22. A severe test of Ba's love for her children

It was but natural that Ba should have deep love for her children and grand-children. But now that both she and Bapu had dedicated their lives to the Ashram, and the Ashram was conducted with public money, once a question arose as to how to account for the expenses, incurred on their children and grand-children, who off and on came to meet them and stayed in the Ashram for a few days. But Bapu solved it by deciding that all the visitors should pay their own expenses. This was, however, too much of a test of Ba's love for her own kith and kin. Nonetheless, as usual, eventually, she acquiesced in the decision and thereafter, whenever any of her relatives among the visitors, would be about to leave, she would go up to the Manager of the Ashram with rather a heavy heart and say, "So-and-so is about to go away. Therefore, you will please hand over his bill to him."