Spiritual Rçaxof

* LtCoi.M.S.lrani

THE SPIRITUAL HOAXOF

LT.-CQL. M. S. IRANI

B DR. A. G. MUNS1FF

MEHFR BAJ3A’s disciples are sometimes blamed for theif having

a Publication Committee on the ground that a saint does not

require publication for his teachings. However unfounded this

argument may be, the amusing part is that the disciples are

also blamed almost in the same breath for not contradicting

false reports and rumours concerning their Master and it is

argued vehemently that if false information is not corrected

and published, how are people to know the truth?

The attitude of Meher Baba himself towards opposi

tion has been explained in the recent publication, “Meher

Baba’s Raf of Truth” by his Eastern and Western disciples

(Bangalore Press). His love for his opponents, his extreme

kindness towards them and his great forgiving principles

have baffled even some of his seasoned disciples.

“Meher Baba’s Raj of Truth” was published to place

before the public some facts about the Master, so that mis

conceptions arising out of the activities of a few local ill-

informed persons may be removed. Since then one Lt.-Col.

Irani of Poona visited Bangalore and delivered two lectures

concerning Meher Baba and as they contained a pervert

ed account of certain incidents and writings, we owe it to the

public to explain to them the position and to place before

them facts leaving them to form their own opinion concerning

the question affecting their interest, as to whether they would

be justified in respecting the opinion of Lt.-Colonel Irani

as one of a scientific investigator, actuated by praiseworthy

motives or of one prejudiced, biased and bent upon be

littling the reputation of a great saint for questionable if not

strictly personal reasons,

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In the beginning some people in Bangalore thought thatLt.-CoL Trani had come to tell them frankly of his personal experiences of “pseudo-saints “, but they were soon disillusioned, as will be seen from the remarks of the Mayor ofBangalore, Mr. N. Balakrishnaiya, B.A., LL.B., who presidedat one of the lectures of the Lt.-Colonel. We quote belowthese remarks from the “Daily Post” of Bangalore, dated1st February 1940

“In his concluding remarks the President observed that although the meeting was convened for a lecture by Lt.-Col. Iranion his experiences of’ Pseudo-saints’, the speaker had given thema sarcastic account of Meher Baba only. In his opinion,Lt.-Col. Irani had failed to deal with the subject seriously as wasexpected, but had indulged himself in humour and sarcasm. Mr.Baiakrishnaiya proceeding said that although lie was himself ahard materialist, he was prepared to seriously consider questionsrelating to the spiritual domain provided they were presented inthe serious manner they deserved. He told the audience how theyhad heard only one side of the question relating to Meher Babaand how each one of them should form his own individual opinionafter hearing both sides and obtaining individual experience.

The President proceeded further and pointed out howMeher Baba had clearly declared that, ‘he has come not to teachbut to awaken’ and if this was the case and if he was able toshow the people how to find the ultimate Truth or God, they mayfollow him. He then pointed out how some people declared thttMeher Baba’s claim was not true and how others from theirown experience say that he is a Perfect Master. It was thereforenecessary for all to experience for themselves the truth. In conclusion the President said that some remarks of Lt. -Col. Iranisuggested that the presence of Meher Baba may encourageimmorality, but in his opinion that was a point where the Stateand public could immediately intervene and that therefore therewas no cause for anxiety. The President thanked the speaker forthe critical manner suggested by him.”

The above remarks vividly bring out how the public was

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In the beginning some people in Bangalore thought thatLt.-Col. Irani had come to tell them frankly of his personal experiences of “pseudo-saints “, but they were soon disillusioned, as will be seen from the remarks of the Mayor ofBangalore, Mr. N. Balakrishnaiya, B.A., LL.B., who presidedat one of the lectures of the Lt.-Colonel. We quote belowthese remarks from the “Daily Post” of Bangalore, dated1st February 1940

“In his concluding remarks the President observed that although the meeting was convened for a lecture by Lt. -Col. Iranion his experiences of’ Pseudo-saints’, the speaker had given thema sarcastic account of Meher Baba only. In his opinion,Lt.-Col. Irani had failed to deal with the subject seriously as wasexpected, but had indulged himself in humour and sarcasm. Mr.Balakrishnaiya proceeding said that although he was himself ahard materialist, he was prepared to seriously consider questionsrelating to the spiritual domain provided they were presented inthe serious manner they deserved. He told the audience how theyhad heard only one side of the question relating to Meher Babaand how each one of them should form his own individual opinionafter hearing both sides and obtaining individual experience.

The President proceeded further and pointed but howMeher Baba had clearly declared that, ‘he has come not to teachbut to awaken’ and if this was the case and if he was able toshow the people how to find the ultimate Truth or God, they mayfollow him. He then pointed out how some people declared thitMeher Baba’s claim was not true and how others from theirown experience say that he is a Perfect Master. It was thereforenecessary for all to experience for themselves the truth. In conclusion the President said that some remarks of Lt.-Col. Iranisuggested that the presence of Meher Baba may encourageimmorality, but in his opinion that was a point where the Stateand public could immediately intervene and that therefore therewas no cause for anxiety. The President thanked the speaker forthe critical manner suggested by him.”

The above remarks vividly bring out how the public wets

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attracted by a catchy title of the lecture “My experiences ofpseudo-saints,” and what they felt when they had to listento a distorted and perverted account of a holy personalitygiven by a prejudiced speaker. The lecturer claimed himselfto be a scientific man habituated to investigate matters in ascientific way. But the above remarks of the President willleave none in doubt about the nature of his “scientific” orrather pseudo-scientific method. His admission in one of hislectures that his “personal experience” may be contradictedshows how diffident he is about it. We will presently see theobvious reason for this confession on the part of the lecturer.

In his first lecture he devoted a negligible fraction of thetime to give an account of two or three other persons probably to justify the title of his speech, but even then he triedto connect them directly with .Meher Baba. In the secondspeech he probably forgot to use the device and throughoutindulged in what the President of the meeting described as a“sarcastic account of Meher Baba only “. Would asincere scientific investigator actuated by dignified motives, tryto hoodwink the public in such a manner?

Scientific investigation means examining all the relevantpoints both in favour as well as against a cause in a frankmanner. In the present case the Lt.-Colonel contented himself by merely reading out those passages, from some of thebooks of Meher Baba’s disciples, which he could misconstrue to suit his purpose. He did not read out or referto any of the numerous beautiful writings concerning the realand laudable teachings of Meher Baba. The point arisesas to why this one-sided or in other words “pseudo-scientificmethod” was adopted to deal with the question if the intention was really to put before the public the pros and consof the problem to enable them to form their own opinion.It is a point which cannot be overlooked while judging themotives of the lecturer.

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It is not necessary in this pamphlet to deal with the

question of the long personal relations of the family of

Lt.-Colonel Irani with Meher Baba. But for reasons of

public interest already referred to it is sufficient to say that

some of his dear and near relatives are staunch followers of

Meher Baba for a very long time. It will also interest

the readers to know that although Lt.-Col. Irani wanted the

audience in the beginning to believe that he had personal

knowledge of Meher Baba, he was later forced to admit

that he never had even an interview with him.

A scientific investigator, if he were a real seeker after

Truth, would not hesitate to go to the other end of the

world, if necessary, to find out the Truth. Why the Lt.-Col.

who says that he has investigated Meher Baba’s claim for

the last twenty years has not even met him although people

who are considered authorities in spiritual matters (and not

self-styled specialists in saints) have written so laudably about

Meher Baba (see “Meher Baba’s Raj of Truth” in which

some extracts from the writings of a number of great men

who have met Meher Baba are given).

Is the argument tenable that the Lt.-Colonel would not

see Meher Baba because he does not speak and uses an

alphabet board to convey his thoughts? It is a well-known

fact that Meher Baba has been observing silence for spiritual

reasons from 1925. How easy it is to follow him on the

board, as there is always an attendant to read it for the

visitors, is known to all who have seen him in different parts

of the world. Besides would a scientific man assume that it

is really absurd to follow Baba on the board easily without

verifying the fact himself? Could it be on the other hand

probable that the unfortunate “scientific investigator” may

have other private or inconvenient reasons for not approach

ing Meher Baba and getting first-hand information before

belittling him?

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It is not necessary in this pamphlet to deal with the

question of the long personal relations of the family of

Lt.-Colonel Irani with Meher Baba. But for reasons of

public interest already referred to it is sufficient to say that

some of his dear and near relatives are staunch followers of

Meher Baba for a very long time. It will also interest

the readers to know that although Lt.-Col. Irani wanted the

audience in the beginning to believe that he had personal

knowledge of Meher Baba, he was later forced to admit

that he never had even an interview with him.

A scientific investigator, if he were a real seeker after

Truth, would not hesitate to go to the other end of the

world, if necessary, to find out the Truth. Why the Lt.-Col.

who says that he has investigated Meher Baba’s claim for

the last twenty years has not even met him although people

who are considered authorities in spiritual matters (and not

self-styled specialists in saints) have written so laudably about

Meher Baba (see “Meher Baba’s Raf of Truth” in which

some extracts from the writings of a number of great men

who have met Meher Baba are given).

Is the argument tenable that the Lt.-Colonel would not

see Meher Baba because he does not speak and uses an

alphabet board to convey his thoughts? It is a well-known

fact that Meher Baba has been observing silence for spiritual

reasons from 1925. How easy it is to follow him on the

board, as there is always an attendant to read it for the

visitors, is known to all who have seen him in different parts

of the world. Besides would a scientific man assume that it

is really absurd to follow Baba on the board easily without

verifying the fact himself? Could it be on the other hand

probable that the unfortunate “scientific investigator” may

have other private or inconvenient reasons for not approach

ing Meher Baba and getting first-hand information before

belittling him?

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Before we leave the question of motives referred to above,a very significant incident may be described. Some of thelocal Parsis thought that as the Lt.-Colonel had come allthe way from Poona, he might really have been promptedby humanitarian motives in the matter. With a view to takeadvantage of his solicited or unsolicited presence and to clearup doubtful points, if any, abOut Meher Baba, they presentedan application to the President of the first meeting, requestinghim to tell the Lt.-Colonel to agree to attend a small committee of leading citizens to thrash out all the points. TheParsis inquired of Meher Baba whether he would agreeto send his representatives to such a committee to explainmatters and Meher Baba gave the most willing consentadding that he was always happy to remove ignorance. Surprising as it may sound, the Lt.-Colonel did not accept thisopen and most frank offer to arrive at truth saying that hehad no time. Probably the Lt.-Colonel was conscious of thefact that it would have been very inconvenient for him if thecommittee had dismissed his allegations as market-placehumour and sarcasm as the President of one of his lecturesactually did. It was on the other hand so• easy tO give aprejudiced account to an audience taken by surprise and topack off soon after.

We will presently consider almost all controversial pointsraised by Lt.-Colonel Irani in his two lectures. The first lectureat the Cantonment Y. M. C. A. was attended by about 150persons including about half a dozen Parsis (as per correctedreport in the “Daily Post” of Bangalore, dated 12—2—1940).The second lecture at the City Y. M. C. A. was attended byabout 250 persons with about four Parsis. Why theY. M. C. A. halls were chosen in preference to the TownHall and Kothari Hall (for Parsis) for his lectures, theLt.-Colonel himself knows. Perhaps he expected to rousea greater response or rather resentment in a Christian

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atmosphere over the use of the word “Messiah” in connectionwith a saint of India. In this the Lt.-Colonel was not farwrong in his surmise. Even as an avowed Zoroastrian, hetacitly allowed his Prophet Zoroaster to lose ground to JesusChrist, out of gratitude to the English clergyman—the President of the lecture—when the latter affirmed that Jesus wasand is the only “Messiah” and Saviour of the world. Itwas merely a question of give and take and none regrets it—much less the Lt.-Colonel. He was out to dislodge one“Messiah” and he did not mind losing his own in the bargain.

The following points formed the main plank of theLt.-Colonel’s two lectures consisting mostly of allegations,insinuations, affirmations and postulations and they arerearranged as far as possible in his own language for thepurpose of our answer.

Lt.-Colonel Irani said(a) “I was wondering why a philosophic ruler like that of

Mysore, his able ministers and enlightened people should objectto such laudable activity (of Meher Baba) in the State at a timewhen there was bloodshed in the world and nations were out todestroy one another. Prophets have come and gone but havefailed to bring peace and happiness in the world.”

Explanation.—

Apart from the ironical tone of the statement, what fundof first-hand knowledge and information it supplies! Alittle propaganda by a few ill-informed or misguided peopleis exaggerated out of all proportions to convey to the publicat large that it is a State-wide agitation. After all whyshould the State feel concerned about Meher Baba whoseonly ‘fault’ is that he takes the name of God and claims toteach people how to take the name of God to realize God?

Perhaps to the Lt.-Colonel this activity of Meher Babais not the fashion of the day, as suspected by the Sufi poet,Akbar Allahabadi, who said

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“My rivals have filed complaints in police courts,

That I dare to take the name of God in these times.”

The fact is that the State never took any objection to the

establishrnent of Meher Baba’s Universal Spiritual Centre

but even sold land to him for the purpose. A few ill-informed

people tried to make an agitation and the Lt.-Colonel himself

wrote to a local advocate saying that he would visit Bangalore

if he were invited by His Highness the Maharaja or the

Divansahib. The authorities however knew all the facts and

the Colonel was never invited by them. The point to be

noted further is that although the Lt.-Colonel did not receive

the tall invitation he came over to the State for “sight seeing”

and “incidentally to give a talk to the people on his ex

periences of pseudo-saints” or perhaps he thought it

worthwhile to accept an invitation from a much humbler

source for reasons best known to himself.

As for the historical importance and implication of the

statement “Prophets have come and gone but have failed to

bring peace and happiness in the world,” we leave it to the

protagonists of different religions to appraise it for what it

is worth. To us the statement reeks of ignorance in matters

connected with prophets and the circumstances necessitatingtheir appearance on earth.

The Lt.-Colonel said further

(b) “In the last census report, half a million people in india:are classed as saints. They are a burden and a great loss to thecountry. What good do they do to the country? Very fewpeople investigate what these people do.”

Explanation.—

By “saints” the Lt.-Colonel evidently means the sadhus.This sweeping statement is rather a direct challenge to ShriShankaracharya of, Jyotirmath, who gave out in the courseof his discussion during his visit to Meher Baba’s Ashram atMeherabad, Ahmednagar, that he had under his command

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thousands of sadhus near about the Himalayas. He emphati

cally maintained that all along throughout history, it is the

sadhus, who have won or established temporal power on

earth. The political agitators are mere puppets in their hands.

This question of sadhus had better be referred to Shri

Shankaracharya in charge of the Northern division of Hindu

India.

When the Lt.-Colonel questioned the utility of sadhus

in general without qualification, the audience laughed and did

not ask the question as to what utility a demobilised Lt.-

Colonel had for the world. Isn’t it a laudable quality that

the real sadhus retire within themselves and refuse to gather

about them the superfluities of life, consequently• occupying:

as little space as possible on God’s earth; thereby enabling

others directly or indirectly to scrape a decent living?

There is a parable of Scriptures which says that Moses

was one day seated holding communion with his God. A.

lizard happened to trickle out a few drops of water on his

body, which disturbed Moses’ meditation. Being annoyed he-

said, “0 God, why have you created this meaninglesscreature

the lizard, what useful purpose does it serve ?“ God replied,.

“0 Moses, this lizard also is daily pestering me with a

similar question, as to why I created Moses ; what disease

is Moses a remedy for ?“

The Lt.-Colonel would perhaps justify his existence, with

his ‘butter and jam’ philosophy as against sadhus symbolising

the spirit of renunciation which is not for weaklings to

emulate.

The Lt.-Colonel further said

(c) “Mahatmas do not go about from place to place. They

do not open schools or Ashrarns. They do not publish books and

they do not like publicity. There are many advanced souls.

amongst us ; they do not have flower garlands or halos in their

photographs.”

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Explanation.—

Now here is something “scientifically” new for everyone of us, even for the Mahatmas. The Lt.-Colonel in hiszeal forgot the spiritual atmosphere of India as typified inthe thousand and one Ashranzs, Khanqas and Mathasthroughout the length and breadth of the land. TheRaniakrishana Ashram has got its branches throughout theworld and the Khanqas of the Muslims are noted for givingreligious, spiritual and secular education as well. Did SwamiVivekananda and Swami Ramatirtha indulge in cheap publicity by writing books and delivering lectures throughout theworld? According to the Lt.-Colonel’s logic, all thoseresponsible for the spiritual and religious literature thatthe world possesses to-day, were not Mahatmas becauseMahatmas ought not to write and publish books.

The devotees and bhaktas should beware lest they overdoa good thing, out of faith and devotion .to their Master, because according to the Lt.-Colonel Shri Krishna loses Avatar-ship by being painted with garlands round his neck andZoroaster and Christ jeopardise their prophethood byhaving halos round their heads.

The Lt.-Colonel’s discussion about what MaI’iatmas likeor dislike is ludicrous rather than serious. He should knowthat they like simple faith and heart being expressed in anyform rather than an intellectual head believing in nothingexcept its own ego. Numerous specific instances of Masters,their writings, lectures, travels and their institutions wouldtake a volume to describe which is not possible in this smallsymposium. The argument therefore that Mahatinas do nottravel, they do not have Ashiarns and schools and do notpublish books, has little weight.

Meher Baba’s extensive travels and frequent tours indifferent parts of the world as well as his establishment ofAshrams at different places have the obvious significance of

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awakening people spiritually and of keeping them linked to

his great mission. Even after coming to Bangalore he has

made two trips in Southern India including Cape Camorin..

He will be again out on tour from the beginning of April l94O

with about thirty of his disciples and will be at his Meherabad

(Ahmednagar) head-quarters for a few months. The accounts

of the various tours and travels of Meher Baba have been given

in different publications by his disciples and the reader inter

ested in the subject may find the list of publications given in

the concluding part of this pamphlet to be illustrative.

The Lt.-Colonel said

(d) “Strange as it may sound, there is always a great follow

ing for these ‘pseudo-saints’. Human beings are of two types—

the credulous people whose judgment and mental faculties are

paralysed and liable to be fooled for all times ; and the milder type

who are taken in for some time only and they secede very soon.’

Explanation.—

Being confronted with the problem that Meher Baba

has a large and distinguished following in India and the

West, the Lt.-Colonel tries to explain away the fact by saying

that all “pseudo-saints” have a large following. He never

cited a single example of any other “pseudo-saint” having

a large following to-day and yet remaining unexposed even

after a vilification propaganda of twenty years.

We agree with the Lt.-Colonel that “one cannot fool all

the people all the time.” Is not a period of twenty years

long enough to expose Meher Baba for all times to come?

But here is Meher Baba before the world, going on as

unconcernedly as before. One falsehood after another drops off

of itself. He lives on, and every day he lives a volume of refu

tation to his slanderers. In “Mèher Baba’s Raj of Truth” it is

explained how the campaigns of” John Bull” and a few other

papers, and the disgruntled outbursts of a few misguided disci

ples, met their natural death at the hands of others long ago.

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To say that it is the credulity of the people that accounts

for the large and distinguished following of Meher Baba.

is merely shirking the situation ostrich-wise by refusing to face

reality. The outside world should know that those who have

renounced their worldly life, their comforts and luxuries,

their name and wealth, their dear and near ones, their hopes

and aspirations, are still there with Meher Baba having

surrendered themselves to the service of his Cause and Mission.

Some of them are there with Meher Baba for nearly

twenty years, you may say, for God, for spirituality, for the

realization of their ideal ; and they are happy and contented

in his love in spite of the life of resignation and self-denial

(if one knows what it means) and they are not disillusioned.

The disillusionment if any ought to be on the side of the

Lt.-Colonel, who could not cite a single instance of anyone

being monetarily swindled by Meher Baba. The instances

of two defections from Meher Baba’s discipleship oft

quoted by the Lt.-Colonel are of persons who have

sacrificed nothing mentally, physically or economically. It is,

very often such people that clamour the loudest. These two

disciples came to Meher Baba in a bargaining spirit and

everyone knows that bargaining and one’s pre-conceived

notions never pay at least in the domain of spirituality.

The Lt.-Colonel further said

(e) “I went to see a saint at Sakori, Ahrnednagar District,

and asked him some questions to which I did not receive satis

factory replies. His disciples told me to read his books which by

the way contain a lot of irrelevant matter.”

Explanation.—

The Saint referred to here by the Lt.-Colonel, is Sadguru

Upasani Maharaj of Sakori, who derived his spirituality from

Hazrat Sai Baba of Shirdi. Now, can any one imagine saints

entertaining question by people approaching them in an

examining spirit’? They certainly are never open to the

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vulgar test-examination of people. Their spiritual status doesnot stand in need of any certification by a self-appointedexaminer who would not even approach the questions ofspirituality in the serious manner they deserve as pointed outby Mr. Balakrishnaiya, B.A., LL.B., the Mayor of Bangalore,who presided at one of the lectures of the Lt.-Colonel and gaveout what he thought of the manner in which the Lt.-Colonelhad approached the subject of spirituality.

As for the Lt.-Colonel, not seeing anything enlighteningin the books of Upasani Maharaj, we quote the words of asage who said, “Works like this are as a mirror: if an asslooks in, you cannot expect an angel to look out; and whena head and a book come into collision and one soundshollow, is it always the book ?“

The Lt.-Colonel further said

(f) “In one of the books of Upasani Maharaj or by his biographers it is stated that if you want to reach highest spirituality,eat human filth. Now I leave it to you to judge if such a mancan be spiritual.”

Explanation.—

Probably bent upon picking holes in other people’sgarments, the Lt.-Colonel could see no symbolic interpretationof filth-eating referred to in those books. He wanted theaudience to treat the question of filth literally. For the edification of those who care to know, the circumstances in whichUpasani Maharaj referred to “filth” are given as under

Whilst at Khargpur in Bengal, Upasani Maharaj was ina dazed condition spiritually known as Majzoobiyat orPishachya-Vritti. He had very little body-consciousness andwas to be seen in filthy surroundings. Some Anglo-Indian

• boys taking him for mad, placed a wreath of old rotten shoesround his neck and even went to the length of putting dog’sfilth in his mouth. For days together, Upasani Maharajwent about with the garland of shoes round his neck and

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resisted any attempts at their removal. Seeing this state ofaffairs, the elders of the Anglo-Indian community felt penitentand with much pursuations and apologies exchanged theshoes round Maharaj’s neck with a flower garland.

It is on this occasion Upasani Maharaj said, “Unless youare ready to eat ‘filth’ how can you aspire for spirituality ?“

It simply meant that one should overcome the idea of goodand bad, virtue and vice, pain and pleasure.

Upasani Maharaj once describing his spiritual state, said,I have become nothing (a state of desirelessness)—i know

nothing. I, am like an empty cave re-echoing for you whatyou bring to me by way of knowledge and information.”No wonder, if a filthy mind gets nothing out of him but filth!

The Lt.-Colonel further said:(g) “Another method suggested by Shri Upasani Maharaj for

salvation, is that people should dedicate their daughters to saints.One England-returned man has dedicated his daughter.”

Explanation.—This question is for the Hindu Shastras and Pandits to

answer. The South Indian Hindus ought to know betterbecause the “devadasi” system is reported to be peculiar tothis side of India. The only strategical point worth noting isthat the Lt.-Colonel raised this point only in his first lectureto an Anglo-Indian audience, but conveniently dropped it inhis second lecture, in which the Hindu element was predominant.

We emphatically affirm ohce again that Meher Babanever advocates the dedication of girls to saints.

The Lt.-Colonei further said(h) “How can a man selling toddy become a saint ?“

Explanation.—It need hardly be said that even an intelligent layman

would hesitate to make such a narrow-minded statement. Coming as it does from a person claiming to be a “scientific

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investigator” of saints, it is of importance in judging how

far the “investigator” has approached the subject with his

pre-conceived notions and a biased mind and to what extent

he can be expected to investigate the problem in a fair manner

with an open mind when he starts with the assumption that

nobody can be a saint who started with an humble profession

in life. Everyone knows that saints appear from unexpect

ed quarters, however lowly. If one cares to gather statistics,.

it will be found that saintliness is not reserved only for the

Church or the titled people!

Herbert Spencer has rightly said : “There is a principle

which is a bar against all informations, which is a proof

against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man

in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to

investigation.”The Lt.-Colonel further said(i) “Meher Baba is attributed with miraculous powers, why

does he not cure the sick with miracles instead of by medication?I proposed that I would like to take Baba to a chronic ward of amodern hospital and that if he cured a single person from thosedeclared incurable, I would become his disciple. The people knowthat his own father died of a long-drawn illness.’

Explanation.—What a reverential attitude to the subject of saints and

their miracles ! It is not surprising that the Lt.-Colonel

with such an acid taste in the matter discovered everyone to

be a “pseudo-saint “. It would enlighten the Lt.-Colonei

to know the words of a sage regarding miracles when he said,

“True prayer lies in not asking for a violation of natural law,

but in the acceptance of natural law as the unchangeable will

of God.”We quote below the reply given to a local Arya Samajist

over this question (and for more information on the subject

of miracles, we refer the reader to an article by Dr. A. G.

Munsiff in the June 1939 issue of the Meher Baba Journal)

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“What an intelligent question when you ask why Meher

Baba allowed his own father to die when he claims miraculous

powers to himself 9 Yes this line of argument

completely shatters their claim to prophethood and miraculous

powers, when Jesus did not save himself on the Cross,

Zoroaster allowed himself to be murdered, Mohorned did not

make himself invisible to the pursuing enemies, Shri Krishna

did not destroy the opposing armies on the battlefield of

Kurukshetra by merely sniffing at them, Swami Vivekananda

allowed his sisters to die of starvation in spite of his importing

millions of rupees into India, from his American tour, and Shri

Rarnakrishna Paramahamsa allowed himself to die of cancer.

All the great Masters, Prophets, Avatars and Sages of the

world have died and you expect that the miraculous powers

of Meher Baba should withhold a natural death to his father!”

The Lt.-Colonel further said

(j) “Those who read Yoga philosophy know that the pupil

need not go in search of a Guru but without effort the Guru comes

to him.”

Explanation.—

This is some fresh knowledge for the aspirants of the

Path vouchsafed by the Lt.-Colonel! Was Saint Kabir wrong

in his gnosis when he said :—

“Some realise after great research,

Some find Him without seeking;

Some long for Him with no lesponse,Withsome He ignores dealing.”

In the second lecture the Lt.-Colonel must have forgotten

what he said in the first lecture when he said, “You know

that a person whose soul has advanced does not want pupils.”

The pupils of spirituality would find themselves in a dilemma

when the advanced souls are not expected to need them and

neither the latter have to be keen about the Gurus who are

expected to come to them.

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The Lt.-Colonel further said

(k) “We know what Lord Zoroaster, Krishna, Christ, andothers have told us. They have told us all about good and badand we are told every day to follow them. I now ask what goodMeher Baba can possibly show or give us ?“

Explanation.—

Here the Lt.-Colonel unwittingly betrays himself and thataccounts for his not contacting or describing any genuinesaint in India when asked to do so in the lectures. Popewrote the lines

“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night,

God said, let Newton be and all was light.”

While Newton the great scientist himself said, “I am like achild picking up a few pebbles on the shore of the ocean ofknowledge.” This is indicative of the inexhaustible source of

all knowledge, material or spiritual, in spite of people like

Pope and others thinking that Newton had discovered all thatwas to be discovered.

After the manifestation of the above-mentioned Prophets,the Lt.-Colonel would have us believe that there is no moreneed for Saints and saintliness. This is about the limit inignorance as to the raison d’etre of Saints who are the goal of

all religions and the fairest flowers of humanity. It is onlythe Saints that can deliver the. goods ; they only are capable

of transforming sincere seekers from the stage of believinginto “being”. Meher Baba has clearly defined his missionto the world when he said, “I have come not to teach but toawaken.” The Prophets, Saints, and Sages of all timeshave advocated the life of the spirit, which alone yieldseternal happiness.

If a man of science comes up before an audience of laymen and says that all the good things have already been saidby the great men in the past and that nothing new can be said

17

by anybody else, it leads one to suspect whether it is not

another device to prejudice the audience, because scientists if

they hear such a dogmatic statement, would merely laugh it out.

The Lt.-Colonel said

(1) “Now we are told that there are two Western ladies who

have given up their wealth to him and are following him. They

are titled ladies and the pedigree of one of them has been traced

to a thousand years. Could any of you trace your genealogy to

this extent? One of them has a big name. How many of you

can pronounce it even? The other lady is not a princess but who

has a name known all over the world. As they follow the Prophet

we must follow him.”

Explanation.—

Would a man of science and a retired public officer care

to stoop to this length of holding up to ridicule a lady of

status playing upon the humour of an audience unacquainted

with foreign names, if he were actuated with dignified motives?’

Is it surprising if such an attitude and arguments to justify

a wanton attack on Meher Baba and his disciples compelled

the President of the meeting to condemn the speech politely

yet emphatically as market-place humour and sarcasm?’

In “Meher Baba’s Raj of Truth” the antecedents of both

Princess Norma Matchabelli and Countess Nadine Tolstoy

are so plainly given that the lecturer felt himself gratified by

publicly mocking one of them at her foreign name and her

unchallenged nobility.

The important circumstance that these lady disciples

following the tenets of Meher Baba care to use none of’

the worldly methods in their defence except that of “forgive

ness and tolerance” against their persecutors and those who

malign them may explain the reasons for the attack and

might also throw a flood of light on the cynical question

sometimes asked by the enthusiasts as to how even cowardly

attacks are tolerated by the disciples of Meher Baba.

18

It would be an eye-opener to people to see the Westernersand the two ladies mentioned above leading a life of self-denial having forsaken their position, possessions and allthey held worth living for. In their holy pilgrimage to theland of spirituality, the living symbol of which to them isMeher Baba, they are not catering for the opinion of the world.nor are they out to please the world but they wish to live upto the principle of Highest Spirituality—and that is to denyone’s self.

The Lt.-Colonel said(in) “Of all the places to visit in the West this saint has even

visited Hollywood and when you are out to teach people youcannot ignore such a place as Hollywood for nàwhere a

Messiah ‘ is so badly needed.”

Explanation.—

Perhaps the Lt.-Colonel does not know that Hollywoodis considered a cultural capital of the Western world to-dayand most of the esoteric institutions have first taken root inthe Western Hemisphere in California. Many of these spiritualinstitutions are functioning in the vicinity of 1-lollywood (LosAngeles) and have many thousands of followers and they arealso patronised by a larger number of the well-known starsand directors of the filmiand. The following are some ofthese institutions run by Western and Eastern exponents of:spirituality :—

VEDANTA CENTRE—Swami Bodhananda (Hollywood: LosAngeles).

THEosoPHIsTs L0DGES—(Los Angeles and elsewhere inCalifornia).

KRIsHNAMuRTI CAMP—(Ojai Valley, California).BAHAT M0vEMENT—(Los Angeles and elsewhere in

California).

SuFI M0vEMENT—(Los Angeles and elsewhere in

California).

19

RosicRucIAN BR0THERH00D—(San Diego and elsewhere

in California).

ARCANE SCHOOL—Directed by Mrs. Alice Bailey (Los

Angeles and elsewhere).

RAMAKRISHNA CENTRE—Swami Paramananda (La

Crescenta, Los Angeles).

FELLOwsHIP OF FAITHs—(Los Angeles).

MANLY P. HALL—The well-known Western Mystic (Los

Angeles).

BALLARD MOVEMENT—Following the mystical contact of

the Master Count de St. Germain (Hollywood, Los

Angeles).

NEW TH0uGHT—(Los Angeles and elsewhere in California)

CHURCH OF DIVINE TRu-rH—(California).

LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHuRCH—Breaking away from old

rituals and dogmatism (Los Angeles).

The above list, a partial one at that, as there are so many

‘with head-quarters in California, will give an idea to the

readers of how the Western world, particularly Hollywood

‘(Los Angeles) is alive to the problem of spirituality and they

;are eager to learn, assimilate and imbibe whatever is likely

to add to the knowledge of this life and the Life hereafter.

The Eastern advocates and preachers of spirituality are wel

come everywhere there and they can always be assured of

a lively and eager audience.

It would interest the reader to note how every incident

depicted by the Lt.-Colonel has been sarcastically described

by him playing upon the credulity of the people or taking

advantage of vague popular ideas in Indian society about

life in general in the West. Meher Baba’s visit to

Hollywood is a concrete instance of how the lecturer tried to

make most of it by ironically referring to Meher Baba’s

•photograph taken at Hollywood with some well-known

actresses. A full account of Meher Baba’s visit to

20

America and Hollywood is given in “The Perfect Master(by C. B. Purdom, published by Williams & Norgate, Ltd.,.London), and we invite the readers to read it for themselvesto know all the facts. We will here quote the relevant para-graph about his contact with the actresses

“Baba attended a reception given in his honour by MaryPickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Mary had a ‘talk’ with Baba.for about 40 minutes, while others of the gathering listened withinterest.”

Everybody who has experience of the West, knows howan army of press people and cameramen follow a well-knownpersonality. It would be obvious how when Meher Babaattended receptions like this given in his honour, a largenumber of his photographs must have been taken. To holdup one of such pictures before an Indian audience unacquainted with details of Western life and having vague ideas ofmorality in the West, is to deliberately prejuidce them byadopting dubious or rather a pseudo-scientific method ofmisconstruing the photograph.

It would be interesting to note here that Mary Pickfordis a seeker of truth and her books” Why Not Try God?” and.“My Rendezvous with Life” may give an idea to the peopleof her noble thoughts and character.

It is also worth noting that Meher Baba grants inter-views to people of all classes, great or small, good or bad,,saints or sinners, belonging to either sex. In one of his discourses he said: “From my point of view no one is so badas not to improve and become good. Everyone, howeverdepraved, can improve and become better till he becomes thebest person and reaches the true goal. Thus the worst specimen of humanity can become the best example for mankind..There is always hope for everyone.” We mention this herefor the information of those who are apt to form hastyopinion by hearing tales of how Baba receives in his presenceall types of people. There are innumerable instances of persons

21

who have improved their lives after coming in contact with

Meher Baba. Their letters of gratitude would touch the

hearts of even the hardest critic. As we have pointed

out Meher Baba takes little heed of praise or slander and

blesses those who abuse him in the foulest terms as well as

those who have extolled him to the skies.

In “Meher Baba’s Raj of Truth” the point with regard

to Meher Baba’s principles of morality and integrity was

described in the words of one of his most vehement critics.

This critic, K. J. Dastur, had been Meher Baba’s disciple

and knew about his private life. He would have denounced

anything immoral or dishonest with the greatest force after

his defection. We repeat the quotation here for information

of the public in view of the loose remarks of the Lt.-Colonel

with regard to the questions of morality and integrity in

connection with Meher Baba. It is to be remembered

that this statement was made by K. J. Dastur after his defec

tion“I must make it clear that some of the statements they

(people) made against Meher Baba were entirely groundless and

false. For example, it was stated that Meher .Baba was in the

habit of privately speaking by word of mouth with certain female

disciples, that he extorted money from his disciples, and made a

wrong use of it, and that the boys of his Ashram did not receive

good secular training and were not well taken care of. All these

statements are entirely false. Meher Baba has always been true

to his vow of silence. Regarding money, I am bound to assert

that every pie that was given to him, was given entirely voluntarily

by his disciples, and that on the whole he made very good use of

all the money given to him. As regards boys—Meherashram boys

—I must say that they were given good secular training and their

parents would not have taken better care of them than Meher

Baba did.” *

* The Meher Message, VoL III, No. 10, October 1931, “My Heart-to

Heart Talk,” p. 74.

22

it may further interest the people to note that MeherBaba’s disciples are living under a discipline which allowsthem very little contact with members of the opposite sex.In fact for special spiritual reasons a section of the groupof Meher Baba’s lady disciples who have been with himfor years, are not permitted to talk to or even to ee themembers of the male group.

The admission of K. J. Dastur also completely shattersall the loose and ironical remarks of the lecturer about thenature of education and the treatment of the boys at theMeherabad school patronised by Meher Baba.

It may be noted that the Meherabad school was closedas Meher Baba had to undertake long tours in connection with his spiritual work and as he personally could notattend to the piritual part of the training of the studentswhich was the most important item of their training. Allthe boys were duly settled with their parents and in otherinstitutions before the school was finally closed.

The Lt.-Colonel also placed before the public a pervertedaccount of a film proposal that came up while Meher Babawas in America. The facts about this are as follows

It is a fact that Meher Baha intended the Hollywoodstudios to bring out a film version of the various stages ofevolution, reincarnation, the spiritual planes ; and Godrealisation. A Hollywood syndicate wanted to produce afilm based on the ideas of Meher Baba and expressed readiness to finance the project. The Master ultimately postponedthe project as no one from the West could evolve a storysatisfactory to him. Beyond this Meher Baba had nofurther interest in the project and it is a bare-faced misrepresentation to say that he was to ‘star’ therein. The ideaof having a film produced based on his spiritual ideas is stillthere and may be realized some day.

23

We will now briefly consider the qualifications of Lt.Colonel irani to see how far his claims to be a specialist insaints can be entertained. The Lt.-Colonel never once avowed in the course of his lectures that he was a seeker of saintsand saintliness. A mere self-made statement that he was astudent of comparative religions and that he had studiedyoga, does not necessarily go to prove that he is a seekerafter Truth. Under such broad interpretation of the situationevery human being is potentially spiritual ; even an illiterateperson has his own practical philosophy and a religious outlook on the problem of this life and the life hereafter. it isdifficult to believe that the Lt.-Colonel spent all his time over“pseudo-saints” and could not afford even a little of hisleisure to the study of real and genuine saints. Althoughhe admitted that there are many advanced souls in India, hecould not name a single one of them even to compare andcontrast him actually with the “pseudo-saint” of his imagination There is thus nothing substantial to show that theLt.-Colonel can be regarded as anybody in the spiritualline—much less a specialist whose opinion can be respected.In fact the biased and flippant way in which he dealt with thesubject and the remarks of the President about his lecture arecircumstances which cannot be ignored while considering thequestion as to whether the Lt.-Colonel is to be regarded as apseudo-specialist in saints or a sincere student of spirituality.

We do not propose to bore the reader with the accountof the well-known controversy about “the Parsis and Persia”published in the “ Times of India” in 1929. Those who careto know what other responsible people think of the modusoperandi of this scientific man and his claims to be a ‘protectorof the people’ may find enough material in this controversy tohelp them in judging what value can be given to the opinionof such a lecturer and his claims (see the” Times of India “,

dated 22—7—1929 and 14—9—1929).

24

To enable the readers to know the details of the great

teachings of Meher Baba and his life we would recommend

the following publications which may be helpful to those who

are interested in the subject :—

Discourses by Me/icr Baba, 1938—39 (Bangalore Press).

The Savings of Shri Meher Baba (Published by the

Circle Editorial Committee, 50, Charing Cross, London).

The Perfect Master—Life of S/in Meher Baba. By C. B.

Purdom. (Published by Williams & Norgate, Ltd., London.)

Meher Baba—The Awakener. By Dr. C. D. Deshmukh,

M.A., Ph.D., Morris College, Nagpur. Foreward: Princess

Norma Matchabelli. (Bangalore Press.)Shri Meher Baba—His Philosophy and Teachings. By

A. K. Abdulla. (Published by R. K. S. Trani, Nasik).

Meher Baba. By his Eastern and Western Disciples.

(Bangalore Press.)Meher Baba Journal. Published monthly by the Meher

Editorial Committee. (Bangalore Press.)

It is with the sincere desire to explain the circumstances

and to elucidate facts about all concerned to the public

and with a view that they may not form hasty judgment

on perverted or interested account about Meher Baba or

his devotees, that we have attempted in this pamphlet to do

service to our fellow beings by trying to remove misconcep

tions about one of the great saints of the age, so that people

may understand him and his teachings and be blessed.

Be it known to all that the disciples of Meher Baba

are under no illusion whatsoever with regard to their spiritual

aspirations and their standing with Meher Baba. They do

not believe in mass production in the spiritual domain

but they have full faith in what the company of the Master

can achieve for them and hence they are prepared to sacrifice

their existence in the greatest of enterprises any one can

undertake—Realization of God.

3a4.40 Printed at The Bangalore Press, Mysore Road, Bangalora City, by G. Srinivasa Rae,Superintndent, arid Piibtihed by Pr, A. Q, 4enai,

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