The Wonders of Silence

De Simple Silence.

Contents 1 A Strange Instruction From Baba 2 The Sound Brake Of Silence 3 Letter To The President Of The World Congress Of Religions 4 The Beginning Of My Belief In Baba

[modifier] A Strange Instruction From Baba

While I was celebrating the Festival of Silence at Meherazad, when the Lord of Silence Himself was physically present on this earth planet of ours, the strangest thing happened in my life. The Beloved of my heart — Baba — called me quite surprisingly at an unusual hour in the afternoon on a day before the Festival of Silence and asked me to stay with Him for sometime. I considered this a very special kind of grace conferred on me by the Highest of the High. Thus, when I happily stood face to face before my Divine Darling, I was directed by Baba to place my right foot on a small stool kept in front of Him, the purpose of which was unknown to me and I was in a state of utter suspense not knowing what to do. However, Baba at once projected a penetratng look into my heart through His bright beaming eyes and asked me to follow what a few others present at the moment would do. Now, my whole attention was fully focused on Baba and His gestures. Seven members of the Mandali were selected by Baba who were asked by Him to place their right foot on the said stool, one by one, and repeat any name of God dearest to them. Kaikobad was the first candidate who placed his right foot on the stool and started repeating the name loudly of his Dear God. During the short period when he was repeating his Dear God's name Baba bent himself forward and bowed down His head on the foot of Kaikobad. The same process was continued by Baba when He called Pendu, Francis, Barikaka, Bhau Kalchuri, Eruch and Aloba. Now, came my turn. This time, in obedience to Baba's instruction, I also placed my right foot on the same stool. In a second, Baba placed His forehead on my foot and I was loudly repeating Om thrice. It is rather impossible for me to describe my condition at the time when the forehead of Baba was touching my foot. My whole body was electrically thrilled to a state of an unutterable experience of a sweet shock that passed through my entire nervous system.

After that, Baba ordered me to write out my thoughts on the 10th July morning.

While observing silence, I could only manage to write one thought which was duly recorded in the pages of my Diary for the day and the same is reproduced hereunder:

"Baba's Silence is Brahma Nada, originally derived from Om. It is like a natural breathing process of Supreme Being in His Sada-Shiva state, where silence and seclusion become the parents of Peace which is, indeed, the bread and butter of Soul, giving us the taste of Truth about Baba's Godhood and revealing the Great Fact of His Avataric Reality. It is in this realm that Cosmic Love crowns the glorious spirit of Eternity, the Essence of Universal Existence."

[modifier] The Sound Brake Of Silence

As a student of the Gita and Vedanta, I believe in Meher Baba's Avataric Silence, which is the Secret of Secrets. In Vedanta, it is described as "Brahma Naad" or "Unhad Naad" as Kabir calls it. The same is not only infinite, but also endless and continuous. And the Silence which is personified by Krishna or Baba is a spiritual wonder. In fact, it is an un-breakable continuity of pure consciousness. This has been further clarified in the Upanishads as "Akhanda-Vishwa Chetana" or Indivisible Universal Consciousness.

However, in this particular context, I recall the "words" of Baba communicated to me by Eruch Bhai in his letter dated 21.8.63 (reproduced exactly in part below):

"Baba wants you to note and relay to people whereever you go that the breaking of His Silence would be after nine months after His return to Meherazad from Poona and Baba returned to Meherazad about 1st of July, 1963."

Accordingly, I visited various places relaying the said message of Baba about the Breaking of His Silence which people took as an exciting piece of fresh information from me. They eagerly awaited to see when and how Baba would break His Silence.

No sooner was the stipulated period over, when everyone including myself, was expecting the divine delivery of the Word as a result of breaking His Silence. And lo; just as I looked at the calendar hanging on the wall in front of me, I noticed the date 1st April (in big black print), the day when the nine months were exactly over. At once it struck me that I was played an April Fool. The same night I had a dream wherein Baba was profusely laughing at me while showing the calendar and putting His finger on the 1st of April again and again. I enjoyed Baba's joke.

A few weeks later, I visited Meherazad and sat before my Beloved God in a puzzled and perplexed state of mind. I asked Baba to kindly let me know why He did not break His Silence after nine months upon His return from Poona to Meherazad as promised. The only reply I got was that He is not bound by any promises.

Subsequently, on my return to Calcutta in one of the meetings of the Meher Spiritual Center, I was questioned by a critic about the promised breaking of Baba's Silence. I was bluntly asked by him to refrain from carrying on such a bluff any more. I had no answer and kept quiet. Further, he went on ridiculing me and said, "Your Baba's promise of His breaking silence is nothing but a bluff as usual. What else have you got to say in the matter?"

The whole night I could not sleep. I was very restless. In the dawn hours, I wrote a long letter to Eruch Bhai in a most tormented mood and a few extracts from there are quoted here:

"... Perhaps God is fond of playing the game of Hide & Seek. At times, God-Baba likes Himself to be missing from the midst of mankind for a certain period of time. This gives His lovers a chance to seek Him again and again as a part of His Godly Game...

"The three essential pre-conditions of such a Game are Pro-Loving, Pro-Embracing, and Pro-Missing, which is entirely different from Promising derived from the ordinary dictionary word Promise. It may be described as an Avataric Sport (Leela) in which lovers who are Pro-Spiritual and Anti-Material are allowed to participate. There are also some strict rules governing the Game: Firstly, one must be totally anti-hypocritical before he enters the field and secondly, he must be fit for self-suffering for the sake of others' happiness.

"The fundamental principle of this strange Game is to be Pro-Silence and anti-noise, whereas, most of us are Pro-noise and anti-Silence. Hence, it is no wonder that we really miss hearing the Mystic Word even if it was uttered in the vast whirlpool of self-created noise about Silence. Let it not be taken amiss when I say that never do I miss the Silence of His Presence, despite His seclusion, during which period He prefers to play this Game of Pro-Missing that must not be understood as Promising.

"Now, regarding the breaking of Baba's Silence, it is undoubtedly an Esoteric Fact for which, I have my own interpretation to offer:

"If, instead of breaking His Silence, Baba is breaking His promise of breaking silence, that then, for me, shall mean The Brake is still necessary, in order to save the uncontrollable speed of destruction. Phonetically, I should like to spell the word as Brake of Silence. Hence, Baba's Silence is a kind of Working Brake in Sound Condition which when applied shall definitely check the speed of destruction. Whether it is an engine, a car, a tram, a cycle or any vehicle that we drive, we first see that the brake is alright; otherwise, we know we are liable to meet with accidents. Similarly, in a mad-world of noise, there must be a sound brake of silence to avert accidents in the Path of Progress which is constant motion.

"Therefore, I understand it in a different way. I say with emphasis that if Baba's Silence is a Sound Brake, the use of which is still unknown to us or any one else. Baba alone knows the modus-operandi of such a Sound Brake of Silence. Why should I presume that Baba is going to break The Brake. For, if the Brake is broken, and His Silence does not function, the world is faced with definite danger as it is in great motion and unless The Brake is applied in time, the whole machinery will break.

"May Baba not break His Silence, but keep The Brake of Silence in tact. Of course, in Seclusion, Baba just undertakes the periodical overhaul of The Brake of Silence. The question of breaking promises does not arise at all. The world, which is produced in His Maya, is in itself a big 'bluff' of reality and therefore, if we have to exist on this planet, Baba must carry on His bluff eternally..."

[modifier] Letter To The President Of The World Congress Of Religions

Mr. Baron Von Blomberg, F.R.G.S., Chief Advisor, International Relations and Press, U.S.A., happened to visit India in search of spirituality. In the course of his search, he met me in Delhi and became deeply interested in knowing about Avatar Meher Baba. Mr. Blomberg, who was busily engaged in organizing The World Congress of Religions, held in Delhi December 1964, has expressed his desire thus:

"I long very much to be with Baba... I know I can bring many, many thousands even millions of souls in touch with Him... My Desire is to bring our Beloved Baba in touch with world leaders — or rather world leaders in touch with Him. Think of what a great blessing and spiritual influence this could have on our world of today. Think how many problems this could solve."

My original letter to which Mr. Baron Von Blomberg has so feelingly replied as in the above lines, is reproduced here:

"Dear Beloved Lover of God,

"Let me at the outset, thank you most heartily for your nobility to have discussed with one so freely and frankly about Avatar Meher Baba with purity of purpose and interest. It is needless for me to reiterate the fact that Baba is a Matchless Master of the Highest Spiritual Order.

"I say this because I constantly see in the vision of my soul that all the streams of various world religions are flowing towards His Oceanic Silence, where ultimately, they have to get merged in the end. It is as true as daylight when the sun is shining. The time you have thus spent in the company of a Baba lover, last night before dinner, is bound to prove useful to you since you are an earnest seeker of Truth. And soon you will discover that the aim of your search for spirituality could only be achieved in the Avataric embrace of Meher Baba — the Great Awakener in modern times.

"It is good that you have rightly set yourself on the pious task of sincerely understanding the Truth about spirituality. I quite appreciate your zeal to possess a substantial knowledge of true spirituality and your present visit to the capital of India clearly signifies your sublime ideal in view. I am, therefore, expressly inclined to assist you in this direction, as best as I can, by furnishing all the necessary information required by you regarding the Avataric Reality of Meher Baba.

"He is the Silent Savior of Humanity and the Light of Universal Love, living amidst us, as God on earth in order to create a proper climate of peace in the international sphere, while simultaneously personifying the Great Spirit of the Gita, Bible and Koran in one unit, ever moving our mundane consciousness to a spiritual state of Supra-conscious-self.

"A new era of inter-religious unity is already inaugurated by His Love on the basis of the Trinity of Truth, Bliss and Beauty, which is highly concentrated in Baba's Silence. He is the finest combination of Christ, Krishna, Muhammad and Buddha as also Nanak and Kabir and really represents the essence of all saints and sadgurus, prophets and pirs in His existing form of The Highest of The High. He is the source and terminus of spirituality. He embraces all, without making any distinction whatsoever. He loves both saints and sinners alike. He is a powerful spiritual dynamo with infinite capacity to drive the engine of eternity on the parallel rails of the pairs of opposites. He generates spiritual electricity giving the Light of Joy and Hope for the whole of mankind.

"In this broad context, I feel it is my duty as a Baba lover to let you know something about the true quality of spirituality, which you are in search of; and certainly you will agree with me, that the same cannot be bought from the local world market, where, several spiritual shopping centers have been started. But, I can doubly assure you that the best quality of spirituality can always be obtained as a priceless gift of Meher Baba from His Serene Silence, on the summit of which He sits and silently supplies the required spiritual energy to enable His lovers to know Him as God — The Beloved; and the term used for such divine knowledge is Divya-Gyana and that is True Spirituality.

"It is not the science of occultism, but the most ancient system of Yogic wisdom attained by an aspirant through the Grace of a Perfect Master... It is derived from self experience of the Divine in all... It transcends the limitations of duality and maintains a beautiful balance of life under all conditions and in all circumstances. It surpasses the range of intellectual understanding and such is the spotless character of spirituality about which I have spoken to you. This alone can be claimed as the chief principle of Atma-Shakti (Self Power) which is the center of all Siddhis or psychic powers.

"Any physical demonstration of these powers on the road side of life will be tantamount to a serious breach of discipline in the real order of Spirituality. In spite of this, there are many who are out to show that they perform miracles in order to increase the number of their followers, but sincerely speaking, any such attempt made to establish faith in miracle-mongering, only leads to nullify the true significance of spirituality. It causes much more harm to the Sadhaks or aspirants on the Path of God-Realization, who find themselves duped in the long run due to the transitory nature of a miracle-born faith, as they feel fatigued in a static condition, due to the Path of the Progress getting blocked.

"It is for this reason that the Avatar of the Age comes down to us in human form — the same form and frame as we have — so that He becomes easily approachable by all human beings, and by a single kick to the motor of mind, in silence, He awakens us to a sense of Reality and thereby clears all our odds and obstacles on the way of True Spirituality. Baba loves and helps all except hypocrites who pose and pretend to be what they are not. Of course, in the end, in His unbounded Mercy, Baba also helps them to realize the meaning of spirituality. The living Avatar repeatedly asserts that He has Come not to Teach, but to Awaken. He says so with His supreme Divine Authority.

"This Awakener is like the rising Sun of Spirituality, who shines eternally on the horizon of humanity and now He is just on the zenith of an Avataric Glory. Let everyone enjoy the warm sunshine of His smiles in the cold winter of worry, which makes the soul shiver and shrink.

"It will not be out of place for me to make mention here that in my intense search for spirituality as a student of Silence, I have come across several saints and sadgurus, sages and seers who are keenly interested in taking part in a mad race for popularity, merely by means of publicity, which has reduced spirituality to 'dust', in as much as commercialization of spiritual values on a competitive basis has been resorted to and I realize that I was simply exploited in the name of religion and spirituality.

"Even on the Himalayan heights, where I visited several caves in search of saints and sadgurus, I was sadly disappointed to find that the atmosphere there too, had been polluted with the poison of personal prejudices, in the name of Yoga and Meditation. At one stage, a great Yogi had even asked me not to go to Meher Baba. Such is the present deplorable state of affairs about spirituality.

"I have ventured to confess these facts to you because, I feel that you may profit from my experience whenever you are in a fix to distinguish which is right and which is wrong. In that, so much confusion is being created by various conflicting and clashing ideas about spirituality. Let us, therefore, dedicate ourselves to the immediate cause of removing the false label of love put on the minds of men and make them aware of the Truth, that a lot of imitation brand of spirituality is sold in the market of miracles.

"Let us all drink the pure Love of God from the Cosmic Cup of Baba's Silence!

"Ever Yours, in Silent Service, — Moorty"

[modifier] The Beginning Of My Belief In Baba

On the third day of the Sahavas given by Baba to the Maharashtrian group (which I attended along with Dr. Deshmukh), while the Sahavasis were supposed to go to Arangaon in a procession, I requested Baba to allow me to go to Poona on the plea that my father’s friend was seriously ill, which in fact was not true. I thought I had finished Baba’s darshan and had enough of it for two days and I had no further interest in staying at Meherabad. But Baba replied saying, « No. Don’t go anywhere. You are now in God’s company, which is so rarely available. » I kept quiet. Dr. Deshmukh also pursued me to stay for a whole week.

The procession started and was almost on the way to Arangaon when an advocate from Delhi who was also attending the same Sahavas, went nearer to Baba and sought his permission to return to Delhi. I was looking to Baba as to what would be His reply. At once, Baba gave him permission and asked Adi Kaka to drop him at the railway station. I took a chance and once again asked Baba to allow me to go to Poona in the same way as he permitted that advocate to go to Delhi. Baba said, « No, you need not go ; the case of the advocate is different. It is urgent and he is required to attend the Court by the end of this week. »

I insisted saying, « If that is so, my case is more important and urgent since I am required to see my father’s friend who is so seriously laid up in Poona. »

Now Baba became serious and said, « Is it true? Then you also go but never return here again. » — which I could not understand. Baba then directed Adi also to drop me at the railway station along with that advocate. I thanked Baba and left.

Adi Kaka dropped us both at the Ahmednagar Railway Station. After a while the train to Delhi via Manmad arrived and the advocate left by the said train. Now I was waiting and waiting but my train towards Dhond did not arrive. There was some derailment of a goods train between Manmad and Nagar. It was therefore, announced that my train would be indefinitely late.

Then I had to go to the Bus stand where I got the bus for Poona within 15 minutes. After an hour’s journey, the bus suddenly stopped with a big bump on the way. All got down including myself. It took 2 hours to complete the repair and get started again. Somehow, I reached Poona late at about 10 p.m. I took a taxi and went to the house of my father’s friend, who was really not at all ill. As soon as I got down from the taxi, I saw from a distance a big lock hanging on the door of that house. The old man was not there. He went to his village that very evening. There was no one in the house and it was all locked.

I came back to Poona station and tried to sleep in the first class waiting room. I could not sleep. I thought of going to Bombay to meet a friend of mine. So next morning I reached Bombay and went to my friend’s house. But to my very utter surprise, I found he was seriously ill and the house was full of relations. In fact, he was in a state of coma. I stayed for a few hours but my friend did not come back to his normal senses.

I came again to Bombay Railway Station to return to Kharagpur, where my money purse and the railway ticket were all pick-pocketed. I was left with only Rs. 15.

I became totally helpless. I was about to burst into tears. I thought still worse might happen to me at Kharagpur. I deeply felt in my heart of hearts that all this was Baba’s doing. So I purchased a ticket to Nagar and returned to Meherabad on the 5^th day of the Sahavas. I stealthily approached Dr. Deshmukh in his room and he jumped in surprise at my very unexpected return.

I was crying while embracing Dr. Deshmukh. In the meantime, for no reason, Baba happened to come to the same room and saw me. I stood with folded hands before Baba and craved for his kind pardon. But Baba, instead of pardoning me, took up for the act of disobedience on my part and said, « I told you not to come back here again. Why did you do so? Go back, go back from here at once, you liar. »

I was trembling and about to fall at His feet, after confessing the truth. Suddenly Baba’s mood changed. He picked me up with His soft golden godly hands and not only embraced me but also kissed me and reiterated, saying, « Never doubt for a moment that I am God. I forgive you. I know everything. »

Baba then asked Deshmukh to take care of me and accommodate me in the same room where I was previously staying along with Mr. Sherlekar & Booty of Nagpur. Thus I missed two days of the 1955 Sahavas. This was the beginning of my belief in Baba as God.

Dr. G. S. N. Moorty. © 1992 Dr. G. S. N. Moorty