The day was also celebrated as Khordad Sal, Zoroaster's birthday. Krishna's birthday was celebrated five days later.

Earlier in June 1927, Baba had had a cabin built for himself on Meherabad Hill out of bamboo matting with a wood frame, a tin sheet roof, a door, and a window on the east side. In the last week of July, Baba ordered a pit to be dug in the floor of this small cabin, six feet long, four feet wide and six feet deep, but at the time he did not disclose its purpose. The pit was made permanent with stone and masonry work. Small steps were built leading down into the pit, which was then covered by wooden planks. Later, the tin walls were replaced by mud-mortared rough stones and two more windows were added. The windows to the west and north overlooked the playground of Meher Ashram, and wire netting was fixed on all the windows. In front of the window on the eastern side, a platform was built for the students and visitors to sit on while Baba discoursed.

From Tuesday, 16 August 1927, Baba began staying in this cabin-like crypt which the mandali would refer to as the khadda (ditch or pit) room. Baba announced that he was planning to spend a number of months in seclusion there. 

Meanwhile, the young sadhu from Saikhed, Ganja Swami, had been staying at Meherabad for the past month. Baba had instructed him to repeat the Sanskrit word Om continuously in a low tone for 24 hours a day, except while eating and sleeping. "If you follow this instruction to the letter for five or six months," Baba stated, "the repetition will become automatic. Your body will begin to vibrate with the repetition, without any special effort on your part."

Two weeks after the sadhu arrived, Baba placed him on a partial fast of bread and water, once every 24 hours. "If you break this order," Baba warned him, "I will drive you out and 'brand' you so that you won't be able to get shelter anywhere else." The sadhu was told to remain aloof from the others and to continue repeating Om.

The sadhu would retire early in the evening, and at night when the mandali were asleep, he would awaken and begin chanting, "Ommm ... Ommm" continuously. His chanting naturally disturbed the men mandali who had to work all day at their respective duties and needed rest.