The realization which I now describe, was sometime in 1960. I had been doing sadhana for some four or five years. It is my practice to do sastaunga pranam (prostration, lying face down) at the very beginning of my sadhana. That time too, I did the same. But I remained slightly longer than usual in that posture.
I do not exactly know how long. It could have been a couple of minutes, maybe even three or four minutes or even more than that. I had possibly fallen asleep. Suddenly, I heard clearly within me Baba's voice calling me, “Master Sahab (sir), Master Sahab, Master Sahab!”
The voice was from within me and Baba addressed me by this name jocularly and so sweetly. The second address was sweeter than the first, and the third was the sweetest. I regained my consciousness, got up from the sastaunga posture and started my sadhana in the proper asana (position).
Had He not taken the trouble to wake me up, I might have wasted the fine morning in only sleeping.
Now another incident. It was 1964 or 1965. I returned in the night from Patna where I had to go on a very painful piece of work. The work could not be completed and my mind was every now and then returning back to the same thing. The work was so important to me! And it had not been accomplished. I was unable to calm myself.
In the morning I sat for my sadhana. After a while my mind, leaving sadhana, went back to the same painful topic of the unaccomplished work. Suddenly, I heard from without Baba's stern voice calling my name "Dasharatha, Dasharatha, Dasharatha!' The voice was from without; I heard it through my ears, it being quite stern. The second Dasharatha was sterner, and the third was the sternest. I was back, opened my eyes, and then again started my sadhana seriously and completed it without my mind returning back to the painful topic. But this made me worried - Baba must have been angry at what I had been doing. This is why His voice was so stern!
I then rushed to Baba's residence. He had just come out. After a while I mustered enough courage and asked, "Baba, are You angry with me?"
He looked at me and smiled.
He guides and goads us within and without. He does it sweetly and sternly. Multiple are His ways.