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AVATAR MEHER BABA

English Series: No.3

Words of Avatar Meher Baba are Copyright,Avatar Meher Baba P.P.C. Trust, Ahmednagar1990

The article "Meher Baba - The Avatar of our

Time"copyright by Dr. H.P. Bharucha,Navsari, 1990.

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Copyright 1990 by Avatar Meher BabaTamilnadu Centre, Madras.

Cover Photo : Meelan Photo Studio, Pune;Scanner Negative by : Print Systems, Madras.

Printed at : Reliance Printers

Adyar, Madras - 20.Compiled by : V. Sita Ramayya, M.Sc.,Madras.

Published by ;Avatar Meher Baba Tamilnadu Centre,36, East Mada Street, Tiruvanmiyur-,MADRAS - 600 041.

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AVATAR MEHER BABA

INDEX

T. Acknowledgements— 22. Meher Baba- The Avatar of Our Time

by Dr. H.P. Bharucha. 33. Messages of Avatar Meher Baba..i....^ 284. • The Universal Prayer 305. The Prayer of Repentance. 316. List of Books on Meher Baba..—.v... 327. List of Magazines on Meher Baba.^i.... 348.' List of addresses where Books

on Meher Baba are. available....... 35

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

•i hereby acknowledge ,with thanks Permissiongiven by the Avatar Meher Baba PPC Trust, toreprint the Prayers and. Messages of AvatarMeher Baba* I ai" also thankful to Dr. H.P.Bharucha for giving permission to reprinthls' article "Meher Baba- The Avatar, of ourTime'% and also for his valuable guidanceand assistahce in carrying out theactivities of our centre. 1 also thank ourwell wishers for their constant

encouragement in our work concerning, AvatarMeher Baba.

Madras

10.4.1990

V. SITA RAMAYYA

Managing TrusteeA.M.B. Tamilnadu Centre

MEHER BABA - THE AVATAR OF OUR TIME

Age after age when the wick of righteousnessburns low, the Avatar comes yet once againto rekindle the torch of love and truth.

"The light that glowed in the fire ofZoroaster, that flashed through the arrow ofRama,, that hallowed the face of Buddha, thatradioed, the flute of Krishna, that silveredthe cross of Christ, that flamed through thespeeding brotherhood of Mohammed, is theSelf-Same Light coming over, again to floods-light the paths of all the existingreligions of the Earth". That light today isMEHER BABA.

Childhood:

Meherwanji Shehriarjee Irani Known popularlyas Meher Baba was born in Poona on the 25th

of February 1894. He had ' his academiceducation at St. Vincents High School andlater at Deccan College in Poona. As astudent he was keenly interested in poetryand Spiritual literature. His favourite'poets were Shakespeare, Wordsworth,Shelleyand the great Persian poet < and MasterHafiz. Under the inspiration of Hafiz, hewrote many poems in various Indian dialects,in Persian and in English. He loved musicand had a beautiful voice. In school andcollege he was regarded as a natural leader.He' founded the 'Cosmopolitan Club' at theDeecan Collegej where anyone regardless ofcaste Of crsed could be a member.

At the time in Poona, lived a Sufi Master,Baba Jan, for whom the bare Earth formed,thefloor of her house, and the shade of a neemtree her roof. In her ecstasy she had oncedeclared ,^Anal Haq', i.e. I am God. Thisenranged a few orthodox Baluchi soldiers,who buried her alive in Punjab. They werestunned with amazement when they found Baba■Jan sitting under a neem tree in Poona. Shewas a Perfect Master, and had escaped fromthe pit miraculously. Meher Baba felt agreat attraction for her and used to gooften and enjoy her blissful company. InMay 1913 Baba Jan kissed Meher Baba on hisforehead. . He immediately began : toexperience indescribable bliss whichcontinued for nine months, One night. , inJanuary 1914, Baba Jan made Baba realize' - j.na ,flash the infinite bliss of- Self-realization. Baba Jan cnce declared , aboutMeher Baba, "This child of mine will, createa great sensation in the world and.: doimmense good to humanity". i . .

Meher Babe's . Sadgurus : In His books Babamentions that it is extremely rare for a manto get self-realization. Those who attainthat state immediately drop their gross,subtle and mental bodies, and become. onewith the Over Soul, experiencing infinitePower, Knowledge and Bliss eternally; ' . InGod Realization, the soul drops its separateconsciosuness and transcends duality in- theabiding Knowledge of its identity witht theInfinite Reality. Baba has come to awaken

humanity to the love of God for he is theAvatar of this age and so he did not drophis gross body after God Realization. Forthree days he was absolutely unconscious ofthe world but on the fourth day he wasslightly conscious of his body and though hesat, talked, walked, lay down, he dideverything by instinct, more like anautomaton"", than an ordinary human being.Regular medical treatment could not put himto sleep. Nine months after Self-realization, in November 1914 Baba began tobe some what conscious of his surroundings.Since it Is the function of the five Perfect

Masters of the time to precipitate theadvent of God as man (Avatar), to unveil Hisdivinity and prepare him for his mission onearth, he was obliged to contact theremaining four Perfect Masters, TajUddinBaba of NSgpur, Narayan Maharaj of Kedgaon,Sai Baba of Shirdi, and Upasani Maharaj qfSakori. In December 1915 v/h'en Meher Babawent to Shirdij he prostated before Sai Babaon the road. When he arose, Sai Baba lookedstraight at him and exclaimed, "Parvardigar'(God-almighty.-sustainer). Sai Baba inwardlydirected Meher Baba to visit Upasani Maharajwho vjas staying in the neighbouring Khandobatemple at Shirdi. On seeing Meher Baba,UpaSani Maharaj threw a stone at him whichstruck him on the forehead exactly whereBaba Jan had kissed him. From then onwards,Meher Baba began to regain his bodycohciousness without any loss or curtailmentof his divine consciousness of Self-

realization., One ahould not interpret thatUpasani. Maharaj, a Perfect Master , threwthe stone at Meher Baba ggt of rage. Theways of Perfect masters are very mysterious.Their internal working is cloaked in variousways sometimes as rage. Meher Baba oncesaid, VSai Baba made me what I amj Baba Janmade me-.feel what I ami and Upasani Maharajmade me know what I .ari^,

Meher Bajba as the Avatar : As Meher Baba'sconsciousness . became more balanced, hismother pleaded..with him to adopt some kindof. profession or trade, and to please her,he tried his hand .at various occupations.In July 1921, Meher Baba moved to Sakori,the headquarters of Upasani Maharaj. At theend of December .1921, he was restored torfull gross consciousness i.; Upasani. Maharajsaid, "I have giveti my key to Meher Baba.He is now the repository of my power". Hethen folded his hands to Meher Baba andsaid, "You are the Avatar of this age".

Stay at Poona : Meher Baba then left Sakoriand: lived fdr. five months (January to May1922) in a button the outskirts of Poona.It was during this time that his firstdevotees came around him, who later .onformed the Mandali. . .

Stay at Bombay : In May 1922, Baba leftPoona for Bombay where he stayed at Dadar ina "bungalow called manzil-e-^Meem. Here, morethan forty men. of various faiths and

qualifications stayed night and day withBaba for ten months, leading a routine lifeof rigorous discipline.

Ahmednagar 'Ashram : After ten months stay,Baba left Bombay in March ' -1923 forAhmednagar. He finally settled permanentlysix miles south of Ahmednagar near thevillage of Arangaon. The ashram set up hereis known as Meherabad. The Mandali now hadto do everything Without the help of hiredlabour,' They.had to draw water, cook food,wash! clothes, carry loads and work all dayas common labourers. Baba called this the^Ghamela Yoga' (the practice of regular hardlabour). •

Meher Baba's Silence : Meher Baba began Hissilence on the 10th of July 1925 and he did

" not break the silence till he dropped hisbody on 31st January 1'969. Despite hiseilence j Baba continued all his usualactivities. At first he communicated bywriting on a slate. After the commencementOf- his silence, Baba began to write a bodtcwhich remains unseen and unpublished to thisday. He wrote for many hourS of th'e day andat times even at night. He finished thisbook on the Ist Of January 1927 and sincethen stopped writing (except for signatureon important documents). , Baba's uniquesilence of fortyfour years was not kept forany spiritual gain as Baba was . PerfectionPersonified. Baba said, "Although I appearto .be silent, I spegk through you. all. God

has been everlastingly working in silence,unobserved, unheard, except by those whoexperience His Infinite Silence". Yes,Baba, though silent, speaks in the hearts ofhis true lovers because his abode is not in

ashrams, -towns, or cities but in the heartsof his ardent lovers. This silent voice .ofBaba guides his lovers. After the use ofthe.", slate, Baba used an alphabet board andrunning his finger over the letters at greatspeed, used to convey his thoughts. From the7th of October 1954, he gave up the Use ofthis board and later on conveyed histhoughts- by means of gestures. Baba" said,'.'When I breakcmy Silence, it will not be. tofill your ears with spiritual lectures^ Ishall speak only one word and this word willpenetrate the hearts of all men and makeeven. the-so-called sinner feel that he ismeant to be a saint, while the saint willknow that God is in the sinner as much aS Heis in himself. My word will touch the heartsof all mankind and spontaneously this 'divinetouch :will instill in man the feeling ofoneness of all fellow beings. This feelingwill supersede the tendency of ssparatenessand rule over the .hearts of all", drivingaway hatred, jealousy, and greed that breedsuffering, and happiness will reign* Theword will indisputably assert the existenceof God in the minds and hearts of men5 thatword will make the world know that God notonly exists but that He alone existsinfinitely and eternally". Those who.are intune, with Baba will undoubtedly be

benefitted according to their love, faith,steadfastness and merit.. Then the.gates ofEternity will be thrown open to reveal -thedivine life of the infinite, indivisibleoneness, bringing unprecedented hope to thedespairing humanity,* Ignorance, attachment,separateness and selfishness of illusorylife will disappear and the surging passionsof the ego mind will sink low to the bottom.The latent divinity in man will be aroused.

The breaking of Baba s silence has beencompared to the bursting of an atom bomb.An.atom is very small and contains a lot ofenergy. On bursting it causes greatupheaval and destruction. Baba said thatInfinite wisdom is; contained in His word,and when he speaks that word, a greatspiritual upheaval and material destructionWill occur by the release of this .infinitewisdom. In order to utter that word, Babahad kept silence. When this word is spokenjthe seed of divine love will be ■> sown ineveryone, and this will help man to realisethe true nature of the Self. The eventsthat will occur. before and after thebreaking of his silence are!

T)° A strange disease will attack his body.

2) His humiliation

3) Just before or after the breaking of hissilence, three-fourths of this worldwill be destroyed. Baba had clarified

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that this was spoken in his language aridso it is beyond the grasp of the humanintellect. ■

4) His glorification as the Avatar of thisage.

5) His violent death.^ This too is spokenin Baba's language.

Meherabad activities As the Meherabad

ashram began to take shapes a school,hospital,dispensary, poor homes, ashram forthe mad and the masts, and.a prem ashiamsprung up. Hundreds of lovers and pilgrimscame here for Babd's darshan. The schoolprovided' free boarding, ' clothing, andtuition to the students, who sees his ownInfinite Self in everyone, does- notdifferentiate between the untouchables,- -therich or poOr. He Said,"The realuntouchables are those who cannot enter < thetemple of their own hearts and see the Lordtherein" In the eyes of God the onlydifference between the rich and the poor isin the intensity and sincerity of theirlonging Tor God. He who possesses worldlyriches, but not the wealth of love for Godis truly the poor man. The work done byMehet Baba in the School,leper home and forthe masts was not done as a mere socialservice to - the backviard and untouchables.Every act of the Avatar has itsrepurcussions in the world at large. Thework he did for the untouchabes was only aseed sowed in the hearts of man which grew

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rapidly to the extent that now untouchablescan enter temples and the backward classesare given preference in all strata of lifelike education, jobs monetary aid etc.Baba's work with the lepers laid thefoundation for the national eradication of

this disease by the Government and inproviding work for those patients who havebecome bacteriologically negative. Thestigma that the society had for lepers isnow slowly dieing away., Baba's work „ withthe poor has raised the economic status . ofthe,,world. ,

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The Prem Ashram. : The prem ashram opened byBaba was art unique activity. Never before inthe recorded history of the world do we findany instance of, any institution, , wherelittle children have been educated, .andtrained in the secret lore of mysticism. In,the prem ashram we come across the spectacleof little School boys being turned out assaintly children. These young school boysjin whose hearts the, spark of divine love hadbeen kindled by Baba, were charged with aspiritual force, which made, them >estle,ss.They , could not sleep, ;, they had adisinclination for food,.clothing, and theother necessities of life. They weptbitterly if they did not see their DivinejBeloved baba. One of the boys becameunconscious for four days. A very vivid,description of the love these boys had forBaba is given in the Book ^ Sobs and Throbs'by Ramjoo Abdulla, which has now, been

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Incorporated in the book "Ramjoo's Diaries".'

Meher Babe's visits to the West : Baba's

first visit to England was in 1931. He haddeclared some time before his departure thatwhen he'Would go to the Westj Mahatma'Gandhiwould be with him. Curiously enough,Mahatma Gandhi decided at the last minute-toattend the Round Table Conference . and 'soboth" of them were' on the 'same -c boat-Rajputana'i. His message to the West was,'iMy coming to the West is not with theobject of establishing, new creed's' orspiritual- societies and organisations: butis intended to make people understandreligion in its true.sense,- True -religionconsists of developing that,attitude~of mindwhich should ultimately result in seeing OneInfinite Existbnee prevailing thraughout theuniverse;: I'The religion- I shall givetouches the knowledge of the One behind themany. The book that I Shall make people readis the book of the heart which holds_the keyto- the .mystery of life!'. "The West -isinclined towards the material side of thingswhich has from untold ages jarought in- itswake .warsy pestilencas,, and. financialCrises, .It should not be understood that. Idiscard and hate materialism. I mean .thatmaterialism should not.be considred an. endin itself; but a. means to an end, I intend.tobring together all religions and cults likebeads on one string and revitalize them forindividual and collective needs. This is mymission to the WesfV' Several other

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messages were given during his various toursto the West from 1931 to 1936. Babe went tathe West again in 1952, 1956 and lastly in1958< He travelled round the globe severaltimes. His travels,far and wide are inconformity with his Inner working which iswholly spiritual and universal. Besidesthis, the love of his lovers in the Westdrew him there to. satisfy their thirst forhis darshan. Baba said, "I am the Highestof the High., and yet, the slave of , niylovers" Baba has many ̂ lovers and-' Centresspreading his messages in.foreign countries.During, his tours he gave interviews topeople ' in all walks of life., satisfyingtheir longings by appealing to their heartswith his Divine Love. . .

THE MEHER BABA UNIVERSAL SPIRITUAL CENTRE ;On . Sunday, the 17th December 1939, ■ AvatarMeher Baba laid: foundation for The MeherBaba Universal Spiritual Centre, . atByramangala,. 22 miles (35 Kms) fromBangalore. On that Suspicious day Baba' waswearing a brick red colour coat and a whitedhoti. Seateg on a stool made of greygranite stone He turned the earth geventimes with a spade made of seven metals andusing water drawn from Seven Wells andbrought from seven different pi,Sees. Hisdisciples from the East and the West,

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Specially made for the Occasion and cari nowbe seen at Upper Meherabad Study Hall. '

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prominent citizens and over 4,000 personsof the erstwhile; Mysore state . havewitnessed the great function for which theChief Quest was , Amin-ul-Mulk, Sir MirzaIsmail Sahib, the then Pewan of erstwhileMysore State> Nine out of the twelve ro.omsof . the very first circle were completed in1940 under the direct personal supervisionof Baba and three uptp..the plinth level, .

Heher Babe^ and the Masts : . Prom 193.9 -^Babafocussed, pis attention on the masts. Thedivinely mad are called masts. "Both divinelove and wine are intoxicating and make manforgetful, But :while wine leads to self-obliyion, .divine love: leads to Self-Knowiedge". In the case qf. masts, theirstate of mental, imbalance is due to theirpowerful ;Ur9®!.-^d t®9lloe .Qod. They must bedifferentiated from ordinary mad njen in whomthe, derangement is always due to some non-spiritual : reason. Baba being ominiscient.,krrew the true cause of, the unusual mentalstate of the masts, By his Ipve he gave themasts effective guidance and a spiritualpush which facilitated their enward march onthe, path of ; self--realization. The mastbeing drowned in ecstasy is completelyindifferent ta his own body or to the,surrounding physical, conditions of life.Baba'a contact with these masts is not onlyto balance their consciousness, but toawaken them to the wider responsibilitieswhich they must assume in the stupendoustask of universal quickening of

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spirituality. Baba had several mast ashramsin India. Baba had been on strenuous mast

tours to almost every corner of India.These tours are not easy things, what withthe tramping on foot acrbss arid sands,through dark forests, over mountain andvalley, riding on camels, mules,ponies,asses, bumiJing over mile after mile ofpurgatorial tracks in buHock carts" andtongas, enduring nights and days in dustyand sweaty turmoil of over-ctowded thirdclass railway carriages etc. Roughly, Babatravelled 75,000 miles on these tours. ̂

New -Life phase : From the 16th of October1949, Baba entered the New Life phase which'ended on 31st January 1952. Baba said thatGod had willed' for him several phases duringhis life time. The pre-realization drdinarystatej i.e. his dhildhodd until the timewhen Baba Jan kissed him.'Then-the ■ second,the old life state of realized divinity i.e.from the time he realized in 19T4 till heentered- the New Life phase hn 16th October1949. Then the NeW'Life state of perfecthumility and intensivs seeking of God as'Truth through the achievement of ' Man-o-nashi.e. .annihilation of the limiting'mind. Theperfect masters enact their roles, but theAvatar becomes the part he plays, for burunveiling. Thus Baba in his New Life playedthe role of an aspirant with' all "humilityand weakness, searching for the goal by-annihilating the mind. When this was done,he abided in the knowledge, strength, and

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greatness of the old life retaining at thesame time the ignorance and humility of theNew Life. Thus he began to play the role ofHimself and us at the same time, the life ofthe Master and Servant simultaneously.

Fteher'Babe and miracles ; Baba said, "On thebasis of my divine honesty I tell you thatin this incarnation till now I have notconsciously' performed even a single miracle.By attributing miracles to me, people makeme very cheap and. lower my status of >theHighest of the High., The moment I break mysilence and utter the Original Word, thefirst and last miracle of Baba in this* lifewill be. performed^ When I- perform thatmiracle, I won't, raise the dead,, but I willmake those who, live for the. world dead tothe . world and live in God. I won't givesight to the blind, but make people blind to-illusion and make them see God as Reality".Baba said "Miracles are small; illusions in.the great illusion , called . the wdrld".Though Baba said that.he does not performmiracles, yet innumerable, miracles are beingexperienced,silently by his lovers every dayall over the world .becauae of their intensefaith and. deep love for Baba.

Meher Baba's universal suffering Baba metwith , a car accident in 1952 in the U.S.A.and another in. India in 1956, therabyfracturing his limbs. Even during suchcritical periods not a word escaped from hislips. Regarding the suffering that an

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Avatar undergoes voluntarily:, Baba had said,"I suffer for the whole universe,. I mustsuffer infinitely,, unless I suffer how couldI ask my lovers to suffer for others". "Iam continuously crucified and continuouslytaking birth". "Ordinary man suffers forhimself, masters suffer for humanity,whereas the Avatar suffers for one and allbeings and things". Baba said, "Nobodysuffers in vain for true freedom isspiritual, freedom, and suffering is a laddertowards it. Man. unknowingly suffers forGod and God .knowingly suffers for man".The two car accidents were only examples ofBaba's suffering in the gross form. He alsosuffered infinitely. How ? As God, theAvatar sees all souls as,his own. He seeshimself in everything. He knows himself tobe one with all the other souls in bondage.Although he knows himself^to be identicalwith God and is thus eternally free, he alsoknows himself to be one with all souls inbondage and is thus vicariously bound; andthough he constsntly experiences the Eternalbliss of God-realisation, he alsovicariously experiences suffering owing tothe bondage of other souls whom he knows tobe his own forms. This is the meaning OfChrist's crucifixion. The Avatar suffersfor the atonement of the sins of humanity.Cycle after cycle he^ returns inorder tosuffer for us out of his unbouncjed love for■us,

Nshsr isba/S Seqlusions ; iaba often went

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into seclusion. This did not mean hidingoneself from others. God-realization

involves annihilation of the false and thechanging; it is experiencing God as the onlyReality. This is the true meaning ofseclusion of the soul,wherein it does notget mixed up with any shadows or- unrealitywhatsoever.. Thus every person who hasattained self-realization is permanently inseclusion. The seclusions in which Baba

entered from time to time . were importantfrom, the point of view of'work, which he hadto do in this world for • humanity^. Duringthese periods he intensified his internalwork-i The only time Baba directly disclosedthe nature and object of -his work inaeclusion was when he retired into the caye

of St. Francis at Assisi in Italy. Hesaid-, . ."A meeting was held when all thesaints and masters from the 6th and 7thplanes of consciousness saw me and we mappedout the spiritual destiny of the world forthe next two thousand" years". Often, duringaeclusion, Baba fasted, sometimes takingliquids and. sometitnes without any nutritionat all for many days. The internal workdone by him during these seclusions is knownonly to himi "

The Avatar ''8 Descant : Baba said ■ that ineach age (65 to 125 years) there are onlyfive Perfect Maatera, i.e. those who haveattained Self-realization and who can helpothers tp get ■ Self-realization. There areonly 7000 persons ae members of the

functioning spiritual heiratchy. Theseinclude the persons on the subtle and mentalplanes and the five Perfect Masters. Thus,most persons; who pose as saints are. notgenuinely advanced souls. Miraclesperformed by >any such person is not thecriterion of his stalnthood as people of theplanes who have not attained " God-realization can also perform miracles. Atthe end of eleven ages i.e;' '700 to T400years, -also called a cycle, the PerfectMasters of the time precipitate, the adventof God in human form. God then descends in

the human form and he is called an Avatar iProphet or Messiah. Baba said, "Regardlessof the doubts or convictions people mayhave, I continue : to come, as : the Avatarbecause of the infinite love I bear for oneand all. Though Judged time and again byhumanity in its ignorance, I come to helpman distinguish the rSal from the false".'

When the greatest of all says, "I am' thegreatest", it is only a spontaneousexpression of an infallible truth. The'strength of his greatness does not lie inthe , raising of the dead, but ih 'his greathumiliation when he allows himeself to beridiculed, persecuted, and crucified bythose who are weak ih flesh end spirit.Throughout the ages humanity has failed toguage the true depths of humility underlyingthe 'greatness of the Avatar* They judge hisdivinity by. their own >limited standardsacguired from the religions,

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Even ceal saints;; and sages"who have • someknowledge of ■. 'fTr.uth, have' ■ failed tounderstand the Avatar's greatness when fadedwith . his - real humility.' BabS Was nob asaint ,sadhob j mahatma, wali J' peer • or asatpurusha*. He iS' the Highest of the Highi.'e.- God incarnate. Baba has often saidj'"I am , the God of all Gods. I 'am" SakshStRarmatmS. I am theriAncient One. ' Mo ' amountofi^slander can affect or change me, nor artyamount . of :.admiration .or praise enhance rnydivinity;' . - fiaba is what he is"I' Baba'. sai^/"If I am the Highest of the High.my-will■ islaw, my wishes govern the law and my lovesustains the universe, rThen your" appafentcalamities and' transient' sdf ferings' aie onlythe. outcome. ' of .iny -love 'for the'":rultimategood.' Theref'ore. to; approach' ute fordeliverance ifrom predicaments and to iexpectme to, satisfy worldy desires would .. 'beasking- me to do . the impossible"': td undo ; whatI have already ordained"; -H: ■' .

The' ' Ghal oif tife ': God'-^reaMization is thS'very, .goal fof ali i creatiqrt. "All earthlypleasures howsoever • great, -are • but ' .afleetdrig shadow of the Eternal Bliss of God-^;r,e.alization>| " all .mundane"; " know'ledgeyhowsoever cQmprehensive, is but a ; distortedreflection of - the ..Absolute truth of- ; Gdd.-realizationj : all human might.,- ■ howsoever:imposing, is but a fragment'of;, the Infinitepower of Gpd.^reaiizatidn. -All that -isnoble, beautiful, and lovelyj., all that isgreat, and. gpqdr. and in'spiring in - ' the

universe, is just an infinitesimal fractionof the unfading and unspeakable Glory ofGod-^realization. Unless and .until man stopsseeking escape from his ultimate destinationby losing himself in the childish play ofillusory pleasures, he cannot . graspspirituality seriously. It is time to stopplaying with the scintillating toys ofillusion and yearn for the attainment of theone and only Reality. Only in the humanform is it possible for life to attain itsfinal goal. Hence the supreme importance ofattaining the human body".

Neher-Baba's message of love : Baba said youmay follow any religion you like but followits innermost principles. Do not mock- it byadopting the. conventional husk of religionand. ignoring the underlying Truth. Tochange our outward religion for another islike going from one cage to another. Eithercross the boundary of shariat (rituals) andenter the tarikat (the spiritual path) orremain within the cage of the creed of yourbirth. -Baba said, "I belong to no religion.Every, religion belongs to me. My ownpereonal religion: is of my being the AncientInfinite One and the religion I teach to allia, love for God'".- This is the core of allreligions - Love God. "God does not listento the language of the tongue and its japs,mantras, devotional songs and so orl. Hedoes not listen to the language of the mindand its routine meditations, concentrations,and thoughts about God. He only listens to

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the language of the heart and its message oflove, which needs no ceremony or show, onlysilent devotion for the 'Beloved". Torealise God we must love him, losingourselves in his Infinite Self. We can love

God ' by surrendering to the Perfect Mastersor the Avatar, who is God's personalmanifestation. We can love God by lovingour fellow beings, by giving them happinessat" the cost bf our own happiness, byrendering them service while sacrificing our.own interests, and by dedicating our livesat the altar of selfless Work. When we IbyeGod intensely through any of these channels,we finally know him to be our own Self, thetrinkets of this'world cahhot tempt the truelover. He does not feel the appetites ofsensual pleasures,'and ca'hnot enjoy soundsleep. He resembles a fish just tOken outOf water. He is restless until he is unitedwith the Divine Beloved,. God is to be lovedarid not feared. " "To have one eye glued Onthe delightful pleasures of the flesh andalso expect to see a spark of etetnal blissWith' the other is not only impossible, butthe height of hypocrisy. All prayers with amotive fall short of the ideal prayer whichis without motive. In its highest formprayer leaves no rOom for the illusoryduality of the lover and the Beloved. LoVenot the many in the One, but the One.in themany. To love Baba is to love all; tp loveall is not to love Baba; to love Baba in allis to love Baba. "To love God as he oughtto be loved, we must live for God and diS

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for God"-r ,

Meher Baba's message of Truth':, The soul isdeeply ensnared, in the ignorance , ofbelieving itself to be the physical bpdy dueto the sanskaras, and thus .its knowledgeget.s , restricted to that which is found insense perqeptipn- But such knowledge is, infact i quite inadequate,and even misleadingin respect of the true nature of Reality.The manifold world of sense perception (withits duality, of subject and object) is .false,though., it seems to be quite real to thosewhose ...understanding is vitiated byidentifj-cation with the body. From.,theppint of view of the highest and- the onlyTruth, God. alone-is" real and is ope eternai,,indivisible and unlimited being. To realisethis .. necessarily requires thepomplete ,surrenderance of the . .falseindividuality of the separate I. "Allseparateness and duality is pnly, illusion-We are all parts of one life and as. such,brotherhood is npt something which is to. bebrought into e:><istence by laborioCis efforts,.but .it is the supreme fact which claims, ourrecognition- , ' ..

In the illusory faeginhi.ng of time, there wasno such state, of mess in illusion as thereis today. When the evolution . ofconsciousness began, there was orienessinspite of diversity in illusion. With^ thegrowth of consciousness, manyness also went•on increasing, until now it is about to

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overlap the limit. Like the wave thatreaches its crest, this height" of manynesswill,dissolve itself and bring the; beginningof oneness in illusion. Suffering at itsheight, will cause the destruction of theclimax of manyness in illusion.

To ..affirm religious faith.s, to • reestablishsocieties or to hold qonferencps will ; neverbring about the feeling of unity and onenessin. the life of mankind 'now; completelyabsorbed in the manyness of illusion. Unityin.the midst of diversity, can,be made to befelt only by touching-the very core of theheart. Baba said, "That is the, work ;forwhich -I have come. I have come to sow * theseed of love in your .hearts so. thqt inspiteof all superficial diversity which your lifein illusion must experiencp andrendure,, thefeeling-of onenessj through lovej is broughtabqut amongst all the nations:, creeds,sects,and castes o.f the v/orId. In order tobring this about^ I am preparing to break mysilince". ' ;

The ' Truth is beyond all sects, greeds, ororganised■ religions .which are shadows castby different formulations of the one Truth.The, spiritual work of Meher. Baba willtherefore be npn-sectarian and comprehensiveijn, its-scope. He, will give not a new sector religion, but a fresh .and, directperception of the Eternal, and only Truth ofwhich all the great. wprld religions arerevelation's. Through , his .inspiring contact

24

with his Eastern arid Western lovers, he hasbuilt up a foundation for the edifice of aNew Humanity which will be illuminated by asense of Unity of all life, and which willbe animated by Self-giving and creativelove.

Meher Baba's supreme method of helpingstruggling humanity in its onward march isthat of awakening the divinity in mari .byimparting direct perception of the Truth.The beautiful and divine love which flowsfrom him - brings about the spiritualresurrection of all who are its recipients.Meher Baba^s discourses have beenpublished, but he has come not to give baretheory, but a new life-impulse to humanityas a whole. The true vision of the Truthwhich Meher Baba brings will initiate man tothe undivided and limitless life in Eternityby unlocking in his heart an undying springof love and by reclaiming him for thecreative expression of the Infinite Divinitywhich is latent in him.

Surrenderance : Of all the high roads whichtake the pilgrim directly to his divinedestination, the quickest lies through theGod man or the Avatai^. In the God man, Godreveals himself in all his glory with hisinfinite power, unfathomable knowledgeinexpressible bliss arid eternal existence.When one loves a Perfect Master or anAyatar, one longs to serve him, toSurrender to his will and to obey him whole-

25

heartedly. Baba said, "I am;for the selectfew who, scattered among the crowd, silentlysurrender to me their all-rbody, njind, . andpossessions" Baba said, "Seek, not." to.possess anything:, but to,. surrendereverything. Be resigned completely to mywill and my will will be yours". "Loseyourself in Baba and you will find that youeternaMy were baba".. "Renounce everythingto such . an .extent that- you eventuallyrenounce evan ." renunciation". "Do not askfor union with God, .and . . .do not .bewailseparation.. Seek only, the will. of theBeloved'l. Thus Baba stresses ithatsurrenderancei means TOOSd obedience. ' '".Thebeginning of real love is obedience and thehighest aspect of this love which surpasses'that of love i"tself is .the aspect thatculminates into, the perfect bbediencei orSupremel resignation to the will and wish ofthe Beloved".. Complete, obedience is likebecoming dust . , Dust has no thought of itsown, whether it is trampled1 upon, or appliedto the ~ forehead ...of', a ' Juan, • >or • remainssuspended in air-or water j it is one and thesamb to-it. ■ ■

tfeher Babe's Call : How ar.e we to inducepeople .. to give up their lust and greed • andselfishness 7 How can we persuade.them v toshed their separative narrowness and enterinto the,limitless life of the Truth?. Howare we' to lead them, to the abiding peacethat blesseth all'who are pure . and wise?The Divine"Call, which shall wean man away

from the surging passions of the egolifemust go home to them and awaken theirHighest Self. When their hearts are failingon the path of righteousness, the call- mustgive them strength,and when their steps are•moving away from, this path, it must bringthem back. The call must be much more thanclaiming man for some noble principles; itmust be a living appeal' from the very,- heartof Divinity to the .very inmost being of man.To bewildered humanity this Divine Call hasalready bben given by Avatar Meher Baba - -.."Come all unto Me". Let us hearken to hisoall and let our parched hearts taste of thepure waters , of the Eternal^Life- which hebrings. . , • ^ :

Meher Baba's Tomb : Meher Baba stoppedgiving public darshan fronv 1965. Heremained in seclusion doing his. intpynalwork for humanity at large till he droppedhis body on the 31st January 1969. His Tombstahds at meherabad.. where thousands of;piigr.ims come each year to pay homage to theBeloved of their hearts» Meher Baba was aMaster of service for suffering humanity-,he suffered all his life so that we may besaved in His love. Blessed are they whorecognised him as God in . human form andloved him and surrendered their all to him.There are many who shall always love Babaand cherish his memories till they breathetheir last. For those who are united inlove, know no separation. Emerson hasrightly, said, "He to whom God is ahf ever

27

present Reality, need hot cdurit on hiscompany". The Tomb serves as a source ofinspiration and radiates Meher Baba's 'iove^The' true lover loves Baba for love's - sake.These true lovers shall keep-'the banner ofhis ndme ever unfurled and aloft by -theirunflickering zeal and' faith. -They will livefor Baba-and did for Baba. Even after theirdeath, their blood shall'wi^ite oh the sandsof time that Meher Baba was God in humanform. ' ' ■

• i' ■!

MESSAGES OF AVATAR MEHER BABA " '

1. I WAS RAMA,. I WAS^KRISHNAi 'I WAS-' THIS■ ̂ ' ONE, I -WAS THAT' ONE,' AND NOW- I' AM teHE^

■ ■^BABA'. ' ' ■ -2. ' The prayer Goel hear^ is-the • pra^ of

the heart, that au'fferihg-of the • ' 'heartis what God pays'attantioh to "...

3i I have come to sow ths'' seed^'of lovS inyour hearts

4. ' To'Love God'in the'moot practical way Isto lovfe our fellow beings.

5; a) "Every heart is' iTiy Temple".b) "The real -Uhtouchables are'-^ those whocannot anter thetemple of •theiT^ ownheSrts and see thb'Lord therein''.

6. "The uhtold Infihit'e:Treasure^is within-you. The only probiem is that you donot sSek it within you. Vdu- 'lookwithout.

7» Do not seek material pleasure and youwill find the.spiritual treasure.

8. Seek the kingdom of Heaven by notseeking, the kingdom of Earth, and youwill find it.

9. Out of millions only one loyes God, andout of millions;of , lover?, only onesucceeds in. obeying and finally, insurrendering, his whole being to God theBeloved.

10. The human form is the best of allphysical forms, it is the only form inwhich God can be realized, and until Godis realized the Soul must continue withbirths and deaths.

IT. The Source of eternal bliss is the Selfin all. The cause of perpetual miseryis the selfishness of all. .« •

12. Be content with your lot, whether richor poor, happy or miserable. Understandthat God has designed it for your owngood and be resigned to His Will.

13. We cannot witness even the Hhreshhold'of the Divine path until we hayeconquered greed, anger and lust.

14. Whether men soar to outer space or diyeto the bottom of the-deepest oceap, theywill find themselves as theyij are,

. unqhanged, because they will not haveforgotten themselves nor remembered toexcercise the charity of forgiveness.

15^ You can own the world without beingattached to it so long as you donotallow yourself to be owned by any partof it.

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THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER

0 PARVARDIGAR - the Presetver and Protector

of All!

You are without Beginning, and without End;Non-dual, beyond Comparison; and none can

measure You.

Your are without color, without expression,without form, aiid without attributes.

You are unlimited and unfathomable,- beyondimagination and conception; Elernal andImperishable.'

You are Indivisible; and none can see You,but with eyes Divine.

You, always were. You always are,and Youalways will be;

You are everywhere. You are in everything;and You are also beyond everywhere; andbeyond everything.

Yoti are In the firmament and in the depths.You are manifest and unmanifest; on allplanes,and beyond all planes.

You are in the three worlds, and also beyondthe three worlds;

You are Imperceptible and Independent.You are the Creator, the Lord of lords, the

Knower of all minds and hearts; You areOmnipotent and Omnipresent.

You are Knowledge Infinite, Power Infinite,and Bliss Infinite.

You are the Ocean of Knowledge, All-■ Knowing, Infinitely (lowing; the Knowerof the past, the present and the future,and You are - Knowledge itself.

You are All-Merciful and eternally Benevolent;

30

You are the Spyl of souls, the One withinfinite attributes.

You are the trinity of Truth, Knowledge, andBliss;

You are the Source .of Truth,.the, Ocean ofLove; - ; • ,

You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the. High; You are Prabhu and Parameshwar ;

You are , the Beyond-God, and the Beyond-. .. Beyond God fiso; You are P^abrahroa ;

Paraihatma; Allah; Elahi; Yezdan;Ahuramazda; and God the Beloved.

Ypu are named Ezad.: the only One worthy _ ofworship.

- dictated by Meher Baba. ; 13;8,1953 .

(From • "Glimpses of the God-Man, Meher Bababy Bal Natu Vol. IV, .1984, P, .94-95).

THE PRAyER OF REPENTANCE

We repent, 0, God most merciful, for allour. sins, for every thought that was,, falseor unjust or unclean; fqr every word spokenthat ought not tq have been spoken; forevery deed done that ought not to have beendone.

We repent for^very deed and word andthoufht inspiired by selfishness and forevery deed and word and thought inspired byhatred.

31

We repent most speciialiy for everylustful thought and every,.lustful> action,for every lie, for all hypocrisy, for everypromise given but.not fulfilled and for all,slander and back biting.

Most specially,also we repent for everyaction that has brought ruin,to others, forevery word and deed that has ■ given ,otherspain,.and for every wish that, pain shouldbefall others..

In .,ypur unbounded mercy we ask -you toforgive us . P Gpdj ^ -for all these sinscommitted by U8., and to. forgive us for purconstant faiiures to think and speak and actaccording to your Will. Amen*

; -dictated by Meher Baba(8.11.1,952)

(From- "The Glimpses: of the God-Man,. MeherBaba" by Bal Natu Vol.Ill, 1982:, P. 180-181)

■ ^ " * , *• * , ,

LIST OF BOOKS ON MEHER BABA

1. God Speaks by Mpher Baba....; Rs - 255.^002. Love Personified (Phptps).... Rs. 950.003. Lord Meher (Life Story

of Avatar Meher Baba) Vol.I-Rs. 560.00;Vol.ll-Rs. 560.00; Vol.III^Rs. 670.00;Vol.IV-Rs. 670,00 (By Bhau Kalchuri)

4. Discourses by Meher Baba..... Rs, 120.005. Beams from Meher Baba on the - Spiritual

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Panorama by Meher Baba....... Rs. 110.006. Listen, Humanity by Meher Baba Rs. 30.00T. Life at its Best by Meher Baba Rs. 35.008. Everything add the-Nothing

by Meher Baba Rs. 30.009. Darshan hours by Meher Baba Rs. B3.00TO. Glimpses of the God-man, Meher Baba

by Bal Natu Vol. I-Rs. 120/-;Vol. II-Rs. 135/-; Vol. III-Rs. 135/-;Vol. IV-Rs. 135/-; Vol. V-Rs. 150/-.

IT. God-Man by C.B. Purdom RS. T70;00T2. Beloved by Naosherwan Anzar.. Rs. T70.0013. 82 Family letters by Mani S.Irani T50.00T4. Beeause of love by Reno Gayley Rs.765.00T5. How a Master works by Ivy.O.Duce 305.0016. Love alone prevails by Kitty Davy 425.00T7. Ramzoo's diaries by Ramzod Abdulla235.0018. In quest of the face of God

by Lyn ott Rs. 340.0019 i The Wayfarers by William Dohkin 510*0020. Practical Spirituality

by John A* Grant. Rs. 235.0021. Nothing and Everything

by Bhau Kaicburi............. Rs. 240.0022. Avatar of the age manifesting

by Bhdu Kalchuri * • Re • ̂ 00 •23. While the world slept

by Bhau Kalchuri.... ......... Rs. 95.0024. Let's go to Meherabad

by Bhau Kalchuri Rs • 110.0025. Mehera. by Napsherwan Anzar. . . Rs. 630.0026. Just ..to love Him by Adi K. Irani 150.0027. God to Man and Man to God -

by C.B. Purdom. Rs. 120.00(Af0 OTHER BOOKS)

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LIST OF MAGAZINES ON KEHER BABA

1 "GLOW INTERNATIONAL" (English-Quarterly)Meherbani, 22 Chimney Hill,P.O. Chikkabanawara,

BANGALORE - 560 090.Annual Subscription : Rs.45/-

2 "AVATAR MEHER" (Telugu-Monthly)27-15-16, Mudda Subbaiah Street.VIJAYAWADA - 520 002 A.P.Annual Subscription : Rs.20/-Life Subscription : Rs.200/-

3 "MEHER PUKAR" (Hindi-Monthly)Meher Pukar Press Trust, Behind AllhabadBank, Gwaltoli, HAMIRPUR - 210301 U.P.Annual Subscription : Rs.25/—Life Subscription : Rs. 300/-

PUBLICATIONS OF AVATAR MEHER BABATAMIL NADU CENTRE, MADRAS

1. Brief life sketch &Messages of Meher Baba 1.00

2. Prayers & Arties 1.003. Prayers (Telugu) 0.504. Mesages of Avatar Meher Baba(Tamil) 1.005. Life sketch of Avatar

Meher Baba (Tamil) 0.50

6. Life sketch & Messages of AvatarMeher Baba (Malayalam) 1.00

7. Avatar Meher Baba Souvenir,1990 (under print)

8. Meher Baba Calling, Tamil (under print).

LIST OF ADDRESSES WHEREBOOKS ON MEHER BABA

ARE AVAILABLE

1. Meher Nazar Books

Avatar Meher baba PPC Trust, Kings Road,Ahmednagar, 414001.

2. Avatar Meher Baba Poona Centre441/1, Somwarpeth,PUNE - 411011.

3. Avatar Meher Baba Parel CentreArangaon, MEHERABAD P.ODt. Ahmednagar 414001.

4. Avatar Meher Baba Bangalore Centre109 Kalasipalyam Main RoadBANGALORE - 560002.

5. M/s. Fruitomans

M.G. Road, 0pp. Cochin BakeryErnakulam, COCHIN - 682011

6. Avatar Meher Baba Bombay Centre0pp. Minerva Talkies,Lamington Road,Bombay - 400 007

7. Avatar Meher Baba Tamilnadu Centre36, East Mada Street,TiruvanmiyurMADRAS 600 041.

LIST OF ADDRESSES WHEREBOOKS ON MEHER SABA

ARE AVAILABLE

1. Meher Nazar BooksAvatar Meher baba PPC Trust, Kings Road,Ahmednagar, 414001.

2. Avatar Meher Baba Poona Centre441/1, Somwarpeth,PUNE - 411011.

3. Avatar Meher Baba Parel CentreArangaon, MEHERABAD P.ODt. Ahmednagar 414001.

4. Avatar Meher Baba Bangalore Centre109 Kalasipalyam Main RoadBANGALORE - 560002.

5. M/s. FruitorriansM.G. Road, 0pp. Cochin BakeryErnakulam, COCHIN - 682011

6. Avatar Meher Baba Bombay CentreOpp. Minerva Talkies,Lamington Road,Bombay - 400 007 i ; .li

7. Avatar Meher Baba Tamilnadu Centre36, East Mada Street,TiruvanmiyurMADRAS 600 041.

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