At first it was obvious that the guest was slightly exited, but soon he was carried out by remembrances of the past he became speaking easier. His English was evidence of a good school and large practice.

All what you’ve told, Grisha, is quite interesting. Do I pronounce your name correctly? – Holmes began. The guest nodded assent and Holmes continued. – I’m really acquainted with the Russian “picnics” and even had thought that there would not be a speech of them in India. But you, Grisha, have removed my doubts. But nonetheless, why did you decide that I would come to Sai Baba?

I probably will fail to explain you, Mr. Holmes, what have been my expectations based on. I’m ready to express some thoughts about it. However, it’s late now and you need to have a rest if you are going to go through the whole ritual of Sai Baba’s temple visiting tomorrow. I guess that you as the majority of visitors want have a personal meet with Sai Baba, don’t you?

Yes, of course I do, but Prakash for instance says that there is a low chance because Sai Baba himself chooses whom to invite. First, I want to know why everybody seeks a personal talk with him. And second, what has happened to the Russians whom Sai Baba had favoured with double meeting, I wonder?

Reasoning from my experience most people comes here to solve their own problems: to be saved from illnesses and hard diseases, generally change their lives, which many as it seems to me are tired of. I wouldn’t say for others but my life has really changed after meeting Sai Baba. I had had a lot of problems, but have lived in harmony with myself for three years now. And it’s not too little for our hard times. And what concerning relations of the three Russians and Sai Baba I would like to talk of this particularly. Better tomorrow, after your meeting with Swami.

Who is Swami, Grisha?

This name means “a teacher”. I call Sai Baba in such way, when I get an opportunity to talk to him.

How do you think, will he invite us for conversation?

It will depend on you, Mr. Holmes. When I asked one of the Russians why he hadn’t doubted that the meeting would have token place, I heard nearly this: “It’s necessary to understand how difficult is to be a god, and sympathize with an old man doing his hard mission”. In other words, if you really want to arouse Swami’s wish to talk to you, you should not give in to the public excitement of worship, which grips everybody presenting in the temple. You should look into his eyes as a human to human. Thus he will inevitably hear you, and maybe even invite for talking. Think yourself, what interest is in talking to ecstatic exalted public, which thoughts are known beforehand. But don’t think that it’s easy to get away from what is going in the temple. I have presented at the ceremony of Swami’s appearance about several hundreds times. But even now it’s difficult to me to overcome the feeling that seizes everybody at Sai Baba’s entrance. One needs to see it once and much will become clear. You will go at yourselves or have you already entered a certain group of Englishmen?

We will go at ourselves and thus will have no kerchiefs.

But nevertheless, if you want to go together, you’d better buying the similar kerchiefs at a local shop. Otherwise only one of you will go to conversation: savadals – ashram’s special service – strictly see to observance of the ritual. By the way, all the shops are opened for women only in the morning and for men in the evening. As you’ve already become sure the canteen is also separate for men and women. Have rest, Mr. Holmes; you are to wake up early before the sunrise to get a chance to see the gaze of Swami.

For some time he stood hesitating whether to say something or not. And at last dared and told:

Please, don’t misunderstand me, Mr. Holmes. But if you get a wish me to present at your meeting with Sai Baba, knock me when he get you up. I’ll be near.

Thank you, Grisha. I’ll certainly follow your advice and tomorrow we will meet again, if your plans don’t change.

Prakash saw the Russian translator off and having returned back suggested walking in the ashram before the sleep. It was about eight p.m. Unusually bright stars shined in the sky. Streets were full of pilgrims: men, women and even children. Holmes and Prakash went to the temple and Prakash told of the special order, in accordance with which did that town of the new religion lived. Being in the room Holmes noticed the absence of radio or TV-set: there were just two trestle-beds, two chairs and a small table. Prakash explained that in the ashram a special regime of silence was obeyed. Thus there was neither radio nor TV, and savadals, who appeared as if out of nowhere, interrupted even loud talks. “Keep silence!” – sounds behind your back. There the use of alcohol or smoking was prohibited. And in the canteen there were not but vegetarian dishes. Holmes was impressed by absolute cleanness regarding so large amount of visitors. But it wasn’t surprising because everyone used to put off his or her boots entering the temple or the canteen.

There was no conditioner in the room. The only ventilator hung in the centre strived with the heat though to no effect. Holmes took a shower and fell to sleep. He woke to the knock at the door: somebody woke pilgrims for the morning ritual. It was three o’clock. The temple stood in the low place and looked as a huge bad lightened spot. Lines of pilgrims came to it from every side and they sat down the rocky area in the right rows. After about an hour Holmes counted more than thirty rows each of about a hundred of pilgrims. It meant that there were more than two and a half men (women went through the procedure separately). The casting of lots began which row to go to the temple the first. Holmes and Prakash sat somewhere in the sixth row, but Holmes suddenly got a strange assurance that the very their row would go the first. A savadal dressed in white slowly moved along the rows of sitting pilgrims carrying an object similar to a cap for drawing lots. A person sitting first in the row rose, took his number and sat back to his place. Everybody waited who would get the number one. A tall slender black man sitting first in Holmes’s row rose, took a paper, looked at it and the whole row began to rise in the full silence.

We’ve got a chance, – Prakash whispered to Holmes.

They rose, took their jute cushions bought on the previous day by Prakash, put off the sandals and went to the temple almost running. At the entrance, as if in the airport, they passed through the “special control”. It was prohibited to take either photo or video cameras or any other outside things. The huge space inside the temple was divided into two parts: for men and for women. The floor was paved with black marble; the ceiling was decorated with golden and green. There were no walls as they were; the massive columns with high pedestal took their place. The front part of the temple had a magnificently beautified podium with a construction, resembling Christian churches’ altars, and a small special room where Sai Baba probably received his guests.

First pilgrims achieved the white marble road and began to sit down along it on brought cushions. It was the only thing that one could take to the temple and Holmes soon made sure of its importance. It was about two hours before Sai Baba’s entrance and it was hard for a European to sit for such time on the marble floor in uncommon pose. The lines of pilgrims entered the temple and silently took their places and in a half an hour both parts of the temple were fulfilled.

The sky lightened on the East and bird began twittering. Some moving started around the temple, something like a religious procession. A rhythmical singing with cries “Hare Krishna!” sounded. Then the unanimous sigh “Ho-o-u-um!” escaped the crowd of five thousand people and invisible bells rang out of somewhere. Holmes noticed the extraordinary order of everything. A small group of savadals kept it during all stages of preparing the ritual and during the ritual itself. They carried out a huge roll of red carpet runner and began unrolling it strictly along white marble flags, which stood out against a background of black marble of the temple. Minutes of tedious silence and everybody’s tension came. Holmes even began to feel how did that tension created by crowd of many thousands waiting for wonder began to paralyse his mind. He remembered what had Grisha warned him about and tried to escape the approaching public euphoria. With the first rays of the Sun bright chandeliers beneath the ceiling fired and at once lighted up all of many rich colours of India. A charming eastern melody sounded and birds began to sing, as if they had awoken from the deep dreams. Suddenly the whole temple seemed to breathe a deep sigh and everybody turned right as if trying to get up. And when the tension in the temple culminated, there, far off, at the very edge of red road getting beyond the horizon, in bright rays of the rising Sun a small nearly transparent figure with a noticeable black shock dressed in orange tunic appeared. The figure slowly moved along the red road making some jests towards sitting pilgrims with its left hand. And the crowd rocked following the moving of his hand, from which something was falling down the pilgrims’ heads.