inoffensive mast was dragged from the station by a section of the crowd. This lively scene was brought to an end by the arrival of the train, which directed the aggressive instincts of the crowd to the rough and tumble of finding places in the carriages. Baba and his men also climbed into the same train, and, once in the compartment, they were vastly amused to hear the affair being discussed in a spirited fashion by their fellow passengers, who did not, for some reason or other, recognize our parts as the chief dramatic personae.

"From Colgon Baba went to Calcutta. The tour so far had been a strenuous one, and during the eleven days since they had set out from Mahabaleshwar they had slept for an average of about one hour each night. This forced pace had been a great strain on the vitality and health of the party, and in Calcutta Baba therefore rested for three or four days. A few masts were also contacted, and one poor family was given five hundred rupees.

"A few miles outside Calcutta is a suburb known as Dakshineshwar, where there is a famous temple closely associated with the life of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Baba sat in seclusion for almost half an hour, wearing only a langoti in one of the rooms near the temple. Immediately afterwards he put on a kafni* and went out to beg for food. He was at first given nothing at a number of stall-like little shops that lined both sides of the road approaching the temple where he asked for bhiksha. One evident reason for this was that his men were walking by his side dressed in passably decent clothes, while Pendu (on Baba's instructions) was walking close behind with a bagful of money, from which he was giving coins to the many mendicants who beg for money from those going in and out of the temple. Finally, at a private house not far from the temple, he not only received freshly cooked food in abundance but it was eagerly prepared and pressed on him over and above his asking. Further on, reaching* [sic] only a langoti in one of the rooms near the temple. Immediately after on his usual dress of sadra and pants. He then personally divided the bhiksha among the mandali, and he and the men made a hearty meal of it while he remembered with love the family that had thus given the food.

“At Calcutta Ghagan** joined the party, having been called by Baba from Ahmednagar, so that the group, including Baba, was now six strong.

*long white robe (like a monk's)

"sic" [only a langoti in one of the rooms near the temple. Immediately after]

These words must have been typos from The Awakener printer. They appear earlier in this paragraph.

The correct sentence may have been, "Further on, reaching . . . " (words are missing here that may have been describing a place that Baba changed clothes and divided the bhiksha) . . . "on his usual dress of sadra and pants. " -webmaster jk 2007

**correct spelling is 'Chhagan'-reference: Lord Meher online 2007-JK