Shri Babaji Maharaj had gone into a virtual state of divine intoxication in which the thought of his body had ceased to exist.
As he had forsaken the things of the world and given up his wealth, it was but natural that various difficulties come his way, not the least of which was providing food for himself and his children.
There came a day when there was nothing at all to eat in the house. The children were famished with hunger and began crying loudly.
They rushed to the servants and asked for food, but the servants were helpless; there was nothing in the kitchen. They cried loudly and said: “We are hungry! We cannot sleep! We want roti–bread! How can we pass the time?
The servants said to the children: “Go and ask Maharaj!
The children came to Shri Babaji Maharaj and begged for food, but he merely consoled them and had no food to give. There was nothing in the house with which rotis could be made. It was ten-o-clock in the night. The house was far away from the city, and all the shops were closed everywhere at that hour.
Shri Babaji Maharaj said to the children: He who has given you food all your lives will give you food even now! Go to sleep!
But the children could not contain their hunger and cried incessantly: “Roti! Roti!”
Shri Babaji Maharaj said to the children: Say ‘Ram! Ram!’ instead!
The children tried saying this for a while and then cried again, saying: “Pitaji! We cannot sleep due to the hunger! And we cannot find Ram!
Shri Babaji was not worried because he saw the working of the Divine Will behind the veil of all events that occurred. When he saw the misery of the children, he said to them with assurance: “All right then, don’t be distraught, you will get food!
The children cried: “But how?
Their hunger had intensified even as the dark hours of the night increased. There was nothing to eat in the house. The children were in a state of great distress. They kept on saying to Shri Babaji Maharaj: Pitaji, why don’t you give us roti?
“Be calm, said Shri Babaji Maharaj soothingly, “it is coming! He who has given you the hunger has many ways to satiate it!
Suddenly there was a knock on the door at eleven in the night. It was a group of pilgrims.
They came and bowed before Shri Babaji Maharaj and said to him: “We were on our way to Haridwar and we thought we would come and take your darshan first. Please forgive us for disturbing you at this hour!”
The pilgrims had brought with them large packets of sweets, and these they gave to the children who ate them with delight, too wonderstruck for words.
Later when the pilgrims had gone, the children said: Our Father – Pitaji – was right! ‘Ram-Ram’ is a very good thing. It brought us our food!
In the days that followed, the children developed a much greater faith in their father as also a greater strength to face whatever periods of fasting came their way.
At times when there was no food, they passed their time in contentment and thanksgiving.