Mandali from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
''
mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
'' meaning circle, connection, community, is a term that
Meher Baba
Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of ...
used for his closest disciples.
Inner circle
Mandali are considered to include those close disciples that lived permanently or for extended periods with Meher Baba at his
ashram
An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...
s. However, not all of Meher Baba's mandali lived with him. According to Meher Baba 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 appearanc ...
always has 10 concentric circles of 12 men and/or women each. The inner circle consists of 12 men plus two women, for a total of 122 mandali. But Meher Baba also said, "Those who do my work are my ''mandali''. If we were to list their names, it would fill a volume." At another time Baba said, "By ''mandali'' I mean those who have been with me for several years, but ask for nothing... In short, I would say that the mandali means those whose intimacy I feel."
[''Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba,'' by Bhau Kalchuri, ''Manifestation, Inc.'' 1986. p. 4277]
See also
*
New Life (Meher Baba)
References
External links
Mandali Membersmandalihall.org
(Audio recordings of Meher Baba's mandali members)
{{Meher Baba
Meher Baba