In plain words
‘Whether you write or not, you will pass the examination? That's what you said, isn't it! You said there must be human effort, didn't you! Then why could you not save your son? Did this come about by human effort? It happened by the will of God. You, full of Ahaṅkāra, failed. Śivadās, full of complete faith, passed. Śivadās is My devotee. And you insult him like this? If you do it to Me, no matter. If you do it to My devotees, I will not bear it. Go, Satan!’ He shouted. He flung His stick, and it struck his head.
God does nothing without a reason
The moment that stick struck his head, the friend's mind changed. God does nothing without a reason. As his head split open, great pain came over him. He turned back. ‘Beat me, kill me. Whatever happens, I will not let go of Your feet,’ he said. ‘You alone are my refuge. In my life I can never forget You now. You alone are my support,’ and he held on fast. Then Bābā laughed. ‘I gave you this much punishment so that this feeling would come. If you hold a sugarcane and want jaggery, will it come? Put it in a machine and crush it well, and it comes out as juice. Nor should you leave that juice just lying; it dries up. You have to put it on the fire and boil it down hard. Then it turns into jaggery for good. This body is like a sugarcane. My punishment is a machine. I crushed it. What did the second punishment do? It boiled it. The third made it jaggery. So without all these things your rotten mind, your wicked mind, does not change. I did all this so that that faith would come. Now tell Me, what do you want?’ He asked. The friend said that he wanted nothing. ‘If the seed is inside, the plant will come up again some day. So that seed must go. I am giving you back that same son. Next year, come carrying the child!’ said Bābā.
The wife was overjoyed. Within him too that gratitude was there. So he bowed at Bābā's feet and came away. From the day he came back, from dawn till night it was the thought of Bābā alone!