What promise did Baba make about returning, and how did the devotees interpret this?

The devotees held a strong belief in Baba's return, based on his own words. Chapter 43 recounts that Maharaj had told his devotees, "As an eight-year-old child, I will appear again." This was considered the word of a saint and not to be taken in vain. The devotees drew a parallel to the Krishna avatar appearing before Devaki. They maintained full confidence that he would return, viewing their connection not as a bond of a single birth but a karmic bond of seventy-two generations. This belief provided them with hope that though he had gone on a journey, he would surely be back.