Hanging Dream

I don't usually report my dreams on this blog but last night's dream was unusual. I was scheduled to be hung along with a small group of maybe three other men. The site was a single story house on acreage. Initially I was on the verandah and there were lots of people about, chatting and enjoying themselves. There a party atmosphere such as might have existed back in the early 19th century in England when hanging of criminals was public and a source of entertainment. 

I was free to move about and nobody seemed to be paying attention to me. I pondered whether to run away and thought about hiding at John Contarino's house. I knew my old school friend was dead but that meant there was a spare room that his mother might let me use. It didn't occur to me that she was long dead. I knew I'd be found however, and things might be even worse for me. There was an awful sense of dread knowing that I was to be executed. I couldn't believe that my existence was about to end.

I've had similar dreams in the past, though not many. At one point I asked Baba for help which I've never done before. Earlier in the evening I'd been talking to Sabina about the timing of my passing. A Pak Haji whom she had known predicted that I would decline healthwise once she graduated. She herself felt that my demise would occur soon after she got engaged. That's not on the cards at the moment but her current boyfriend in the United States is planning to visit mid-year. I'll have to wait and see how that relationship evolves. Clearly that conversation with Sabina and discussion of my time of death had prompted the dream.

I remember thinking in the dream that hanging was a nasty way to go and that I would have preferred a bullet. As my concern showed, I'm still very much attached to my body and my physical existence. The fact that I called out to Baba is positive I guess. I've only done this once before in a dream when I was falling to my death and remembered to take His name before impact. Here is a description of the merriment accompanying public executions.

Public hangings in early 19th-century England were major, rowdy public spectacles, often attracting thousands of spectators who treated the events as entertainment, with vendors selling food and drink. Executions typically occurred at locations like Newgate Prison for offenses ranging from murder to theft, continuing until 1868. 

Rome and Home

Baba taunted the man, replying, “Yes, you cannot follow because you are in Rome, and I know because I am at Home! This is the difference between you and me. You are in Rome and I am at Home!”

The priest then left, quite puzzled by his encounter with Baba. What Baba meant by “Home” was that he was one with God, and “Rome” was the church – rites, rituals, orthodoxy. God abided in Baba, and Baba abided in God. But to the priest God was in Rome – the church in Rome.

Above is an excerpt from a story from Lord Meher that I received in my inbox today and quite like. The punchline of course is the following:

 You are in Rome and I am at Home

This quote carries more weight for me because I attended a Catholic school and was nominally a Catholic until about age 15 when the penny dropped so to speak. While I'm not in Rome anymore, I'm still far from home or "walking far from home" as the Iron and Wine song lyrics go. What follows is the full story and a wonderful photo of Baba taken in 1936 when he was 42 years old. He looks magnificent. The story immediately follows the photo. 

(March 1937) Baba was in Nasik. Malcolm Schloss had met a Catholic priest at a religious conference in Nasik and he urged the priest to meet Baba, but he declined. When he told Baba, he also seemed uninterested. However, due to Malcolm’s persuasion a meeting was arranged. The following conversation between the priest and Meher Baba then ensued:

When they met, Baba commented to him, “All the Mullajis (Muslim priests) are good; the Pope is good; the Pandits (Hindu scholars) are good. But only the Sankaracharya (1) (head of orthodox Hinduism) can speak for hours on end!”

The priest had recently returned from participating in the religious conference, and hearing Baba’s words, proudly refuted, “It was not the Sankaracharya, but I who spoke during the whole conference. The Sankaracharya could not argue convincingly at all. He could not say a word to me and I rebuked him severely.”

“Yes,” replied Baba, “these Mullajis, and the Sankaracharya, all need to be warned. They deserve lecturing and need to be taken to task.”

“You just said they are good and now you say they need to be lectured,” the priest said. “I don’t follow what you mean.”

Explaining, Baba spelled out, “The Sankaracharya and high priests have big heads – they are intellectuals – but they have small hearts. You, however, have a good heart.”

Baba added, “There are many to teach in the world, but very few to learn.”

“What do you mean?” asked the priest.

“They all teach but none of them wants to learn – and those who teach do not know the Truth themselves!”

Baba then recounted a striking incident concerning Baily: “A chap named Baily was my school friend and he just could not believe how a boy like me who used to play marbles with him, could as a man attain such a high state while he was still in the same state where he was. The difference between him and me was so phenomenal that he wanted to see some miracles as proof in order to gain conviction about me. One day, when Baily was writing something in my thatched hut in Poona, all of a sudden the inkwell began dancing up and down! He was flabbergasted. After a little while, the pen jumped from his hand and also started to dance. He started shouting, ‘Baba! Baba!’ and wept continuously for some days. From that day on, he was convinced of my powers and had faith in me.

“I told him, ‘You are a fool. If this small phenomena could convince you of spirituality, why don’t you go and follow Muhammad Chhel, who was a well-known tantric magician?’

“All miracles are child’s play, whereas spirituality is far above them. Miracles in themselves have no spiritual value or significance. But they are necessary and, at times, performed by the Master as a means to convince people of Truth and spirituality. Jesus performed miracles not for his own gain, but to make people recognize the Truth and to create faith in them. Yet, when he was crucified, he who could raise the dead, did not stop it!”

Changing the subject, the priest asked, “Why do you keep silence? Why don’t you speak?”

“I always speak!” Baba smilingly replied, “I continually speak through you, through all the high priests and through everyone.”

Not following what Baba meant, the priest asked, “Then why do you use the alphabet board?”

“I talk through you and all, and I answer questions through this board.”

The priest looked more perplexed and asked, “How? I don’t understand.”

Baba taunted the man, replying, “Yes, you cannot follow because you are in Rome, and I know because I am at Home! This is the difference between you and me. You are in Rome and I am at Home!”

The priest then left, quite puzzled by his encounter with Baba. What Baba meant by “Home” was that he was one with God, and “Rome” was the church – rites, rituals, orthodoxy. God abided in Baba, and Baba abided in God. But to the priest God was in Rome – the church in Rome.

(1) Footnote: In Hinduism the Sankaracharya is similar in status to the Pope in Roman Catholicism.

Lord Meher, Original Publication, Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 6, pp. 2129 – 2130. Link.

BABA Number Plate

It's been a while since I posted to this blog. The last post is dated March 27th 2023, shortly after the equinox and now the other equinox is fast approaching. I remember Baba daily thanks to the Avatar Meher Baba Bombay Centre's email that recalls something that Baba said or did on that particular date.

Here is the posting for today, September 7th:

On that Sunday, September 7th, ​(1937) ​Baba explained to the Western group about individual natures:

For me all are equal. Universally, I love everyone equally. However, individually it is a different story. I do not love the cook as deeply as I love you all. Why? Not because she is a cook and you are above her, but because you love me more than others. You are prepared to do anything for me. Delia gave up everything for me! Her brothers and parents did not like or approve of her idea of going to India, yet she did it for me.

This is all very good, but when it comes to individual natures there are big differences. There are some who like a quiet ashram life of solitude, silence and meditation, and there are others who prefer a life of action and gaiety. Personally, I like the second type – but for my work, the first type! So, I have to tolerate both kinds.

I expect cooperation and help from you, but at all times every one of you is so obstinate that it spoils my work! Try to adjust to all circumstances and conditions.

Be natural! Do not change your nature of gaiety, but do not show displeasure or criticize others who are different in nature. You can keep only one Beloved in your hearts, although you can and may keep many in your mind.

So [pointing to himself], keep this one Beloved in your hearts and find me in every other heart! You cannot hate this one or that one if you try to see me in every heart. Then automatically unity and harmony will be established.

Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol. 6, p. 2216.

Today I spotted a car number plate displaying the word BABA, not JAI BABA as shown in the image above. I was being driven to centrelink and somewhat apprehensive about the bureaucratic impediments that might await me there.

It turned out that I got someone who was quite helpful, a middle-aged Chinese woman as it turned out. Later in the day, when phoning the taxation office regarding a centrelink-related matter, I got someone who was equally helpful. These two interactions lowered my stress levels and left me feeling more positive about humanity.

Despite the evils being perpetrated by the ruling elite, there are still good people out there and I can't help but feel that Baba had drawn some of them toward me earlier today. I need to focus on attracting this sort of energy and not becoming disillusioned with the state of the world and pessimistically looking forward to leaving it all behind sooner or later. 

The Four Pillars of Meherabad

Vishnu came into Meher Baba’s contact as a teenage boy in 1918, and from the days of Manzil-e-Meem in 1922, he was always with Baba. His almost forty years of service, love and obedience to the God-Man were as close to perfect as perfect can be described. His mother, Kakubai, had died in Meherabad, and now Vishnu had laid aside his body at the Beloved’s side. Vishnu was incomparable in forbearance, and Baba was always pleased with him. Even under the most trying circumstances, he would never utter a word of complaint, and he put up with every hardship. Vishnu was called “One of the four pillars of Meherabad,” along with Adi, Pendu and Padri. Among the men, he was sorely missed.

The above is a quote from this source. In reading “Lord Meher” it’s sometimes difficult to clearly distinguish between the different mandali. I’m prompted in this post to explore the life of this pillar of Meherabad, using Meher Baba’s Life and Travels as my source of information. Vishnu Deorukhar was also known as “Bazaar-Master,” because he did the marketing for many years at Meherabad, Meherazad and other headquarters. Figure 1 shows a photo of him. The text following is taken from the just quoted source and is reproduced in full because it’s difficult to read on the actual site. I took a screenshot of the text and then used Google Keep to grab the text from the image. It did a good job and I only needed to make a few minor corrections.

Vishnu
Born : 21st June 1903
Died : 13th May 1962

When the disciple is ready, it is said, the Master appears. Vishnu Deorukhat, later known as “Vishnu Master,” must have completed his preparations in previous births, since he met Baba when just a boy of fifteen, and remained His permanently. The year was 1919, and the place was Poona. Vishnu lived with his mother just across the street from Merwan’s toddy shop located in the Kasba Peth district, a neighborhood near the river inhabited by poor fishermen. In these days, Baba would perform arti in a small room adjacent to the shop that He had established as a temple, and after prayers He gave gave prasad to all-comers. Baba was drawing many of His earliest disciples to Himself at this time.

One day while Baba was distributing prasad, a boy came forward, holding out his hands. Before he could leave, Baba asked him, “Where is your father!” Young Vishnu told Baba that his father had died and that he lived with his mother. Baba told the lad, “From now on I am your father” With these words Baba sealed the connection, which proved to be lifelong. Soon after this Vishnu’s mother, who was cooking Baba His lunch each day, complained that her son was associating with a bad group of boys and going to movies. Immediately Baba set off to the neighborhood theater, caught the boy, and slapped him several times. Shocked, Vishnu protested that he had bought the ticket with his own money. “But did you ask me if you could go to the movies? Baka scolded him. “Didn’t I tell you that I would be your father!”

From that time on, Vishnu knew that he could not do anything without Baba’s permission. Four years later, in early 1923 Vishnu was called to join Baba as one of His mandali at the Marsil-e-Meem in Bombay; and a year after that he came to live with Baba at Meherabad. During this period Baba designated Vishnu as bazaar-wali responsible for shopping and keeping the accounts. And this duty stuck throughout the years, whether Baba was on tour, in Meherabad, in Meherazad, in Guruprasad, or other places.

Vishnu accompanied Baba on His first trip to Persia in 1929 and during His sensational, high-profile visit to the West in 1932. On other tours during this phase of Baba’s intensive world travel, He assigned Vishnu the duty of sending Him a daily telegram reporting on the routine activities and health of the mandali back in the ashram. If Vishnu happened to miss a day, Baba would demand, “What happened! Why hasn’t Vishnu sent the telegram! And Baba would have His own telegram sent out asking the reason for the lapse.

From the mid-1920s until he passed anang, Vishnu was closely associated with Meherabad. Indeed, he was one of the “Four Pillars of Meherabad,” along with Padri, Pendu, and Adi Senior. Baba give them this title in the great meetings in August 1949 in which He announced the New Life. During those meetings Vishnu came forward as one of the “yes-walis” and set out with Baba as one of His twenty companions on October 16.

After the New Life Vishnu continued in his role as one of Baba’s resident mandali. He was one of Baba’s fellow-travelers when He met with His second automobile accident in Satara in December 1956. When Eruch regained consciousness and staggered out of the car with broken ribs in the accidents immediate aftermath, he asked Vishnu, who was the least hurt, what had happened. But it seems that Vishru had experienced a vision of Baba in His universal body, surrounded by effulgent light. Stunned by what he had witnessed, Vishnu could only speak to Eruch about the radiance of Baba’s face, who had appeared to him like Krishnu triumphant on the battlefield of Kurukshetra! Perhaps Baba had granted him some glimpse of the inner dimensions of His Avataric working on that momentous occasion.

Though Vishnu did not often stay at Meherabad, when Baba shifted residence to Guruprasad in Poona in the summer months, Vishnu accompanied Him there. And so it came to pass, one afternoon in 1962 shortly after the usual Sunday darshan gathering had dispersed, that Vishnu passed away after a heart attack. Informed by Goher of what had happened, Baba came from His room and sat by His old disciple, who had worn out his life in his Beloved’s service, for a full hour. “Never before have I sat near the body of any of My mandali as I am doing today by Vishnu,” Baba commented.”He is most fortunate. Vishnu is now merged in Me.”

A “smallish man of regal bearing” as Mani afterwards described him, Vishnu kept a low profile among Baba’s mandali, but was one of the stalwarts in His work. His body now tests in the men’s graveyard in Lower Meherabad next to the grave of his fellow disciple and longtime friend Nilu.

The author of Meher Baba’s Life and Travels makes the odd statement on the site that Meher Baba claimed the Vishnu was Napoleon Bonaparte in a previous life. However, a reading of Lord Meher (page 2209 online edition) makes it clear that this is not the case. What Baba actually said was:

Meanwhile, at Laksar, the men mandali had to change trains with Chatti Baba, who refused to board it. The train was about to leave when Vishnu thought of this trick: He told the mast, “We are trying to take you back to your native place, but we can’t, if you won’t board the train.” The ruse worked and Chatti Baba happily climbed on board. When Baba heard of it, he laughed, and joked, “Vishnu is short and does all the work of marketing and travel arrangements. But now I see that not only does he look like Napoleon and labor like Napoleon — even his brain works like Napoleon’s!”

Remembering Meher Baba's Birthday

Today marks the 128th anniversary of The Ancient One. To celebrate I'll relate a most interesting incident that was reported in the book I read recently about Harry Kenmore's life with Baba. I made a post about my reaction to the book in a post titled Harry Kenmore. The incident occurred some months after Baba's death and I've taken the liberty of quoting from the book:

Tape Transcription - Sunday, August 24, 1969

Eruch and Harry are walking along the Khajgi Rasta Road

engaged in conversation about Baba and His work with the

lepers, when they meet an old Indian farmer. Later they realize

that looks can be deceiving.

Eruch: "Jai Baba. Here is an old man who wants to shake hands."

They are addressing a man they meet on the road. He had a red

turban on his head.

Harry: “He's a big man, isn't he? How tall is he?”

Eruch: “Just feel him, just see his shoulders.”

Harry: “How tall is he, about six foot.”

Eruch: “About six foot two inches, I'd say.”

Harry: “He's a big man in these parts.”

Eruch: "He's an old man too."

Harry: “And what does he do, is he retired?”

Eruch asks the man in an Indian language. The man replies to

Eruch that he does field work. Eruch: “He's a farmer.”

Harry: “Oh, he's a farmer.”

The man laughs.

Harry: "Oh, up in this town, a town nearby?”

Eruch: “Near Yoshindi.”

Harry: “Hmm, How old is he?”

Eruch asks his age and the man says seventy-five.

Harry: “Seventy-five.” Eruch and Harry are laughing. “My God

isn't that a very, very ripe old age.”

Eruch: “Very old age, but he is so strong and hefty.”

Now the man is laughing again.

Harry: “Oh, so strong. He understands English?”

Eruch: “No, no, he says from the gestures he understands."

The man continues to laugh.

Harry: “Oh I see he has a good laugh.”

Eruch: "Jai Baba."

Harry: “Namaste, Jai Baba. Oh he knows Baba.”

Eruch: “Hmm.”

Harry: “He's quite a happy old man isn't he?”

Eruch: "He wanted to embrace us.

Harry: “He did really?”

Eruch: “So, I said simply shake hands.”

Harry: “Why, just because he's a happy fellow?”

Eruch: “No, no, not a happy fellow. I don't know what it is.”

Harry: "Something he saw in us?”

Eruch: “He just came. He was walking on the side road. He came

with all smiles and his arms spread out as if he came to embrace

us."

Harry laughs and says, “Maybe because it's Sunday!”

Eruch: “God, no."

Harry: “You've never seen him?”

Eruch: “No, I haven't seen him. He looked very hefty. How did you

recognize he was hefty?”

Harry: “His distance of his hand above me and the size of his hand,

and the manner in which he shook my hand I could tell that he's

a big fellow. That's pretty good isn't it?”

Eruch: "It's common sense.”

Harry: “Yeah, I mustn't give away my secrets."

They resume the conversation they had before they met the

man.

Tape Transcription – Tuesday, August 26, 1969

The women mandali and Harry are talking about the things he

did during his stay and the unique experience he had with the

farmer.

Harry: “... ...And then we had the, let's see, the walks were very

fine. Did Eruch tell you about the interesting experience we had

Sunday morning? I think it was Sunday morning.”

Mani: “Yes.”

Meheru: “Mehera said she would like to hear it.”

Harry: "Well, this is what happened. We were walking up on the

road along the Rasta. This was Sunday morning and of course,

Eruch did not alert me to it. But a tall man approached us. He

seemed to come out of nowhere. He had on a white dhoti and a

white shirt with an attractive red turban. He was dressed simply

but he was clean. He looked up and he approached us with

outstretched arms. So Eruch stopped us and I asked what are we

stopping for? He said there's a man here who wants to embrace

us.

Mani: “Yes.”

Harry: “You know, we had met farmers on the road and other

people before, but they usually just say Jai Baba and they go on

their way. Or Eruch may have a few words in Marathi about

something - their crops or what not and then they go on their

way. But this gentleman was different, you see.”

Mani: "It's most unusual."

Harry: "Eruch said he wants to embrace us. So Eruch said, wait

shake hands with him. So he put his hand out and we shook

hands. The way he shook hands, it was just as though it was

Baba. And he spoke in a very cryptic tone, very terse answers.

Just one word answers. I said where are you from? He said,

Shinti. I said, what's your occupation? He said, farmer. You

know, just one word.”

Mani: "Yes.”

Harry: “Then I said how old are you? He said seventy-five. Then,

where's your chin” Harry says to Mani. “Then he took hold of

my chin, the way Baba did in playing with me - just like this.”

Mani: “My gosh!”

Harry: “You know, playing just like this. He was very happy,

smiling and we shook hands again. And the rhythm, give me

your hand.” He took Mani's hand. “The rhythm of the hand was

the way Baba would shake hands with me, you know.” Harry

demonstrated to Mani an up and down motion.

Mehera: “Isn't that wonderful.”

Harry: "Well, and then he said jaja - now you can finish your

walk.

Now a farmer never does that.”

Mani: "No."

Harry: “And He didn't seem to have a farmer's hand. You know,

they never say jaja they say, Jai Baba, they bow and they leave.

But he said jaja - keep going with you walk. Just like that he

went down the road. Unfortunately I didn't ask Eruch to turn

back to see if he was in sight. I swear if he had turned around I

bet in ten seconds, he would have been gone. Just like that.

What happened was I was thinking about it all day. Eruch, I

think was thinking about it too. Then in the evening he said, “Do

you remember that fellow on the road that we met with the red

turban?' Then I said, do you think he was an Abdul or

something?” Eruch said, 'No, I don't know. It might have been

Baba because he was very happy, smiling.'

Mani: “And he also laughed.”

Harry: “Yes, as if to say you fool, don't you recognize me or that

kind of an attitude. Eruch also said the same thing. And he only

had business to do with me. Not with Eruch.”

Mani: "No!”

Harry: “You see.

Mehera: Baba told you to come to Meherazad, not to Poona, so

Baba wanted to give you Darshan.”

Harry: “So I said to Eruch, why didn't you let him embrace us

when he came over to us? Eruch said, 'Well, you know how are

you to know what might sing out of something.' I said, “That's

ridiculous he came in a very friendly manner, alright!”

Mani: “I'll tell you something. When Eruch told me the story that

morning, I thought that Eruch usually understates things like this

then over. But even when he began telling me, and he told me

how that man looked, he said something strange happened this

morning. He said, 'Harry and I met this native and he was quite

unusual; he did unusual things. First, he approached us with his

arms out stretched towards Harry and wanted to embrace him.'

Eruch said he was so startled. It was all so sudden that he

automatically put out his hand to stop him. He said to the man,

“What do you want?' But even while Eruch was telling me this,

it was very strange to hear it. One had such a thrill of not

knowing what was coming. Now, after I heard the whole story I

came and told Mehera. Even as I began to tell her, she had that

same kind of look in her eye as I had when Eruch was telling

me. Because she had the same feeling that it was Baba.”

Harry: “Do you think it was Baba?”

Mani: “Yes, I have thought that. I told Mehera and I only just began

telling her that they met a man.”

Harry: “Do you think it was Baba?”

Mehera: "I felt it was Baba."

At this point Harry becomes very animated and excited in his

voice.

Harry: “Fantastic! Because he was a tall gentleman about six foot

or six foot two. He was cleanly dressed, simple but clean with a

properly tied turban. He had just a turban on his head - a red

turban.”

Mani: "We who know natives feel it is most unusual for a man to

come and shake hands like that and come and do that.”

Harry: “Do that, he did that just the way Baba used to do, when He

used to say, 'Oh you haven't shaved.'You know.'

Harry is referring to the times when Baba and he used to

compare the closeness of their shaves, and how Baba would

stroke Harry's chin.

Mani: “Apart from that he didn't say, oh, I know he's a doctor or

who are you, or Ram Ram or anything like that.”

Mehera said, “Did he ask any questions?”.

Harry: “No. But why didn't Eruch let him embrace me. I don't

understand it.”

Mani: “Eruch was also looking down, he was talking to you and

then suddenly he was there, you see. And you had your

apparatus there and suddenly it was automatic for him to do that.

He did contact you, he shook hands.”

Harry: "Oh definitely.”

Mani: "It's the same thing.”

Meheru: “Harry, Mehera says that because you didn't come for the

Darshan in April, Baba's giving you Darshan here.”

Harry laughs heartily and says, “You think that was Baba?”

Mehera: “Yes, definitely!”

Harry: “Really fantastic. I know he wasn't a farmer.”

Mehera: “He took the form of a farmer to come to you.”

Harry: “I said how old are you? What's your age? He said seventy-

five.”

Mehera: “Seventy-five was Baba's

age.”

Harry: “Seventy-five and it was cryptic, a terse answer. He gave

one word answers. He was giggling, laughing, you know, very

happy. Eruch said he was looking at him as though with the

attitude. Fool don't you know who I am? Don't you recognize

me?” Harry says this with a laugh in his voice.

Meheru: “Mehera says a native usually never knows their age and

even if they did they would never outright say it.”

Harry: "He said seventy-five.”

Mehera: “Baba's age. Yes, more signs that Baba gave to you and

yet you did not recognize Him.”

Harry: “I'll be dog gone! That might have been Baba.

Unfortunately, I just didn't remember. Eruch and I were deep in

a certain discussion about Baba.”

Mani: “Baba meant for you to be engrossed and not look back.'

Harry: “That's it, because somehow I didn't say turn around to see

if you could see him. I bet you if he turned around, in ten

seconds, he would have be gone. I bet you he wouldn't have

been on the road. We were on a long stretch of the Rasta road

and you could see way down the road. There were no side roads,

you see. We were right on that main road.”

Meheru: “You didn't get it on your baby either?

Harry: “I don't think so. I think when he stopped, I shut my baby

off. Because we'd been stopped on the road so many times I

figured this is just another incident. So I didn't catch it on the

baby. But he spoke low, like he didn't want to reveal his voice.”

This encounter was caught on Harry's 'baby'. And the previous

taped transcription of Harry and Eruch meeting the farmer with

the red turban was the actual encounter.

Meheru: “What was the voice like Harry?”

Harry: “Well, it was very..... I'll tell you one thing he was very

happy and he was giggling. He was very happy, you know. He

was giggling about something.”

Mani: “You said the hand wasn't like a farmer's.”

Harry: “It wasn't a farmer's. No. It almost felt a little bigger, like

the shape of Baba's hand.”

Mani: “I'll tell you something, a farmer who was seventy-five

years old, his hands would be very much like a farmers.”

Harry: “Oh, this is no farmer. He was straight, he was vigorous,

you know, vigorous, no question about it. There was vigor,

strength and clarity about him. There was nothing old about him.

He was very self-contained and had tremendous self-confidence.

Everything about him was different. He was just different.”

Mani: “And the way he was laughing, he was enjoying the joke,

you see.”

Harry: “He was giggling and he was very happy. And the way he

said jaja, you know.”

Mani: “Keep going”

Harry: “Go on with your walk.”

Harry laughs.

Meheru: “No farmer would have said that.'

Harry: “No farmer, so I knew he wasn't a farmer. So I kept thinking

about it and thinking about it. And I said was he an Abdul, you

know. Eruch said, “No I think it was Baba.' I said, I thought of

that but I don't know.”

Mani: “The jaja was accompanied by gestures, as Eruch showed us.

It was very much like Baba's.”

Harry: “Oh, really?”

Mani: “He said more than that to Eruch, take him for a walk; go on

with your walk.”

Mani demonstrates the gesture to Harry with Harry's own

hands.

Harry: “Fantastic!”

Mehera: “Wonderful experience you had.”

Harry: "It was a marvelous experience. Let's see I think it

happened that morning.”

Mehera: “On Sunday?”

Harry: “Last Sunday morning. So probably that was my Darshan

with Baba, I don't know.”

Mehera: “It shows that Baba is happy with you. He loves you.”

Harry: “Yes, you really feel that was Baba?”

Mehera: "Yes, yes definitely!”

Harry: “Fantastic!”

Mehera: “Baba could take any form He wants.”

Harry: “Any form, ah, I see, because he came taller. He was about

six foot two."

Mehera: “Yes.”

Harry: "He was chesty with broad shoulders. He was a fine looking

man.”

Mani: “Mehera says no Hindu, let alone a farmer, would do this.”

Harry: "He just took my chin, just the way Baba would, just like

that.”

Mani: "No stranger would just approach like that with arms

outstretched. They would first say Ram, Ram, where are you

going? They always go round about.”

Harry: “It was as though he was expecting us on the road. He came

with outstretched arms. I don't remember if I shook hands with

him a second time, I don't remember. It was all so quick.”

Meheru: “He both hid his identity and revealed it at the same time.”

Harry: “I see it was a wonderful experience.”

Mani: “Even shaking hands, a farmer would know that they don't

shake hands. He might have come like this. No, they don't shake

hands."

Harry: “No, he came with his hands just like that. And the rhythm

was like Baba's.”

Mani: “By the time a farmer is seventy-five he would have such

gnarled hands."

Harry: “It was like the shape of Baba's hand

the broad palm.

Because in November, 1968 Baba must have shaken hands with

me three, four or five times. We'd shake hands and He'd say,

'It's a deal.' Then He'd be talking and again He would say, 'It's

a deal.' That's the first time Baba asked me to shake hands with

Him, which was last November.”

Mani: “Oh really?”

Harry: "Oh, yes.”

Mani: “Ah, you mean Baba put out His hand first.”

Harry: “Baba indicated through Eruch, that He wanted to shake

hands. It's a deal, and Baba would say, it's a deal.”

They continued their conversation but now they were asking

Harry how many times he was embraced by Baba.

A Centenary Month

I was reminded yesterday that it was in January of 1922 that Meher Baba left Upasni Maharaj's ashram to embark of His Universal Work. Here is a description of what happened during that momentous month:

As the six-month period drew to a close and it was becoming evident that Meher Baba was soon to depart from Sakori, Upasni Maharaj would tell those who came for his darshan, “Go to Merwan! I have given over my charge and authority to him. Meher now holds my key.” (Upasni always referred to Meher Baba as Merwan.)

On another occasion among a group of his disciples Upasni told them, “Whatever I had gotten from Sai Baba, I have handed over to Merwan. If you want what Sai Baba gave me, go to Merwan.”

Later, when a large gathering of disciples, including Durgabai, were present, Upasni looked at Durgabai and pointed to Merwan, saying, “This lad will shake the whole world!”

Another time when Upasni’s disciples from Kharagpur and Nagpur had come, Upasni interrupted his discourse and pointed to Meher Baba, remarking, “Up to now, no Guru has opened a college of dnyan (spiritual or divine knowledge), but he will soon do so.”

Late in 1921, Gustadji was called to Sakori. Upasni Maharaj and Meher Baba were seated together, and Upasni solemnly told Gustadji, “I have made Merwan perfect. From now on, hold on to him.”

Sadashiv was also called to Sakori in 1921. On one occasion he was sitting with Upasni, who suddenly started shedding tears and uttered, “Merwan now has all that Sai Baba gave me. Everything has been transferred to him now… . The whole burden is on his shoulders now!”

Finally, Behramji was called to Sakori in late 1921 to see Meher Baba. Upasni took Behramji aside and told him, “Your friend is now perfect. Always do as Merwan says and obey him implicitly.”

Although Meher Baba’s early disciples had a strong conviction and faith in him, hearing these words directly from one as great as Upasni Maharaj impressed these young men profoundly. Each man returned to Poona and repeated Upasni’s words that Meher Baba was perfect – a Sadguru – to several others, and this information gradually spread throughout Poona.

The day finally came that our Age had long awaited – the Avatar’s divine mission was to begin. In January 1922, Meher Baba was destined to leave Upasni Maharaj and Sakori and begin his Universal work. A few minutes before his departure, Upasni Maharaj called him into his hut and with folded hands proclaimed, “Merwan, you are Adi Shakti – the Primal Force! You are the Avatar – the direct descent of God!”

Meher Baba wept tears of bliss and bowed down at the feet of the Perfect Master. Upasni Maharaj held him in his arms for a long time and also wept, “Ah, Merwan! My dear Merwan!” There were no words left to express his love. Tears flowed as he let him leave the hut.

Meher Baba said goodbye to all those gathered outside the hut and swiftly climbed into a waiting tonga. However, his departure was delayed when Upasni Maharaj’s women disciples rushed forward to kiss his feet and have his darshan. Within seconds, the tonga galloped away to the train station. Meher Baba then took a train to Bombay. *

* It is not certain whether Meher Baba was alone when he left Sakori for Bombay, or if he was accompanied by one of his disciples from Kasba Peth, such as Gustadji, Baily or Beheramji, who may have been called to Sakori during this period in January 1922.

So this month marks the centenary of the real beginning of Baba's Universal Work. Baba dropped his body on January 31st of 1969 so he was active for 47 years in his physical form and it has now been 53 years that he has remained active in a non-corporeal form. A reference to "100 years" is made in Lord Meher. To quote:

The Westerners were called to Guruprasad for a final meeting on Monday morning, 5 November 1962, ... He informed them, "Tomorrow is the day for your trip to Ahmednagar to visit my final resting place at Meherabad, and my residence at Meherazad. I want you all to go, health permitting. Meherabad, where I will rest after dropping my body, is now like a desert. After 100 years it will flourish into a place of pilgrimage. People from all over the world will want to visit it in their lifetime. It has a definite atmosphere. Meherazad is now my residence. Mehera looks after the garden."

So in 2062, Meherabad will be a place of worldwide pilgrimage. Baba also made reference to "100 years" in the context of his remaining active for that period of time following his physical death. During that period He said, the five Perfect Masters will remain obscure and only afterwards will they become active. That would take us up to 2069.

The Master's Prayer

I've always had an aversion to prayers, ever since abandoning Catholicism in 1965. However, today's email from the Avatar Meher Baba Bombay Centre reminded of Baba's 1953 prayer, dictated 68 years ago today. Such emails are an important source of remembrance of Beloved Baba, a daily reminder of his Avatarhood.

Opening page of Avatar Meher Baba
Bombay Centre website

To quote from Lord Meher, American ed., Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 12, p. 4209:

Meher Baba dictated the Master’s (or Parvardigar) Prayer in Dehra Dun on Thursday, August 13th, 1953 and from that day until the 2nd of September, it was recited every evening with Baba taking part in the prayer. Donkin would read it aloud in English, and it was repeated by another mandali in Gujarati. When it was over, Baba would lay his head on the feet of each of the men mandali. This is the prayer:

The Master's Prayer 

O Parvardigar! The Preserver and Protector of All.

You are without beginning and without end.

Non-dual, beyond comparison,

and none can measure You.

You are without color, without expression,

without form and without attributes.

You are unlimited and unfathomable;

beyond imagination and conception;

eternal and imperishable.

You are indivisible;

and none can see you but with eyes divine.

You always were, You always are,

and You always will be.

You are everywhere, You are in everything, and

You are also beyond everywhere and beyond everything.

You are in the firmament and in the depths,

You are manifest and unmanifest;

on all planes and beyond all planes.

You are in the three worlds,

and also beyond the three worlds.

You are imperceptible and independent.

You are the Creator, the Lord of Lords,

the Knower of all minds and hearts.

You are Omnipotent and Omnipresent.

You are Knowledge Infinite, Power Infinite and Bliss Infinite.

You are the Ocean of Knowledge,

All-knowing, Infinitely knowing;

the Knower of the past, the present and the future,

and You are Knowledge Itself.

You are all-merciful and eternally benevolent.

You are the Soul of souls; the One with infinite attributes.

You are the Trinity of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss.

You are the Source of Truth, the Ocean of Love.

You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the High.

You are Prabhu and Parameshwar;

You are the Beyond God and the Beyond-Beyond God also;

You are Parabrahma; Paramatma; Allah; Elahi; Yezdan;

Ahuramazda; God Almighty, and God the Beloved.

You are named Ezad, the Only One Worthy of Worship. 

Baba had indicated, “I have given these prayers to humanity to recite. They are for all posterity. Whenever anyone recites these prayers, they will be helped spiritually because of My present personal participation.” 

I should recite this prayer more often. My early years of reciting Catholic prayers mechanically and unthinkingly has left me wary. I don't want to relapse into doing that. If I do recite the prayer then if must be done with awareness and sincerity or not done at all. As Baba says, He only listens to the language of the heart.

Another option is to have it recited it to you. You can copy and paste the prayer into a site like Natural Readers and have it read back to you. I found setting the speed to zero and using the voice of Peter (Premium UK) gives a pleasing result. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: screenshot from this source

An even more pleasing result can be had by listening to YouTube versions of the prayer, spoken by an Indian women:

There's another version spoken loudly and forcefully by Harry Kenmore, the blind chiropractor from the United States, but it's less to my taste. However, in that video he also reads out the Prayer of Repentance (given by Meher Baba on 8th November 1952) which is quite powerful:

Prayer of Repentance

We repent O God most merciful, for all our sins;
For every thought that was false or unjust or unclean;
For every word spoken that ought not to have been spoken;
For every deed done that ought not to have been done.
We repent for every deed and word and thought
Inspired by selfishness;
And for every deed and word and thought inspired by hatred.
We repent most specially for every lustful thought,
And every lustful action;
For every lie; for all hypocrisy;
For every promise given, but not fulfilled;
And for all slander and backbiting.
Most specially also, we repent for every action
That has brought ruin to others;
For every word and deed that has given others pain;
And for every wish that pain should befall others.
In your unbounded mercy, we ask you to forgive us, O God,
For all these sins committed by us;
And to forgive us for our constant failures
To think and speak and act according to your will.

Here is a version of the prayer in which the words are displayed slide by slide with accompanying music. The words are not spoken but it's quite beautiful: 

ADDENDUM

added August 25th 2021:

Baba came into the hall on August 25th, (1959) after working with Kaikobad. The men assembled before him. For some time, Baba sat with his eyes closed. He stretched and rested his legs on the bamboo stool. A bed sheet was    spread over his legs for warmth. After resting for some time in this position, Baba signaled for the men to go outside. He remained alone inside for several minutes and then clapped, and the men reentered.

Baba instructed, “None of you should do anything which might disturb my mood.”

He informed Francis, “In connection with the repairs to the old bus, it will be enough to paint it, because if any of the work involves hammering, it is likely to disturb and spoil my mood.” He added, “The world is at stake, and my health is also at stake.”

Pendu was asked by Baba to describe how Baba’s health was last night. “Last night, Baba’s health was very bad,” said Pendu. “These days, he generally feels unwell at night, but yesterday was worse.”

Baba’s face still appeared dark.

Baba stated that he would dictate a prayer, but before this he asked Aloba to perform namaz  (Muslim prayer). Eruch was directed to recite the Parvardigar Prayer.

“Last night, when I was in a very painful state, this new prayer came to my mind.” And humorously, he stated, “First, I memorised it, and now I will dictate it to you:

Beloved God, help us all

to love you more and more

and more and more and still yet more

until we become worthy of Union with you.

And help us all to hold fast to Baba’s daaman

until the very end!

Baba stated that the prayer would be recited again three days later on August 28th.

Lord Meher, American ed., Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 16, p.5633.  

Gulmai Irani

August 10th marked the anniversary of the death of Meher Baba's spiritual mother, Gulmai Irani, who died in 1962 at age 80. Figure 1 shows my favourite photograph of Gulmai with Baba because she looks so utterly content.

Figure 1: Source

The following extract is taken from Lord Meher:

MEANWHILE, Adi’s mother Gulmai’s ill condition, due to kidney disease, worsened in August. While at Meherabad on August 6th, Baba informed Padri to be prepared for Gulmai’s burial on the Hill, as she would be dying shortly. On the evening of August 8th, Gulmai’s condition became serious, and Adi sent Sarosh to Meherazad to inform Baba. Baba instructed Sarosh that when Gulmai passed away, he should be informed and her body removed to Meherabad, where her coffin would be lowered into the grave in his presence.

On the morning of August 9th, Baba unexpectedly decided to be driven to Khushru Quarters to see Gulmai. Although she had ceased to recognize anyone and was almost in an unconscious state, she opened her eyes and her face brightened when she saw Baba. She caressed his face and managed to utter, “Ba-ba.” After kissing her on the forehead and embracing Gulmai, Baba returned to Meherazad.

The next day, taking a critical turn for the worse, Gulmai was unable to speak and suffered spells of unconsciousness. Even so, with great difficulty she was moving her lips and repeating Baba’s name. At midnight, she startled from a coma-like sleep and loudly called out Baba’s name. With all her strength, she continued this for a few minutes without pause. While uttering Baba’s name, Gulmai merged in him forever at the age of seventy-eight.

Waman Padole was sent to Meherazad to inform Baba of Gulmai’s passing.

At 9:00 A.M., on Saturday, August 11th, Gulmai’s body was taken to Meherabad Hill where a grave had been dug. Baba arrived at ten o’clock and performed the last rites by placing flowers on her forehead and body. Almost two hundred persons from Arangaon and Ahmednagar were present. As the coffin was lowered into the earth, Baba, looking extremely sad, tossed flowers over it while Kaikobad offered prayers. Thus Baba’s spiritual mother Gulmai came to rest in Meherabad, the place she herself had been so instrumental in laying at his feet.

Baba remarked to Adi, “She is very fortunate that I was present at her burial.” As if in an additional tribute to her, this was the last time Meher Baba ever went to Meherabad.

Gulmai’s dedication, service and love for Meher Baba are truly monumental, for she and her husband, Kaikhushru (Khan Saheb), were the ones who gave him the land in Arangaon later called Meherabad.

Lord Meher, American ed., Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 17, pp. 5919 – 5923.

A full account of Gulmai's life can be found at this site. Figure 2 shows Gulmai's family tree.

Figure 2: Source

Figure 3 shows a photo taken of Gulmai, supposedly taken the day before she died, which seems to contradict the story told in Lord Meher (that she was at death's door). In any case, the photograph must have been taken not long before here passing. She has a faraway look in her eyes, that's for sure.

Figure 3: Source

Like Doctor Donkin whom I wrote about in my previous post (Baba on Masts), Gulmai is another person who surrendered to Baba completely and unconditionally.

Baba on Masts

I found this explanation, taken from Lord Meher, about how masts see the world to be very poignant:

Although Baidul would work wholeheartedly and very hard in the mast work, his mind would at times trouble him. He could not accept Mohammed as a saint or wali, thinking him to be mad for playing with dirt or digging with his fingers in dirt. Once in Ranchi it began raining heavily. Baidul tried to dissuade Mohammed from playing in the dirt (or “deesh” as he called it), and to come in out of the rain to protect his health. Baidul was rather harsh with him and Mohammed started crying. Baba happened to come by when Baidul was threatening Mohammed and forcefully pulling him out of the mud and rain. It was this incident that caused Baba to give a long explanation about the condition of these masts and the undesirability of using any force on them.

"You have no idea how these masts feel in this changed environment. All the care we bestow – the food and clothing we give – is no obligation to them at all, for they do not need it; rather they resent it. In allowing us an opportunity to serve, they are, on the contrary, obliging us. Otherwise, it is a binding to those accustomed to live freely and happily according to their own peculiar whims and methods. To distract them from a particular thing in which they are interested is a torture to them, for they find relief even in staying in their squalor and playing with dirt and filth.

A mast such as Karim Baba gulping five and six coins at a time and passing them out in his stools, and again gulping them down is an example of this. It is his method. If you try to stop it, even with the best of motives to keep him clean and out of the dirt, and he gets enraged, you could be doomed for life, because the wrath of masts and saints is very dangerous.

Mohammed’s trait of finding and looking at his “deesh” is a sort of relief to him to be thus occupied. You think that he is playing with dirt and is exposed to the elements. With the best of motives of safeguarding his health, you try to bring him in. When he resists, you forcibly try to pull him out and break his link to what he has seen in that particular object, through the higher consciousness of the spiritual plane on which he is. And what happens? The moment he finds you trying to dissuade him, he feels disturbed and is indecisive whether to be there or here, meaning where his consciousness has taken him on the higher planes through the thing he is looking at, or where he is called on by you to go, leaving his deesh on this earthly plane.

This is no joke. It is a regular torture to Mohammed to reconcile the two different and conflicting states of the higher and lower planes of consciousness. If, in the torments of this torture or excitement, he were to abuse or curse anyone for thus disturbing him in the enjoyment of his ecstasy, the cursed one would be doomed for this life. It is simply because of me that he cannot do this and you are saved from his wrath. That is why I have been asking you constantly to be very tolerant and lenient with the masts and never to disturb them if they are persistent, even when you have the best of motives such as to protect them from the elements, uncleanliness, et cetera, which is also one of your duties.

The best way to handle them is the way of love and mild persuasion. If these do not succeed, nothing else will. Compulsion or force would be worse, even if they cannot hurt you for my sake. It reacts on them and causes them to suffer, which I do not want. For I know what a torture it is to them, and how they suffer.

It is a torture both ways. First of all, the masts suffer from being deprived of their own environment and their freedom in the places where they used to live. To be thus kept confined, even with all the other liberties we give them, and best care we take of them is to suffer. Secondly, the masts suffer whenever disturbed and pulled out of their ecstatic enjoyment. It is because they feel happy in my presence that they stay. They see me and know me as none of you do. That is why they are quiet. Otherwise, they would be impossible to manage.

If efforts made with love are effective with worldly people, they would be all the more effective and essential in dealing with these saintly beings who are lost in the love of God. You love to enjoy one phase of some of their peculiar traits when they are quiet and pleasing. You should equally enjoy the other phase of their insistence in the experience of the bliss they find in certain things which your eyes cannot penetrate, nor your mind understand."

Lord Meher, American ed., Bhau Kalchuri Vol. 7, pp. 2583 – 2585.

There's not much that I can add to that. It makes you realise how little we really understand about what is going on. We are totally mesmerised by the world and experience it as the only reality. The masts become mesmerised as well and the reality they experience is very different to ours. They are still trapped in illusion but with far fewer veils of ignorance separating them from the ultimate reality. Yet the "well adjusted", those who are fully absorbed in the earthly drama, have no understanding of these masts who are seemingly insane or mentally handicapped. Even Baidul, one of Baba's mandali, failed to understand them.

Of course, with any mention of masts, one cannot forget Dr. William Donkin, or Don as Baba called him, who accompanied Baba on many of his journeys to find masts and who wrote "The Wayfarers" that chronicles these journeys.

Dr. William Donkin

Born : 14 November, 1911 - England

Died : 9th August, 1969 - India

To quote from Meher Baba's Life and Travels:

These Men of God, who are themselves the "Great Heroes" of the Spiritual Path, have at times spontaneously given expression to their recognition of Baba as He Is: they are able to see and know from personal inner knowledge The Real Being that is Baba. As Dr. Donkin points out in "The Wayfarers” from which these examples are taken, "In reading these brief paragraphs one should remember that, when on tour in search of MASTS, Baba is almost always incognito, and that when a MAST bears witness to Baba's spiritual greatness, he often does so without having any external means of knowing who Baba is; those (who do know Baba externally) have reputations as MASTS or saints quite independent of their contact or relationship to Baba, and this, I believe, adds greatly to the value of what they say.”

Bob Mossman has written a biography of Don titled "Slave of Love" and in this YouTube video he talks about the inspiration behind the idea of writing of the book as well as the process of of its creation. Unfortunately, it only seems to be available as a paperback and not in electronic form.