Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian
spiritual master who said he was the
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
, or God in human form, of the age.
A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in India, but with a significant number in the United States, Europe and Australia.
Meher Baba's map of
consciousness
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
has been described as "a unique amalgam of
Sufi,
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
, and
Yogic
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
terminology". He taught that the goal of all beings was to gain consciousness of their own
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
, and to realise the absolute oneness of
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
.
[
]
At the age of 19, Meher Baba began a seven-year period of
spiritual transformation
Spiritual transformation involves a fundamental change in a person's sacred or spiritual life.
Psychologists examine spiritual transformation within the context of an individual's ''meaning system'',
Israela Silberman (2005)Religion as a meanin ...
, during which he had encounters with
Hazrat Babajan
Hazrat Babajaan ( bal, حضرت باباجان) (various dates claimed - September 21, 1931) was a Pashtun Muslim saint considered by her followers to be a Sadguru or Qutub. Born in Balochistan, Afghanistan, she lived the final 25 years of her ...
,
Upasni Maharaj
Upasani Maharaj, born Kashinath Govindrao Upasni, (15 May 1870 – 24 December 1941) was an Indian spiritual teacher, considered by his disciples to be a satguru. He lived in Sakori, British India, and is said to have received Jivanmukta, ...
,
Sai Baba of Shirdi
Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime.
According to a ...
,
Tajuddin Baba, and
Narayan Maharaj
Narayan Maharaj (20 May 1885 – 3 September 1945) was a Hindu Indian spiritual master considered by his followers to be a sadguru. He lived in the village of Kedgaon , east of the Indian city of Pune.
Early life
Narayan was born in a Des ...
. In 1925, he began a 44-year period of observed silence, during which he communicated first using an alphabet board, and by 1954, entirely through hand gestures using an interpreter.
He died in 1969, and was buried in
Meherabad
Meherabad (''meher'' meaning "friend" from Iranian "Mihir", ultimately from Old Persian "Mithra"; ''abad'' meaning a prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony) was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon village, Ind ...
. His tomb has become a place of pilgrimage for his followers, often known as "Baba lovers".
Overview of teachings
Meher Baba's teachings concerned the nature and purpose of life. He described the
phenomenal
A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...
world as illusory, and presented the idea that the Universe is imagination. He taught that God alone exists, and each soul is God passing through imagination in order to realize its own divinity. He presented advice to followers wishing to attain God-realization, and thereby escape the wheel of birth and death. His other teachings included discussion of Perfect Masters, the Avatar, and those on the various stages of the spiritual path which he termed
involution
Involution may refer to:
* Involute, a construction in the differential geometry of curves
* '' Agricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia'', a 1963 study of intensification of production through increased labour inpu ...
. The works by him regarded as most important were his books ''
God Speaks
''God Speaks: The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose'' is the principal book by Meher Baba, and the most significant religious text used by his followers. It covers Meher Baba's view of the process of creation and its purpose and has been in prin ...
'' and ''Discourses''.
For decades, he declined to speak, and, later, also refrained from communicating via written language. This practice of abstinence has remained a topic of discussion among some of his followers.
Wider influence
His legacy includes the Avatar Meher Baba Charitable Trust he established in India, a handful of centers for information and pilgrimage. He has had influence on
pop culture creators and introduced the common phrase "Don't worry; be happy". This was used in
Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
's hit 1988 song
of the same name. Among his followers were well-known musicians like
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", her cover of " Ruby Tuesday", her compositi ...
and
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
, as well as journalists like
Sir Tom Hopkinson
Sir Henry Thomas Hopkinson (19 April 1905 – 20 June 1990) was a British journalist, picture magazine editor, author, and teacher.
Early life
Born in Manchester, his father was a Church of England clergyman and a scholar, and his mother had ...
.
In 1971, Baba's following in the United States was estimated at 7,000. However, other commentators have suggested that the size of the movement has been underestimated because public proselytising is uncommon among Baba's followers, and that in 1975, the movement was larger than the more visible
Hare Krishna movement
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...
.
He was a self-identified Sufi, and considered a leader of the Californian branch of Western Sufism, though his version of Sufism shared very few similarities with the
Sufi Movement
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
, apart from
universalism
Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability.
A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...
and anti-dogmatism.
Regardless, Baba's Sufi influence is said to have drawn from
Sai Baba of Shirdi
Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime.
According to a ...
, and it was he who designated Sai Baba with the specifically Sufi status of ''
Qutb
Qutb, Qutub, Kutb, Kutub or Kotb ( ar, قطب), means 'axis', 'pivot' or 'pole'. Qutb can refer to celestial movements and be used as an astronomical term or a spiritual symbol. In Sufism, a Qutb is the perfect human being, ''al-Insān al-Kā ...
''.
Life and works
Early life
![Meherwan irani](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Meherwan_irani.jpg)
Baba was born to
Irani Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...
parents in 1894 in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, India.
[Sutcliffe (2002); p. 38.] He was named Merwan Sheriar Irani, the second son of Sheriar Irani and Shireen Irani. Sheriar Irani was a Persian Zoroastrian from
Khorramshahr
Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also Romanization, romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population wa ...
who had spent years wandering in search of spiritual experience before settling in
Poona (today known as Pune).
As a boy, Baba formed the Cosmopolitan Club, which was dedicated to remaining informed on world affairs and donating money to charity. He was a multi-instrumentalist and poet. Fluent in several languages, he was especially fond of the poetry of
Hafez
Khwāje Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī ( fa, خواجه شمسالدین محمّد حافظ شیرازی), known by his pen name Hafez (, ''Ḥāfeẓ'', 'the memorizer; the (safe) keeper'; 1325–1390) and as "Hafiz", ...
,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, and
Percy Bysshe Shelley.
His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years. At 19, he met
Hazrat Babajan
Hazrat Babajaan ( bal, حضرت باباجان) (various dates claimed - September 21, 1931) was a Pashtun Muslim saint considered by her followers to be a Sadguru or Qutub. Born in Balochistan, Afghanistan, she lived the final 25 years of her ...
, an elderly Muslim saint. He was cycling past a tree that she had made her abode, when she called to him. When he approached her, she kissed him on the forehead, causing him to enter a nine month-long trance which he described as "divine bliss", with a lack of consciousness of his body. Babajan predicted that he would become a spiritual leader. He then encountered
Upasni Maharaj
Upasani Maharaj, born Kashinath Govindrao Upasni, (15 May 1870 – 24 December 1941) was an Indian spiritual teacher, considered by his disciples to be a satguru. He lived in Sakori, British India, and is said to have received Jivanmukta, ...
, who he later said helped him to integrate his mystical experiences with ordinary consciousness, thus enabling him to function in the world without diminishing his experience of God-realization.
Over the next several years, he encountered other spiritual figures, namely
Tajuddin Baba,
Narayan Maharaj
Narayan Maharaj (20 May 1885 – 3 September 1945) was a Hindu Indian spiritual master considered by his followers to be a sadguru. He lived in the village of Kedgaon , east of the Indian city of Pune.
Early life
Narayan was born in a Des ...
, and
Sai Baba of Shirdi
Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime.
According to a ...
, who, along with Babajan and Upasni Maharaj, Baba later said were the five "Perfect Masters" of the age.
By early 1922, at the age of 27, Baba began gathering his own disciples. They gave him the name ''Meher Baba'', which meant "compassionate father".
In 1922, Meher Baba and his followers established Manzil-e-Meem (House of the Master) in Bombay (now called
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
). There, Baba commenced his practice of demanding strict discipline and obedience from his disciples. A year later, Baba and his
mandali moved to an area a few miles outside
Ahmednagar that he named
Meherabad
Meherabad (''meher'' meaning "friend" from Iranian "Mihir", ultimately from Old Persian "Mithra"; ''abad'' meaning a prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony) was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon village, Ind ...
(Garden of Blessing). This
ashram would become the center for his work. During the 1920s, Meher Baba opened a school, hospital, and dispensary at Meherabad, all three free and open to all
castes
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
and faiths.
From 10 July 1925 until the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence.
[''Encyclopedia of Religion'', Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995, vol. 9, p. 346][Haynes (1989) p. 2] With his ''
mandali'' (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings, and engaged in works of charity with
lepers
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dama ...
and the poor. He now communicated first through chalk and slate, then by an alphabet board, and later via a repertoire of gestures unique to him. On 1 December 1926, he wrote his last message, and began relying on an alphabet board.
1930s – First contact with the West
Beginning in 1931, Meher Baba made the first of many visits to the West. Throughout that decade, Meher Baba began a period of extensive world travel and took several trips to Europe and the United States. It was during this period that he established contact with his first close group of Western disciples.
He traveled on a Persian passport, as he had given up writing, as well as speaking, and would not sign the forms required by the British government of India. Here, he attracted more followers.
[Kalchuri (1986) p. 1405ff] Throughout most of the 1940s, Meher Baba worked with a category of spiritual aspirants called ''
masts'', who he said are entranced or spellbound by internal spiritual experiences. Starting in 1949, along with selected ''mandali'', he traveled incognito about India in an enigmatic and still largely unexplained period he called the "New Life".
![Baba dictating](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Baba_dictating.jpg)
On his first trip to England in 1931, he traveled on the ''
SS Rajputana'', at the same time as
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
, who was sailing to the second
Round Table Conference
The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–1932 were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government and Indian political personalities to discuss constitutional reforms in India. These started in November 1930 and ended in Dec ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Baba and Gandhi met thrice on board. One of these exchanges lasted for three hours. The British press publicized these meetings, but an aide to Gandhi said, "You may say emphatically that Gandhi never asked Meher Baba for help or for spiritual or other advice."
In the West, Meher Baba met with a number of celebrities and artists, amongst them
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
,
Charles Laughton,
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...
,
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...
,
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
,
Maurice Chevalier, and
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...
. On 1 June 1932,
Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
and
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939) ...
held a reception for Baba at
Pickfair
Pickfair is a mansion and estate in the city of Beverly Hills, California with legendary history. The original Pickfair was an 18 acre (7.3 ha) estate designed by architect Horatio Cogswell for attorney Lee Allen Phillips of Berkeley Square a ...
at which he delivered a message to
Hollywood. As a result, says
Robert S. Ellwood
Robert S. Ellwood (born 1933) is an American academic, author and expert on world religions.
He was educated at the University of Colorado, Berkeley Divinity School and was awarded a PhD in History of Religions from the University of Chicago in 1 ...
, Meher Baba emerged as "one of the enthusiasms of the '30s".
In 1934, after announcing that he would break his self-imposed silence in the
Hollywood Bowl, Baba changed his plans abruptly, boarded the
RMS ''Empress of Canada'', and sailed to Hong Kong without explanation. The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
reported that "Baba had decided to postpone the word-fast-breaking until next February because 'conditions are not yet ripe'." He returned to England in 1936 but did not return to the United States again until the early 1950s.
In the late 1930s, Meher Baba invited a group of Western women to join him in India, where he arranged a series of trips throughout India and
British Ceylon that became known as the Blue Bus Tours. When the tour returned home, many newspapers treated their journey as an occasion for scandal. ''Time Magazines 1936 review of ''God is my Adventure'' describes the US's fascination with the "long-haired, silky-mustached Parsee named Shri Sadgaru
icMeher Baba" four years earlier.
1940s – Masts and the New Life
![Wayf 154](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Wayf_154.jpg)
In the 1930s and 1940s, Meher Baba worked extensively with
masts, or those "intoxicated with God". According to Baba, these individuals are disabled by their enchanting experience of the higher spiritual
planes. Although outwardly masts may appear irrational or insane, Baba claimed that their spiritual status was elevated, and that by meeting with them he helped them to move forward spiritually while enlisting their aid in his spiritual work. One of the best known of these masts, known as Mohammed Mast, lived at Meher Baba's encampment at Meherabad until his death in 2003.
During his journey in 1946, he went to
Sehwan Sharif
Sehwan ( sd, سيوهڻ شريف, ur, ; also commonly referred to as Sehwan Sharif or ''Noble Sehwan'') is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan and on the west bank of the Indus north-west of Hyderabad. The ...
to meet a well known sufi saint and a successor of
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Hazrat Sayyid Usman Marwandi, (1177 - 19 February 1274) popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (), was a Sufi saint and poet of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was born in Marwand, Sistan to a family from Baghdad ...
, Murshid
Nadir Ali Shah
Syed Nadir Ali Shah, (1897 - 8 October 1974) (Sindhi: سيد نادر علي شاهه, Urdu: سید نادر علی شاہ) popularly known as Murshid Nadir Ali Shah, was a Sufi saint of the Qalandariyya sufi order of Islam, Muslim preacher, ...
, whom Baba called an advanced pilgrim.
In 1949 Baba began an enigmatic period that he called the New Life. Following a series of questions on their readiness to obey even the most difficult of his requests, Baba selected 20 companions to join him in a life of complete "hopelessness and helplessness".
He made provisions for those dependent on him, after which he and his companions otherwise gave up nearly all property and financial responsibilities. They traveled about India incognito while begging for food and carrying out Baba's instructions in accordance with a strict set of "conditions of the New Life". These included absolute acceptance of any circumstance and consistent good cheer in the face of any difficulty. Companions who failed to comply were sent away.
Concerning the New Life, Meher Baba wrote:
This New Life is endless, and even after my physical death it will be kept alive by those who live the life of complete renunciation of falsehood, lies, hatred, anger, greed and lust; and who, to accomplish all this, do no lustful actions, do no harm to anyone, do no backbiting, do not seek material possessions or power, who accept no homage, neither covet honor nor shun disgrace, and fear no one and nothing; by those who rely wholly and solely on God, and who love God purely for the sake of loving; who believe in the lovers of God and in the reality of Manifestation, and yet do not expect any spiritual or material reward; who do not let go the hand of Truth, and who, without being upset by calamities, bravely and wholeheartedly face all hardships with one hundred percent cheerfulness, and give no importance to caste, creed and religious ceremonies. This New Life will live by itself eternally, even if there is no one to live it.
Meher Baba ended the New Life in February 1952 and once again began a round of public appearances throughout India and the West.
1950s – ''God Speaks'' and automobile accidents
After being injured as a passenger in two serious automobile accidents, one near
Prague, Oklahoma
Prague () is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2020 census, an 1.76 percent decrease from the figure of 2,388 in 2010. Czech immigrants founded the city, and named it after the capital of the pres ...
in the United States in 1952 and one in India in 1956, Meher Baba's ability to walk became limited.
In the 1950s, Baba established two centers outside of India, namely the Meher Spiritual Center in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the United States and Avatar's Abode near
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, Australia. He inaugurated the Meher Spiritual Center in April 1952. On 24 May 1952, en route from the Spiritual Center to Meher Mount in
Ojai, California, the car in which he was a passenger was struck head-on near
Prague, Oklahoma
Prague () is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2020 census, an 1.76 percent decrease from the figure of 2,388 in 2010. Czech immigrants founded the city, and named it after the capital of the pres ...
. He and his companions were thrown from the vehicle and suffered many injuries. Baba's leg was severely broken and he sustained facial injuries including a broken nose. The injured were treated at
Duke Hospital in
Durham, North Carolina, after which they returned to Myrtle Beach to recuperate. While recuperating at Youpon Dunes, a home owned by Elizabeth Patterson, in Myrtle Beach, he worked on the charter for a group of Sufis, which he named Sufism Reoriented.
Meher Baba began dictating his major book, ''
God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose'', using an alphabet board in
Dehradun, August 1953. In September 1954, Meher Baba gave a men-only
sahavas
Sahavasa () is a Sanskrit term literally meaning dwelling together or a close companionship. It may also refer to a spiritual retreat or a gathering held by a guru or master so that his devotees may enjoy his company, i.e., his physical presence ...
at Meherabad that later became known as the Three Incredible Weeks. During this time Baba issued a declaration, "Meher Baba's Call", wherein he once again affirmed his Avatarhood "irrespective of the doubts and convictions" of others. At the end of this sahavas, Meher Baba gave the completed manuscript of his book ''God Speaks'' to two members of Sufism Reoriented, Ludwig H. Dimpfl and Don E. Stevens, for editing and publication in America. The book was subsequently published by
Dodd, Mead and Company
Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990.
History Origins
In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...
the following year.
On 30 September 1954 Meher Baba gave his Final Declaration message, in which he made enigmatic predictions.
In October 1954, Meher Baba discarded his alphabet board and began using a unique set of hand gestures to communicate, which he used for the remainder of his life.
On 2 December 1956, outside
Satara, India, the car in which Baba was being driven went out of control and a second serious automobile accident occurred. Baba suffered a fractured
pelvis and other severe injuries. Nilu, one of Baba's
mandali, was killed. This collision seriously incapacitated Baba. Despite his physicians' predictions to the contrary, Baba began to walk again after great effort, but from that point on he was in
constant pain and was severely limited in his ability to move. During his trip to the West in 1958, he often needed to be carried from venue to venue.
In 1956, during his fifth visit to the US, Baba stayed at New York's
Hotel Delmonico before traveling to the Meher Center at
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In July he traveled to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and received friends and disciples at the home of Ivy Duce, wife of James Terry Duce, the vice-president of the
Arabian American Oil Co. He then traveled to Meher Mount at
Ojai, California before continuing on to Australia. His final visits to the United States and Australia were made in 1958.
1960s – Later years and message discouraging the use of drugs
In 1962, Baba held one of his last public functions, a mass meeting called the East-West Gathering, held in India. At these meetings, at which his Western followers were invited to meet his Indian disciples, Baba gave
darshan to many thousands, despite the physical strain this caused him. Despite deteriorating health, he continued what he called his "Universal Work", which included fasting and seclusion, until his death on 31 January 1969. His ''
samadhi
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...
'' (shrine/tomb) in
Meherabad
Meherabad (''meher'' meaning "friend" from Iranian "Mihir", ultimately from Old Persian "Mithra"; ''abad'' meaning a prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony) was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon village, Ind ...
, India, has become a place of international pilgrimage.
In the mid-1960s Baba became concerned with the drug culture in the West and began correspondences with several Western academics, including
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...
and
Richard Alpert
Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and author. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been d ...
, in which he discouraged the use of
hallucinogen
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...
ic drugs for spiritual purposes. In 1966 Baba's responses to questions on drugs were published in a pamphlet titled ''
God in a Pill?
''God in a Pill? Meher Baba on L.S.D. and The High Roads'' was a 1966 pamphlet containing messages from Meher Baba speaking out against taking drugs such as marijuana and LSD, ultimately saying they were harmful "physically, mentally, and spiri ...
'' Meher Baba stated that drug use was spiritually damaging and that if enlightenment were possible through drugs then "God is not worthy of being God". Meher Baba instructed his young Western disciples to spread this message; in doing so, they increased awareness of Meher Baba's teachings. In an interview with Frederick Chapman, a Harvard graduate and
Fulbright scholar who met Baba during a year of study in India, Baba described
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
as "harmful physically, mentally, and spiritually" and warned that "
ts continued useleads to madness or death".
[''Spiritual Leader Warning on LSD'', United Press International, 27 July 1967]
An anti-drug campaign was initiated by Baba lovers in the United States, Europe and Australia. The campaign was mostly futile, but won Baba new followers, and some of Baba's views found their way into academic debate on the merits and dangers of hallucinogens.
From the East-West Gathering of 1962 onward, Baba's health deteriorated. Despite the physical toll it took on his body, he continued to undergo periods of seclusion and fasting. In late July 1968, Baba completed a particularly taxing period of seclusion and stated that by then his work was "completed 100% to my satisfaction". He was by then using a wheelchair. Within a few months, his condition had worsened and he was bedridden, wracked by
muscle spasms
A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ such as the bladder.
A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a muscle c ...
that had no clear medical origin. Despite the care of several physicians, the spasms worsened.
[Kalchuri (1986) p. 6713]
Death and aftermath
On 31 January 1969, Meher Baba died at his home in
Meherabad
Meherabad (''meher'' meaning "friend" from Iranian "Mihir", ultimately from Old Persian "Mithra"; ''abad'' meaning a prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony) was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon village, Ind ...
, 25 days short of his 75th birthday. He conveyed by his last gestures, "Do not forget that I am God."
In time, his devotees called the anniversary of his death ''Amartithi'' (deathless day). Meher Baba's body was placed at his samadhi at Meherabad, covered with roses and cooled by ice. His body was kept available to the public for one week before its final burial. Prior to his death, Meher Baba had made extensive preparations for a public
darshan program to be held in Poona. His mandali decided to proceed with the arrangements despite the absence of the host. Several thousand attended this "Last Darshan," including many hundreds from the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Silence
From 10 July 1925, until his death in 1969, Meher Baba was silent.
He communicated first by using an alphabet board and later by unique hand gestures which were interpreted and spoken out by one of his mandali, usually by his disciple Eruch Jessawala.
[Purdom (1964) p. 52] Meher Baba said that his silence was not undertaken as a spiritual exercise but solely in connection with his universal work.
Man's inability to live God's words makes the Avatar's teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence. Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence.
![Pointingalphabet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Pointingalphabet.jpg)
Meher Baba often signaled the moment "that he would 'break' his silence by speaking the 'Word' in every heart, thereby giving a spiritual push forward to all living things".
When I break My Silence, the impact of My Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of it. It will help every individual to break himself free from his own bondage in his own way. I am the Divine Beloved who loves you more than you can ever love yourself. The breaking of My Silence will help you to help yourself in knowing your real Self.
According to him, the breaking of his silence would be a defining event in the spiritual evolution of the world.
When I speak that Word, I shall lay the foundation for that which is to take place during the next seven hundred years.[Haynes (1989) p. 67]
On many occasions Meher Baba promised to break his silence with an audible word before he died, often stating a specific time and place when this would occur, but according to all contemporary accounts, Meher Baba remained silent until his death. His failure to break his silence disappointed some of his followers, while others regarded these broken promises as a test of their faith. A number of his followers speculate that "the Word" will yet be "spoken" or that Meher Baba broke his silence in a spiritual rather than a physical way.
Baba, for many years, asked his followers to undertake austerities on 10 July, the anniversary of the day his silence began, such as keeping silence, fasting, and praying. In his final Silence Day request to his followers in 1968, he asked only that they keep silent. Many followers continue to celebrate Silence Day by keeping silence in his honor.
Teachings
Meher Baba's teachings can roughly be divided into two main categories: his metaphysics on the nature of the soul and the Universe, and practical advice for the spiritual aspirant. The two are interrelated. His
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
is mostly found in his principal book on the subject, ''
God Speaks
''God Speaks: The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose'' is the principal book by Meher Baba, and the most significant religious text used by his followers. It covers Meher Baba's view of the process of creation and its purpose and has been in prin ...
''. It contains detailed statements on his
cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
and the purpose of life as well as the progression of the soul, while his elucidations on the practical spiritual life are mostly contained in ''Discourses'', although it also covers many metaphysical areas mirroring or amplifying ''God Speaks''.
''God Speaks''
In ''God Speaks'', Meher Baba describes the journey of the soul from its original state of unconscious divinity to the ultimate attainment of conscious divinity. The whole journey is a journey of imagination, where the original indivisible state of God imagines becoming countless individualized souls which he likens to bubbles within an ocean of infinite size. Each soul, powered by the desire to become conscious, starts its journey in the most rudimentary form of consciousness. This limitation brings the need of a more developed form to advance it towards an increasingly conscious state. Consciousness grows in relation to the impressions each form is capable of gathering.
According to Baba, each soul pursues conscious divinity by evolving, that is, experiencing itself in a succession of imagined forms through seven "kingdoms" of stone/metal, vegetable, worm, fish, bird, animal, and human. The soul identifies itself with each successive form, becoming thus tied to illusion. During this evolution of forms, the power of thought increases, until in human form thought becomes infinite. Although in human form, the soul is capable of conscious divinity, all the impressions that it has gathered during evolution are illusory ones that create a barrier against the soul knowing itself. For this barrier to be overcome, further births in human form are needed in a process known as
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...
.
The soul will reach a stage where its previously gathered impressions grow thin or weak enough that it enters a final stage called
involution
Involution may refer to:
* Involute, a construction in the differential geometry of curves
* '' Agricultural Involution: The Processes of Ecological Change in Indonesia'', a 1963 study of intensification of production through increased labour inpu ...
. This stage also requires a series of human births, during which the soul begins an inner journey, by which it realizes its true identity as God. Baba breaks this inner journey of Realization into seven stages he called "planes." The process culminates, at the seventh plane, with God-realization, at which the goal of life for the soul is reached.
''Discourses''
The ''Discourses'' are a collection of explanations and elucidations that Meher Baba has given on many topics that concern the advancement of the spiritual aspirant. Some of the most important topics treated are: sanskaras (mental impressions),
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...
(the principle of illusion), the nature of the ego,
reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...
,
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
, violence and non-violence,
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...
, love, discipleship, and God-realization. His explanations often include stories from the lore of India and the Sufi culture. One such story, the wise man and the ghost, shows the power that superstitious beliefs can have on a person, while another,
Majnun and Layla, show how selfless love, even in human relations, can lead one to discipleship.
Thus Meher Baba offers many suggestions that keep one moving towards God-realization. These suggestions include putting theory into practice, the internal renunciation of desires, offering selfless service to humanity or the master, spontaneity, while avoiding actions that bind one to illusion. But rather than lay out moral rules, Baba offers an understanding as to why some actions bind the individual whereas some others help towards his emancipation. Many chapters offer a better understanding of the mechanisms by which consciousness gets caught up between the opposites of experience, such as pleasure and pain, good and evil, and point to a way of transcending them.
Perfect Masters and the Avatar
Baba related that there are 56 incarnate God-realized souls on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
at any given time. Of these souls there are always five who constitute the five Perfect Masters of their era. When one of the five Perfect Masters dies, according to Baba, another God-realized soul among the 56 would replace him or her at once.
The
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
, according to Baba, is a special Perfect Master, the first soul to achieve God-realization. This soul, the ''original'' Perfect Master, or Ancient One, never ceases to incarnate. Baba indicated that this particular soul personifies the state of God called
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Parvardigar in
Sufism, i.e. the sustainer or preserver state of God. The Avatar, in Baba's testimony, appears on Earth every 700–1400 years and is "brought down" into human form by the five Perfect Masters of the time to aid in the process of moving creation in its never-ending journey toward Godhood. Baba claimed that in other ages this role had been fulfilled by
Zoroaster
Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label= Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is ...
,
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
,
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
,
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
,
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
, and
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
.
Baba described the Avatar as "a gauge against which man can measure what he is and what he may become. He trues the standard of human values by interpreting them in terms of divinely human life."
The majority of Meher Baba's followers accept his claim of avatarhood,
[''New Religious Movements in the United States and Canada: A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography''. Contributors: Diane Choquette – compiler. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1985. Page Number: 12.] and he is said to be "revered by millions around the world as the Avatar of the age and a God-realized being".
Legacy
![Meher Baba Samadhi2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Meher_Baba_Samadhi2.jpg)
Baba's travels and teachings left a legacy of followers and devotees worldwide.
The Avatar Meher Baba Charitable Trust, established by Meher Baba in 1959, maintains his tomb and pilgrimage facilities, as well as a free school and dispensary, a
cataract
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble ...
clinic, and a veterinary clinic. The Trust follows the charter left for it by Meher Baba in his lifetime, but does not act as spiritual authority over groups. Likewise, the Trust does not engage in propaganda, promote creeds or dogmas, or seek converts. Baba discouraged evangelizing, stating, "I need no propaganda or publicity." Rather, he encouraged his followers to "let your life itself be my message of love and truth to others" and to "spread my message of Love and Truth as far and wide as possible". Followers of Meher Baba have no established rituals. Many do, however, perform practices of choice such as
pujas,
aartis, prayers, music, plays, viewing films of Baba and so forth, but the choice is personal. The primary focus for followers is living a life Meher Baba would approve of, for example, refraining from the use of
psychedelic drugs, including
marijuana, and trying to remember God with love.
Gatherings of Baba followers are generally informal. Special effort is made to gather together on Amartithi, the anniversary of Baba's death, and on his birthday. Many Baba followers keep silent on 10 July (Silence Day), observing the request Baba frequently made of his followers during his lifetime.
Aarti is performed morning and evening at
Baba's samadhi in India. Also at
Meherabad
Meherabad (''meher'' meaning "friend" from Iranian "Mihir", ultimately from Old Persian "Mithra"; ''abad'' meaning a prosperous settlement, or a flourishing colony) was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon village, Ind ...
, his followers maintain Baba's practice of lighting a
dhuni
A dhuni is (according to the Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.) a sacred site represented as a cleft in the ground. This cleft is emblematic of the yoni or female vulva and generative organ. A dhuni therefore represents ...
fire on the 12th of each month.
Baba had gained public attention in the West as early as 1932, as the result of contacts with contemporary celebrities of the time, and from the rather disillusioned account of
Paul Brunton
Paul Brunton is the pen name of Raphael Hurst (21 October 1898 – 27 July 1981), a British author of spiritual books. He is best known as one of the early popularizers of Neo-Hindu spiritualism in western esotericism, notably via his be ...
in his ''A Search in Secret India'' (1934). Baba received further attention posthumously via various mentions in western pop-culture.
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
of
the Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, became a follower of Baba, and dedicated his 1969
rock opera
A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
''
Tommy
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
'' to him in the
gatefold
A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...
. The Who's 1971 song "
Baba O'Riley
"Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album ''Who's Next'' (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single on 23 October 1971, coupled with "My Wife".
Roger Daltrey sings most of the song ...
" was named in part after Meher Baba, and Townshend recorded several Meher Baba tribute albums including ''
Happy Birthday'', ''
I Am
I Am or I'm may refer to:
Language and literature
* " I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name
** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible
* "I Am" (p ...
'', ''
Who Came First
''Who Came First'' is the debut album by Pete Townshend, released in 1972 on Track Records in the UK and Track/Decca Records, Decca in the US.
It includes previously released material as well as tracks that originated as demo (music), demos fo ...
'', and ''
With Love With Love may refer to:
Music Albums
* '' ...with Love'', by Mary Byrne
* ''With Love'' (Amanda Lear album), 2006
* ''With Love'' (Bobby Vinton album), 1974
* '' With Love, Chér'', 1967
* ''With Love'' (Christina Grimmie album), 2013
* ''W ...
''.
In 1970,
Melanie Safka
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", her cover of " Ruby Tuesday", her compositi ...
(stage name "Melanie") mentioned Baba in the spoken word intro to her song "
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is the second single from Melanie Safka's 1970 album '' Candles in the Rain''. It was her breakthrough hit in the United States, climbing to number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box T ...
". Listed as a standalone piece entitled "Candles In The Rain", the lyrics are "Meher Baba lives again".
Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
's 1988
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
-winning song "
Don't Worry, Be Happy
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a 1988 song by American musician Bobby McFerrin, released as the first single from his fourth album, '' Simple Pleasures'' (1988). It was the first ''a cappella'' song to reach number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...
" was inspired by Baba's adage, which has appeared on many posters and inspirational cards depicting him.
Elements of Meher Baba's philosophy, as well as an unnamed character based upon him, have appeared in the works of comic book writer-screenwriter
J. M. DeMatteis
John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels.
Biography
Early career
J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...
. Works particularly influenced by Baba include DeMatteis' scripts for ''
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...
'' and DeMatteis creator-owned comic book ''Seekers into the Mystery''.
In 2012, the feature film ''
Nema Aviona za Zagreb'' premiered in the Netherlands with an exclusive interview with Meher Baba filmed in 1967. In the interview Baba explains the difference between God-realization and drug-induced hallucinations and the scene plays a pivotal role in the documentary's narrative.
[Seventy Fourth Family Letter, 1 September 1967, ''82 Family Letters'', Mani S. Irani, Sheriar Foundation, 1976. "The appearance of the Avatar in my film is more than functional, it is necessary, to give all the other happenings and sequences the final and right dimension." (Louis van Gasteren to Meher Baba in 1967)]
Major Centers of Pilgrimage
Notes
References
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*
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*
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*
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*
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External links
The Trust Online LibraryBooks by and about Meher Baba available as
PDF files
''The Awakener'' Magazine ArchivePrincipal Meher Baba magazine from 1953-1986
Glossary of Meher Baba's terminology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meher Baba
1894 births
1969 deaths
Elective mutes
Indian Sufis
Iranian Sufis
Indian spiritual teachers
People from Pune
Indian people of Iranian descent
Irani people
People considered avatars by their followers
Spiritual practice
20th-century Indian educators
Indian spiritual writers
20th-century Indian non-fiction writers
Parsi people