had changed and become as hard as stone. The skin had become so thick that a sharp needle would not penetrate the skin. The result of his work had severely affected his legs and feet, and his body had grown weak. Still, Baba would hide the true state of his health from even the mandali and appear, although extremely tired, as if his health were stable enough to give hope that it would improve.
Before settling in his chair, Baba would take a walk up and down the hall, Kaka walking beside him like a protective guard. Kaka continued to provide Baba with moments of entertainment and merriment at such times when he would mispronounce or misname objects and people, using his new language with supreme confidence. More than once, Baba remarked, “While everybody adds to my burden, Kaka removes a fraction of it.”
Baba would be most particular about the exact time, and would always leave the hall at the appointed time (11:00 A.M.), no matter how keenly he would appear to be listening to a discussion that had arisen, or to some articles or news items being read out. He never failed to keep an eye on the wall clock.
One day, referring to the present state of the world, “a big mess,” Baba bemoaned: “Of all my advents, in the present one, I am exercising my patience to the utmost.”
On another occasion, he remarked to the mandali: “You are all nothing but broken-down furniture! But it is I who have selected you, so you must be what I want.”
Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 20, p. 6643.