(alias) Krishnaji Kasinath Joshi son of Kashinath Padmakar Joshi, Joshi Vatandar, Brahmin, aged 70, (10 miles off Ahmednagar), Mirazgaon.
20th July, 1936.
As for myself, I stayed three full years at a stretch with him and then went on visiting him during the nine years that followed. During that period of nine years, he told me to see a person with three heads. That of course, I took as a direction to go and see Datta at Gangapur. Every year I visited Gangapur twice, once on Guru Poomima and next on Magha Poomima. Then, once he told me to do 108 parayanas of Guru Charitra, taking three days to finish each parayana. I did this at Gangapur and stayed there 10 or 11 months for this purpose. As for my powers, he had interdicted their use. But, out of his kindness, he gave me some other power. It came about thus. One Ekadashi day, I sat by his side.
Baba : What do you eat today?
I : Nothing, to-day is Ekadashi
Baba : What does Ekadashi mean?
I : It means a day for upavas.
Baba : What does upavas mean?
I : It is just like rojas.
Baba : What is rojas?
I : We take nothing except Kandamula
'Kanda' means root and usually 'sweet potatoes' and is the food that is eaten (onions should not be taken by the orthodox) on Ekadashi day. Then Baba picked up some onions, evidently having a phonetic equivocation, and told me to eat it. Seeing Baba was persistent and not wishing to run counter to his wishes, I yielded, but added 'If you eat it, I will eat it'. Then Baba ate some onions and I ate some. Then as visitors began to arrive, Baba was enjoying some fun at my expense.
Baba : Look at this Bamniya (a contemptuous corruption of the word Brahmin), he is eating onions on Ekadashi day.
I began to defend my conduct or justify it.
I : Baba ate it and I ate it.
Baba, at one stroke, was having humour at my expense and the manifestation of his powers and he declared that he had not eaten onions. At once, he vomitted out something. That was not onion but sweet potatoes ( Ratale).
Baba :See, it is not onion but sweet potato I had eaten.