… For those on the spiritual path, I am the Sun giving life and light to them. There are some who burn themselves to ashes in the heat and light of the Sun. Some want only the warmth of the Sun, and take care to be away from the intensity of the light. There are others who want to be in the comfortable shade and also carry an umbrella when treading the Path. These three types are on the spiritual path.
– Meher Baba
https://www.lordmeher.org/rev/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPage=4311
ये राह-ए-मोहब्बत है इसमें ऐसे भी मक़ाम आ जाते हैं
रुकिए तो पसीना आता है चलिये तो क़दम थर्राते हैं
नब्ज़ें हैं के उभरी आती हैं तारे हैं के डूबे जाते हैं
वो पिछले पहर बीमारों पर कुछ ख़ास करम फ़रमाते हैं
वो मस्त हवाओं के झोंके कुछ रात गए कुछ रात रहे
जैसे ये कोई रह रह के कहे घबराओ नहीं हम आते हैं
शबनम की नुमाइश माथे पर खिलती हुई कलियाँ होंठों पर
गुलशन में सवेरा होता है या बज़्म में वो शरमाते हैं
ये राह-ए-तलब हैं दीवाने इस राह में उनकी जानिब से
आँखें भी बिछाई जाती हैं काँटे भी बिछाए जाते हैं
कहते नहीं बनता क्या कहिये कैसा है ‘नज़ीर’ अफ़साना-ए-ग़म
सुनने पे तो वो आमादा हैं कहने से हम ही घबराते हैं
Yeh Rahe Mohabbat Hai Isme
https://youtu.be/xuOZD_2zm1c
https://youtu.be/ecFA2amKLuA
https://youtu.be/GkhEc8U4pIU
… It is very difficult for one to understand the spiritual path, and still more difficult to be on the Path.
… It is so difficult to understand the meaning of the spiritual path, and to know those who are really on the Path is even more difficult.
… There are many who are hypocrites. They create an atmosphere around them which outwardly resembles that of a Spiritual Master. So naturally they gather crowds before them. Paramatma is all-merciful, forgives all, but not hypocrites! You may be good or bad, but outwardly show what you are inwardly.
– Meher Baba
… There are three things which are most unimportant: to offer me garlands, to worship me, to perform my puja-arti. These are not the signs of love for God.
There are three things which are of paramount importance on the spiritual path. There is no compromise. These are love, obedience and surrender. Love is great in itself, but greater than love is obedience, and greater than obedience is complete surrender. Love seeks the will of the Beloved.
Obedience carries out the will of the Beloved. One who surrenders completely is resigned to the will of the Beloved. One who loves exists as the lover of the Beloved. Why? Because he simply loves the Beloved. One who obeys exists as the slave of the Beloved. One who surrenders his mind, body and soul has no existence — only the Beloved exists in him.
Love is a gift from God to man. A Perfect Master never gives the gift of love. Obedience is the gift from Master to man. Surrender is the gift of man to the Master.
– Meher Baba
https://www.lordmeher.org/rev/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPage=3817
31 January 1969,
… The previous night, Baba had ordered Aloba to bring the painted board of Hafiz’s three couplets from mandali hall about obedience. Aloba brought it into Baba’s bedroom at 10:00 A.M. and placed it on top of a dresser. The often quoted couplets were recited:
Befitting a fortunate slave, carry out every command of the Master, without any question of why and what.
About what you hear from the Master, never say it is wrong, because, my dear, the fault lies in your own incapacity to understand him.
I am the slave of the Master, who has released me from ignorance; whatever my Master does is of the highest benefit to all concerned.
After the couplets were read (in Persian), Baba bowed with his hands and gestured in respect, “Khuda Hafiz [May God protect you]!”
https://www.lordmeher.org/rev/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPage=5402
… During these evening sessions, Baba gave many revealing discourses. On 11 October [1928], he emphasized to the Prem Ashram boys the way of love:
Love is the divine gift given by the Sadgurus. Even if the whole world wants to, it can never bestow such a gift. And once it is granted, not even all of humanity can snatch it away — no matter how hard it strives to do so. Love is the divine gift.
Once you know how to love, there is no trouble. Once you have adapted yourselves to the way, your hardships disappear. At present, Ali Akbar, Ramaji, and other boys are troubled. They have love but they do not know the way of it and so feel disturbed. Now I shall show you the way, because in your intoxication of love you break my orders, even though you are unaware of it. But now the time has come to point out the way. After I show you the way, you will not be troubled.
Do not be afraid; I am with you. Your luck is indeed great. Sadgurus take birth only for people like you. I will show you the way as it has never been shown before. I will give away everything, but first you must give up everything and dedicate all to me.
Outwardly I have assigned the management of the ashram to Rustom; likewise, even the inner management can be assigned. Within these next six months either I will “make” you [what I intend to make you spiritually] or shut everything down. If no difficulty crops up, I will “make” you. The plan is there to keep difficulties away; the only thing is Rustom should manage everything outwardly within my orders.
You do not have the slightest notion of what I will do now. So just continue doing your work according to my wish and do not worry.
The subject then turned to different types of food and Baba made the following remarks:
There are three things that are very good for increasing and purifying the blood: pomegranates, grapes, and tomatoes; but grapes have one defect, they create acidity. Okra is good for people with waist pain. Potatoes give strength, but can cause an upset stomach. Lentils are good; beans, squash, cabbage, and cauliflower are not nourishing, but are tasty. Eggplant is the worst. To eat eggplant is to commit suicide because it actually shatters the blood, which in the form of water causes “discharge” [mucus]. Radishes create gas but they are good for the intestines. Tomatoes are the best for the blood. Methi [fenugreek leaves] and sooa [dill] are also very good.
Rustom jokingly interjected, “Chicken is good because it has no sanskaras.”
“We are not talking of sanskaras, but of the quality of things,” Baba corrected. Then he continued:
Among non-vegetarian food, fish is the best for the brain because it contains phosphorus. Eggs too are good, but are hard to digest. Among all food, milk is the best because nothing is killed in obtaining it. The next best are vegetables because life in them is not fully developed. The worst impressions lie in non-vegetarian food. By eating meat a person at once contacts animal sanskaras which stimulate anger and lust.
The give-and-take of sanskaras depends on the attitude of the mind, i.e. if you do a certain action with good intentions, you catch good sansakaras, and if with bad intentions, bad sanskaras … When you go on a hunt, you kill an animal for the sake of sport and enjoyment. You therefore take its bad sanskaras. But suppose you are going through a forest and a wild animal attacks you. In order to defend yourself, you kill it. In that case, you do not catch any sanskaras.
That is why, without attracting sanskaras, you may destroy the lives of bugs, mosquitoes, scorpions, et cetera, which cause injury to humanity. You may kill the serpent which comes to bite you; but you must not kill the serpent which you happen to see in a jungle while taking a walk.
About the early morning meditation some had been instructed to follow, Baba explained:
The best time for meditation is between 3:00 and 5:00 A.M. Why? (This is a secret.) There is some connection between the sun and the universe, and in order to meditate one must cross the solar [astral] planes. In order to give a push to the devotees, Sadgurus especially stand in the points of those planes and the universe between 3:00 and 5:00 A.M. No Sadguru has ever explained it so clearly.
The day before, Baba had shown Jalbhai a spot underneath a tree where he directed him to construct a dhuni, ordering a tin shed to be built over it. Jalbhai prepared everything in one day, and Baba came to inspect it on the 11th, accompanied by Baidul, Raosaheb, Chanji, Meherjee and Chhagan. Summoning the boys, Baba had them sit down around him. He then explained:
Listen carefully to what I have to say. It is for you that I am sitting inside [in seclusion] and working. Therefore, while I am working, there should be no disturbance at all. If I am disturbed, you will not progress; if I am not disturbed, I will see that you advance on the Path.
Nowadays your education and study have been stopped. This is a problem as there is opposition against me in the newspapers and elsewhere. If one of your fathers comes here and finds that you are not studying, he will think otherwise and take you away. The village headman is also keeping his eyes on us to satisfy the public outcries, and if the police come they will discover that you are not studying.
Therefore, a shed has been erected near the Manzil where only English will be taught from two to five o’clock.
I do not like all this scholastic education, but for various reasons you have to learn English so that you may be able to read Ram Tirtha, Shams, Hafiz, and Vivekananda without any difficulty. But really speaking, education does not have the least connection with this Path. You have no idea what work I do and will do. But this is to show people that you are studying and it will also help you in later years in reading the spiritual literature of the Great Ones. I am telling you this in case any of your parents turn up.
But you should not think about all this. Just continually think of me and do as I said in yesterday’s discourse, and I will look to everything. Today I am leaving everyone and sitting inside [in seclusion]. What for? For you alone!
It is not necessary that you think of anything else but me. Just do as I say. I will assuredly put you on the Path. I may awaken some of you at night for meditation. It will be cold, but never mind. If you do not listen to what I say, you will be at a disadvantage.
Leave love aside for the time being and I will see that you benefit the most. But if love is given, you will be like fish out of water and your “thirst” will take time to quench. I do not wish to harass you and “thirst” is a terrible distress, indescribable. You do not have the slightest notion of it. Swami Ramakrishna’s thirst was so intense he would sit in the river for days! Chaitanya Swami Baba had such great thirst that blood would flow out of his hair! But I will see that you are not put to the least trouble. It is my responsibility!
Baba then had several passages read out from The Mystics of Islam. Later, pointing to the dhuni he remarked:
Here is the dhuni. When we feel cold we go near it to get warm and gradually the cold goes away. In a similar way, the Sadguru is the warmth and our sanskaras are the cold. That is why it is said that a Sadguru’s personal company is best and even half a moment in his presence wipes out millions and billions of sanskaras.
At noon on 12 October, a place, enclosed with bamboo matting, was made for Chhota Baba to stay underneath Baba’s Table Cabin. Baba mentioned that a European man, who was inclined toward the Path, was coming the next day and would be staying in Chhota Baba’s room. From that day Baba began staying in Meher Manzil at night, instead of in the Table Cabin. Two other boys, Rajaram and Baban, who had been appointed as Baba’s orderlies, were accommodated in a room adjoining Chhota Baba’s room.
On Saturday, 13 October 1928, the thirty-fourth day of Baba’s fast and the fourth day of his seclusion, all gathered at five o’clock near the entrance of the Manzil for the lighting of the dhuni. Afterwards, the boys and mandali were served tea and sweets. Baba cautioned the boys that during the cold weather they should sit near the dhuni in the morning. He ordered that the dhuni be lit at seven in the morning; then, after some hours, it should be extinguished and again lit in the evenings. Jalbhai was to prepare the fire, Chhagan to light it, and Baidul to extinguish it.
At about noon the same day, Adi Sr. and Nusserwan arrived, bringing with them a gray-haired Russian called Sadhu Christian Leik. He was the European that Baba had mentioned, and Leik was overjoyed at finding the atmosphere in Toka so congenial and uplifting, as he had been searching a long time for a guru. Vishnu accommodated him in the room previously occupied by Chhota Baba. “There is something here,” Leik said. “I feel it. After 20 years of longing and worship of such departed Masters as Ramakrishna, today I have finally met and seen a living Master!”
Leik was 58 when he came to Toka. Born in the Russian province of Estonia in 1870, from childhood he had a contemplative, scholarly nature, and he became interested in Western and Eastern philosophy at an early age. As a young man, he had a lucrative position as the manager of a business firm in Moscow, but in 1902, he quit his job and traveled to England and France seeking knowledge of spirituality. During the subsequent years, he became a naturalized British subject, served as a naval officer and met Meredith Starr with whom he shared similar interests.
After reading about Sadguru Ramakrishna and his chief disciple Vivekananda, Leik traveled to India in 1910 and began staying in Ramakrishna monasteries.
He had been to the Himalayas, but found the atmosphere spiritually dry. After some years, however, he found himself longing to be under the guidance of a living guru. He heard that his old acquaintance, Meredith Starr, had recently gone to India and surrendered to a Master. He wrote letters to Starr and was informed of Meher Baba’s ashrams at Meherabad and Toka.
The day after he arrived, Baba sent for Sadhu Christian Leik. When Leik was taking the Master’s darshan, Baba rested his head on Leik’s back. Baba did not embrace him then, but later that night he did. Baba personally showed him around the Prem Ashram where the boys were meditating.
The following morning, Baba ordered Leik to observe silence and then instructed, “Remain here with a completely free heart. Keep silence from tomorrow. Do not worry. Whatever you may need, ask Vishnu. Don’t let your mind think of things that have bothered you. Have patience. I will make you steadfast in the Path. I am pleased with you because despite so many hardships and sufferings, you have stuck to the Path for years.”
Leik replied, “As for patience, I have enough of it. I know I will be given the right thing — at the right time — when I deserve it.”
Baba then instructed, “As long as I do not send for you, do not come to me. Even if I don’t call you for days, don’t come and don’t worry. I am with you. I will speak with you internally.”
“I know,” said Leik, “Masters always speak internally.”
Leik was a humble and unassuming person, which impressed the mandali. (For instance, he washed his own clothes, which was unusual for a European in India.) Baba too was pleased that he had come and indicated that he was a genuine seeker.
Meanwhile, Kaka Baria arrived in Toka and was given the task of erecting a tatta fence. But Baba was testing him and Kaka was still not “fit” to stay permanently in the ashram. After only four days Baba sent him back to Bombay.
https://www.lordmeher.org/rev/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPage=979
… The unrealized Permatma can become વલી or યોગી [wali or yogi] by the Bhakti of Eeshver and can become [Majzoob] મજઝુબ Permatma by the highest bhakti of Parameshwar and can become the [Salik] સાલેક (i.e. the realized, જ્ઞાની, સદગુરુ ) Permatma by the highest Bhakti of Sadguru i.e. by complete surrenderance to the Sadguru. But there are many who get their astral and gross desires too, fulfilled by Sadguru Bhakti; but these desires are indirectly fulfilled, & is due to the faith and the bhakti done to its proportion. Sadguru does not himself give this astral or material gift. The Sadguru has Permeshver and Eeshver near Him (Permeshver in His right hand, as it were, and Eeshver in His left.) He is સગુણ & નીગુર્ણ [Sagun & Nirgun] Permatma and is one & beyond both; He has three states near him as it were, One Permeshver, one Eeshver and one Himself. (He and His two hands; He is not the hands). He who does bhakti of Sadguru for the astral or material desires, The Eeshver (who is near the Sadguru, i.e. in His left hand) hands over the fulfillment of these desires to the bhakta. He who wants Selfrealization i.e. realization of Permatma, and does the bhakti of the Sadguru accordingly, gets the realization through Permeshver (who is near the Sadguru, i.e. in His right hand) and he who wants neither the universe (subtle and gross) nor God, but does Sadguru bhakti with no આશા [Aasha,expectation], him the Sadguru પોતે રહીને બનાવે છે પોતાની મીસાલ [on His Own makes like unto Himself]. So the Sadguru directly makes one like Himself; and indirectly makes one realize God or receive astral or gross achievements.
Intelligence Notebook I, p.185
https://avatarmeherbabatrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/P_8.pdf
… To attempt to understand by reading or hearing explanations is an insult to our Beloved God, Who is beyond all understanding. The only answer is love. If we love God, we become Him. There is no further question. But we must love with all our hearts, so that only God exists for us.
– Meher Baba
https://www.lordmeher.org/rev/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPage=3604
… On Thursday, 5 August 1926, while holding a discussion with Nusserwan Satha and Vyankatesh Sridhar “Kaka” Chinchorkar (devotees from Ahmednagar), the Master explained to them about desires and spiritual independence versus political independence. Baba ended by emphasizing:
Real bhakti [devotion] means “to die a thousand times a day.” Thus a poet has said, “If you have the longing to receive the wound of an arrow, then first create a heart that would venture on such a dangerous game, that would bear its hardships, and that is bold enough to endure its sufferings.”
This quotation expresses not only the literal and outer meaning that one should “create a heart,” but also the inner sense, that the sufferings of the wound should be borne without anyone else knowing it; quietly, without the slightest murmur or sign of pain.
There should be absolutely no outward show even though one may be suffering from deadly wounds and cut into pieces from inside!
Ah — what burning! What love, what desire! The terrible heat of the sun is as nothing compared to that burning sensation! All these burnings and other such ordeals are on the part of the independent seeker of Truth, who has not found a Guru or a Guide. Those who have found a Sadguru, however, have nothing to do except dedicate themselves to him with complete blind submission. Even if the orders of the Master seem incomprehensible or even repellent, you have to carry them out with bowed heads. Do as the Sadguru tells you to do, even if his instructions are against your will or beyond your understanding. This is the easiest way to God. For, if one at all desires to reach this Goal of Truth, one must burn and consume oneself in that desire, without any other consideration of mind, body, or soul: and this is most difficult. You are lucky to have found such a Sadguru in me.
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28 November 1955,
… When Abdul Majid Khan approached Baba and placed a large basket of flowers before him, Baba inquired, “Why do you look so wan and pulled down? How is it you have become so thin? Perhaps it is because of your love for me!” Abdul Khan replied he had been ill.
Heaps of garlands were piled on Baba’s lap by the time every man had finished and, calling Waman Subnis, Baba remarked, “You are an athlete, so remove these garlands!” Waman did as told and piled them on the verandah.
Baba then began:
You have five days here. Be free and at home in my sahavas here. If you want to weep, weep inwardly; outwardly put on a smiling countenance. Don’t waste time tomorrow with garlanding me. Let us not waste money, and let me not be burdened with garlands. I have only two pink-colored coats, and this one has already been spoiled by your garlands. They won’t last long. Don’t shout “Avatar Meher Baba ki jai!” every time, either. What is the use in doing that? Shout within your heart; it must be heard only by you, not by others.
Today and tomorrow, I will give you some explanations regarding the four subjects in the Directions. I have explained the same things to the Gujarati, Telugu and Hindi groups. We will spend the first two days in explanations. We will not hurry, but proceed slowly.
Be very attentive. Whether a point sounds small or big, be equally attentive. Try to grasp what I say. If you cannot grasp it, then at least listen carefully. Listening to me will not be in vain. You will be able to grasp what I say today, after years, or even after some births! I may crack jokes. I may be serious, but be attentive.
Baba asked Yeshwant Rao of Sakori, “Are you listening?”
“Yes, I am listening, Baba,” he said.
Introducing him, Baba remarked, “Yeshwant Rao is my old companion.” Baba continued:
For the five days you are here with me in my sahavas, you should forget completely all your worries. Let the atmosphere you have been living in be left behind and remain where it is. Physically and mentally, be here. Follow me wherever I go. If you cannot do that, then although physically present here, mentally you will always be in your old atmosphere.
Dhake was translating in Marathi what Eruch was conveying in English from Baba’s gestures. Baba inquired if any other language translation was necessary besides English and Marathi, but no one said he felt the need for it.
I will come straight to what I have to say, without beating about the bush and speaking in a roundabout way. It is very difficult for one to understand the spiritual path, and still more difficult to be on the Path. If you merely want to hear and understand about this Path, there are volumes written about it. You can also go to saints and sadhus and listen to their explanations. But the Path is beyond intelligence, beyond mental understanding, beyond mind itself.
God Speaks narrates this from the beginning to the end. Anyone who reads it from the first word to the last will understand it mentally, but that does not mean that thereby he has become God or has caught hold of God.
Reading, hearing [explanations], praying, jap-tap, sadhana do not make one enter the Path. By these means, instead of freeing ourselves, we get more and more bound. I tell you this on my own authority. You may fast indefinitely, you may hang upside down, you may knock your brains out on stones, yet they will never lead you to the Path.
I will explain. Suppose one stops eating. This in itself creates bindings because the mind is still functioning and impressions are created. Doing anything — sleeping or keeping awake, movement, running, breathing — everything creates impressions. This complication of sanskaras is always there, and it is impossible for you to free yourselves from it! But I will tell you how you can get free.
There are three remedies for these self-created bindings. For every individual here, the whole world exists because of the I. Because I am, the whole world is. Because Dhake is there, the whole world is there [for him]. Because of us the world exists. When we enter deep sleep, we are not at all conscious of ourselves, of this world or anything else. Now, I am here. It is because of my existence that all of you are here. Had Dhake not existed, these things would not have existed for him.
How to get ourselves out of these entanglements of impressions? It is through the impression that I exist and because of my existence that this whole cosmos exists. Eternally we are all one God. Every day, when we enter into the sound sleep state, the sound sleep state is the most original God state, and for any individual in that state there exists nothing except himself — of which he is unconscious. When we wake up, through the mind we again become conscious of this duality, because the sanskaras wake us up. Again we retire into our original state and again we find ourselves in this cage [of maya]. Although daily we enter into our most original state, we know not of it, and again become aware of this duality.
Now what is required is that we must be conscious in our most original state of sound sleep with wide open eyes all the time, and then we will experience only Oneness and know that we are God. But it is so totally impossible. Why? Because we have I [ego] with us.
God is infinitely more vital to our existence than our own breath, which is our very life.
Your breath is your life. Breath is so vitally associated with our being that as soon as we stop breathing, we are dead. Look at the fun of it. All of you breathe. But you never give a thought to your breathing. Even in the most original state of sound sleep, you are breathing but you do not know it. It is so very vitally associated with our life, we have not even the need to remember it.
Baba joked, “If we do not finish this off soon, some of you will start yawning and go into the most original state!”
Explaining further, Baba continued:
We are only aware of our breathing when we exert ourselves. Then we come to know just how vital our breath is for life. Compared to your breathing, God is infinitely nearer to you! When we are unconscious of our breathing, how can we be conscious of God, Who is so very near us? When one is about to drown, he becomes aware of his breath. Therefore, to experience God, one must drown in the Ocean of Divinity! We say a lot of things and try to understand them; but to be conscious of our Real Existence, we must drown in the Ocean of Divine Love!
Many years ago, a well-dressed man came to me — when I appeared as in the second photograph on the wall — and told me that for 40 years he was in search of God, and did everything as the saints directed him, but still could not find God. I told him if he obeyed me he would get God-realization. He replied, “What is there to obedience? I am ready to cut off my head and lay it at your feet!”
I was glad to hear this. I told him there was no need to cut off his head, but he should roam about the streets of Ahmednagar naked. He said, “This is too difficult since I am a resident of Nagar and many know me there. I hold a good position there. How is it possible to do as you say?”
So just think how easy it is to cut off the head, and how difficult it is to obey me! I will tell you later about love, obedience and surrender.
I want to open your eyes about miracles. It is so difficult to understand the meaning of the spiritual path, and to know those who are really on the Path is even more difficult.
In India, it is a common habit that if people see a man dressed in an ocher-colored kafni with a flowing beard and long hair, they hasten to revere him and others follow suit in worshiping him, even rich and intelligent persons.
There are seven planes of consciousness. When you pass into the first plane, you lose consciousness of your body. You see wonderful sights, hear sweet music and smell sweet smells. You simply go mad! Thus, as one progresses on the Path from one plane to the next, one loses one’s consciousness in the same way a man throws aside his covering of a sheet or blanket before getting out of bed. One who is on the Path becomes completely mad! People think such a one is actually mad. Suppose from a doctor’s point of view Rangole is totally mad, and Sarosh, although he appears mad, is actually on the Path. Sarosh has no body consciousness; he neither eats nor sleeps. Outwardly, both Sarosh and Rangole appear mad. So how can Vinoo tell the difference?
Baba repeated the story of the deranged Fakir Bua:
In the beginning, here in Meherabad, there was a school, hospital, Mad Ashram, et cetera. In the Mad Ashram, one named Fakir Bua was more mad than anyone else. Tyebali of Poona was working here. After the Mad Ashram was disbanded, Fakir Bua was sent back to Poona. He had the habit of moving his fingers, similar to me. Tyebali spread the rumor that Fakir Bua was my chargeman! Hearing about it, people in Poona began approaching him and taking his darshan.
P. N. Limkar stood up and affirmed, “I have seen people taking Fakir Bua’s darshan. He is now dead.”
Baba continued:
Fakir Bua was oblivious to his surroundings and completely mad. He was neither on the spiritual path, nor was he pretending to be mad. He had not the slightest idea why people were coming to him and paying him respect. But now, I warn you against posing, because to be a hypocrite, to pretend to be what you are not, is a very low type of sin.
There are many who are hypocrites. They create an atmosphere around them which outwardly resembles that of a Spiritual Master. So naturally they gather crowds before them. Paramatma is all-merciful, forgives all, but not hypocrites! You may be good or bad, but outwardly show what you are inwardly.
I always tell those who love me that if they feel I am the Avatar and Ancient One, they should say so openly. But if there is the slightest doubt in your mind about it, then say you don’t feel Baba is the Avatar. If you think I am a fraud, say so. I am the Ancient One, and whatever you say does not affect me in the least. If the whole world were to bow down at my feet or oppose me, it is one and the same to me. I remain unaffected by praise or abuse.
Abdul Majid, if you don’t feel Baba to be the Avatar, don’t tell people that he is. If you speak about me at your own place and say: “Baba is the Avatar, the only Reality and everything else is illusion,” and at the same time, if you were to get a telegram about the death of your wife and start beating your breast, sobbing and crying — what will your audience think? They will find that you behave differently from what you exhort, and what you call illusion you now weep about! You preach what you yourself do not practice. You have the right to tell people about me only when you yourself practice what I tell you!
Abdul Majid Khan declared, “I have full faith in your Avatarhood, Baba, and on the strength of that faith I inform people about you.”
Baba replied, “I know it. You have full faith in me, and I love you. You are my gem.”
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… Baba arrived at Meherabad at 8:15 A.M. on Sunday, 23 February 1958 and, after talking with the mandali about the management of the sahavas, he entered the pandal at 9:05 A.M. Before his arrival, Godavri Mai had already sat down on the dais on another cushioned armchair. She took Baba’s darshan and then devotional songs and the Gujarati arti were sung. When they concluded, Baba offered his salutations to the assembly with joined hands.
Baba called Thirumala Rao to the dais to translate his English statements into Telugu. After inquiring about those who were sick, he stated, “Last week I had acquainted all those attending the sahavas with Godavri Mai, and now I will introduce her to you. I want to tell you something of her greatness. Eruch will read my introduction of her as given to the first group.” Accordingly, Eruch read it out, and when it was over, the pandal resounded with cries of “Godavri Mata [Mother] ki jai!”
The Andhra bhajan group sang a few songs, and Baba called Raosaheb Afseri to the stage. At Baba’s request, Raosaheb recited a couplet of Hafiz in Persian, which was also translated into English, Telugu and Gujarati. The meaning of it was:
How can you tread the path of Truth unless you
step out of the boundary of your own nature?
Baba expounded:
This Path is full of untold and intolerable hardships and sufferings. Even the yogis and saints have not fathomed the state of my Reality. Hafiz speaks of “stepping out of the boundary of our nature.” But what is that nature of ours? I am not going to repeat the theme of evolution of forms and consciousness now. I have explained much about these in books. We start with the birth of a human child, for example. The birth is due to his or her past karmas. No sooner is the child born than he or she begins to experience the sanskaras acquired in his or her past lives. So what will be the nature of the child? The nature of the child will be, of course, according to his or her past sanskaras. That child must act, feel and think according to his or her sanskaras accumulated in his or her past lives. There is no way out and he or she must experience the sanskaras. That is the Law of Must.
In addition to this inexorable principle of must, the environmental circumstances are such that they help the child to act, feel and think according to his or her past sanskaras. No sooner does the child see the light of earth than he or she begins to grow older day by day. He or she must weep as soon as he or she is born. He or she must be given a milk diet. He or she must grow bigger and bigger. He or she must have a name. His or her sex, [character, personality, inclinations], et cetera, is determined by the principle of must. The child knows not from whence he or she has come. The child has no thought of all that. The child takes for granted that he or she is born, and the child begins to live. The child has a sex and a name; he or she cries, eats, drinks, and later studies in school and enjoys or suffers life — all this because of his or her nature — not “Nature [environment].”
Hafiz refers to the nature of a child. This is the Law of Must. It is your very nature, created and nurtured by you, that makes you think that you are a man or a woman, that you have a body, sickly or healthy, beautiful or ugly. It makes you think that you are hungry, robust, unwell, et cetera.
Now we come to the difficulties on the spiritual path. What are the difficulties? It is always impossible to fathom my Original State of Reality on the spiritual path. Why? I shall explain the reasons to you. What does Hafiz say? He says: “Step out of the boundary of your nature.” It means: “Go against your own nature.” Your nature makes you think that you are hungry and want food. When you feel hungry, you demand food and eat. Hafiz wants you not to eat; that is going against your nature, that is to say, “stepping out” of your nature. If your nature says you are not feeling hungry, according to Hafiz, you must go against it and you must eat, and eat much. When you feel like sleeping, according to Hafiz, you must not sleep. This is what we understand from the couplet of Hafiz.
But does it really mean all this? No. I shall tell you what Hafiz really means. According to Hafiz, literally, if you want to see anything, you must not see. If you do not want to see anything, you must see. This is what is meant by stepping out of your nature. We can go on giving innumerable such examples of “going against one’s nature.”
Take another instance: When you run up an incline, you will pant for breath. In such a case, you must not pant; you should breathe normally. Contrariwise, when you feel normal, you must not feel normal; you must breathe hard or pant for breath. Therefore, it is almost impossible to step out of the boundary of your very nature, and it is therefore really impossible for you to realize me as I really am. Then what should we do?
Hafiz comes to our rescue and gives a solution. But that solution too is very difficult, impossible, but somewhat less difficult or less impossible. Hafiz says:
At this point, Baba asked Raosaheb to recite the couplet in Persian (which was later translated into Telugu and Gujarati) which means, according to Baba’s rendering in English:
O you mad one! If you have that madness to realize God,
then become the dust at the feet of a Perfect Master!
Baba continued:
We are coming back to becoming the dust at the feet of a Perfect Master. What does Hafiz mean? Dust has no thought of its own; it has no will of its own. It can be trampled upon, applied to the forehead or suspended in the air. There is no truer and better example of complete obedience than “of becoming like dust.”
If any of you do not understand, don’t worry about it. Just look at me and think of me. That will do. Words have no real value. It is good if you understand. But if you don’t, why worry about it?
Baba concluded with the question: “What do we mean by obedience?” He asked Eruch to read out the discourse on the four types of obedience which he had given the past week, as well as in Poona and Bombay. At the end of it, Raosaheb recited the lines of another Persian poet, which Baba translated:
After spending years and years of intense longing for God,
One, out of thousands of Mardan-e-Khuda [men of God],
realizes Him.
Out of millions of those who live, not so much for themselves,
But only for God, only one realizes God!
Baba concluded: “This gives us some idea of the great difficulties on the path of Self-Realization. Mardan means the male population. It means “the real male” or “real man” and he is of God. Only one out of such millions can realize God after years and years of intense longing for Him.”
It was now 11:40 A.M. and the Andhra bhajan group sang songs and Baba’s arti in Telugu. As Baba wished, Godavri Mai left with the kanyas. Baba remarked she would be returning to Meherabad on his birthday, and he asked the assembly to salute her by shouting her Jai as she left.
Several Christian lovers from Keshavaram Village in Andhra had come that day. Baba called the Christians onto the dais and embraced them.
The Andhra lovers then sought Baba’s permission to wash his feet on his birthday. Because of the crowded schedule that day, Baba advised them to select twelve men and twelve women to perform the ceremony on behalf of everyone present. He said, “Later, after the pada-puja [worshiping of his feet] on the 25th, all of you can approach me and have darshan. You can garland me and touch my feet. But on that day, there will be no time for embraces. Last night, I was engaged in my Universal work and when I was lying on the bed and changed sides and pressed any part of my body, I felt pain. It was due to the program of embraces yesterday.”
About his upcoming birthday, he commented, “As far as I am concerned, it is not any special occasion. It might be and should be for you all. For me, every day is my birthday.”
One devotee stood up and proclaimed, “If we cannot agree among ourselves about the twelve men and women to be chosen, we are not fit to be here.” Baba, amidst laughter, assigned him to head the selection committee!
Baba sent the sahavas group for lunch, and at 2:45 P.M. he came back to the meeting pandal. Many of the men were not present at the fixed time, 3:00 P.M., whereupon, Baba remarked teasingly, “I hear a lot of noise. Are they snoring in the dormitory?”
Burjor Mehta replied, “It is not a dormitory, but a den of lions growling!”
Baba directed him, “Go and wake them up and ask them all to come here soon.”
Several persons tried to suppress their coughs, causing Baba to remark, “No one should suppress coughs. All may cough freely. Be free, comfortable and at ease.”
Resuming, Baba explained at length:
This morning I gave different categories of obedience. The obedience of some of my lovers does not come under any of those categories. It is of an altogether different type!
In the last circular issued to the group attending the sahavas, it was specifically mentioned that no one should seek to have separate interviews with me. When I call someone to my cabin, it is a different thing. It is my wish. Some have come from very long distances from distant parts, not only in India, but also from Lahore and Karachi, and other places, after undergoing great hardships, and it has been more than ten to fifteen years since they last saw me. They are ardent lovers of mine. If I call them to my cabin just for a light chat, it does not mean that they are being given special interviews. Even supposing that I, in some cases, do give a person or group an interview, it is my wish and it does not mean that others should ignore my circular and press for interviews. There is no time even for serious talk, so where is the time for me to indulge in gossip? I called them simply to inquire about their welfare, and not necessarily for any interview or gossip.
There are some lovers who are obedient to me and want to adhere 100 percent to the latest circular and they ask, “Baba, others have been called by you to your cabin for an interview, but what crime have we committed except that we are obeying your circular, and yet you do not call us?” Their obedience is of that type!
I have been meeting my lovers of Poona, Bombay and Gujarat so often. If someone from that group insists on an interview and tells me what I just said not to do, it hurts me. Each one approaching me says he will only take a short time, just five minutes. If Poona and Bombay people ask for such a privilege, it hurts me. Therefore, let us come to some conclusion, and I want your final word. Either you should come individually today and tomorrow and spend the whole sahavas period like that, or you should drop the idea of individual interviews and be here in this meeting pandal where I shall remain with you all, give discourses and listen to the singing of the bhajans, and thus you can all see me and I can be with you all here. Do decide and tell me which you prefer. On the one hand, I want you all to hear certain important things which I want to tell you. If you all take me to be God, and God is all-knowing, what is it that makes some of you come to me individually and bring your difficulties?
For those on the spiritual path, I am the Sun giving life and light to them. There are some who burn themselves to ashes in the heat and light of the Sun. Some want only the warmth of the Sun, and take care to be away from the intensity of the light. There are others who want to be in the comfortable shade and also carry an umbrella when treading the Path. These three types are on the spiritual path.
Baba again referred to individual private interviews, which several sought, in spite of his circular. “I want your word and decision,” he said. “For me it is all the same, whether I am here in the meeting pandal or in my cabin giving interviews.”
The congregation in a unanimous voice agreed to have Baba’s sahavas in the pandal. In response, Baba stated: “Now see that you all do not gather around my cabin, lingering or peeking in, trying to gain entrance or catch my attention for an individual interview. If I want to call anyone, I will certainly call him and wait until he arrives, wherever he or she may be at the time.
“Now we will start the discourse on ‘Opiumized Saints.’ At last week’s sahavas, I gave, or rather commenced, my discourse on this subject, and time permitting, I intend to proceed and complete it today. It may be continued tomorrow also. I will tell you a few points, allow some respite for bhajans and again continue the discourse. It willrelieve the monotony. If you go on continuously listening, you will start to feel drowsy. Quite apart from your feeling drowsy, I myself am feeling drowsy and I need some relaxation in the form of listening to some bhajans or jokes. This discourse on the ‘Opiumized Saints’ is a wonderful one.
“The management should have prepared tea before 3:00 P.M. The tea is not ready yet, and on top of that, this opium story. No wonder the sahavasees [those having sahavas] are drowsy!”
Eruch then read out the points given by Baba in the past week’s sahavas. At 3:45 P.M. there was singing by different bhajan groups. Then most of the men and women went for tea, and Baba stayed in the pandal listening to music and exchanging witticisms with a few others.
The discourse was resumed at about 4:35 P.M. After it was fully explained, Baba ended by concluding, “So through the opiumized saint, good and bad recoil and rebound. Ultimately the cause of all this is my play. It is no one’s fault. It is my leela [game]. I am in everyone and I do everything, and I also do nothing.”
The arti was sung at 5:30 P.M. Afterward, Baba urged his lovers: “Be brave, be happy. I and you are One. The Infinite that eternally belongs to me will one day also belong to every individual. Remember, I and you are One, and not you and I are one!”
Baba stood up and then sat down again, whereupon he stated: “Tomorrow is the day for the workers’ meeting. I want all group workers to gather together, not according to centers, but all the workers in one big group. Everyone will say he is a worker. It is not possible to call all in the workers’ meeting. The organizers should select the workers.
“The meeting will be held between 3 and 5:00 P.M. tomorrow afternoon. I will talk to them about ‘Real Work and Real Workers.’ I will lay stress on these two subjects. I want work to be done as ‘work;’ otherwise, I say, let there be no work at all. Hypocrisy and egoism I will not tolerate. Tomorrow, I will explain in detail about this in the workers’ meeting. Some of you who attended the workers’ meeting last week need not attend tomorrow.”
Baba left for Meherazad at about 6:00 P.M.
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Meher Songs 