The Ancient One

De Simple Silence.

Contents 1 Conversations With Eruch 2 God — Beyond Definition 3 All By Baba’s Will 4 Only Then Are We All Safe 5 Humour In The New Life 6 On Remembering Meher Baba 7 Why Meher Baba Observed Silence 8 Obedience, His Wish And His Will 9 Unconditional Love 10 On Relationships And Responsabilities 11 Witness To God's True Compassion 12 Compassion 13 The Path Follows Us 14 Meher Baba's Strange Prasad 15 Their Questions Answered 16 Sharing Meher Baba With Others 17 God’s existence is infinite 18 Nothing To Sing Not To Teach 19 Baba Fulfills A Promise 20 Beyond Time (A Parable) 21 Jesus, The Ony One ? 22 The Advent 23 The Tongue Of God 24 Reply To Two Queries

[modifier] Conversations With Eruch

N. Anzar : The extermination of six million Jews during the last world war is incomprehensible. If God is ‘The Compassionate One’, why did all those innocent people die such horrible deaths? Why did Meher Baba permit this holocaust to happen?

Eruch : It does seem strange that this nightmare took place with the Avatar on earth, when it is said that He conducted the war spiritually and especially when it is stated that He is infinitely compassionate.

However, let us look at what happened in another way. If the holocaust had not become part of recent history, those individuals whose lives were affected, would have continued to live in the same old way and the world would have gone on as before, providing the same material sufficiency for that so-called happiness which kept everyone complacent. And while it is good to live, existence along the old lines would not have opened up hearts to the greater possibilities which life offers. It was in order then to bring about this change in humanity that the Avatar permitted the holocaust to take place.

I would like to add that Baba always told us that whenever His nazar or grace is on someone or on some area, suffering abounds there. Suffering is a sign of God’s compassion, and through suffering and pain we are enabled to turn towards the Light, that is, towards Reality, towards Him. From this viewpoint, the holocaust may be seen, despite strong protests of the mind, as an act of infinite compassion.

When the heart of man opens up and calls out during great suffering and agony for God’s help, in no matter what form the expression for assistance is made, the Compassionate One heeds the call and responds in His own compassionate way that is often too subtle for the finite mind of man to trace.

Sometimes some of the Jewish friends who visit us here at Meherazad, ask about this matter and in my response I will often add that they were probably among the ones who suffered and their presence here was the result of their call to Him which brought them to Him now.

Anzar : Would you say that those who suffered were fortunate?

Eruch : Yes, certainly!

You know for example, that if the human body is to stay healthy, it must be aware of the sensation of pain and if that sensation were to disappear, we would be in trouble and would require the services of a specialist. So we can say that whatever pain we experience, denotes the price we pay to keep the body radiant, healthy and strong.

Likewise, in order to preserve the radiance of the soul, to keep the soul healthy and polished, we pay with the coin of suffering. But always coupled with this is the comfort which Baba has given, that whenever there is suffering for an individual, or any area or sector of the world, it is always complimented with the Avatar’s nazar. It is through suffering that we pay heed and turn to Him.

Jalaluddin Rumi, the Persian Perfect Master and poet, said that it was only through need and helplessness could we ever approach Reality, because we are so hopelessly entangled in this illusory phenomenal world, it is impossible for us to stop and reflect on the meaning and purpose of life. It is only when dire need reduces us to a state of helplessness that we raise our voice heavenwards, reaching out to God.

Anzar : After Meher Baba dropped His body at the end of January 1969, a number of false saints who claimed to be Perfect Masters, began to appear on the scene. How do you react to this situation?

Eruch : Meher Baba gave us a profound sense of understanding and awareness of this matter.

First of all, He pointed out that everything in this phenomenal world of existence is nothing, but simultaneously it is also part of the Truth ; not the whole Truth but only a part of the Truth. Therefore, having lived with Baba for so long, I would not presume to point a finger at any individual, be he a false guru, false saint or false Perfect Master. I have no basis for forming a judgment and thus I must consider him to be a part of the Truth, for he undoubtedly plays his role.

What I have said does not mean that I will encourage anybody and everybody. I realize that it is all Baba’s Will that the individual is doing what he does, and because he is there, others eventually will come to realize what is false and what is true, and discern right from wrong. Thus, because of the awareness I have received from Baba, I will never condemn, knowing that everyone has his role to play in that part of Truth represented by the phenomenal world.

Anzar : What is your advice to Baba lovers faced with the situation of having to trust someone who makes such claims?

Eruch : Trust in God, or if that is too impersonal, put your trust only in Meher Baba who is the God-Man of the age. Also don’t scoff at or ridicule anyone for the claims they make, but stay away from such individuals.

Anzar : Would such false masters cause harm to their would-be disciples and to what degree?

Eruch : Meher Baba Himself used the term ‘wolves and lambs’ to describe what happens. The pseudo gurus borrow from Baba’s messages and discourses without revealing the source of what they have to say, and their listeners being carried away by the words of truth, are deceived into paying homage and accepting the pseudo guru as the real master he pretends to be.

When such situations arose, Baba reminded us that whenever He came in our midst, He suffered threefold. « I suffer physically which all are witness to, » He said. « My mental suffering is when I come in your midst and assure you that I am the One for whom you are longing, and give My love to you in abundance. You accept me as that but yet you go out and search for another guru, another master. Despite my warning, despite My wanting you not to be with such people, you try to gather as much blessings as possible from these different persons. My spiritual suffering is finding Myself totally bound in each one. Although I am eternally free, I am bound in each of you. So I suffer threefold. »

This then is one of the most important things Baba has warned us about. Once Meher Baba is accepted as the God-Man, as your Master, Guide, Guru, Companion or Redeemer, it is totally absurd for anyone even to think of going to another for relief from suffering or for spiritual guidance. If one is a Baba lover, hold on to Baba’s daaman and don’t go elsewhere.

Anzar : Many people accepted Meher Baba as their Master after He dropped His body and among them are behavioral specialists who have promoted their guru status with their own following while de-emphasizing Baba’s role in the relationship. What is your answer to this division of teaching?

Eruch : If they call themselves lovers and followers of Meher Baba then they should know better, because time and again Baba warned against such situations through messages from the mandali and through circulars.

If someone declares that he is the guru and guide of a Baba lover, let him say so without interference, but a Baba lover’s duty is to ignore such utterance and stay away from the person.

The only guru in the proper sense is our Lord, Avatar Meher Baba, though in other ways there are many gurus. Even an employee who makes you angry can be a guru, if in that mood he causes you to remember Baba in your effort to curb the anger. So in a sense all are gurus, but once Meher Baba is accepted as the Way and the Goal, we can eradicate all notion of a guide on the spiritual journey for advancement on the path, because we already have the Goal with us. Our primary concern then should be to worry how to love Baba more and more and to get ourselves lost in loving Him, for that is the only true spirituality for the one who has come into the orbit of the Love of the Avatar of the age.

Anzar : What should be the attitude of those lovers of Meher Baba who never met Him, in light of the references in Baba’s Discourses of the need to seek a living Master?

Eruch : It is natural for people with spiritual inclinations who did not meet Meher Baba or never heard of Him, to search for a living Perfect Master. For Baba lovers however, search is unnecessary because Meher Baba whether in the flesh or discarnate, is the eternal Perfect Master.

We called Him ‘Meher Baba’ but really speaking, He is the very Truth, the eternal Perfect Master for all time who appeared as Jesus, Buddha and all the other great prophets, and there is no alternative at any time to holding on to him.

If one were to check spiritual history of the past, it would be discovered that people invariably turned to the Lord Almighty in preference to remaining with their gurus. Such for example was the case of Meera who had a spiritual teacher but left to devote herself exclusively to Lord Krishna who had lived ages before, and it was through her devotion to Krishna that she realized the Truth.

A similar thing happened to Saint Francis and many Sufi masters who relinquished their hold on intermediaries once they got into the orbit of the Avatar. Once the Lord becomes one’s Master, an intermediary is nothing but a distraction.

Anzar : How would the preceding differ from visiting the tombs of Sai Baba and Narayan Baba who were Meher Baba’s own Masters, and bowing down there?

Eruch : If we happened to pass by any of these tombs, it would be natural to want to pay our respect, but to make a special point of going there is quite unnecessary for it serves no purpose. It would be much like being in a big, beautiful park and expressing a desire to visit a small garden in the neighbourhood. After spending an entire day in a large park full of trees and plants and rose-bushes that left you utterly satisfied, would you not want to dismiss as a fleeting fancy any inclination to inspect a small garden that you happened to walk by afterwards?

Anzar : How advantageous would it be for a Baba lover to go time and time again to bow down at Meher Baba’s Tomb if he were thinking in terms of material and spiritual gain?

Eruch : I have not yet fully answered your question about bowing down at the tombs of Perfect Masters.

There were times when Baba led us to those tombs and made us bow down and pay our homage there. It was after all the five Perfect Masters who had precipitated the Advent which gave us the greatest good fortune of having the Avatar in our midst, and therefore we pay homage to them. But once we have come in contact with Baba, it is simply redundant for us to make a special trip to any of these tombs though, as I have said, it does not matter if we happen to pass by and stop to pay homage.

But suppose you were seated in Baba’s presence, would it not be improper to get up and leave, turning your back on Him in order to go to another place to pay homage to someone else? Meher Baba is there, the very focal point for all the world to pay homage for all time and it is foolish and absurd to turn one’s back on Him.

So, passing by the tomb of one of Baba’s own Masters and bowing down from a distance while remembering Baba, is all right, for in doing that we acknowledge the part they have played. But Baba Himself has said that when He appears on the scene, the Perfect Masters no longer remain in public prominence. Accordingly, when they thus retire to the background, does it make sense for us who already have Meher Baba, to start running after them? Let them remain wherever they are in retirement and let us as Baba lovers, focus on Baba and pay homage to Him to the exclusion of everyone else.

Anzar : What about my question regarding repeated visits to Baba’s Tomb?

Eruch : The Tomb of Meher Baba is no ordinary tomb. It is the Tomb where the body that housed Reality is lying, the body that is in total unison with Reality, and that makes the Tomb something very unique.

Baba said that it was important for anyone aspiring to have spiritual benefit to visit the Tomb time and time again in order to imbibe the impressions of the Impressionless One.

When this is understood in the light that true spiritual advancement is nothing more than the ability to efface the ego-self that stands as a barrier on the way to Truth realization, the individual sees that he himself is the chief obstruction to his own progress, Thus no amount of austerities, penances or different yogas, according to Baba, are sufficient in themselves to carry anyone to the goal.

Trying to be austere, for example, brings with it the feeling of « How good I am! » while a sense of failure results in a feeling of disgust with oneself. Both states however, are nothing but assertions of the ego and none of the above-mentioned disciplines can remove the impressions which will continue to cling to the mind. On the contrary, they will create other sanskaras.

More essential than all of these things, Baba said, was to come to Him again and again, to cling to Him and to hold on to His daaman, for in doing these things one will absorb those special impressions that emanate from the impressionless state of God which alone can uproot and help in the destruction of the warehouse of our own accumulated sanskaras.

Anzar : How might our urge for advancement interfere in our relationship with Baba?

Eruch : Time and again He comes in our midst and warns us of the danger of falling into the trap that the lure of advancement holds.

Whenever there is thought of advancement, it is always the ego-self feeding on thoughts like, « I am advancing ; I am going further ; I have left behind all these things ; I have relinquished so and so. » The self now is in the forefront and instead of being starved to extinction, it is nourished ceaselessly.

However, sooner or later realization dawns about the worthlessness of striving to advance on the path. That is the state when there is readiness to accept that the real need is not to gain something but to lose all by emptying the heart of all desires, and it is only when everything has been lost that He accepts us as His very own.

This is not to be interpreted to mean that Baba does not want us to have the yearning for advancement, for unless one draws closer to Him, how can He be attained? Accordingly Baba tells us to have that longing but to remember that the flesh is weak and that the mind and spirit are also weak, so we must be aware of the dangers of advancement. « Instead, » He advises us, « why not just give yourself up to Me? »

When we begin to follow the Lord directly as Baba suggests, we enter the path of effacement and then we no longer think first of ourselves as when we are thinking of advancement. To look for paths of advancement in order to find God, is a madness, according to Baba, for we are looking for what we have never lost, the Infinite God who fills every nook and corner. Therefore all we have to do, is to lose the self in order to find Him, and to lose the self means we must efface ourself.

Anzar : What benefit can an aspirant derive from miracles or from the practice of meditation?

Eruch : These are good questions for aspirants who did not have the good fortune to contact the God-Man during the Advent, but they do not arise for those who love Him from having met Him, or been associated with Him in any way, including having only heard about Him.

The whole purpose of creation is to remind us to remember Him.

That is meditation and the best meditation is to remember Him constantly, no matter what we may be doing. Baba does not object to the formal practice of meditation which stills the mind and induces a refreshing feeling of tranquility, for that is helpful for a time. But before long the mind is in its usual uproar and again meditation must be resorted to in order to bring some peace. The better solution that Baba wants is a spontaneous meditation on Him whereby one tries to bring Him into the centre of whatever one is doing. For example, if we are eating, we should think of Him ; if we are talking to somebody we should try to work some aspect of Baba into the conversation, and so on. That is the real meditation which confers real benefit.

Anzar : How should we relate to Meher Baba in our daily life?

Eruch : We should relate to Baba by doing our daily work honestly and diligently while holding at the back of our mind the thought that we are only playing the role which He has assigned us. While doing this work, at the same time we should be aloof from it so that at the end of the day we also remain detached from the resulting credit or blame.

When we work in the above manner, we get applause from Him but what usually happens is that we applaud our own self and in taking the credit, we also inherit the suffering, the trials and everything else of the karmic total. To avoid this, we should dedicate to Him about twice daily, all that we do and eventually the time will come when our focus will be on Him constantly whatever we may be doing.

Anzar : How can we bring Baba into our process of decision-making and what role would intuition play in it?

Eruch : If you have given yourself to Baba, all the decisions that you make will be His decisions. Once you are His, whatever decision you make, know that it is what He wants, for once you have determined to be His and act accordingly, you can rest assured that your decision will reflect His wish. However, your determination to give yourself to Him cannot be just lip service — you should feel that you are His and act suitably. Furthermore, you must remain totally resigned to the results of any decision taken as indicated above, otherwise it will be tantamount to you alone having made the decision.

Anzar : What becomes of free will and determination, and doesn’t the sense of ‘all is by His will’ induce a certain degree of inactivity?

Eruch : On the contrary there will be intense activity. Although a third party may have a different view, you will have at the back of your mind the thought that you are His and that He is the one who is making a decision that is good for you. When you have so firmly given yourself to Him and are sure of being His, you will view all that happens as taking place according to His will and pleasure.

Anzar : Despite the fact that results are predestined, Baba urges us into activity to accomplish the work, but why should we work for good or bad results that are already predetermined?

Eruch : It is predestined that you should work. It is also predestined that what you view as ‘your doing the work’ will change to ‘His doing the work’. This takes time and happens in stages.

Anzar : To what degree does Baba permit free will?

Eruch : For as long as you want to assert yourself as « I am. »

Anzar : But isn’t that predestined too?

Eruch : Indeed, but a stage comes when you experience that ‘I am not’ state and then you are totally His.

Anzar : If not a leaf moves without His Will, can one deduce there is no free-will?

Eruch : Really speaking there is no free-will. What you call free-will is no more than an assertion from someone that he is a part of the whole, evidence for which is that he has accepted the fact that his name is so and so. This exercising of his so-called free-will is bound to disappear when his assertion ceases and his mistaken free-will merges into the Divine Will.

Anzar : Everywhere today one sees and hears about preachers who heal and spiritual masters who materialize objects. Would not a real Master confine himself within limits of spiritual law and refrain from performing miracles?

Eruch : We have no right to say what a real Master should or should not do because there are no limits for the real Master who is boundless, shoreless and unlimited.

What I can say, since I have gathered this awareness from Meher Baba, is that miracles in themselves have no value whatsoever because they distract us away from the real. Baba wants us to stay away from such things and treat them the way we would a magic show. The entertainment is good, our heart’s delight is served and we laugh and enjoy ourselves immensely, but because there is no intrinsic worth we should not attach any significance to the powers displayed or the miracles performed.

Baba said that Jesus is not remembered because of the miracles He performed. He is remembered for Himself, the Omnipotent permitting Himself to be persecuted and later crucified on the cross.

For those who understand, miracles are like bones thrown to barking dogs, but miracle- mongers like jugglers and magicians will continue to flourish while there will always be multitudes waiting for them, who is going to stop the entertainment? While being entertained however, we should not get attached or involved in the performances.

Anzar : What role does the ego play in the spiritual degradation of one possessing psychic or occult powers who gets the urge simply to display such powers?

Eruch : As long as the individual asserts himself, his assertions will degrade him and to persist in seeking recognition for himself means that he is building thicker and thicker walls that separate him from his very being.

It is because of our assertions that the Self gets lost and we take ourselves to be other than what we really are. Therefore more assertions spawn more ego-play and the walls which separate us from reality grow thicker.

Occult powers demonstrated in such things as clairvoyance, clairaudience, levitation and so on, are faculties with no intrinsic value. They exist all around us but that is not to say we must see them as representing the goal. They are a means to an end and in this case their proper instrumentality is to warn us that in spite of their allure, we should stay away, for to get attached or involved carries the heavy price of forgetting what the real goal is.

Anzar : What harm is done to Baba lovers who contact other lovers claiming to indulge in occult activity?

Eruch : No harm can come to any Baba lover who remembers not to get involved in such activity. As long as a lover keeps himself aloof from an exhibition of any such power and does not allow himself to be blindly led away by such capabilities, there is no harm in remaining as a friend who discriminates along the lines mentioned.

Anzar : What about the harm to others who are not lovers of Meher Baba?

Eruch : There will be harm undoubtedly. It would be like your wanting to go from Meherazad to Ahmednagar and starting on the road, but instead of sticking to the direct route, you decide to cross trenches that had been dug at certain points. You would have to descend into each trench and then clamber out again at risk of injury to yourself especially in the dark of night. So instead of taking the safe path, you chose a course full of danger and delay with ruinous results for this incarnation. The straight path is the path of love where you get lost in love for the Lord, whereas you get lost in the phenomenal world on the path filled with allurements. The need is to get lost in Reality rather than in illusion.

Anzar : To what extent did Meher Baba emphasize the need for prayer?

Eruch : That He was serious about prayer is shown by the fact that He gave us the The Master’s Prayer.

Anzar : How does prayer compare with repetition of His name?

Eruch : Baba told us that repeating His name is in itself a prayer and repeating His name wholeheartedly is the greatest prayer that one can offer spontaneously. Besides, no special time or place is required for it.

Not only did Baba give us The Master’s Prayer that He wanted us to say while He was with us, but He also participated in saying this prayer He gave to humanity. I recall that once there was a regrettable lapse on my part when He asked me to say this prayer out loud when the disciples were gathered in Mandali Hall. We all, including Baba, stood up as is customary when saying this prayer but as He could not stand long owing to His injured hip-joint, He kept urging me to say the prayer faster. As I tried to do this, the thought came to mind that my recital sounded like a train speeding through the station and the imagery caused me to laugh out, but Baba said nothing and allowed my folly.

However, after everything was over, He wanted to know the cause of my laughter and I told Him that the very fact He had asked me to speed up the prayer, made me feel that it was pointless to recite it so fast.

« Don’t you realize, » Baba asked me, « the impact of My participating in the prayer now? It will help posterity. When anyone recites this prayer he will benefit from my participation in it now. Despite My helplessness, crippled the way I am and unable to stand up, I participate in the prayer not for your sake, but for posterity. When, I drop the body and am no longer in your midst, whoever recites this prayer will benefit. »

This shows the importance of The Master’s Prayer provided we recite it remembering that He participated in it and wanted us to recite it once a day and twice if possible. Unlike Mohammed in His last Advent, Baba did not ask for the practice five times a day, for even once in a lifetime will be helpful.

Anzar : What you have related is an important story which should be widely known because for many years I too had a problem in not being able to say The Prayer of Repentance with sincerity. I felt like a hypocrite even trying to say the prayer, let alone saying it on a daily basis. Because of acts I committed which I knew would have displeased Baba, I was unable to evoke even the desire for repentance and so I could not say the prayer. At the time I did not know that Baba had participated in that prayer but once I learned this, I was enabled to start saying it and from that flowed the desire for repentance.

Eruch : That is what Baba meant when He referred to His participation in the prayer. Eventually it will create a desire in all to repent, to cry out to Him, to take His name, and to exalt and glorify Him.

Anzar : I have read at least fifteen prayers dictated by Baba on various occasions. Were these prayers spontaneous, and what was Baba’s purpose in invoking His previous incarnations as Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed in each of these prayers?

Eruch : The disciples had no idea and Baba supplied no clue at all. It was His pleasure and we simply yielded to it.

Anzar : In the Man-o-Nash phase of the New Life period, Baba prayed to all the Avatars for help to have « His desire fulfilled and the ultimate object achieved. » Can you throw any light on this?

Eruch : At the time it intrigued us that the Avatar of the present age should be appealing to previous Avatars, but then it struck me that Baba had assumed the role of ‘companion’ in the New Life and so was playing the part to perfection. The New Life was a life of helplessness and hopelessness for Baba and His companions, so invoking the help of the Avatars of the past would fit well with Baba’s role as ‘companion’ and ordinary aspirant.

Anzar : There are constant references in descriptions of the New Life to Baba stopping in the middle of the road and asking the companions to pray. What kind of prayers were those, and did Baba make any gestures or require them of the companions during the prayers?

Eruch : The prayers would be said when we stopped for rest, under a tree or overnight in a camp and not while we were walking on the road, and no gestures were used.

The usual thing was for Baba to point to a companion who would then recite a prayer of his creed which Baba had selected. All the prayers were solemn invocations and remembrances of the Lord, and Baba had set the precedent when He told us, « Remember to begin the day with a prayer and remember the Lord when the day is ended, when your activities have calmed down. Remember Him, dedicate your strengths and your weaknesses to Him! »

[modifier] God — Beyond Definition

One day while the disciples were sitting in Mandali Hall in Meher Baba’s presence, He said to us, « After I have dropped My body, seekers will come to you and say, « Since you were with Meher Baba, can you tell us what He called Himself? »

« And when you will answer that He was God in human form, they will ask you, ‘What did He say about God?’ and what will you reply then? »

We responded to Baba’s question by stating that God is all in all ; that He is omnipotent and omniscient and the possessor of all the qualities attributed to God.

« Your answer, » said Baba, « is only a part of the Truth because God is beyond all this. Whatever definition you attempt would limit God who is Himself unlimited, and being unlimited He is Everything which also includes nothing. So now how will you be able to give a perfect definition of God? »

When none of the mandali could volunteer a satisfactory answer, Baba told us, « When people will ask you ‘What is God?’ the only answer is a counter-question ‘What is not God.’ »

[modifier] All By Baba’s Will

Once Meher Baba was invited by His lovers to visit Hamirpur and after that He was to go to the small town of Nauranga. The one who had arranged the visit to the latter place traveled to Hamirpur to escort Baba to Nauranga where he had left word that the people should gather at his home for the Lord’s visit. However, unknown to all, some mischief-makers who were opposed to the idea of the townfolk following a non-Hindu Master, had during the night cut off a canal main line that caused the entire area to be flooded. Accordingly when Baba was escorted there in the morning, the horrible mishap was discovered and Baba was unable to proceed to the lover’s home and neither could the other lovers who were assembled there visit Him. In this unexpected confusion the man broke down and asked Baba why He had allowed such a thing to happen, but Baba pacified him and said that it was all according to His will. Baba then promised that He would visit the man’s home the following year and that there would be a change of heart in the mischief-makers. The promise was kept and by the time Baba returned a remarkable change had taken place. The same critics not only joined in welcoming Baba but together with the lovers, they had helped in constructing a place where people gather in His love. Thus does the Compassion of the Beloved One show itself.

[modifier] Only Then Are We All Safe

At the decision-taking meeting held at Meherabad on August 31, 1949, there was one individual who told Meher Baba that he was caught in a dilemma which prevented him from making up his mind whether or not to join Baba in the New Life. This man was a devout lover of Baba who had a fine voice and used to sing devotional songs of his own composition which he followed up with talks about Baba. He had given himself over to this self-assigned work with such gusto that eventually many whom he introduced to Baba, began to look upon him as a Master although he never called himself such.

When asked by Baba to explain the nature of the problem that faced him, he said, « Baba, there are so many people who have been coming to our meetings to hear about You, that we have hired a large hall and it has already been furnished. To give it up in a month’s time in order to be with You will be difficult, so can I be allowed to join You in the New Life as soon as I finish this work? »

« How long with it take? » Baba asked.

« By the end of the year I’ll be ready to join You, » he answered.

« By the end of the year the training period will be over, but you can join me, » Baba told him.

Unfortunately however, it turned out that this individual never joined the New Life because he was unable to shed certain attachments which had been allowed to form and to which he had become addicted. And therein lies a lesson for all.

There is undoubtedly much pleasure and enjoyment in sitting around and talking about Meher Baba, but when that is over we must not forget to give ourselves a collective shaking in order to free us from any wrongful attachment which may develop. The attachment to which I refer, can develop from listener to speaker or vice versa, and it was this process which took place in the case of the devout lover in question. He became so drenched with the admiration that he drew from his listeners that he forgot to shake himself out of it and fell a victim to its enchantment.

This process of attachment starts innocently and unnoticed because in the first place, homage to another person does not start precipitously. It begins without the awareness of the listeners and without the knowledge of the one who talk about the Lord for such talk is a delight to the heart, and the proximity and closeness and familiarity that accompany such gatherings lull the senses to the potential for danger.

So this reciprocity of good and warm feelings intensify and eventually the one who is talking about the Lord is given larger than life proportions and he begins to be adored. On his side he cannot escape the soothing feeling of being revered and the drug of addiction commences its harmful work on him.

The one who has been talking about the Lord now comes to feel that he is somebody special, and he accepts the adoration that is offered, quite forgetting that it is Baba who is doing everything. He gets so overpowered by this new attachment that he is unable to shake it off although the fault lies as well with those who have placed him on the pedestal from which he will eventually fall. This is the reason why I repeat Meher Baba’s exhortation to be very careful, to live a guarded life. The focus should always be one-pointed attention on Meher Baba, for only then are we all safe.

[modifier] Humour In The New Life

In the New Life we ate whatever was received from begging and this meant that a companion was unable to select his food in accordance with his own religious tradition. This notably affected Dr. Ghani, a Muslim, whose diet was different from the others, and thinking about his kind of food sometimes led him to tell Baba with great humour how a body that is denied, cries out for food to which it had long been accustomed.

So one day while we were in Muradabad, Dr. Ghani presented his favourite thesis on food conditioning to Baba who with equal good humour, told him that since it was a vacuum period during our training, he had His permission to go to one of the swank hotels and eat whatever appealed to him. Kaka, who was in charge of the emergency funds, was ordered to give Dr. Ghani some money for his celebration.

Dr. Ghani, pleased with Baba’s generosity, left in a very happy mood and walked to the centre of the city where he selected a fine hotel and enjoyed a hearty meal. On his return he entertained us with a full and almost poetic account of the dishes he had ordered that bore evidence of his satisfaction with the freedom which Baba had allowed him. Baba too was happy to hear about Dr. Ghani’s pleasurable excursion.

On the next day however, Baba had a little surprise for him. Baba said to him, « Doctor, there is one very important thing for you to do today. Go to the same hotel where you enjoyed your meal yesterday and as a New Life companion, beg for food and bring back something of what you ate yesterday. »

Under the conditions of the New Life, Dr. Ghani had no choice but to obey. So back to the hotel he went and the people there were quite surprised to see him in his new begging role since a day earlier he had been such a lavish spender in the dining room. So once again but unwittingly this time, Dr. Ghani amused us highly in the final episode of his adventure in dining out.

Another incident I recall had to do with Murli Kale, another of our companions, whose responsibility was to take the bullock cart from Motichur to Hardwar for the purpose of collecting fodder for the same English bull that pulled the cart.

One day while returning from Hardwar, the sturdy English bull became too unmanageable for the frail Murli at a time when they were being followed by a car driven by an Englishman who was attempting to pass. But the stubborn bull refused to leave the middle of the road in spite of Murli’s desperate attempts to cooperate with the signals from the Englishman’s horn.

Finally the Englishman lost his temper and driving on the shoulder of the road, brought the car to a halt just in front of the cart and shouted to Murli, « Don’t you understand that there is a car behind you? Don’t you know that there is other traffic on the road besides you? Why don’t you take your cart to the shoulder of the road and give passage to the car? »

By this time Murli had somewhat succeeded in exercising some control over the animal, so leaving the bull he walked over to the Englishman and said in what English he could command, « Sir, I am an Indian and the bull is an English bull. Somehow or other, he does not seem to understand my language. Will you please explain your instructions to him so that he will bear it in mind for the future? »

The whole family in the car laughed at this unexpected touch and the incident ended on a very friendly note.

[modifier] On Remembering Meher Baba

One day during a darshan programme in North India, Meher Baba said, « I have come once again in your midst as the same Ancient One. Time and again, I come in your midst with the same message, ‘Love Me, love God.’ » Then someone from the crowd called out, « Baba, how shall we love you? » Baba replied, « When you got married, did you ask Me how you should love your wife? You saw her and you fell in love with her, but when you see Me you really do not see Me as I truly am for this body is only a coat that I put on. When you see Me as I really am, then you will fall in love with Me. » Baba continued, « The question then is : ‘How will you be able to see Me as I really am?’ In the world, men and women fall in love with one another but in order for this experience to happen, the man or woman must first see the other. Don’t you believe that? » « Yes! » the man answered. « What happens after that, » explained Baba, « is that the mind goes crazy with the desire to please each other. Each one wants to put the best front forward in order to please the other for the entire world now revolves around the person you love. This in turn means that you remember your beloved all the time, you think only of possessing the one you love and you think of ways and means of being with that person all the time. « But in loving Me, it is just the opposite. Whereas in your world you can see and fall in love, you cannot see Me as I really am. So in order to love Me, you must start with remembering Me all the time, then you will see Me as I really am and only then will you truly fall in love with Me. » « Then how can we remember You, Baba? » asked the man. « Now that you have seen Me in this coat, this form, keep My photographs or whatever will remind you of Me and help you to continue remembering Me. Keep My picture in your house and in your toilet also, so that even there you can remember Me all the time. Before you start your day, remember Me. « Remembering Me now becomes a mechanical process but mind wants variety. So you can then read all the books that have been published and read the magazines too which narrate My life and My work. This is another way of remembering Me. « But still the mind craves for something different and prompts the seeker to go on a pilgrimage to all the places where the Master has visited and spent time. The pilgrim is happy in the thought that he is able to spend time at all those places which have been blessed by the Master’s presence, and thus he remembers the Master more and more as he goes from place to place. « Next, the seeker meets people who lived with the Master or spent time with Him and he craves to know all about the Master. Soon the mind gives place to the heart and as the heart begins to yearn for the Master a faint trace of love for Him is born. « This is a message to the seeker to love Me and the creation serves as that constant reminder to remember Me. Then his mind satiated with all the memories of the Master, the seeker goes back to the routine of his daily life with a heart awakened to love for the Master and each day and in every act the seeker finds some trace of the Master and thoughts of Him fill his waking hours. « Just as you see this creation around you to help you to think of God, similarly every act of yours will help you to think of Me. Likewise, when the heart opens more and more by remembering Me, eventually the heart will glorify the Master in anything and in everything. Finally a stage will come when you will be overwhelmed by the glory of the Master that is the time when I will give you the gift of Love. « And what is that gift? That gift is the moment when you see Me as I really am. You see My effulgence, you see Me and you stop seeing anything else. That is the experience of the sixth plane of consciousness and when you see Me as I really am, then for the first time you fall in love with Me. At last you begin your life of love for which you were created, and the more you love the more you will want to please Me, just as when a man falls in love with a woman he makes every effort to please her in more intensive ways. « Eventually a momentous event takes place. Seeing the lover love the Beloved to such a degree, the Beloved falls in love with the lover and the lover is raised to the pedestal of the Beloved while the Beloved comes down to the level of the lover. The mind is annihilated, the lover and Beloved are merged in each other and that union is God-Realization. »

[modifier] Why Meher Baba Observed Silence

We would often question Meher Baba about His long silence, asking Him when He intended to break it and one day in 1954 in answer, He just dropped His alphabet board and said, « From now on I will not use the board. » We thought this was a hint that He might be about to break His silence but the days passed without incident except that He then started to communicate by using finger gestures. All He would say, referring to His silence, was, « What a binding it is » but it was a binding with a purpose — for our sake.

However, one lasting benefit which developed out of this, came one day when He asked us this question : « Why do people shout at one another when they are angry? » We said, « They shout because they are angry and they want to express their anger, » and Baba responded, « Yes, they can express their anger that way, but even if someone is seated at their side they will shout at that person. Could they not speak softly? »

We volunteered different explanations, saying different things which came to mind at the time, but our answers did not satisfy Baba. So He gave us the answer.

« When a person is angry with another person, » He said, « that person is far removed from his heart and distance is created between them. That’s why the physical reaction is to shout, and the greater the distance, the greater is the shouting. Love disappears and one goes on shouting at the other who in turn barks back at him. Then he barks and so it goes on and on. »

But Baba did not stop there as He doubtlessly wanted us to see the same thing from a different angle. So He continued, « Now take the other case of two people in love. When two individuals are in love with each other, how do they speak? »

« They speak softly, » we answered.

« Yes, » Baba agreed, « they do speak softly and the greater the love between them, the softer is their tone of speech. And when they are still further in love, no words are needed and they just look at each other, and eventually there is not even the need to look — no need at all. »

Well, that is the reason why Meher Baba observed silence. There was no need for an exchange of words. It was very good to hear that, to be reminded that He was so very close to us ; as He has said, « I am closer to you than your very breath. »

Whether the world accepted His closeness or not was immaterial to Him for whom there was no need to speak, and it was so true that whenever people came in contact with Him, although there was an exchange of signs or words through interpretations, Meher Baba always spoke directly to the hearts of people. There is no doubt at all about that, He simply reached deep into their hearts.

[modifier] Obedience, His Wish And His Will

Obedience to Meher Baba’s wishes and orders was the most important requirement for living with Him, and in connection with this, He cited four types of obedience.

The obedience of a soldier which is patriotic obedience. The obedience of a servant which is paid obedience. The obedience of a slave which is compulsory obedience. The obedience of a lover which is willing obedience without expectation of reward.

Meher Baba said that even in willing obedience there were the following four stages :

The lover follows orders literally without using common sense. The lover uses common sense and discrimination. The lover exhibits complete obedience for the Beloved’s pleasure. The lover exhibits absolute obedience.

Baba added that the last-named kind of obedience was rarely seen, and found only in those who were spiritually advanced.

When one of the mandali requested a clarification regarding His wish and His will as they pertained to the mandali, Baba replied : « When I say to the mandali, ‘I want you to do this’, it means I would like you to do this if you can. It equals a request on My part.

« When I say ‘I wish you to do this’, it means I want you to obey, whether you can or cannot. It is an order and the chance of My wish being thwarted is by your disobedience.

« When I say ‘I will you to do this’, it means you are to do it definitely and automatically, and you are able to do it because I make it possible. »

[modifier] Unconditional Love

Satara, August 7, 1955

It was a great pleasure to read your joint letter to dear Baba and Baba too, felt no less happy to note all which you expressed in your letter.

Baba was deeply touched by your devotion and whole-hearted resignation to His will and He wants me to convey His love to all of you. Baba is now free from His seclusion work and so He is giving darshan to all His Bombay lovers.

Those who desire to have Baba’s darshan or contact, should approach Baba only through their pure love for Him without expectation of any kind, whether material or spiritual. Henceforth, for all future contacts with His old or new devotees, Baba frees Himself from all promises, arrangements, undertakings and bindings. Only on the basis of pure and sincere love for Baba, should any further contacts be based or established.

I send this bit of information to help all Baba lovers in your group to decide for themselves once and for all, whether they would continue to hold fast to Baba’s daaman with the tight grip of pure love alone.

Many times in the past, Baba had stressed that to hold to Him with a grip containing an admixture of love and expectations, would mar the sublimity of the lover’s love for the Beloved. The time has now come when the Beloved issues a direct challenge to all lovers to prove to the world at large that pure love for the Beloved expects nothing in return, while it continues to consume the self in the lover to fullfil the Divine Love of the Beloved.

The pure love of a lover of the Beloved is like the flame of a candle. When the lover becomes like the wick of the candle, the Beloved behaves as the wax and the grace of the Beloved then functions as the agency that sets the wick aflame.

The flame of pure love, aflamed by the grace of the Beloved, spreads the light of hope in the darkness of the heart, and while this flame continues to consume the wick, the wax helps the wick to sacrifice its all and glorifies the suffering through the light of the flame. Thus both the lover and the Beloved sacrifice their all to bring Divine Love to perfection.

When Baba was in the mood for giving discourses in the past, He had given the above example for Divine Love wherein both the Beloved and the lover suffer infinitely until the zenith of such love quenches the thirst of the lover and pacifies the expectations of the Beloved.

[modifier] On Relationships And Responsabilities

Satara, January 5, 1956

The contents of your letter dated January 1 were read out to dear Baba.

Baba heard everything and is happy to learn that for the present all appears calm and soothing. To maintain such an atmosphere, much is required from both sides.

There cannot be a cyclone without there being a depression, a vacuum at the spot of the whirlwind. All the bustle and ‘toofan’ (storm) subsides spontaneously as soon as the vacuum is filled in to maintain equilibrium. Similarly, much of the side of the ‘toofan’ is to be rectified by your effort. Let the warmth of your love and fidelity to your wife never subside, and give no cause for the ‘depression’ to arise in the atmosphere.

It is for you to learn and live. There are many mishaps in life, and every mishap serves you as a knife. If you accept the handle of that knife, the knife will do you service ; but if you grasp the blade of that knife, then there are chances of your being cut.

That is the reason why Baba wants you to take life seriously, but to be serious, means to be calm and serene under all and any situation. It is no use shouting at the top of your voice or getting furious with others. You are your own world and every creature is your own creation to serve your own purpose. If you are dead to yourself, the whole creation of yours will cease to exist for you. No doubt, life is a great joke — but at what cost? At your own cost! As you swallow, so shall you excrete!

Baba wants you to be a good boy, worthy of His great love for you and you can only become worthy when you begin to realize the worthlessness of all your paraphernalia.

Baba reminds you once again not to worry unnecessarily but to love Him alone because He is the only Real Thing worthy of being loved ; the rest is but your responsibilities which you should discharge sincerely and honestly.

[modifier] Witness To God's True Compassion

God’s compassion is not what our conception of it is. His Compassion is always represented by what He has to do to get us closer to Him in order to lift us out of the rut of constant reincarnations. God’s compassion therefore is always directed towards getting people out of the maze of illusion and the best way to free them from illusion is paradoxically, to bestow upon them not relief from, but immersion in suffering.

That God’s Compassion should be so expressed seems preposterous at first sight, but that indeed is the one sure means He can and does utilize to make us turn towards Him and face Him.

All the other little trinkets that are bestowed by others who possess powers resulting from their advanced status on the spiritual path, like sight to the blind or the raising of the dead to life, do not express real compassion for they only result in further tightening of the noose of illusion around the neck of the seeker of Truth. The one real remedy for getting free of entanglement in the maze of illusion is to call out to God for assistance in the firm faith that He knows best what our real need is.

But when do people generally call out to God? It is when their fingers are burnt and physical suffering must be endured that they cry out to Him from deep within the heart.

This must not be misunderstood to mean that one must invite and embrace suffering for suffering’s sake because there is a limit anyhow to suffering and no one can suffer more than the body will endure. But when suffering falls to our lot, we must learn to accept it as an attendant condition to our unfoldment and this means that we see in it the opportunity He has given us to live in Him.

It is true that the body does suffer but when we suffer in Him as indicated, somehow we do not suffer as others do. They may view our suffering on the surface, but inwardly we are living in Him and the experience is not the same that others think they are watching. Therefore, when we suffer but live in Him, we bear witness to God’s true Compassion.

Sometimes when suffering is properly understood, one can get addicted to it, wanting to be with Him all the time, for once its true taste is felt, suffering is turned into bliss because God’s Compassion is so strongly felt. This is the moment when the soul turns to face Him directly and complete surrender to Him comes most readily.

Of course nobody can suffer in the way Meher Baba suffered because His suffering was not an individual suffering. His suffering was a universal suffering through His Universal form for all of humanity and therefore it cannot be equated with individual suffering. As our Comforter, He drew this suffering upon Himself to lighten our burden by sharing our suffering, and yet in His sacrifice He seemed totally indifferent to suffering, even appearing to be cheerful. In a way, this was an example He left us on how to bear cheerfully and patiently whatever suffering becomes our lot.

Although we do not feel or see Him, Baba is always at our side when we suffer. He also experiences our suffering and although we may be suffering, the major part of that suffering is transferred to Him.

Whenever God appears in our midst as a man, He puts aside His Infinite Bliss and embraces suffering so that He may alleviate humanity’s suffering. Thus He gets maltreated, humiliated, involved in bad accidents and crucified. He even goes through wars and battles and suffers physically.

Sometimes we may wonder whether there is really any need for God to incarnate as man when His Compassion is already so fully accessible to us from His discarnate state. Well, Meher Baba told us that the only reason He comes again and again into our midst is because He feels so close to His creation. How much better it is to dispense comfort through another human being! Baba’s physical form was therefore an expression of His Compassion, but even though He has left that body, He is still looking after us and His Compassion flows to us with even greater force.

[modifier] Compassion

God’s Compassion is not what our conception of it is. His Compassion is always represented by what He has to do to get us closer to Him in order to lift us out of the rut of constant reincarnations. God’s compassion therefore is always directed towards getting people out of the maze of illusion and the best way to free them from illusion is paradoxically, to bestow upon them not relief from, but immersion in suffering. That God’s Compassion should be so expressed seems preposterous at first sight, but that indeed is the one sure means He can and does utilize to make us turn towards Him and face Him. All the other little trinkets that are bestowed by others who possess powers resulting from their advanced status on the spiritual path, like sight to the blind or the raising of the dead to life, do not express real compassion for they only result in further tightening of the noose of illusion around the neck of the seeker of Truth. The one real remedy for getting free of entanglement in the maze of illusion is to call out to God for assistance in the firm faith that He knows best what our real need is. But when do people generally call out to God? It is when their fingers are burnt and physical suffering must be endured that they cry out to Him from deep within the heart. This must not be misunderstood to mean that one must invite and embrace suffering for suffering’s sake because there is a limit anyhow to suffering and no one can suffer more than the body will endure. But when suffering falls to our lot, we must learn to accept it as an attendant condition to our unfoldment and this means that we see in it the opportunity He has given us to live in Him. It is true that the body does suffer but when we suffer in Him as indicated, somehow we do not suffer as others do. They may view our suffering on the surface, but inwardly we are living in Him and the experience is not the same that others think they are watching. Therefore, when we suffer but live in Him, we bear witness to God’s true Compassion. Sometimes when suffering is properly understood, one can get addicted to it, wanting to be with Him all the time, for once its true taste is felt, suffering is turned into bliss because God’s Compassion is so strongly felt. This is the moment when the soul turns to face Him directly and complete surrender to Him comes most readily. Of course nobody can suffer in the way Meher Baba suffered because His suffering was not an individual suffering. His suffering was a universal suffering through His Universal form for all of humanity and therefore it cannot be equated with individual suffering. As our Comforter, He drew this suffering upon Himself to lighten our burden by sharing our suffering, and yet in His sacrifice He seemed totally indifferent to suffering, even appearing to be cheerful. In a way, that was an example He left us on how to bear cheerfully and patiently whatever suffering becomes our lot. Although we do not feel or see Him, Baba is always at our side when we suffer. He also experiences our suffering and although we may be suffering, the major part of that suffering is transferred to Him. Whenever God appears in our midst as a man, He puts aside His Infinite Bliss and embraces suffering so that He may alleviate humanity’s suffering. Thus He gets maltreated, humiliated, involved in bad accidents and crucified. He even goes through wars and battles and suffers physically. Sometimes we may wonder whether there is really any need for God to incarnate as man when His Compassion is already so fully accessible to us from His discarnate state. Well, Meher Baba told us that the only reason He comes again and again into our midst is because He feels so close to His creation. How much better it is to dispense comfort through another human being! Baba’s physical form was therefore an expression of His Compassion, but even though He has left that body, He is still looking after us and His Compassion flows to us with even greater force. Being the Father of all and having permitted suffering in life, God nevertheless comes to relieve the suffering of His children. When for example, a house catches fire, a father does not run away from the fire but actively sets about saving all the family members. And even when the fire department arrives on the scene, the father is still willing to risk his life for the sake of the family. Similarly, it is the Fatherly feeling, this very special relationship between the Creator and His creation which makes God get so involved in His creation, and in spite of being able to love and serve us from His impersonal aspect, His Compassion leads Him into taking a human form that He might stay among us for a while. Having lived with Meher Baba for so many years, I saw and felt at first hand what a great Friend to all He was, the weight of the burden He carried, the depth of the suffering He endured and the Kindness, Mercy and Compassion He expressed in His all encompassing way that gave new and deeper meaning to these qualities. Often if a family or group who were far away from Him, needed His help, He went and provided that assistance usually in the nick of time, for His Compassion knew no distinctions and recognized no boundaries. One day in His Compassion, Baba advised us : « As long as you run after things in the world, you will have to continue to run after them. No sooner you relinquish them and turn your back on them, the things of the world will run after you. » Even Meher Baba’s ‘work’ was a dispensation of His Compassion which He explained thus : « I have not come to give sight to the blind or limbs to the maimed, nor even to raise the dead to life. Rather I have come to make people blind to illusion. I have come to make you dead to your lower self. I have come to redeem you from the round of births and deaths. » That indeed was Baba’s ‘work’ — to get us closer and closer to Him, who is the Reality, by emptying us out and not by filling us in, by removing our stains and not by adding to them. His words then were a reminder to us of what our aim should be : « You are in pursuit of Me. Pursue Me but do not expect to find Me, for only when you get lost while pursing Me, will you find Me. » Therefore we must get in tune with Meher Baba and when we do that, we will discover His act of Compassion in every breath we take and in anything and everything we undertake because our very life is sustained by His Compassion. When God is in our midst as a man, we take Him for granted, we don’t care about Him and so we neglect Him and are indifferent to Him, but even though He has left the scene, His Compassion is so all encompassing, it can be felt all the time. Those who had not seen Him in the physical form, are blessed in a special way. They can love Him more forcefully, for what has not been seen, can be longed for with greater ardour. To love Meher Baba without His being physically present is a true blessing because it is He who gives that love, and this blessing enables us to love Him more and more. He has fashioned His love in such a way that although He is not here, we can love Him more deeply and more forcefully when we think of Him, yearn for Him and long for Him.

[modifier] The Path Follows Us

Avatar Meher Baba told a group of His lovers, « I will teach you how to move in the world and yet be at all times in inward communion with Me as Infinite Being. »

The period that we are now in is exceedingly special because direct relatedness with the Divine Being, the Avatar, is most available. His atmosphere and influence remain for one hundred years even after He has dropped the body. Therefore, His cardinal advice which should never be forgotten, is : « Hold on to My daaman. Remember that I love you so that you can reflect My love. Be loving towards all, be honest, simple, natural and childlike. »

That is all that we have to do. That is our path — no more than that. That also is our spirituality for everything lies in holding on to Him. There is nothing beyond that. All the rest — the philosophies, the theologies, etc. — has no meaning, for true spirituality lies in our relationship with Meher Baba. True spirituality is total effacement without giving a thought that we are taking this step or the next in our spiritual progress. The practical way of effacement then is simply to hold on to Him and to be simple and natural. In this way, we wear ourselves out by holding on to Him. It sounds so simple but it is very difficult.

Accordingly, we have not to concern ourselves with following some spiritual path because in holding on to Him, wherever we are, that becomes the path. Even if you turn away from Him, the path will follow you wherever you go for He will give you another opportunity to turn back to Him. Remember that He is the pivot and as long as the concentration is all on Him, there is no such thing as path.

What happens is that when our focus is on Him, whatever path there is will follow us because we are headed towards Him. We have nothing to do with « path. » We have no time for that for we are all the time focussing on Him. That is the advantage of those who come into the orbit of His love. The path follows them while for other wayfarers they have to follow some path.

[modifier] Meher Baba's Strange Prasad

One day two men paid us a visit at the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Office in Ahmednagar and one of them told us that he had once enjoyed the privilege of Meher Baba’s darshan. His companion reported that although this blessing had also befallen his mother, he himself had not met Baba but the entire family nevertheless owed their existence to Meher Baba’s Compassion which he revealed in the following story.

He commenced by stating that he was the owner of a shoe store in Ahmednagar and that this had come about solely because of Meher Baba. Then drawing on what his mother had told him, he said that his father had been a chronic alcoholic who was never able to provide support for the family, and that on many occasions during his childhood, his mother had to enlist the assistance of others to bring his father home in the drunken stupor in which he was found in some alleyway.

Because of this addiction, whatever little money his father earned, was soon spent on imbibing, bringing great hardship that forced his mother to take a variety of menial jobs. With her small earnings it was almost impossible to provide daily meals for the family, and his mother experienced a very difficult time which was occasionally relieved by gifts of food from kindly neighbours.

One day there appeared a news item in a local paper that Meher Baba was going to give darshan in Ahmednagar, and some neighbours thinking of his mother’s plight, tried to persuade her to attend, but she was reluctant.

« What will I gain? » she asked them. « I will only end up losing a day’s earnings, and right now I need money, not blessings. » The neighbours however insisted that if she were to receive Baba’s blessings, her life would be transformed. At a few of the places where she worked, she heard the same refrain from people who knew of the harsh life that had befallen her, « Why don’t you go for Meher Baba’s darshan? »

Eventually she decided to follow the advice that was being pressed on her, but when she reached the darshan site she was dismayed by the length of the line of seekers waiting for Meher Baba’s darshan. Nevertheless she took her place at the end of the long line and found to her surprise that her modicum of enthusiasm was kept alive by the narrations of Baba’s divinity she heard from people around her.

As she approached closer to Baba, she saw how the seekers were conducting themselves. They approached Baba, bowed down to Him, received His prasad and then walked away. Nothing more! And she began to wonder how such a performance was going to help her.

But her turn finally came. Baba looked at her as she received her prasad from Him and with hands folded as a sign of respect, she moved on. Then having walked a short distance from where Baba was seated, she was curious to see what prasad she was holding between her hands and on opening them was dumbfounded to behold nothing less than one thousand rupees in cash.

« It was this very money, » the store owner stated, « which enabled us to start and build up the prosperous business which we now own. »

When I heard this story, I too was amazed for I had been present at this darshan programme and I knew that Baba never distributed money. Then how did this strange prasad get into the woman’s hand? I concluded that whatever the customary prasad the Compassionate One had given the woman, His Infinite Compassion had taken care of her immediate and pressing need by transmuting it into money.

Is anything impossible for the Ancient One?

[modifier] Their Questions Answered

During a tour that Meher Baba took through Andhra Pradesh, thousands of people came for His darshan. Most of them had come just to be in His presence and to enjoy His company, but several had questions to ask.

When any of the latter presented a question, Baba would ask that it be written down together with the name and address of the questioner and promised that at the end of the tour He would send each person a reply. All slips were to be given to Pukar, a lover from Hamirpur, who was one of our travelling companions, and in a short time Pukar had collected hundreds of slips.

A few days after His return to Meherazad, Baba called Pukar and asked for the slips of paper. Pukar however replied, « Baba, many people wrote out questions for You, but some returned after a few hours and others after a few days and requested me to return their slips. They all said that their questions had been answered. I had hundreds of slips to start with, but now I do not have a single slip! »

On hearing this, Baba put on a mischievous expression of ignorance and said, « Is that so? I am happy! »

Such are the unfathomable ways of the Ancient One.

[modifier] Sharing Meher Baba With Others

Time and again I have been asked whether devotion to Meher Baba should remain as a joy in our hearts or shared with others who never heard about Him or enjoyed His presence in our midst.

I for one, am in favor of shouting from the rooftop at the top of my voice to declare the joy of His presence, but a certain amount of discretion should be employed. In revealing the way one feels, thought should be given to how your words will be received. In short, there should be a proper balance between the goods delivered and the goods received.

Suppose for instance, you are a giant and I am a little dwarf to whom you wish to present a large casket full of gifts. I accept the present but the casket is so heavy that I get crushed to death by its weight. However, had you used discretion by presenting me with small quantities of gifts at a time, I would then have been able to receive and appreciate them.

In the same way, when you talk about the Ancient One and give His messages, use discretion and understanding.

[modifier] God’s existence is infinite

God’s existence is infinite. God’s dnyan (knowledge) is infinite. God’s power is infinite. God’s bliss is endless. God’s mercy is unbounded.

God’s mercy is closely linked with sanskaras. The law of illusion governs sanskaras, and illusion is governed by sanskaras.

There are no sinners as such. According to the law of illusion, sanskaras give rise to so-called sins.

The law of illusion is different from the divine will. Nothing can supersede the law of illusion except divine will.

The deaths of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and John Kennedy had been so because of the law of illusion which governs sanskaras, and had nothing to do with divine will.

[modifier] Nothing To Sing Not To Teach

Meher Baba had a beautiful voice and He used to sing melodious songs. Even when He spoke, people would be drawn by the timbre of His voice and the profundity of His words. He gave discourses and people gathered around Him to listen to the words of Truth which He spoke.

In early 1925 Baba began to hint on several occasions to people around Him that He intended to observe silence. So one day when He again stated this intention, someone remarked, "Baba, You seem to be serious about observing silence. Please don't do that. Then who will teach us these words of Truth?"

To this Baba replied, "I have not come teach but to awaken!"

[modifier] Baba Fulfills A Promise

Even though the Lord has given us all that we need, in moments of suffering and weakness, we beseech Him for help and in His Compassion He gives.

Meher Baba said that there was nothing wrong in asking. "If you do not ask Me," He said, "whom else will you ask and who will give you? Ask Me again and again but do not expect an answer. In My Compassion and in My Omniscience, I will do what is good for you."

This is the story of an old Baba lover and his grandson. One day the old man received a letter from his daughter who lived in Ahmednagar, saying she was anxious to visit her hometown with her two small children and requesting that her brother should come and escort her.

Just two days before the brother planned to leave for Ahmednagar, the electric lights in the house went out and his son who was playing inside, banged his head against an iron bedpost in the darkened room and fell down with a shriek. The parents calmed the child but were devastated by the horror of discovering that he was paralysed from the waist down.

However, the old man who spent time with Baba and His disciples, was not disturbed in this moment of crisis for he remembered something which Baba had told him thirty years ago. In those days he used to keep asking Baba for one thing or another, and on one occasion Baba replied smilingly, "You can keep asking Me but it is of no avail. However, after I drop My body, if you were to ask for anything at My Tomb, your request will be granted. Remember this!"

Accordingly, he asked the family to remain calm and advised his son on arrival in Ahmednagar to pray at the Tomb and ask Baba for help.

On reaching Ahmednagar the young man relayed his father's advice to his sister and they both arrived at Baba's Tomb on the day when the women mandali were paying their customary visit. On hearing the story, they too prayed for the child's recovery.

Thereafter the brother and sister with her two children left Ahmednagar for their hometown and on arrival were greeted with great joy and laughter as the paralysed boy had recovered and was running around.

The family compared notes, including dates and time, and discovered that during the period the young man and his sister were at the Tomb asking Baba for His help, the little boy suddenly jumped off his bed and became active again. Everyone was happy and thanked Baba for His Compassion and His Grace.

[modifier] Beyond Time (A Parable)

"I am beyond time, but when the five Perfect Masters bring Me down, I appear to be limited by time, and the time differs on different levels of consciousness. My work, to guide one and all to take a leap into timelessness, unceasingly continues on all planes. My time which includes all other types of time is quite different.

"For example, when I started observing silence, I said that I will break it soon. More than three decades have passed, but the silence still continues and yet what I said about the time factor is the truth. The following story will give you some idea.

"A brave warrior was fighting for a noble cause against a group of cruel soldiers. He cheerfully withstood the attack, with the light of compassion in his eyes even for those who fired at him. In the end as he was falling to the ground for his final rest, he noticed some ants moving about. Even while experiencing excruciating pains, he had a kind thought for the ants. So he swayed his body a bit to the other side and saved the lives of the ants.

"The delay in time that ensued in the fall of the body to the ground which resulted from that compassionate feeling, may appear too trivial a time interval to you, but it may be likened to the interval between the observing and the breaking of My silence. The purpose is to save truth-loving humanity from being crushed."

Meher Baba

[modifier] Jesus, The Ony One ?

To a Born-Again Christian who wanted to have my reaction to Jesus's statement in the Bible that all who did not believe in Him were condemned, I answered that Meher Baba was the same Ancient One who comes again and again in our midst, and therefore one must not differentiate between Jesus and Meher Baba. Baba, like Jesus, said that He and the Father were One, and He is not only the Father, but the Mother, the Son, the Friend, the Redeemer, the Saviour and the Compassionate One.

What Jesus as the Ancient One stated is so true. For our sake He takes birth, suffers and gets persecuted, and for not recognizing Him when He is in our midst, we stand condemned. But we are not condemned forever since He is the Compassionate One, and if we did not falter or fail, how would He exercise His Compassion for us?

"Time and again," Meher Baba told us, "I come to arouse and awaken humanity. I came as Zoroaster, Abraham, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed and now I have come as Meher Baba. When I am here, I come for all but I am for the few who recognize Me and are made to recognize Me by My Grace. It is my Grace that makes people recognize Me as I am."

Whenever He comes we miss Him because despite His repeated assertions, we do not recognize Him. He does not come in the same form or with the same physical features but as the same Truth, for He is Truth and Truth's body.

Once Meher Baba gave us a simile to illustrate this. He told us about a family that during the last war faced a shortage of the well-known Quaker Oats for their only child. They strongly believed in its energizing quality and so on the day when the mother discovered that her cupboard was empty of this cereal, she rushed to the store in great anxiety and saw to her relief that there was still one tin of oats available. She hastened to grab the cereal but the shopkeeper confronted her and stopped her in the act. Fearing that she might lose the cereal to another, the woman in a torrent of words begged to be allowed to have it even double the usual price, citing the urgent need of her child.

When the shopkeeper managed to get a word in, he explained that he was stopping her only because the tin on the shelf had come from an old stock and having received a new shipment, he wanted to offer her fresh cereal instead.

Baba then asked us, "Is there a mother in the world who would reject the new stock of cereal and take the old one?" And then He added, "Time and again I come. I am the same Ancient One. I am that fresh stock of Quaker Oats!"

The question then arises: Is it the purpose of creation that the Father should condemn forever those who failed the Son in His one and only advent? Of course not! The purpose is for the Lord to exercise His Compassion which He does by forgiving them for their weaknesses and shortcomings, and Meher Baba has assured us that He will be born again after 700 years.

What is written in the Bible is the Truth but there are deeper meanings behind that Truth and to understand those meanings one must yearn for the Lord Jesus, and by our loving Meher Baba we can have a deeper understanding of Jesus who got Himself crucified on the cross.

To love Meher Baba does not signify that one is no longer a Christian; it only means one can be a true Christian and thereby realize the Truth. Meher Baba is the Infinite Ocean and everyone is welcome to quench his thirst from the Ocean of His Love and nothing else matters.

As someone once said, "The sea remains the sea whatever the drop may think."

[modifier] The Advent

In the Arti (hymn of praise) which Francis Brabazon wrote, he used the expression 'Truth and Truth's body, divine Avatar' which to my mind beautifully defines the Advent. Although the Sanskrit word 'Avatar' somewhat explains the Advent as the descent of reality into illusion, to the people of this era 'Truth and Truth's Body' makes the whole concept of reality in the midst of illusion clearer. Truth is reality and reality is Truth; and the body that is taken on by Truth is the body we see in the Advent, the figure of Meher Baba, or Jesus Christ, or Gautama Buddha.

Each time the Advent takes place, as explained to us by Meher Baba, it was pre-ordained in the previous Advent. So what we find as Meher Baba, is nothing but the projection or the unfolding of the plan which had been drawn up at the time of Muhammed. And all we can say, from what we have been given to understand by Meher Baba, is that the times and the circumstances suited His Advent as they did all previous Advents. The Avatar comes when the presence of reality in the midst of illusion is most necessary.

Whatever we say about the Advents and Avatars is a simple and obvious thing but we make a big issue of it. It is reality descending into illusion and functioning as such. However, reality is so spread out in the realm of illusion, that for itself to function in illusion is a rarity, and that is why the Advent is known as the springtide of creation. It is something very novel, very unusual. It is the greatest blessing and the greatest act of compassion of Reality that it should condescend to come down and function in illusion.

Now in order to function in illusion, reality adorns or masks itself in a male human form, the form which is then referred to as the Advent or the Avatar. Baba has said that illusion is total darkness and Reality is total brilliance, effulgence, and if reality were to descend into illusion, i.e., the total light were to descend into total darkness, the darkness would be shattered. So the only way total light can be received by total darkness, is to camouflage that light and that camouflage is nothing but the form of the Advent which is always in a male human form. It is so ordained. None can say for certain why it is so, or whether it is timely that the Advent has taken place for we have no capacity to sit in judgment. The Advent takes place because it was timely that it happened.

Meher Baba has given us to understand that He is the same Ancient One who comes again and again in our midst as a man amongst men, and whatever difference may exist among the appearances of the Avatar is not a difference in substance but in the mask He has to wear each time Reality descends into illusion. Only the material of the camouflage is different. Sometimes He seems to be a great warrior, sometimes a great peace-maker, sometimes He is the one who promotes brotherhood, purity and honesty, and according to circumstances, He manifests the traits which are required for the times.

This has happened millions upon millions of occasions, but we stick to a handful of Advents recorded in the past, and we try to compare them. But the only comparison that can be made is of the external form which keeps changing; otherwise He is the same Ancient One who functions as Redeemer, Saviour, Messenger, Messiah. He may be called by different names but He stations Himself on all planes of consciousness. He is the Highest of the High and the lowest of the low, simultaneously. He is on all levels, all planes and His functions vary according to the circumstances and the needs of humanity.

In each Advent it is the same one Truth which becomes the message. If there were two Truths, the Truth would not stand its ground because Truth by itself is one and only one. It is spoken in different languages in different Advents and explained according to the level of consciousness that humanity possesses at each particular time, and for this the Ancient One uses metaphors and parables to fit the particular circumstances of the Advent and He also shows us different ways to live that one Truth according to the times.

The Avatar is always referred to as 'He' instead of 'It' or the 'Reality' and this is so because the Reality always dons the male human form. Therefore we always use the masculine gender in referring to the Avatar; we say 'His coming again and again in our midst'.

Now what need is there for the Avatar to come so many times? It is all His Divine Game. It is the divine game of hide-and-seek that takes place wherein He continues to remain hidden. There is a continuous process of seeking and being sought, and He being infinite, the whole of existence revolves around this reality which is infinite. The game goes on and on without any end except at the time when there is total dissolution (mahapralaya), and even then it is not the end because there is no end to this beginningless beginning.

The Avatar gives us the precepts we need and if men were to follow them, there would be no need for Him to repeat His appearances. However, humanity being steeped in the slumber of illusion, He comes to get us out of illusion-consciousness and help us march towards Reality-Consciousness. The grip of illusion is so tight on us, that no amount of our determination to follow the path of righteousness, allows us to stay on that path. So time and again He returns to put us back on the path of righteousness from which we have slipped.

His coming in our midst and laying down precepts to guide us, does help for the time being, but gradually the influence fades away and He has to make another appearance. This fading away of the influence is all because He likes His Divine Game. He wants to come in our midst and be with us. This is what I have been made to understand by Meher Baba.

As far as the religions we follow, Meher Baba does not want us to give them up in order to follow Him. On the contrary, He wants us to become aware of the precepts that were laid down at the time of the Advent which brought about each particular religion.

When He was in our midst as Zoroaster, there was no such thing as Zoroastrianism. At the time of Buddha when He was in our midst, there was no such thing as Buddhism, and at the time of Jesus when He was in our midst, there was no such thing as Christianity.

These religions cropped up only after the Advents. First, there were a few followers in each Advent and with the passage of time, the followers increased in numbers and they tried to form themselves into groups with the same ideologies, holding on to the precepts laid down in that Advent and they formed a religion.

Religion which is man-made, has nothing to do with the Advent. That being so, why is it recognized as Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism or Hinduism? It is to commemorate an Advent that mankind creates such religions and thus each religion revolves around a particular Advent.

Meher Baba never told us to leave or give up our own religion. I am a Zoroastrian by birth and He wants me to be a true Zoroastrian. So if you are a Christian, He wants you to be a true Christian, a true Christian, mind you! We call ourselves Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Zoroastrians, but are we really and truly true Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Hindus? Hardly!

All the Avatar does each time He comes is to give us the same Truth. He does not differentiate a Mohammedan from a Hindu, or a Christian from a Zoroastrian. He brings them all together and once again regenerates that Truth in their hearts. He wants everyone to become aware of their shortcomings in not having lived up to the precepts laid down in the past. So He revives some of those precepts, regenerates them and once again puts us back on the path of righteousness. We, in turn, begin to uphold what He has said and by following His precepts, cause posterity to label our activities a 'religion'.

Now whether posterity will create a new religion to commemorate Meher Baba's Advent, I cannot know, nor am I the one to say that it should start such a religion. Meher Baba Himself has spoken out against any such movement.

The basis of all religions is nothing but love for God, so what is really needed is to establish that love in our hearts without formalizing it. If rites, rituals and ceremonies were to become the centre of formal expression of love for God, then it will undoubtedly be a disservice to Meher Baba who came to do away with such practices that are so widespread in all the religions.

I am sure Meher Baba lovers would not want a religion of their own but would prefer instead to embrace all the religions of the world as one religion, following the precepts of Meher Baba to live the life of Love and Truth in the name of the Lord. I am equally certain that there will be others who will continue to be bound to religion in the customary manner.

Perhaps the lovers of Meher Baba may be perceived in the future as just another sect living a different kind of life, and other religious groups may view them as simply another religion. But as long as these lovers of Baba continue devotedly to live the message of Love and Truth, they will never slip into the rut of formal religion. On the contrary, they will be serving Meher Baba as He wanted them to do.

Of course Meher Baba lovers will want to congregate together and in doing so they should bear in mind the following guidance from Him: First and foremost, pleasing Baba by actually living His message is the paramount thing and by thus pleasing Him, the heart becomes His centre and no other centre or institution can compare with that. However, if need for a centre is felt, Meher Baba has said that there are quite of number of public gardens or huge trees under which lovers can gather to talk about Him, to remember Him and to sing devotional songs. Such a gathering then becomes a group of similar hearts that carry love for the Lord.

Once a group is formed, the number of lovers is likely to increase and the group becomes larger. There are now many minds which have come together in closeness to the same heart where Baba's love resides and the group will need discipline, organization and so forth.

For such a situation, Baba has said, "Have your centres where you can gather as often as you wish, and a place or address where others who wish to find out about Me, may come or write to, but in the gathering let there be no difference between one and another, and let it be remembered always that at these meetings, it is Baba Himself who presides. In this way no one will begin to dictate, dissensions and rifts will be avoided and My message will be promoted."

The way to share this treasure of Baba then is to live such a natural life based on Baba's message of Love and Truth, that those who live a most unnatural life may sense and enquire as to the source of inspiration. They can then be told about Meher Baba, and if only a handful of lovers were to spread out in the crowd and do their natural work, that is all that would be required.

There is no need ever to worry about centres, institutions, small halls, large halls or the spreading of the message if we first love Him as He should be loved. After all, who inspires people to go or not to go to a centre? It is Baba! The inspiration to have or not have a centre or hall is also through Him, so if we do our part and leave it up to Him, there will be no need to worry. Baba summed it up when He said, "To love Me is your business, the rest is My business!"

However, if there is an organization, it should be a formal one in order to function according to the laws of the land, but let it be a democratic one where every individual can have his say, and above all let the embodiment of Truth that the Avatar is, be the example to each one to become likewise a walking-talking church, temple, pagoda or agiary.

It is the failure to keep such things in mind that leads the very institutions which were created to commemorate the Advent into the paradoxical ways of dissipating the message and creating the confusion that breed the congenial atmosphere for another Advent.

[modifier] The Tongue Of God

Naosherwan Anzar

Avatar Meher Baba came into my life in early childhood. Along with the experience of His overwhelming presence, came the recognition of His divine qualities of love, compassion, charity, mercy and a childlike simplicity that was tangible and infectious.

These very qualities manifested in those individuals who lived to serve Meher Baba and were known as His close disciples or mandali. Among those mandali I met while in my early teens, the one who had significant impact on my spiritual life in the absence of Meher Baba's continual presence, was Eruch Behramshaw Jessawala, a robust young man then but now in his sixties, of whom Meher Baba said on May 25, 1965, "If ever I personally like the company of anyone, it is that of Eruch."

I first saw Eruch in the early fifties as a devoted attendant who took care of Meher Baba's personal needs and comforts, a service that he performed for thirty years, stating with natural humility, "I exercised my freedom to be His slave."

Over the years this particular devotion to his Lord and Master became as well-known as his part in interpreting Meher Baba's hand signs and gestures for the thousands who came from time to time for Meher Baba's blessing. This latter function was a role which the Australian poet, Francis Brabazon, aptly described as "The Tongue of God" for it also extended to communicating Meher Baba's thoughts, teachings and messages through circulars, letters and telegrams.

In 1952 when the Beloved One asked Eruch to travel from town to town in India to give His message of Love and Truth, He was undoubtedly preparing him for posterity as the one who would bear witness to the Advent of the Ancient One, and later narrate the events surrounding this circumstance to those who sought Truth.

Today, when seekers journey to Meherabad and Meherazad, month after month and year after year, thirsting and yearning for a drop from the Infinite Ocean, it is Eruch who tells them of God's ministry on earth.

These seekers come from every corner of the world to bow down at the Tomb of the Ancient One, a dome-shaped structure which sits atop a small hill at Meherabad in the district of Ahmednagar, approximately 180 miles south-east of Bombay. As a part of their pilgrimage, they also visit Meher Baba's former residence known as Meherazad to spend time with and listen to the stories that the remaining mandali have to tell of the wondrous but strenuous days in the service of their Lord.

Eruch explains the reason for their pilgrimage in these words:

"It is said that the radiance of the Infinite Eternal Being is such that it is just as impossible for us to see Him as He really is, as it is impossible for us to look at the sun with unshaded eyes. Therefore the next best thing is to pay heed to the Word which veils His radiance, and that Word begets many other words which make up the life stories of His loved ones. Take refuge therefore in the words of the Great One so that one day you can see Him as He really is."

Eruch was born on October 13, 1916 in Bombay and was nurtured with love and care by his Zoroastrian parents. During his early school years, he surprised his teachers by displaying an unusual interest in prayer, even teaching other boys how to pray, while he himself was often found deep in prayer at night. As a boy, he was fond of listening to bhajans and spiritual songs, and his kind-heartedness and loving care often impelled him to give food to the poor, sometimes even before he would partake of a morsel.

During his college days, he was so indifferent to the prevailing style of dress that he wore simple Indian clothes and shaved his head. His father, hoping to get Eruch to abandon this attire, tried to get Eruch's friends to persuade him to dress better but received the reply that Eruch was so kind and loving that his very nature made him appear always well dressed.

Eruch was barely six years old when Meher Baba visited the Jessawala home in Nagpur and asked that Eruch be allowed to stay with Him, but although his mother Gaimai agreed, his father Behramshaw was unwilling. A year later they met Meher Baba in Ahmednagar when He was with a group of pilgrims who were singing bhajans, and at that time Baba turned to Gaimai and Eruch and said, "I am the real Vithoba (the Lord) and these men do not know it." It was a reference to the journey the pilgrims were planning to make to Pandharpur to bow down at the statue of Vithoba.

As Meher Baba continued to give glimpses of His divinity, the

Jessawala family grew in their devotion to Him and Eruch describes an incident of the time.

"When my parents first met Meher Baba, He was a young man who often wore a napkin around His forehead. On one occasion when He visited a disciple's home, He was photographed by the host and my mother obtained a large copy of this photograph which she hung in our house.

"One day a college professor who had met Baba in London in 1932 and knew of our relationship with Him, visited our home and on seeing the photograph persuaded my mother to loan him the picture for copying.

"Two days later, we received a telegram from Baba stating, 'Why have you driven Me from your home?' My mother was very upset on receiving this query from Baba, and more so because she was unable to decipher its meaning. Eventually, looking at the empty spot on the wall where the photograph had hung, her puzzlement seemed to resolve itself and she asked me to retrieve the picture from the professor.

"Several years later when Baba visited our home in Poona to which city the family had moved, He walked around the rooms and stopped in front of the same picture at which he gazed intently. Then calling my mother and my sister, He asked them to perform arti and He bowed down to it and commented, 'In this picture, I find Myself as I really am.'"

Shortly before the first call from Meher Baba in May 1938 which led Eruch to become a close disciple a few months later, Eruch had a dream which symbolized for him, the giving up of everything and following his Master to the very end.

In the dream, he saw Meher Baba walking away from their home with his parents on either side, each holding Baba's hand while he too was at Baba's side and also holding Baba's hand. Then Baba turned to his mother and asked, "Is there anything edible in the house that is likely to get spoilt?" to which she replied that there was only some milk. Thereupon Baba directed Eruch to bury the container of milk in the ground and then follow Him.

In the early months of his discipleship, Eruch was trained to care for the masts in the ashram, but a year later he was chosen as Baba's personal attendant and companion.

"Eruch's work in the early years," wrote Dr. William Donkin, the English disciple of Meher Baba, "was principally in the mast ashrams, but his robust constitution and particularly his unshakeable imperturbability have made him an incalculable asset on the greater number of tours that Baba has made. He is the personification of tireless self-abnegation and has a taste for reticence about what he does, so that few outside the immediate circle of Baba's mandali realize how much work he has done for Baba in mast work and other spheres."

Mani S. Irani, Baba's sister, told of the first few days after the Beloved One had dropped His body:

"Eruch reminded us that we, the mandali, had to continue doing what Baba wanted us to do — to be the torch-bearers of His message of love and truth. He said it was not the time to start thinking of ourselves, but to continue to think of what Baba would want us to do and so please Him. His saying that brought us back to a proper perspective, so there remained little room in our hearts for our own feelings of loss.

"One morning, shortly after returning to Meherazad from the Great Darshan that was held in Poona, Eruch asked me to bring him some papers which Baba had left in my keeping but I forgot all about it until evening time. The sun was setting and the lanterns were already being lit when I walked over to the men's quarters with the papers.

"I saw Eruch outside his cabin and announced that I had come with the papers, but instead of advancing towards me, he started to walk in the opposite direction towards the fields adjoining the ashram. He beckoned me to come and stand beside him and listen.

"'Can you hear?' he asked, and as I paid attention, I could hear Baa-Baa, Baa-Baa, Baa-Baa coming from the sheep on the other side of the fields. It sounded just like a repetition of Baba's name.

"'Can you see them?' Eruch asked, and because some of the sheep were white and were moving about restlessly, I was able to see them.

"'Now, can you see to the left?' he asked, but I could discern nothing there as it was quite dark. However, as I peered more intently I saw a dark shape which I took at first to be a big rock. Then I suddenly realized it was the shepherd, sitting there still as a rock, covered with a homespun blanket.

"Eruch went on: 'Because it is dark, the sheep think that their shepherd has deserted them and they are restless, calling out and searching for him. But the shepherd has not deserted the flock; he is still there keeping his gaze on them and protecting them, and he will be there all through the night. When the dawn breaks, the sheep will see that their shepherd was with them all the time.'

"And I understood what Eruch was telling me in his insightful way."

Eruch's vast and varied experience over such a long period as 'the slave of Meher Baba', as he puts it, has made him the beneficiary of the Infinite Wisdom of the Beloved Avatar. For now he has put aside his reticence to enable us to share in a very rich harvest, and we are indeed most fortunate to be the recipients of all that he has so lovingly offered...

[modifier] Reply To Two Queries

March 8, 1973

Your letter of March 5, 1973 has been received. I want to state first of all that whatever I have gathered directly from Beloved Meher Baba while being at His feet, is unhesitatingly shared with others.

In reply to your two queries, I fully agree with what you have stated in query 1. The next Advent may or may not be in Japan. Baba said that He will be in Japan after 700 years, in Hamirpur after 700 years, etc., and from this I gather that He will be visiting Japan, Hamirpur etc., even if these places do not continue to be known by the same names after 700 years.

Query 2: After the Avatar drops His body, the impact of the Advent remains one hundred per cent forceful on humanity for a period of 100-200 years depending on the circumstances of the Advent. The force gradually begins to taper off for the remainder of the 700-1400 years and when the impact of the past Advent is almost faint, the next Advent takes place. During the first 100-200 years, that is, during the hundred per cent forceful impact of the Avataric Advent, the five Perfect Masters do not appear in the forefront, but immediately after that period they assume the reins of full responsibility.

Every Avataric period holds its importance for humanity at large and particularly for the Avatar's Circles. These circles, especially the Inner Circle, realize God soon after the Avatar drops His man-form, but the words "soon after" do not necessarily mean a year or two of earth years. It could be 10-20 or 100-200 earth years, depending on the Grace of the Avatar.

Also, once an aspirant gets into the orbit of the Avatar's love, such aspirant will forever remain linked to the era of the Advent until he realizes God, and the goal is attained through the Grace of the Avatar and not of any Perfect Master.

The Avatar is the direct descent of God (descent from Reality into Illusion) into a male human form. This Advent helps humanity to have more tangible proof of God's Being, His Presence, His Love, His Grace etc., through the God-Man who has taken form for the sake of the world of forms.

God is eternal and God's grace is eternal, so when the God-Man drops His body, only the man-form is dropped and God eternally remains as He always is, was and will be. There is no interruption in the flow of His Grace on His lovers, hence lovers of the Avatar have to hold on to Baba's daaman until the end and not go out in search of any living Master — for it is of no avail.

Eruch Jessawala. Edited by Naosherwan Anzar. © 1985, Naosherwan Anzar