for he knew that his friend was to leave behind him a widow of fifteen and an estate, burdened with debts. Baba Maharaj readily agreed and requested Mr. Tilak to draft a will. Mr. Tilak did so, in consultation with the dying man, and unwilling to take upon himself the onerous duties of a trustee, he put in the names of two of the neighbours of Baba Maharaj as Trustees. But Baba Maharaj knew that his estate would be better taken care of by Mr. Tilak than by anyone else so he struck off the names suggested by Mr. Tilak and put in those of Mr. Tilak, Rao Saheb Kirtikar, (Hon.) Mr. Khaparde and of Messrs. Kumbhojkar, and Nagpurkar—two clerks in his employ. Mr. Kirtikar having refused to do the work the main responsibility naturally fell upon Messrs. Tilak and Khaparde. During the period of Mr. Tilak's incarceration Mr. Khaparde arranged for the Probate, made inventories and did the rest of the initial work.
The will of Baba Maharaj contained the following important paragraph regarding succession and adoption:
"My wife is now pregnant. If she does not give birth to a son, or if the son after birth is short-lived, then, for the purpose of continuing the name of my family, with the Vichara of the trustees a boy should be given, as often as may be necessary, in adoption, on the lap of my wife, in accordance with the Shastras, and the Panch should, on behalf of that son, carry on the management of the immoveable and moveable estates till he attains majority."
On January 18th, 1898, the widow gave birth to a son but he died within two months.
