because it is lonely. For a few days I have been feeling that, wherever you may be during the day time, after dusk you must come here and be with us. I am much afraid, my dear. I told Rajen also. He will come after ten or eleven in the night." From that day, after dusk, I used to keep watch under a tree in front of Radhu's house until eleven in the night. The Holy Mother too would sit up by me and talk with me in a very low voice. One day she remarked, "What a jungle! Any day a bear may pop out." I replied, "Why, Mother, I never saw a bear in these parts." But as a matter of fact one or two days later, word came that about a mile away, in the village Desra, one huge bear did attack and kill an old woman at noon while she was collecting cow dung. The bear too was shot. At dusk the Holy Mother said, "Did you not hear of the bear being on the rampage? It seems it has killed the mother-in-law of Ambika (the watchman of Jayrambati). And you declare there are no bears in this area!"
The Holy Mother used to eat some sweets and have a drink of water at dusk. She used to give me also a portion of it when I sat with her under the tree. She would say, "After the whole day's labour if you eat something and drink some water, the body will be quite refreshed. Thereafter, be it in Japa, meditation or any other work, the mind will settle down quite steadily." One day she said, "While I was staying at the Nahabat for the service of the Master, what hard conditions I had to endure in that tiny room! How many articles and things! I used to keep fish in a pot for the Master and hang it up. But in his service I never felt these as difficulties. The day would go by in inexplicable bliss. Now I am in these straits on account of Radhu. I am sitting here in this jungle with all of you. Good deeds, austerities, meditation-are all no more. Now by His grace, if we come out of the present difficulty safely, we should consider ourselves fortunate. (Radhu was then nearing her confinement). A little later the lady from Navasan came and said, "O Brother, did you hear? Today at noon the Mother and I were sitting here, quite alone. The Mother was saying, 'Those two crows used to come right at this time, and sitting on that tree caw and caw, to the great annoyance of Radhu. But for the last few days, I do not see them at all. Can you tell where those two have gone?' Even as the Mother was saying these words, those two crows alighted on the tree and began cawing." The Holy Mother too laughed and confirmed her story saying, "Yes, my dear."