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THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

AVATAR MEHER DABA

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THE

SILENT SPLENDOURI REVISED AND ENLARGED ]

BY

¥OGI SHUDDHANANDA BHARATI

THE SHUDDHANANDA LIBRARY

YOGA SAMAJ,

MADRAS-20.


[revised and enlarged}

April, 1963.

A psychic vision of Avatar Meher Babaand His Mission as experienced by—

KAVI YOGI MAHARSHI

Shnddhananda Bharati

President, Yoga Samaj, Madras-20.

All rights reserved by the Author.

PRICE RS. TWO,

Foreign: one dollar ■

This book can be hadfrom :—

The Yoga Samaj, Adayar, Madras-20.Mehersthan, Kovvur, (Godavary Bank),

Divya Yani, Kakinada

Avatar Meher Baba Centre,Ahamednagar, Maharashtra.

Mr. ACS. Chari, Komala Vilas,73, Rash Behari Avenue, Calcutta-26.

The Awakener Office,

215, East 66th, St, New York 21, U.S.A.

SERVITUDE

I BLESSINGS FROM THE BELOVEDMY MESSAGE FOR YOUR BOOK,

THE SILENT SPLENDOUR- j! "YOUR LOVE FOR ME GLOWS

IN YOUR BOOK !

AS THE ANCIENT ONE, I GIVE IMY BLESSINGS THAT THIS BOOK

MAY HELP ALL WHO READ IT

TO BF READY TO ABSORB 1THE SPLENDOUR OF

MY WORD OF WORDS

WHEN I BREAK MY SILENCE" I

AaataK Wlekex BaAci

PATRONISE NEW ERA PUBLICATIONS

The yogi has dedicated his ingatheredmoments to consecrate the following NewEra Books to the Beloved Baba. DearReader,come forward with your influenceand affuence to make this effort a universalsuccess. Contribute all you can for theseinspired works:

1. Thus Spoke The Silent One.2. Mehersthan Memoir

3. New Era Songs4. Towards God-Hood

5. Psychic Planes6. East And West Meet

7. One Humanity8. A Warless World of Love and Light9. Baba among Prophets

, 10. Experiences of a Pilgrim Soul(A masterpiece of spiritual literaturein which the author contacts 65saints and finds Baba as the uniqueOne)

11. Inner Call (a thrilling spiritual Novel)12. Love Brings Light (A play in five acts)

YOGA SAMAJ.

Adyar, madras-20.

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THE LISTENING HEARTS

THE MYSTIC BELOVED

My dreaming soul is thrilled awakeBy a mystic touch of Grace" You live O Lover for my sake"Says He in Sweet embrace.

Every time my Beloved comesAnd embraces my loveMy ecstasy opens wide and brimsPouring joy from above.

Every time my Beloved smilesMy heart glows with His Light;The Light shines for miles and milesAs my life soars in height.

Every time my Beloved signsA hopeful freedom rings;The future of the mankind shines.Spreading vernal wings.

Every time my Beloved thinksMy thoughts merge in His ;The Soul in inner union drinksThe nectar of His Kiss.

Every time my Beloved writesMy faith feels a thrill ;The thrill keeps on for days and nights"When I and mine are nil.

My Beloved God ! His silent SplendourBreathes a mellow songHis wordless voice, what a wonder !Guides me all along.


1. EMERGENCY IN HEAVEN!

Emergency in Heaven ! Angels run amok !Mother Earth runs after them with grief.

" A Nemesis, nemesis I Atomic holocaustdestroys fair Earth! Mercy, O God Mercy!"God wakes up from ages of trance and looksaround his throne. " Ah atomic fall out 1"

cry angels.

God : Peace, Peace my angels! Who isthis lady ?

Earth: 1 am poor Earth, Thy daughter.Have you forgotten me and left me a preyto warmongers and nuclear scientists whohave poisoned life and stained my home withhuman blood ?

God : What are my angels of peace doing ?

Angels : O Lord, we deputed Christ,Buddha and Gandhi to restore peace on the

4 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

earth. They have returned with sad tales.One was crucified; one poisoned and theother shot dead!

God; Did not prophets deliver mymessage to humanity ? What has become ofTruth?

Earth : Prophets taught Thy truth to rnen.Men have divided earth into endless religiouscamps. Politics dominates religionscience dominates politics; nuclear ambitiondominates science. Money dominates ceremony everywhere.

Angles: There is spiritual emergency hereand there O Lord, worse than politicalemergency! Nuclear scientists are after spaceconquest; their Telstars are winging towardsus...after reaching moon and mars.

Earth: Science scorches me with Alphaflames. Religion is buried in vital divisionsand rituals.

The Supreme Almighty declared a stateof emergency in heaven and called for a

EMERGENCY IN HEAVEN ! D

conference of Prophets and Scientists. TheProphets humbly bowed to the throne andsat down. Science descended from a satellite with telecasters displaying her proudelectronic—wonders! God controlled the elements and wonders fell asunder !

An awful silence prevailed. God openedthe sessions crooning AUMI

God : You Prophets, did you create religions which have multiplied into thousands ofenemy camps? O Scientists, did I createelements for forging lethal weapons in yourlabs?

Christ replied on behalf of Religions:

" Hail Father in Heaven! We, prophets

sent by Thy will to reform humanity, preached Love, Truth, Compassion and Humility.The rustic world persecuted us, crucified me,poisoned my brother and shot that goodman! Men created religions in our nameand wrote down our teachings and quarrelled over creeds. Science was not born when


we preached on the Earth. Science is poisoning the air.

Science: O Lord, I discovered the energyof Nature from fire to nuclear force. Politics

violently possessed me and forged weaponsof war... I rely upon reason and thatdepends on Thee.

God allowed a week's discussion groupingthe delegates suitably. After that He radiated a Wisdom Light and vibrated a warmcurrent which silenced all of them. GODSPOKE in their hearts in a language beyondspoken words and written scriptures.

" I am the ANCIENT ONE, the life oflives ; Ail beings living under my heavenlycanopy are myself.They are one communionin me. I made no religions. I have notcreated elements for making weapons ofwar. I have created forces of nature so

that men can solve easily problems of livelihood and devote more time for spiritual

EMERGENCY IN HEAVEN I 7

progress. I am The One that has becomethe Many, I am the unattached Witness ofthe world play.

Behold how I clothe the earth green and

gold spinning rain clouds from the swellingsea. Behold how I pour my sermons fromthe mountain streams! I march as thecolourful panorama of artful seasons. Ihave inscribed my wordless poems in thebeauty of vernal Nature. Inner looks revealme; not books. I inspire thought impulsesin the mind and lead the life's elan. Alldivisions are born of separative egoism.Lust, greed, envy, vanity and falsehoodare sins born of impure thoughts. Beholdthe stellar travellers; they march calmly atthe command of a mystic force and disappearinto the dawning light. Even so the mindof myriad impressions must settle in the inner Peace. That peace comes by Silence.

All: Father, give us that silence and wewill speak to humanity a new evangel.


God ; Spoken words have failed. Organised religions have caused rifts in thehuman rank. Dogmas, beliefs, rituals, ceremonials, and mechanised creeds are effete.The world is fed up with these old forms.Let Science follow conscience and do con

structive good to the world.

All; O Lord, bring a New word, a newforce for our regeneration.

God: No word, no conventional form;I come in SILENCE, to Awaken my consciousness, in the heart of beings. Love isthe seed of God-realisation. God cannotbe explained; God can be lived by losingoneself in His Love! Go back to earth faithful ones, and be my loving messengers...I come to save my lovers...''

A SILENT SPLENDOUR burst out in

heaven and slowly descended upon the earth.

2. THE PILGRIM—YOGI

The spiritual pilgrim went in search of-the Silent Splendour. His life was a streamof song-offering and inner communion.His names and titles are many; call him;simply YOGI.

The Pilgrim Yogi was born in a richsaintly family. Sadasiva Brahman the. silentsage adored by Shankara was his ancestor.His grand father was sage Brahmananda,who initiated the boy in Raja Yoga andtaught him the Gita and the Upanishads.His father was a Vedic scholar who trainedhim in Vedic traditions. The Yogi by asudden fit of Divine Inspiration bloomedinto a Poet. His Songs became very popularin Madras. His home was vibrating withholy songs and prayers and so the neighbourhood. The Yogi took pleasure insitting silent, listening to hymns in the Sivatemple just before his home. He had ajhne modern scientific education under the


care of American Missionaries. But he

created a University within himself andmade the phenominal world a laboratoryof the Noumenon. He gave himself entirelyto God consciousness and waited for the

inner voice before he took a new step inlife. A subtle voice led him on from Saintto Saint.

3. GOD'S CHILD

He had a very rich uncle, a minister ofRamnad, who wanted to adopt him ashis child. He displayed before the boy ofseven all his treasures and enticed him tobe his child. The child boldly said " I amGod's child and these treasures are nothing:before the unique treasure of His GraceA beggar was crying before the mansion atthat time. The Yogi quickly picked up afew gold coins from the Iron-Safe of theuncle and ran saying " This is for mybrother there. The use of money is tohelp the poor". The perturbed uncle

SEEKS SAINTS II

plucked the coins from the boy, locked the-room and said angrily " Then Go away toyour God. Let me see how He feeds youto-day This random challenge opened anew page in the boy's life. He ran to thetemple, and contemplated in a dark cornersinging within himself:

" Let me live to sing Thy Glory, a messenger of Love and Beauty, a dynamic currentof cosmic consciousness and a symbol of ThySilent Splendour, O Lord The Priest ofthe temple found him out, fed him well andtaught him Hindu scriptures and Yogicsecrets.

4. SEEKS SAINTS

The Yogi went in search of Masters. Hewas never attached to money or worldlythings. He roamed free like the air. Godled him to Sages and Saints. A Sage inspiredhim with the life and message of famoussaints. The Yogi was one of the childrenblessed by Swami Yivekananda. He loved


-Ramakrishna and his parables. There was aRamakrishna Home just near his homeestablished by his brother who was anadvocate. There he lived alone in theupper room and poured over Vedanticworks especially the works of Vivekananda.He next loved Ramathirtha. He took afancy to give lectures like them and imagined that he would also go on a world tourone day. He remained mostly silent speakingone or two hoxrrs a day words of wisdom.Good books were his companions. He was alover of Walt Whitman, Emerson andThoreau, He mastered the standard worksin English, French, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindiand Telugu.

5. PROPHETS ATTRACT HIiM

The Holy Bible and the life of Jesusattracted him as a youth. He came in contact with Sadhu Sundara Singh and workedfor a United Church. He was enamouredof the Holy Cross which he keeps with him

PROPHETS ATTRACT HIM 13

even today. He then studied the A1 Quoran. and lived in a Mosque praying whhMuslims. A Mystic Mastan, initiated himin the Sufi Cult. He was enamoured of thepoems of Hafiz, Jalaludin Rumi, Attar andSufi Sadi. He studied them in Englishtranslations. He turned to the smdy of thelife and teachings of Zoraster m his 15thYear. He embraced Jainisni in his twentmthvear and from that jumped to Buddhism.He was enamoured of Zen Buddhism. Thuste lived in psychic touch with the prophets-of religions and had the vision of greatMasters by inner communion. He wassimple and fervent like St. Francis. The-Yogi revelled in Western Philosophy andpoured over Socretes, Plato, Aristotle,Heraclitus, Berkley, Kant, Schopenhauer,Nietzsche, Rousseau, Voltaire, Bacon,.Decartes, Spinoza, Leibnetz, Pascal, Mon--tagne, St. Acquinas, William James and'other Utilitarians.

14 the silent splendoxjr

6. AMONG GREAT POETS

He lived a poet among great poets. Hestudied, Valmiki, Vyasa, Kalidasa, Kamban,Shakespeare, Milton, Shelly, Byron, Tennyson Wordsworth, William Blake, FrancisThompson, Racine, Moliere, Corneille,Victor Hugo, Goethe, Schillar, Homer andHante. He enriched his ideas and wrotehundreds of books. He is the greatestTamil Poet. His works are very popular ;he gives them liberally; any thing thatproceeds from his writings goes at once topublic benefactions. He cares more forutility than for royalty.

7. SOCIAL SERVICE

He has created a number of schools, healthhomes. Ashrams and Orphanages ; but hefisuot attached to any institution. He just givesand forgets himself in God. He livedteaching Science in schools and wrote bookson modern sciences for students. One [day

m

SOCIAL SERVICE 15

lie met with a fatal accident while preparing phosphorous match sticks for boys.This awakened him to his true mission inlife. "FREEDOM CALLS NO MOREWALLS " he declared. He met Mahatma•Gandhi who chose him for constructiveworks in rural India. The Yogi consecratedhis services to the poor and the oppressed.He went from village to village with hisfollowers, singing God's name and callingthe masses to lead a pure life by honestlabour. He did rural reconstruction workin ten villages and conducted a big RuralConference. He directed a naturopathicSanatorium in Madras and in a few villages,

treating hard cases by elemental prophilaxis.In this connection he had correspondence

with the Naturopaths of America like Dr.Lindlar. He wrote volumes on Nature Cureand popularised Drugless treatment. TheYogi never touched cooked food for fiftyyears, fasted for days together, remainedsteeped in spiritual Silence for full twenty-


five years. He developed psychic powers;but never displayed them. He was completelyfree from the defects of lust, envy, greedand anger. His parents and friends tried toyoke him in wedlock several times; but heescaped all and remained identifying hisSoul with the All-Soul, regarding men andwomen as equal souls. He cultivated limitlesspsychic Love-the Love that St. Francis hadfor Jesus and the compassionate Love thatBuddha had for beings. He gave his all forthe service of humanity and never kepteven body for himself. Even to-day he creates institutions and gives them away to a

committee and goes to another service bythe Divine Call. "He lives like Jesus " said

Popeley a great English missionarywho published his works on Jesus. Gandhijicalled him "A Saint free like the Soul anda Silent Helper of Humanity like the SunHe has written One thousand works in

Tamil, English, French and Hindi; An Epicof Supermen, 50,000 lines of deep delight-

SOCIAL SERVICE 17

ful substance in five Cantos is his magaumopus. Bharata Shakti as it is called, is thespiritual History of East and West, the Bibleof new Humanity. His Gospel of PerfectLife is a mirror of his inner life.

The Yogi was not attached to any place.He considered universe as the temple ofGod, the collective humanity as the form ofGod and holy service as worship. He washappy when all around him were happy andprosperous and delighted himself in servingthem to that extent. He is simple like aninnocent child, a lover of all nations, allreligions, all good works but rose beyondall to the Love of the Unique One in theheart and in the universe. He moves withyou as if you were himself. He extends hishelping hand to all as if they were his ownsoul.

Such a Yogi travelled widely in the Eastand in the West seeking the company ofsaints and savants.

S—2

18 the silent splendour

8. SEES SAI BABA

In 1915, after attending the LiicknowCongress, he saw SAI BABA the Sage andmystic of Shirdhi in company with thefamous Indian Patriot Lokamanya TILAK.Baba endearingly seated him by his side,blessed him saying. " Child, be calm andsilent-Uge range chup karo. Everything willcome to you by His will. God is the Master,Allah Malik. He is leading you on. He isalready there. " Sai Baba gave him a pieceof sugar candy and said "Sweet is Ram inthe heart Sweet with love, Mita manme

mitai Ram. " Upasani Baba who was thenin the Kandoba temple, all naked and selfforgetful, told the Yogi "You will comefigain this side. The Beloved of your Soul isgoing to possess you soon. Be a dynamicWitness to the world's passing show andaspire after God alone ".

Yes, the Yogi wanted a spiritual unionwith the Soul's Beloved. He saw saints after

SILENT 25 YEARS 19

saints. He practised Hatha, Raja, Bhakti,Karma, Jnana and Tantric Yogas but was

not satisfied. He sat in trance in hills and

caves and forest glens, alone. He was not

satisfied. A hunger dragged him on and on

in search of ultimate Truth. He met sixtyfive saints and still sought the ideal one..He saw Siddharuda of Hubli, who told

him "You will achieve great things whenyou meet a Silent God-man 'Where issuch a Silent One in this world of moodsand modes and duel throngs? From Cape toKailas the Yogi wandered seeing saints,Yogins, savants, so many Anandas, plenty

of Swamijis, now praying in Temples, nowmeditating in Churches, now sitting inMasjids, now alone in mountain forests,now in wild jungles among monkeys andtigers...He had firm belief in the DivineGuidance. The voice led him on.

9. SILENT—25 YEARS

He wished to remain quiet in the heart'scave.


He was once steeped in Sukla Dhyanamong Jains up the Shravana Belgola hill inMysore when the call of Ramana Maharshicame. He took the earliest train to

Tiruvannamalai and lo ! Maharshi wasjust telling his disciples " Yogi Bharaticomes. '' The Yogi entered the hall andfell into trance. He did not see a man.He saw a Light in and out. Two full hours,he was steeped in untramelled inner Silence.As he opened his eyes, the Maharshi said"Let this silence continue; your heart hasopened to the highest light." He sent theYogi to the same Virupakshi Cave where hegot realisation. His books on Ramana arewell known. The Yogi sat in the Cave silentin featureless trance forgetting body worldand sourroundings eating for hunger groundnuts and bilva leaves. Snakes and monkeysand wild beasts did not disturb him. He roseup fully realised and had the aspiration topour out his realisations into poems andprose works. The call of Sri Aurobindo came.

SILENT 25 YEARS 21

The Yogi had already seen Sri Aurobindo.in 1917, and had deeply studied his works.The Mother gave him a solitary cell at thefeet of Sri Aurobindo. That dark roomwas his spiritual laboratory. He remainedthere just as the soul lived in the heart.There too the Yogi lived upon fruits andmilk. He was steeped in dynamic silencefor 25 years during which he retouched hisworks and wrote many new works whichwere published by friends and circulatedwidely. His magnum opus Bharata Shakticame out; his songs were sung in concertsand on radios. Fame and name sought him.

His works brought him money which henever kept for himself. He did not care toknow what happened out side his room,Visitors by strict permission saw him aminute through the window curtain andtook leave of him silently. He preparedhimself for the future.

His English works and French poemsattracted the attention of great thinkers


like Roman Rolland. Many invited him totheir countries and the public wanted tohear his voice. He was called to speak onthe Radios. He shunned the lime light ofpublicity. In the peace of his calm heart hewaited for the Divine Call. Steeped inMahaturiya Samadhi, he was communingwith a mystic Splendour. He often heard ofa Silent Baba from his friends in Madras

and Bangalore. Mr. Sampat Aiyangarwrote to him from Saidapet about MeherBaba.

One day he wept singing within " O Beloved Of My Heart, I wait for you just asRadha did for Krishna and have no other

thought in life. If I can't see you with thisbody, I shall leave this body anon and cometo you in the soul. "

10. THE BELOVED ONE

Next morning the post brought him abooklet, a Meher message and a beautifulpicture, the same picture which he often

BELOVED ONE 23

saw in vision. The Yogi felt a new delight.He loved and loved Meher Baba and became

Himself in the Self. He steeped himself inMaha Turiya Samadhi, a deep self-identityin the core of the Soul and invoked intohim Baba's Soul so that the union wasperfect. But where to meet Him and how ?That too he left to the Will of God and neverworried himself about the pros and consof life. '• The Beloved is there; I have-found Him out; mine is to Love Him andHis is to lead me. " This was his perfectfaith. Baba came in his meditation every day.He got an inner call to leave the ashram.He left and Sri Aurobindo passed away. Hededicated many books in prose and verse toSri Aurobindo and his Integral Yoga andthat was his service to the great Master.

The yogi was widely welcomed and honoured as he came out of his long silence andseclusion and he presided over a number ofspiritual conferences in India and abroad.Friends and devotees started schools and

24 SILENT SPLENDOUR.

associations in his name ; but the Yogi didnot like to boost up his name since it would■disturb his inner silence and peaceful activity. He was indeed overwhelmed bycrowded programmes. He had to travelcontinuously. He seriously thought of escaping into Himalayan solitudes when a voicecame to him saying " You Have A Mission.Go Abroad East and West as the ApostleOf Purity Unity And Divinity"', calls cameunsought.

The Yogi had already started Spirtual andCultural Centres in Ceylon, Malaya andother places.

11. SPLENDOUR EMBRACES

Friends in Foreign countries invited him.The Yogi visited Ceylon, Singapore, Malaya,Burma, Bankock,Indonesia, Siam, Honkong,and went to Japan as a deligate of theSecond World Buddhist Conference.

He travelled widely in Japan and saw howthe American influence transformed Nippon.

SPLENDOUR EMBRACES 25

In Okinava he met fine Americans. As hewas returning home he got in Colombo awire requesting him to preside over theDivine Life Conference at Rajamundry.After delivering his address, the Yogi wasmeditating before the Godavari River whena voice was heard "Wake up and walk.'"Simultaneously Dr. Dhanapati Rao approached him announcing the glad tidings of thearrival of Avatar Meher Baba. He jumpedwith Joy and hurried to Tadepalligudamwhere he got the embrace of the SilentSplendour.

A God I see in human form

A shining God on earth

His psychic kiss brings a reformHis embrace a rebirth.

A simple smile; he sets ablazeThe fire of inner dawn

His glowing eyes and magic gaze

Wake up the inner man.


To touch him is a thrill of bliss

His speech is more than phraseHis presence I can never miss

I am a child of his grace.

Thus the Yogi sang and sang with Baba-consciousness. He had already visited Tade-palligudam once as the *Editor of SwarajyaDaily in company with T. Prakasam ; buthe felt that day as if the village was aNew Brindaban thrilling with the lovelyPresence of the Beloved of hearts. ''Meheri

MyhariAum!" ejaculated the Yogi as he-embraced Baba. They lived in each otherand poured themselves into each other'slimitless heart. Baba endearingly embracedthe Yogi again and again, kissed his forehead and gave him a message on the Alphabet Board which he then used : "Tom are

sincere. You live in God for God, My loveand giddance are with you. T will not miss

you. I will meet you soon.''' The Yogi was-

* The Yogi has edited eight journals.

SPLENDOUR EMBRACES 27

caught in the charm of his psychic personality. He was enveloped in a wordless delightof divine ecstasy. He dedicated his all forBaba but he never forced his favour, never

demanded anything for himself; but heallowed Baba to fulfil the Divine Will in

him. He carried out Baba's will in and out.

Next year he presided over the Parliamentof Religions at Sivanandanagar, Rishikesh.He just finished his address to the largeaudience when he saw the sudden Presence

of Baba. A smiling face stood before him." I am Kishen Singh ; Baba wants yousaid he. The Yogi left the conference then

and there and poured himself into the carwhich crashed through the pebbled mountain road to Dehradun and stopped beforea Garden House. Speechless ecstasy ledhim inside. Word was boredom. He sat

in deep Samadhi, A lightning fiash ; athrilling Presence; the Silent Splendourburst out of its seclusion. Baba embraced

the Yogi quickly and lifted him up shower-


ing upon him his charming psychic 'The Yogi forgot everything in thespell of that Ineffable love and tender-heart'^'^compassion towards this lonely pilgrhn■discovered the Silent Spelendour after yearsof search and research in the spiritual world-

12. SPLENDOUR SPEAKS

He fingered his loving messages that daywhich reminded the Yogi of the early messages received from one Himalayan Saintcalled Jnana Siddha during his boyhood.Jnana Siddha looked quite like Baba. Thusspoke the Silent Splendour : " Do notwaste time in presiding over conferences.•Conference cannot unite mankind. Heartalone can achieve it. I belong to no religion;all belong to me. I have not come to createnew religions or creeds. The Wordy gospelshave failed. I am a Silent awakener. I•shall revitalise all and bring all togetherlike heeds in a rosary."

SPLENDOUR SPEAKS 29

This was exactly the thoughts of the Yogiand the substance of his address in -the

Parliament of Religions. He read a Portionof his address.

The Beloved said '' I Know everything.I am the Ancient One. You have come forme. You cannot live apart from me."

The Yogi said " The Light of Knowledgemust burn in the Lamp of Love. The Heartmust lead the Brain. The Spirit mustbreathe in the Matter. The Yogi musthandle Scienee for the peace and harmonyof universal existence. East and West mustunite in the social harmony of life. Underthe vast canopy of heaven, humanity mustlive and can live as one spiritual communionof loving souls conscious of One God in theHeart of beings and becomings. Love ofGod in the heart must widen into love ofequal souls in humanity. All are pervadedby one Pure Cosmic force. The differencelies in the evolution of Self-Consciousness-


Mineral, plant, animal, man and supermanare'only gradations of the awakened-cons-ciousness. Man must perfect his manhoodand rise to his native Godhood. God-Men

come upon the earth to remind this and

rekindle divinity in the human aggregate.This Force must spread East and West toenlighten the World and bring in a new eraof God-Conscious~Humanity. The Heart ofthe East must touch the Brain of the West.This Love must wed that Light. The Atmicforce must lead the Atomic force. Thenwars shall cease and science shall be harnessed to constructive benefactions if India'sYoga and Europe's Science meet in a happybaise-raain. This synthesis in the life ofthe human aggregate shall quicken theevolution of iiian to God-man."

Babaji calmly heard the Yogi's greatmission and blessed him saying. " I go toEngland and America. Would you followme." That was exactly what the Yogi

AFTER GLOBAL TOUR 31

wanted. Baba held his palm and got apromise from the Yogi that he will followthe Master to the West. " Sure; settled ;

be prepared to go to the West" said BabajT.The words were ratified by a few minute'sinner communion.

Babaji then gave the Yogi fruits and milkwhich formed his diet. From that momentthe Yogi felt as if Baba was breathing ashis soul and never conceived of a separateexistence, The spell of this inner and outerembrace was unbroken. The Yogi finished

his work in the Himalayan regions andwent to Delhi, Agra, Dayal Bhag, Gwalior,Jhansi and reached Bombay, gave lectureson the Silent Splendour which is the Hopeof Humanity and reached his Yoga Samajin Madras with ineffable feelings of love forBaba.

13. AFTER GLOBAL TOUR

Baba was sending constant messages and

telegrams of affection. But he did not take


the Yogi with Him to the West as was promised. But friends called him to the West.

Jhe Yogi took off from Santa Cruz, visitedCairo, Rome, Virona, Ravanna, Geneva,Zurich, Praga, Berlin Frankfort, Konings-berg, Warsa, Brest, Ukrine, Moscow,.Leningrad, Kieve, Stalingrad, Tashkand,.Georgia Sweden, Copenhegen, London,Paris and finished his European tour withgreat success. His songs and lectures wereappreciated there and his mission of OneWorld One Humanity and One God tookroot in the West. The Yogi presided overthe Gita Conference at Amaroti and Babacalled him to Ahmednagar. He visited^gain Shirdi and Sakuri stayed with Goda-^ari Mathaji when Baba invited him for theSahavas of February 25th. In the meantime Baba had a fatal accident which toldmtich upon his emaciating body. Despitephysical sufferings, Baba kept always cheerful for he was not body and was all Spirit,Baba with the affection of a mother made

GEMS OF WISDOM 33

special arrangements to lodge and look afterthe Yogi's convenience during the Sahavas.The Yogi sat at the feet of Baba during theSahavas and plunged himself into Samadhiall the time receiving into himself thevibrating cosmic force. He had many personal and impersonal messages and manyflashes of inspiration which he wove intosongs. One song sung before Baba in achorus followed by twenty melodious voicesmade a bright impression upon the devotees.

14. GEMS OF WISDOM

Baba Gave during the Sahavas and duringprivate meetings gems worth treasuring inthe heart of devotees:^

1. Desire for nothing except desireless-ness. Hope for nothing except to rise aboveall hopes. Want nothing and you will haveeverything.

2. Seek not to possess anything but tosurrender everything. Serve others withthe understanding that in them you are

S—3


serving Me. Be resigned completelyWill and My Will shall be yours. Let nothing shake your faith in Me and all yourbindings will be shaken off.

3. "Real happiness lies in making othershappy. The real desire is that which le^^syou to become perfect in order to makeothers become perfect. The real aim isthat which aims to make others become GodBy first attaining God-Hood yourself-

Be angry with none, but your weakness.Hate none but your lustful self. Be greedyto own more and more wealth of toleranceand justice. Let your temptation be totempt Me with your love in order to receiveMy Grace. Wage War against your desiresand God-Hood will be your victory.

5. Love others as you would love yourself and all that is yours. Fortune are theirswhose love is tested by misfortunes. Lovedemands that the lover sacrifices everythingfor the Beloved.

GEMS OF WISDOM 35

6. Real living is dying for God. Liveless for yourself and more for others. Onemust die to one's own self to be able to live

in all other selves. One who dies for God

lives for ever.

7. This period of 'Sahavas' is the periodof my suffering and helplessness. My glorification will follow my humiliation.

THE SEVEN REALITIES

1. The only Real Existence is that of theOne and only God, who is the Self in every(finite) self.

2. The only Real Love is the Love forthis Infinity (God), which arouses an intenselonging to see, know and become one withits Truth (God).

3. The only Real Sacrifice is that inwhich, in pursuance of this Love, all things,body, mind, position, welfare, and even lifeitself are sacrificed.

4. The only Real Renunciation is thatwhich abandons, even in the midst of


worldly duties, all selfish thoughts anddesires.

5. The only Real Knowledge is theKnowledge that God is the inner dweller ingood people and so-called bad, in saint andso-called sinner. This Knowledge requiresyou to help all equally as circumstancesdemand, without expectation of reward, andwhen compelled to take part in a dispute, toact without the slightest trace of enmity, orhatred; to try to make others happy withbrotherly or sisterly feeling for each one.

6. The only Real Control is the disciplineof the senses from indulgence in low desires,which alone ensures absolute purity ofcharacter.

7. The only Real Surrender is that inwhich the poise is undisturbed by any adversecircumstance and the individual, amidstevery kind of hardship, is resigned withperfect calm to the will of God.

37

15. BLAZE LIGHTS OF VICTORY

Baba embraced the Yogi before he baganto sing his song. The function was reportedin the Awakener coming from America asfollows:

The next item was the recitation, v/ithmusical accompaniments by Yogi Suddha-nanda Bharati of the English song composedby him for the occasion and which he linmanuscript) placed at Baba's feet. Othersin the congregation who knew Englishrepeated it line by line, following the leadof Suddhananda Bharati.

Blaze, Lights of Victory!Blow, trumpets of Glory IHail, Lord of Love DivineMEHER BABA, the Ancient One I

Long live Meher, long live Meher,Long live Meher, Our Saviour.

This is His Holy day of BirthAnd this the day of our rebirth!


This is the day of joy and mirthThe day to transcend Birth and Death.

Prophets came and prophets went—But, who can equal His advent ?He is immortal in our heartAnd we are immortal in His heart.

The dawn is on.' The night is gone !Forward, New Race to Life Divine !No more tears 1 No more fear ;The Sun of Love and Light is here.

To see Him is a thrill of joyHis gracious look is sweet and coy ;To touch Him is nectar-delight.Be lamp of love; He is the LIGHT.

His silent patting heals the mindAnd we feel—here is our Friend;His wordless words are seeds of Truth.His formless Form informs our path.

His embrace is a Song of BLISS...A new Life blossoms by His Kiss !His Omnipresence, who can miss ?In Himself He has all that IS.

BLAZE LIGHTS OF VICTORY 39'

His language is the Psychic LOVE;All languages must learn it now!Human Isms have become coldHere is One God, One Godly world.

And One Mankind faithful and boldBuilt up by Baba's Grace untoldOur time is beyond "IS" and WasSince we have Baba's Sahavas !!

Such were the experiences of the Yogi atthe feet of the Master. Baba promised tosend him again to the West but commandedhim to a SILENCE OF SIX MONTHSmore. He was silent already so many yearsand it continued for six months more duringwhich he fasted mostly and never left hisperch. He had wonderful visions and voicesduring the period. During this period hewrote his spritual experiences into a bookcalled. " Onward Pilgrim Soul " which ishis master piece in English.


16. THE FERVENT ANDHRAS

After finishing silence, the Yogi met Babaagain at Poona and Baba asked him to waitfor the right moment. " Your Very Silenceis a miracle of dynamic awakening. Letyour will be done and it is omnipotent"said the Yogi. After meditation he returnedto Madras and again Baba called him toPimpalgaum and said "Your mission hasbegun; do my work in India ".

The Yogi toured the Andhra state andaddressed many gatherings. He wasenthusiastically received in all places. Eluru,Chirala, Vijayavada, Rajamundry, Masuli-patam, Vijayanagar, Vizagapatam, Kakinadaand a number of places abounding in Babadevotees honoured him. He composed freshsongs in Telugu and English and sang themin the Congregation of devotees. Here is aletter of appreciation from the Secretaryof the Andhra Meher centre, Kakinada,which will speak to itself;

THE FERVENT ANDHRAS 41

My prostrations and salutations unto you.Most Revered Swamiji,

On behalf of the Meher-Mandali of theAndhra Pradesh, I wish to say the following:

I am at a loss how to express adequatelyour grateful thanks to your enlightened selffor the immense trouble taken by you andfor all the dynamic, inspiring and thrillingdevotional lectures delivered by you atseveral places.

True indeed you are an apostle of purity,unity and divinity. You have made yourlife a practical example to all of us, illustrating the control of the mind and the spirit,the realisation of man's true mission in life,the discovery of the real existence abovethis earthly existence and the need to live a•divine life through the exercise of one'sspiritual powers, and potentialities. Yourprecepts are the expressions of your owngreat spiritual life inapired by the Allpervading Avatar Meher Baba.


During your tour, you have awakened the-spiritual consciousness of thousands of meaand women in Andhra to Baba conscious

ness. You have laid the Andhra Desa under

a deep debt of gratitude by despelling theirdoubts and inculcating in them true love inthe greatest of the Avatars; you have openedtheir eyes and added to their spiritualheritage by inspiring them to realise Truth,Right Knowledge, Love and Beauty incarnatein the living Avatar of the age.

On behalf of the Meher Mandali, Andhraand the Andhra Public, I offer my profoundthanks and Pranams to revered self foryour great services and inspired lectures.

Yours gratefully,

T. V. Seshagiri Rao-

In the History of Baba's Victory wecannot forget two As—Americans andAndhras. What Kishkinda was to Ramaand Brindaban to Krishna that Andhra is toMeher Baba. I look for the day when

PERMANENT ABODE 43-

there will be a dynamic universal centre ofBaba lovers on the Banks of the Godavary.

Let us all unite in developing here a PowerHouse of Divinity.

17. PERMANENT ABODE

Baba sent many telegrams of appreciationand called the Yogi again to Pimpalgaumand introduced him to the Americandevotees. The Yogi spoke with DonStevens and other friends and admired the-purity of their devotion. Arangaum andMehrabad put up a festive appearance thatday. Baba embraced all. People dancedin ecstasy of love for Baba olfering himflowers and fruits. Baba adored lepers. Allthese scenes were nicely filmed by theAmerican devotees. The Yogi gave a

lecture in the Meher Centre Poona and a

telegram came from Baba " You will becalled soon. Baba has resolved to send youto America. Baba's immortal love to hisimmortal lover. Yogiji, Baba sends you

-44 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

His choisest blessings and His heart's overflowing love."

There was a big festival arranged forBaba in the Andhra and devotees invited

the Yogi; he was about to start when aserious accident hampered his journey.Bandits entered his Yoga Samaj with lethalweapons. The Yogi was all love and gavethem the bunch of keys. They opened thebureaux and saw only books and manuscriptsand one or two clothes. The . Yogi communed with Babaji. The bandits fled away•crying " We cannot eat his books for ourhunger 1" The Yogi said to them " Comebrothers, I will cook food for you and showyou how to live honestly". The policecame incidentally. They disappeared. Thepolice searched them and caught them whilethey were plundering another house...

Yogi wrote this to Baba and Baba sent atelegram " No one will be able to rob fromyou Beloved Baba who has made permanentabode in your heart"...

PERMANENT ABODE 45

Dear Readers, these short autobiographical notes are meant to create a personalbackground for your better understandingof Babaji. He is with you when you arewith Him in the heart. He loves you whenyour love is genuine. He knows you whenyou think of Him. Another mystic background is necessary. That is, an accountof the five mystics who were the forerunnersof this wonderful advent.


18. THE FIVE MYSTICS

Baba hails five mystics of Maharashtra asDivine Masters of the age. They are : SriSai Baba, Upasani Baba, Tajuddin BabaNarayan Maharaj and Baba Jan. Thesemystics dedicated their entire life to theUnique One who hides behind the veils ofnames and forms and smiles in the heart of

spotless Love. They lived in the Substancebeyond shadows and phantoms. Theyclosed their mind like a treasure chest andopened their mouth like a morning rose.The lightning spark of God-love playedmiracles around their unassuming personalities.

SAI BABA

Sai Baba was the dominating Saint ofShirdhi. His influence is felt by millions today. Born in an obscure village nearHydrabad (Patri), brought up by an obscureFakir, cherished by an obscure Venkusa,brought to Shirdhi by an obscure Patel.

THE FIVE MYSTICS 47

Sai Baba came to open recognition when helit lamps in Dwarakamayi with water. Since1872 he remained under a margosa tree

•near a Mazjid called by him Dwarakamayi.He cherished there a Tulsi plant, allowedthe reading of Ramayana, Gita and Bhaga-vatam and often uttered the unique mantraof his life " Hari Hari! Allah Malik ! ".Ram and Rahim were One to him ; Mandirand Mazjid were equal places of worship;Hindus and Muslims equal souls. He burnt

holy fire before him ; he demanded devoteesto burn lust, greed and envy in the blazingflames of God-Love. He distributed ashes(Udhi) to all saying "Before your bodyturns to ashes, surrender your life to theGod-Conscious Flame". He begged his foodand looked crazy at first until divinity burstout of obscurity to work miracles by curingdiseases and granting boons. A PoliceInspector got a male child by his Grace;a Rao won his case ; a so-and-so got promotion, a such-and-such got money—thus


people came to the saint to get something:from him materially hailing him as Saintand Avalia when their desire was fulfilled.

Sai Baba demanded Dhakshina (olfering incoins) and if 300 came to day. three hundredmore was needed tomorrow; for all wasgiven away to needy devotees. Thegich gaveand the poor got. This was a good spiritualsocialism, and many flocked around himfor a substantial prasad. Great men likeTilak and Kaparde came to him ; but his-mission was fulfilled by two dynamic^soulsOne was Upasani Baba and the other B. V.Narasimha Swami. One had personal touchand the other impersonal touch with SaiBaba. Sai Baba left the body injjl918 jbuthis soul is everywhere, in a number of SaiTemples and institutions built by devotees.B. V. Narasimha Swami lived with the Yogiup the Arunagiri Hills andjj^the Yogi toldhim about Sai Baba and Upasani Baba.He atonce visited Sakuri and thence "^wentto Shirdhi. There he dedicated his genius to-establish an All India Sai Samaj.

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19. UPASANI BABA

Kasinath Pandit who became UpasaniBaba later on, came to Sai Baba as a careworn invalid ship-wrecked in life. He wasborn in Satana near Nasik in an orthodox

Brahmin family. He went to school; theteacher caned and the boy left it for ever.He was schooled in the trials of life and

fate was his hard master. His heart touched

the fountain of Grace but his life like

Tantalus could not taste it.

He heard Ramayana, Bharata, worshippedRama Hanuman and meditated in the hill-

solitudes of Dhalia and Nasik. He was

yoked to wedlock thrice and thrice he lost,his wives. He lived as a successful Ayur-vedic doctor at Amaroti and Poona; but

could not yet find a doctor to cure his-mental agony. He became desperate.Fortunately he had the Dharsan of NarayaaMaharaj at Nagpur and Bombay, Maharajblessed him and told him with a mysticsmile "You have been fully painted". He

S—4

•50 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

wandered heart-broken-till at last he took

refuge at the feet of Sai Baba. His faithwas first shaky but Sai's grace was plucky.Kasinath suffered a lot; Sainath cut theknot and liberated his divine possibilities.Kasinath would go away; Sainath held hisquay. Kasinath one day, threw away hisclothes and became naked in and out. Hismind was swollowed by his heart and theheart was immersed in Sai-Love. Sai Babaprepared his life to play a divine role.

One day he was surprised to see a ladyadoring his feet and doing him Harati.Upasani was simple, humble, naked andpowerful. He had a stentorian voice. His

discourses are available in three .volumes.He wandered God-mad, alone living infilth and graveyards. At Karagpur someAnglo-indian boys threw a wreath of rottonshoes round his neck and Upasani Maharajwandered with the shoe-garland untildevotees cleaned his body and adornedhim with flower garlands. He was equal

UPASANI BABA 51

minded to both. Upasani Baba stayed starknaked in Sakuri-then a graveyard. He hadlots of critics and enemies. But he boldlychallenged them and trained a set of puremaidens for his mission of upholding HinduDharma. Sakuri quickly improved into aShaktipuri, a strong citadel of SanatanaDharma. Godavari Ma is there with a

congregation of sincere souls dedicated to•the Upasani Mission. Narayan Maharaj waspleased when he saw that Upasani was fullypainted with the perfume of cosmic energy.Upasani adored Dattatreya in the templeand a donkey in the street. One day hebrought an ass, bathed it clean adorned itwith garlands and worshipped it with hisdisciples. A gynosophist conducting agynaeceum became a tarjet of criticism andattack by the enemies who dragged him tothe court too. Upasani Baba bravely metall the untold ordeals of life and did a greatservice to humanity by establishing thepsychic love and purity of women and by


organising a Kanya Kumari Ashram. EvenMahatma Gandhi was impressed by thestandard of its holiness,

Tippri (Colour-stick dance), holy concert,Vedic chants, reading of the Gita, RamayanBhagavatam and Das Bodh take place theredaily and the atmosphere created by theseholy maidans led by Godavari Ma is pureand ennobling. Upasani's interesting life isread in the Datta Maudir every night.Sakuri is one of the dynamic centres of ourSpiritual culture. Meher Baba lived thereand is honoured there by all.

20. NARAYAN MAHARAJ

The story of Narayan Maharaj ofKhedgaum gives a different reading. Hehailed from a very orthodox family andlived an orthodox life all along. He wasborn in June 1885 at Bhagalpur. He wasorphaned during his childhood ; but his gooduncle brought him up and bequeathed uponhim his property. He was not satisfied with

NARAYAN MAHARAJ 53

this wealth; He waxed strong in spirit and

went in search of Yogins. A siddha who wasplaying with cobras in a forest kindled hislatent fire and Narayan meditated for sevenyears in silence and solitude and came toPoona. His pure life and charming mannersand beautiful personality attracted manypersons. First he begged his food whenhungry. Then a rich man supported him atGangapur. He meditated calmly under amargosa tree. God Dattatreya appeared tohim in an inner vision and directed him tosettle at Khedgaum, 34 miles from Poona.Here he raised a temple for Dattatreya,a rest house for Sadhus and a big mansionfor -himself. Since 1912 this NarayanaSamastan developed into a big spiritualcentre at the cost of Rs. 60,000 per year. TheSatyanarayana Puja done there attracts alarge crowd of devotees. The same is adapedin Sakuri too. Narayan Maharaj lived aprincely life adorning himself in silk and■gold. His personal magnetism attracted the


classes and the masses and his spiritualradiance had tremendous appeal for seekersHe took special delight in serving saints.All the saints of India went to him for

enlightened peace. He strictly kept to theVedic traditions and his Ashram was a

stronghold of SanatanaDharma like Sakuri.He loved Tajuddin Baba.

21. HAZRAT TAJUDDIN BABA

Tajuddin Baba was a saint of the masses.He was a soldier born to a soldier. He wasborn on the 27th January 1861 and lost hisparents while yet a child. He was so silentas a child that his uncle had to brand himon the forehead to stimulate speech. Hejoined tha Madras Regiment in ■ hiseighteenth year ; but he did not like the job.He knew Urudu and Arabic. He read thepoems of Attar. Hazrat Dawood initiatedhim in God-Consciousness. He relatedhow Attar renounced everything when aFakir sang "How heavy is your, load ofgold and silver! How light is my life

HAZRAT TAJUDDIN BABA 55-

which has renounced everything in God ?Dawood related to Baba The Discourse of

Birds (Mantiq AI Tayr). Birds in a forestventure across seven valleys, the valleys of

Detachment-Love, Knowledge, RenunciationUnification in God-Consciousness, Bewilder

ment and total Annihilation. Only 30 birds

are able to see the King Simurgh and theybecome one with him.

Tajuddin kicked off his job and wandered,dazed and demented. Children pelted himwith stones. He was imprisoned 18 yearsfor having walked naked into an EnglishClub. There he was put to hard labour-Miracles played around him. The loads hehad to carry did not burden him. He cureddiseases. His prayers drew crowds. OneBi-Amma became his disciple. RajaRaghunath paid Rs. 2000 to the Govt. andgot his release. The Saint inspired all to-devotion, wandered naked and at last settled

at Waki, near Nagpur. A Chota Nagpur


-d.eveloped around his aura. Large crowdsrushed in to see him and have boons.

He regimented and commanded the

•crowds as a spiritual Jamedar and asked■every one to pray God.

" Sick patients, stand under that tree;that is my hospital! You students; youwant to pass your examinations ? Gatherunder the mango tree-that is my school!Have you litigations ? Go there ; That ismy court! Are you devotees? Sit there andpray-That is my Mosque and Mandir. Areyou real Seekers ? Come near me we willlive in God. Now all of you stand erect.March...Ram Rahim right left! RamRahim Ram Rahim." All went into trance.!The Saint shed his body on the 17th August1925. He lives in the heart of millions andhe has awakened God-Love in them. HazratBaba Jan blessed him and he blessed herspiritual child Meher.

57

22. HAZRAT BABA JAN

The most long-lived lady in the world;the most dynamic soul who dared heat and

■cold, storm and stress to reach the goal oflife which is Godhood-this is Gulruk Baba-jan. She hailed from an aristocratic familyin Baluchisthan (28-1-1750). She was anangel of beauty and duty. Marriage wasforced upon her ; but she ran away unscathed from the domestic fire like Rabia ofBasra, to Rawalpindi where a Hindu Saintinitiated her. Then at Multan a MuslimSaint taught her how to live in God. Shespent her days in prayer and meditation inhill caves and forests. She came out sayinglike A1 Hillaj and Byazid. " I am God;Anal Haq, adore me She was once deeplyburied in a pit for this boldness. But she

• came out of it and was discovered inBombay. She visited Mecca and returnedto India in 1903. She permanently settledat Poona under a Neem tree near MalcomTank. Thousands visited her. There was


once a heavy storm and deluging rain whichpulled down homes and trees in Poona. ButBabajan sat calm and cool under her treesaying ' I am God; I created nature.Nothing can affect me". Devotees raisedfor her a Zinc hut under the tree which stillremains. In this trellised Manzil, this oldlady with snow white hair and wrinkledbeauty waited for a lovely lad, the choseninstrument of her mission in life.

There he comes anon!

Dear Readers, the above said five saintsawakened God-love in the heart of millions.But they had no Modern education. Theywere not known abroad. They created theirindividual centres and their influence waslimited. They prepared the path and.harbinged the advent of a Universal Light,that shall awaken God-Consciousness in.Humanity East and West. The Time Spirit-wanted a Master who could awaken Self-Conscious Divinity in men and womenHere He Comes.

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23. HERE HE COMES

Here He comes-This Silent SireSpreading the rays of love and lightWith open arras He calls you nearAnd lifts you up to a blissful height.

The stellar bodies roll and singTe deura thanking His advent.His mute voice has a mystic wingHelping human hope's ascent.

Open the heart and close the lipsLook within His psychic formWhich time and space cannot eclipse-Abloom with smiles in calm and storm.

He teaches not by printed booksNor from pulpits nor platformsDeep in the soul he sows his looksAnd reaps more than mental reforms.

Behold the Saviour comes againLike the sweet soothing summer rainRemoving schorching fear and painWith lasting grace and love's refrain.

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24. THE MYSTIC KISS

It was one fair day in May 1913; BabaJan keenly observed a fair youth of nineteengoing in the cycle. He too saw her as hedashed off to the Deccan College where hestudied. Eyes met eyes. Sometimes shesmiled at this divine lad as she was lying onher bed under the Neem tree. She had amagnetic personality and bewitching eyes.She knew now her worthy instrument intowhom she can pour her divine energy. Oneday she beckoned him by her side. Merwan,that was his name, felt drawn to her by aMother-Force. The blooming face of theyouth met the phosphorescent gaze ofwisdom. The white-haired lady~ of 110embraced the lad affectionately and settledupon his forehead the KISS of spiritualbliss. Merwan felt an electric thrill. He waspolarised by the vibrating cosmic energyever alive in Babajan. Word was a burden,Merwan was reborn in the spirit. She tookhim by her side and they sat together every-

THE MYSTIC KISS 61.

day forgeting time and borne. That was aturning point in the life of the youth. Heliked to be with her in silent communiondrinking the fountain of cosmic consciousness bubbling out of her blissful being.Babajan imprinted into Merwan her saintlysoul and set in motion the awakened cosmicenergy. Merwan in his spiritual bewilderment and divine frenzy forgot body, home,college studies, cricket, and hockey andwandered God—mad and blissdrunk. Heoften ran away in search of God-men.Baba Jan said "this child of mine will createa great sensation in the world and doimmense good to humanity. She keenlywatched him and helped him by psychicradiation.

Merwan kissed her hand and she kissedhis receptive front. He went home late ateleven to take his bed; he felt a warmcurrent coursing his body; he had thecreeping sensation-of an electric charge.It was a delightful thrill. But Merwan could

'62 THE SILENT SPLENPOUR

not support it. He was dazed and stunnedand dumbed. This went on daily. His motherobserved the change in her dear boy andwas afraid. She told her husband. Thebrothers came to know of it...

25. MERWAN

It was a zorastrian family. The fatherSheheriar Mundagar Irani was a keeper ofthe Silent Tower in Persia. The Tower tvherehuman bodies were exposed to crows andvultures taught him the vanity of existencewhich is but a march of pain and pleasurefrom cradle to grave.

Mr. Mundagar Irani left behind theNeverlasting in search of the Everlasting.He wandered with darvishes as a darvishand came to Bombay with his brother. Witha wooden bowl and staff in hand, he roamedall over India and atlast settled in Poonato work in a garden. He then opened a teastall. At the instance of his sister, hemarried as a man of 39, Shirin Bano a girl

M E R W A N 63

•of 14 whom he loved for her virtues. Theyhad seven issues; two died and fiveremained to serve the divine mission of life.Jal, Behram and Ardeshir were marked forbusiness and service. Mani the angelicdaughter was a seraphic gem. Merwan thesecond child called Meher is the object ofour adoration.

Merwan was born in the auspicious peaceof the crimson dawn at 5 A. M. on the 25th

February 1894. His face was dawn-fair andhis binocular ej'es seemed focused at awonderland within. As a child he playedwith a cobra like Krishna. As a boy hehaunted graveyards and Dakmas alone andsat in long contemplation looking at therevealing face of Nature's beauty. He learntmore from Nature than from books. The

small home 30' X 20' in Butter Moholla

where he lived could not contain his soul

which wanted a universe. The drop soughtthe ocean, the spark the flame and atom thewhole. He matriculated from St. Vincent


School in 1911 and continued his study in.the Deccan College. He developed a tastefor the English and Persian poets and wrotepoems in Guzarati, Urudu, Persian andEnglish and published a few of them inSanj Vartaman under the nom-de-plume ofHoma. He revelled in Hafiz the poet ofmystic symbols ; " O man what here youowe is but a passing shadow. God will bethere even if all the shadow-forms disappear. I and He are no more two ; soul to-soul we are one. When we are one we are^all These ideas of the poet impressedhim. The mystic bee in his heart went onhumming flower to flower until it wasabsorbed in the honeyed sweetness ofDivine intoxication.

26. PERFECTION

His destiny quickly changed. The parents-were afraid of his manners. He walked to-bund Gardens, fell unconscious for two orthree days in lonely places and fasted...all

P E R F E Cjx I O N 65

these crazy acts compelled the parents to puthim under medical treatment. Guru Nanak

was similarly treated in those days bydoctors and sorcerers and he told them

" My disease is God-hunger and God-fervour, the remedy is God-realisationThat was the case with Meher too and he

had a follower in Behramji whom he taughtPersian. Meher visited the five Masters

described perviously. He saw NarayanMaharaj, Hazrat Tajuddin, and Sai Babahailed him as " Parvardigar " (Incarnation).Meher went to Upasani Baba who saw theyouth self-immersed and threw a pebble justat the pituitory centre where Babajanimpressed her awakening kiss. At onceMeher returned to normality. UpasaniBaba blessed him and sent him home. He

was no more crazy. He visited Babajanand listened to her sayings. She awakenedthe inner divinity and revealed his incarnategenius. His father tried to tie his body toa toddy shop. But he was not born to

S—5


intoxicate minds with wine or toddy. Headored Babajan and Upasani Baba andbecame Meher Baba. He left home andremained with Upasani six rnonths doinghard penance. Upasani was immenselypleased with Meher. He crossed the planesof intellect, inspiration, insight, emotion,introspection and got the highest illumination. It is a state of total annihilation inGod. He went from God-man to God-manuntil God cried from his heart ''O Thou 1! '.Upasani declared one day " I have madeMeher perfect. I have given him my charge.He holds my key. He will move the world.He is the Divine Master of the age and allmust follow and carry out his command."Upasani took Meher to a lonely Gardenroom and charged him with his Cosmicenergy. Babajan awakened his divinity andUpasani Baba made it stable ; but it was thehard tapasya of Meher Baba that manifestedhis divinity. The mystic-masters opened hispsychic centres and they became fountains

; UNIVERSAL WORK 67

- of God-Energy. Baba's life is a polarity ofof human ascent and God's, descent. Thus

. did Baba become perfect.

27. UNIVERSAL WORK

The period of self-preparation was. over. Baba took to had Tapasya the likeof which none has done and achieved many

^ things which ordinary , people cannotcomprehend. Ontalogy and metaphysicsstand stunned before his radiant Presence.Hylozoic pragmatism is silenced before hisSilence. Like all Saviours he met hard

.. trials and persecutions. -With, a wonderfulpatience and forbearance,, he accepted

• humiliations. He loved even cruel enemiesthat reviled him on the face, A mischievousscandal monger came before Baba and Baba

; kissed him and gave him sweets. To live inGod is to love all His creatures. To livelife here is to bear the influence of allseasons, summer and winter, heat and. cold,weal or woe, delight or despair, fame or


blame. Baba was equanimous and self-balanced. His life was a terrible sacrificeof self-interest at the altar of cosmic love.He consumed himself to illume mankind.

Baba started three centres of spiritualradiation; One in Poona near the FergusanCollege, another at Dadar and the third atAhmednagar. The last is known as Mehera-bad. It is his headquarters. He createdPimpalgaum before a hill solitude for silentseclusion and divine work. Very rarely hecame out of this solitude.

Baba is divine and universal in everything. His is not a petty-minded creedishfortification. His seven coloured flag contains all the seven planes of consciousness-physical, vital, mental, gnostic, bliss, pureknowledge and pure truth. His emblemcontains symbols of all religions—the Zora-strian fire, Christian cross, Muslim crescent;Buddhist Swastica and the Vedic AUM.ICBM-Indian, Iranian, Christian, Buddhist,

UNIVERSAL WORK 69

Muhamadan and modern thoughts aresymbolised in his emblem. Baba leadsmankind from the Frankeinstein Labyrinthof effete isms and paradoxical dogmas toa heaven of freedom where all souls live inthe Unique One.He conducted a school, a hospital and

ashrams for Lunatics and Masts (men ofspiritual intoxication). He wrote all hisspiritual intuitions and took silence since1925. From that day he left off reading andwriting and speaking. All the books thatare published in his name were'only recordsof his gesture-expressions. He works fromthe higher planes for the higher elevationof mankind. He is a silent stream of innerfullness cherishing the parched human fieldsto blooming spiritual exuberance. His silentinfluence has redeemed many forsaken soulsEast and West. He has gone round theworld many times speaking to seekers inmystic gestures. Devotees wait for him allover the world with deep reverence. He


visited Persia twice, with his followers.

He visited Europe and America nine times.America which was thrilled by the voice ofVivekananda was filled with peace andbliss by Baba's silent Presence and soulfulgestures. Many Australians have dedicatedtheir life for Baba. The history of SpiritualRenaissance has not seen a unique personality like Meher Baba. Baba calmly

observes passing events. He contemplatesover problems and riddles confronted byhumanity and gestures forth his remedies.-Life is a stream of ups and downs seekingthe ocean of peace. Humanity is tired ofWars and political exploitations. Theharassed world expects a Divine Avatar torestore political poise, social harmony,economic well being, cultural unity, andspiritual socialism and an integrated co-exis-tefice-this is what all leader look for. Theycan be effected by an inner awakening and'inner transformation. This awakening transformation can be achieved" by an Integra^

MECHANICAL NOISE 71

psychic love. Baba is That Love. Baba isthe great force that can lead humanity to'peace and plenty, to purity, unity anddivinity. He is a marvel of silent dynamismwhose magnetic personality attracts devoteesfrom all corners of the globe. He is steepedin the Eighth Heaven of God-consciousnessfrom which one can declare; "I AM GOD".His Pimpalgaum commands a global'recognition as the abode of a Silent Light.

28. MECHANICAL NOISE•

We are living in the days of NuclearDynamics and Space Technology. Sputniksare flying today to challenge the Moon. Thescience-brain soars above ultrasonic regions.Scientific intellect has advanced to artificialcopying of immortal Nature. Science in thehands of the brute in man forges weaponsof new danger to humanity. From gun tocannon, from cannon to tank, from tank tobomb, from air bomb to atom bomb,hydrogen bomb, cobalt bomb-cosmic ray.


the frightful weapons of mass murderare ever increasing and ever adding to theegoistic vanity, and ambition of the repressive brute in man. The latest invention of

the warmongering scientific intellect isICBM—Inter-Continental-Ballislic-Missile.

This Missile is able to strike down all

strategic points within 5000 miles in fifteenminutes. It does its work with a pin pointaccuracy. Science has created a crisis which

threatens the world with a colossal destruction of humanity. Missiles propelledquickly by the Nuclear Ramjet can surpriseany part of the world at any moment.The first blow shall sweep out years ofhuman construction and leave hidden ruinsin the place of beautiful cities and busyfactories.

Is there a way out of this tragedy? Yes.It is the application of the spiritual ICBM.What is that? It is Infinite Consciousnessof the beloved of mankind. It is InnerCommunion with the Blissful Master—ICBMi

CREATIVE SILENCE 73

We are living in the days of mechanisedindustry amidst din and noise and'gupguping' smoke of factory chimneys.Our streets are torn by the rumbling motornoise and shriek of the mike. Tram, train,bus, cinema, radio, factory and politics areshattering peace by the din and bustle ofhellish mechanical noises. But the currentthat moves all these noisy machines, makesno noise. It is a calm, warm, gentle andpeaceful expanse of Silence. From themysterious silence, the silent sun emenates asthe architect of the world we live in. Itsilently draws up the sea-vapour, spinsclouds which pour down the blessed rains.The green earth smiles silently cherishingplants and trees to sustain life here. Thenuclear forces silently descend and activisethe electronic age.

29. CREATIVE SILENCE

Sages of Silence emenate in this age ofmechanical noise. Their words are sparks

74 • THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

of the Inner voice. Silence saves energy,silence restores inner peace; silence of themouth silences the wandering mind. Theteniper is balanced day by day by silence;the soul is awakened by the gentle music ofinner silence. The bees gather honey in thepeace of the rosy dawn smiling with freshblossoms. Trees take root in the silent

earth. The poet's inspiration is kindled inthe silent inner communion. The painter andthe sculptor achieve their masterpieces in thedeep silence of aesthetic concentration. Thejoy of lovers is born in the wordless silence ■

of inner ecstasy. The heart opens when themind is hushed. Meditation comes like sleepto a child and divine intuitions flash abrightin the peace of dynamic meditative silence.

Baba's mind is a laboratory of supernalSilence sparking out the inner fire andradiating the soul's mystic dynamism. He isthe unique one who has silenced the tongue,thought, pen and all means of outwardexpression. He has silenced all desires. He

GOSPEL OF WORDS 75'

has renounced all attachments. Out of this*

Silence rises a warm current, which awakensyour mind and heart. You can feel it whenyou silence your mouth and open yourheart. It is a thrilling current of elysianpeace and joy; it is the psychic warmth ofdivine love and light.

Meher Baba's Silence can be understoodonly by Self-Silence; His peace can bereceived by peace of our mind. The thrillof His Presence can be felt only by theabsence of your I and mine. That mineshall reveal its treasures only when this mineis sacrificed. When there is none and nothingin you except God-love, then God shall beeverything for you and in you.

30. GOSPEL OF WORDS

The world has listened to the Gospel ofspoken Words in plenty. Buddha spoke outDhamma and held the standard of moralrectitude and animal compassion. Heopposed class arrogance and meaningless


orgies. Jesus Christ was the Messenger ofpeace, patience and sacrifice. He had tobear with patience the tortures of Calvary.Gandhiji lived for Non violence; bullets ofviolence rent his heart. Prophets live atimely Truth and pass away leaving theirwords behind. Men make religions andsectarian camps in their name and keep thislittle earth a divided house. Each prophettried to unite humanity. But his followersadded to group prejudices and broke thehuman aggregate into narrow fragments of"I" and "mine" opposites. This Guru cannot see that; this group hates that. Gita isone; commentators have built many schoolsaround that Book and divided the countryas dualists, monists and qualified monists.God is One; the world is one; Truth isone ; the human soul is one; but teachersare many and their followers are many-minded. Christ, Bible and Father in Heaven-are one; but Christendom is divided by somany camps and churches. The element of

GOSPEL OF WORDS 77

division is in the mind and the passion tofight and oppose is in the subconscious-hellin man. The Christian countries are tremendously progressing in material sciences andinventions. But they live in horror ofatomic raids and alpharays. Nuclear outbursts poison humanity. Aggressions oppressrights. Low level ambition holds high-leveltalks ; they cry 'Peace' from fighter planes.Cold wars and bold wars are fuming aroundludicrous political tragi-comedies. Witnessthe play of passions in party clap-traps 11Witness the fluttering incubation of Powersupon their atomic eggs, chuckling "Peace,Peace" to bamboozle humanity. Witnesshow peoples' money is wasted in vainattempts to build castles in the silver Moonand ruby Mars!! That enormous wealthcan very well be utilised in bettering thelife of humanity here.

The Gospel of mere Words has fallen indeaf ears; they have become stale. Thecollective man is not receptive; the market


noise drowns down the voice of gentle•Love. Man is still painting the sepulchre ofdead ceremonial formalities and effetenonentities and lables them with the wordsof big personalities. He cannot find his wavout of big personalities. He cannot find hisway out of the dark labyrinth of confusing'/sms' and their watertight frame works.A Self-gathered Soul of Peace is necessaryto cross the dreadful battlements and mentalarsenals and free humanity from gory warsand ferments. Darkness cannot be removedby sernions, nor by uranium thunders. ASilent Light can remove ages of darkness.

31. THAT SUNLIGHT

That Silent Light of the Universe is ourBeloved Babaji. Loud whistling cannotdrive the Engine. The steam must be directedto push the train forward. Here is theDriver that can fuse the powers of headand heart in the conscious Soul and enablehuman life to cross its limitations and

THAT SUNLIGHT . 79

fulfil its destiny in the Infinite Freedom ofGod-Consciousness. He is the Ancient Oneholding the Lamp of Ancient Wisdom,awakening the Ancient Soul-Consciousnessin an age of tumultuous modernity, shakenby the noise of tussling self-interests in theforms of castes, creeds, ceremonial orgies,craze of race pride and national egoism.Let us hear Meher Baba here :

" The perennial . spring of imperishablesweetness is within everyone. Yet, if mandoes not remove the ego-blockade and releasethat spring, he heavily suffers in innumerableways. One must contact the Ocean of unfailingbliss within and be free from the limitingduality of T' and 'you' to unveil the perennialspring of imperishable sweetness which iswithin each and all. In spite of enormousadvancements in the field of Science,mankind is engulfed in the darkness of war,hate and fear.


" Yet, I say; Take Hope. Have faith andyou will be redeemed. Humanity can besaved only by a Divine intervention. Thegreatest danger of man today is from himself. Release human consciousness fromthe clutches of selfishness and greed.The urgent need of today is not sects ororganised religions, but LOVE. DIVINELOVE can conquer hate and fear. LoveGod and find Him within, the only treasureworth finding. Mere picture study of atown will not give you full knowledge of it.You must go there and live and see. Themere booklore will not do. The source ofEternal Bliss is the Self in all. The greatestwork one can do for BABA is to live thefife of Love, Humanity, Sincerity and SelflessService in which there is no hypocrisy. Baba'sLove is with His lovers always helping andguiding them ".

The Bird of human soul is caught in thecage of mental limitations and dualities.A Master must open the cage and liberate

THAT SUNLIGHT 81

it into the wider garden and higher heaven.Incentric Masters alone can awaken and

liberate this excentric humanity.

Such a Master is our Beloved Baba. He

is ft patient artist who gives a Pygmaliantouch to the beauty of human nature. Hebows to all. serves all and embraces all,

seeing Himself in all. He plays Atya and.Patya and Gilli Danda with His lovers, atthe same time He kindles in their hearts a

faith and reverence, a devotion and emotion which words cannot mouth. See Adi,see Eruchi, see Donkin, see Rammohan andtheir mellifluous affection for Baba. Lovers

are ready to lay down their life for him.

AWAKENS THE SOUL

The atlas cannot give a knowledge ofLondon; nor a painting, the taste of amango. Go to Him shedding off yourwanton Ego; then alone you can be conscious of his divinity. He awakens your soulwhen your heart wakes up to His silent

S—6

II

82 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR 4l

touch. Hearts are united when Love unites

hearts; the world is united when hearts arein harmony with the unique Soul of beings.Baba has descended here to sow the seeds

of love in our hearts through Love, to bringthe consciousness of Oneness in humanity.

Oneness in Love-that is the significant message of his incandescent Silence.

Baba does not bank on the past credit ofceremonial orthodoxy. He is not a monotonous revivalist nor a pontilf of sectarianreligions. He is not a box-office guardianof monastic creeds. He is Himself, He is

all Selves.

He is here to awaken souls and lead

humanity to its natural Divinity.

FAITH AND LOVE

Trust God in good faith. He will solveall your difficulties. Faithfully leave everything to His will. Sacrifice everything atthe altar of Love and Love shall lead you to

the Divine Beloved. Forced meditation is

THAT SUNLIGHT 83

not necessary if you love and serve theMaster sincerely. Suppression of the mindis like caning a boy to mug up his grammar.Knowledge must bloom through love like aflower and develop like a fruit. Concen

tration and meditation must develop bydeep subjective interest in the object. Anartist enters natural meditation when he

is in tune with the beauty in the art. Youcannot play Jekyll and Hyde with theDivine Grace. Absolute surrender is neces

sary. False pretence is like false teeth and

face-powder of a hag. Oif with Vanity Fair 1

Amir Chand need not be rich, nor Fekir-chand poor. Name-and-form-illusion is

like Don Quixote tilting at the Wind Mill.The world is honeycombed with partypolitics and pontific vanities. Big wordsand flattery of Gods, change of names andpainting of bodies have nothing to do withrealisation of Truth. Mechanical devotionand mechanical meditation are like armchair philosophy in ivory towers.


Surrender to Light like a morni^S |-the bud opens by the Grace of Light;beauty and perfume jump out of it-der your limited individuality to the n me,like a humble stream flowing to the ocean.Then you can becorrie the ocean and ancewith its waves in ecstasy. When you asand get. His grace is like water ; when youforce, it is blood ; but when His Will gives,it is like pure honeyed milk. M is Mercy,.E—is Energy, H—is Humanity, E—is Equanimity and R—is Realisation. Meher Babais a symbol of God realisation through loveand humanity. From man to microzoa allare one in God.

32. TO CRITICS

In a Banqueting Hall of God, lovingGuests gathered together. They relishedthe dishes; ■ smelt rose-water enjoyed thegarden of spiritual beauties and took leaveto their duties.

TO CRITICS 85

Some other type of people came in,looked at the gold and silver dishes. Theyate like gluttons, and made away with thedishes. When the servants caught hold ofthem they picked quarrel with them reviledthe Garden and its owner and created badscenes. Still others went into the latrine

behind the garden and criticised., "Ah,what a nasty Garden this is ! If you wantevidence, come into this latrine; I shallprove that God is a Hoax and his Banquetis a Fraud..."

Critics of Godmen are like the last ones,(lost ones) who forget God's immense loveand go to the rubbish-backyard and countthe number of filthy heaps therein. Suchpersons are often found wherever an inspired Divinity emenates. A sage had tooth-powder in a tin labelled Birkely Cigarattes.One Backdoor maniac spread the scandalthat he smoked...evidence...the tin. A

Mahatma was cutting vegetables and a ladywas helping him. Mr. Scandal spread the


news that he was keeping so and so. Suchscandals do not affect pure souls.

Mr. Envy was spreading falsehoods aboutthe Yogi—that he brought wealth fromRussia. He did not know that not a rubleis allowed to go out of Russia and none-would exchange it. The Yogi lives evento day at the sweat of his sleepless pen andhas never received donations for his benefactions. He lives by hard labour. Unscrupulous scandal-mongers wrote trachesabout great sages like Ramana andAurobindo. They are no where now ; butthe sages are adored by humanity.

"They too do their duty who speak ill ofMe" says Baba " No amount of slandercan affect or change me nor any amount ofadmiration enhance my Divinity. Baba is-what He is

One man is saying that Baba cannotspeak for his tongue is long folded into themouth I " Cut your tongue short and keep

TO CRITICS 87

it into the box of silence " replied a wiseman. Baba has a fine voice and musical

talants.

The Yogi has seen nasty pamphlets onBaba in London. All allegations have

been answered by the voice of Justice andrefuted by the Time Spirit which bringspure and sincere souls to the the feet ofBaba. Buddha had a cousin who made ithis mission to bring Him down and scandalise him in the worst manner. One day hebribed a woman to tell the public thatBuddha had intercourse with her and shebecame pregnant. One day the ' pregnancy *■emptied with a gasy noise and the womanrepented her folly. Buddha is adored todayand Mr. Scandal is no where.

Beware of uttering irresponsible wordsabout realised souls who live for the goodof humanity. They live like the VernalGarden to spread the honeyed perfume ofGod. People take objection to God Speaksand I Am God- God speaks from the God

S8 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

Plane, the Eighth plane of Mahaturyaconsciousness. When Einstein refutes

Newton and promulgates a fourth dimension and matter's intrinsic energy, ordinarycabbage-seller cannot understand. To himthere is nothing beyond the stomach and thecabbage-basket. A child cannot understandShakespeare. It says " what is all this. Iread ABCDEF and here is S first and

after that H and then E...Nonsense, these

■words are not in order " But Shakespearecannot be shaken from his position.

Baba may be criticised badly by Mr.Scandal. But one cannot find anotherheart so full of love, love even to a cunningdubious Judas.

33. HE GIVES HIMSELF

Baba is not here to give you boons ofwealth, chidren and long life. He is hereto give you Himself provided you give Himyour whole Self without reserve. He is anEmperor of hearts. He has received lakhs

HE GIVES HIMSELF 89

and given lakhs. He has lived in magnificentpalaces and in poor huts. But He does notpossess any building for Him except Histomb. Every time we meet Him, He speaksof shedding this human body and He hasbuilt His own garve. He is free frommoney taint. He refuses offerings. InAmerica, the land of Dollar Kings, Herejected all offerings in kind and coin. Hetakes very poor food but richly providesHis lovers. He offered balls of rich sweetsand mangoes to the poor during the Sahavasand took a handful of dhal and rice Himself.

Have you ever seen a modern Yogi whosays "Do not worry yourself? That isour Baba. Have you ever seen a Saintreturning to the donors the surplus ofoontributions received from His lovers,after meeting the precise expenses for a.spiritual congregation ? Meher Baba didso in connection with the Sahavas Congregation held at Meharabad in 1958. Have


you seen a Mahatma who says " No money?no ceremony; do not drink the water that

has washed my feet." He is Baba of perfectrenunciation. Millionaires are ready toadorn him with princely robes and goldenornaments and to seat Him on a throne of

rubies and diamonds. Have you seen such aroyal sage possessing only two old pinkcoats ? It is Baba the master of simplicity.Have you come by a Prophet who doesnot want to establish any Religion in Hisname and get world fame ? It is our Baba,the Messiah of undivided Humanity.

Baba's religion is the religion of theheart. It is the religion of Self Knowledgewhich is beyond books and temples, thoughtsand words and schools of philosophies.He wants you to read the Book of pureheart which holds the key to the mystery oflife. Baba wants you to develop a languageof the heart which is psychic love. FromGod came life and to Him it must return

HE GIVES HIMSELF 91

and be the Divine. Baba wants to evolve-

the Divine from the human. ^

Baba is a symbol of love and demands," Do you love me " ?. Yes, we all loveHim for He is All-Love.and the All-Beloved.Have you seen any Avatar embracing men,women, children, beggars, harijans, monks-and 'mangs' without any idea of their casteand creed ? Have you seen any Mahatmaembracing lepers, sick patients and destitutesin tattered clothes ? Have you seen anySaint conducting an institution for cranks,fools and lunatics? It is Babaji who sees

God in all beings, the beloved of equalvision and universal mission.

His life is simple, humble, pure and serenesoaked with the milk and honey of graciouscompassion. Thousands adore His feet;and He adores the feet of a crankish beggaron the road. Thousands wash His feet andworship them with flowers an incense. Butour Beloved washes the feet of a poor.


decrepit leper and then places His crowningfront upon them in obeisance lo the Divineeven in that form. We saw in Arangaum(near Ahmednagar) the ' craze' of massdevotion inspired by the All-embracingPresence of Babaji. The miracle of overflowing Love-esctasy united the hearts of thesimple village folk who became one body inthe Beloved of all. Can mere books andbookish words, can pedantic outburstsachieve this wonder ? The hidden veil of

illusion, the delusion of T and 'mine'have been torn to pieces in an ecstaticembrace of the Beloved and He alone livesin them as their Unique Soul. None candescribe by words this psychic radiance ofthe Beloved to set to rapturous dance thejingling delight of the mingling souls? Whatare caste, creed, clime and colur before this

vast Unitive force of love ? The Americans

remark ; " It is a marvel unknown as yetto humanity !1".

HE GIVES HIMSELF 93-

HJDDEN TREASURE

One devotee — Mr. Francis Brabazon —has woven a garland of Vers Libres called"STAY WITH GOD": He says in it"BABA IS THE SAME ONE AS THEFIRST ONE". Mr. Don Stevens, anAmerican Chemist and bttsiness magnateremarks: "BABA IS A MYSTIC OFLOVE. HE IS LOVE ITSELF". TheGracious Master one day stood up withHis circle of devotees and ' spoke ' in His-symbolic gestures : " ALL YOUR SINSHAVE BEEN ABSOLVED THISMOMENT. LIVE ANEW FOR LOVEDIVINE". Be swung open the door ofredemption to all. His charming fragrancefills the air. You must have the will toinspire it deep into your soul.

BEACON OF HOPE

Bdba is a Beacon Light flashing forthrays of Blessedness. The chimera of separative ego created by the deluding lower

■94 THE SILENT SPLENDOUR

nature must be removed by a widening lovethat sees the One in all and all in the One.Lower nature must be transformed by adescent of the Higher. It must be sublimatedby the Higher nature. Science can producemegatons of material energy. Baba cangenerate multi-Mehertons of Almighty

energy. The union of the pure mind with aloving heart can release a tremendousspiritual force that can transform life in to apoem of entrancing bliss. Baba^s greatestmission is to awaken humanity to the limitless Truth within, and not to found any newreligion or organisation. For, the world isfed up with countless creeds and dogmas.

BABA SAYSThe world needs awakening, and not

verbal instruction. It needs the freedomand amplitude of Divine Life and not thesuperficiality of mechanised,pompous forms.It needs LOVE and not display of POWER.There is no power greater than love. Thereis a hidden treasure of ineffable fulfilment

EAST AND WEST UNITE 95

and plenitude in all. It is covered by the" Sanskaric Ego" and ignorance, removingwhich, the Treasure can be possessed.My mission is to help you to inherit thishidden Treasure of the Self; and all whoearnestly seek it have My Blessings"*

34. EAST AND WEST UNITE

November first week, 1962 was a redletter day in the life of Baba lovers.Guruprasad in Bund Gardens Road Poonasaw a global gathering of chosen devoteesof Baba from East and West. Rajya SriShantadevi, the Rani of Baroda is a blessed

soul. Her mansion has been chosen by theAvatar to give Dharshan to his Eastern andWestern family members. Under a largehearted Randal tastefully decorated, tenthousand dedicated souls sat in harmony andtwenty thousand more were coming from thetown for the embrace of Baba. Baba roseupon the dais like a shining Sun of Love.The Yogi after embracing Baba sat inMahaturiya samadhi at Baba's feet all the


four days. People forgot caste, religion,colour, race or country, indeed even thecall of the physical world, as Baba's radiantPresence united their souls into one communion of Meherites. It seemed as if Baba

alone breathed there in so many humanforms the wave heads of one Ocean ofBaba consciousness. There were songs,features, announcements, messages; butnothing could be compared with the SilentSplendour smiling so sweetly, so blissfully.Milk and honey are sweet; and mango fruitis sweet. But the beauty of the SilentSplendour is sweeter than the sweetestsweet. His lotus eyes, gracious gaze, rosyface, charming smile, mystic gestures,thrilling messages, loving embrace—all theseexpressions have entranced the heart oflovers who became one body in Him and inwhom he breathed as the Soul. Not onlyEast and West but mind and heart united in

the love of Baba. Baba tells us " I tell youwith my Divine authority that you and

EAST AND WEST UNITE 97

I are not we but one". " You should loveGod in such a way that everywhere you seenothing but God. God Alone Is . BrotherEruchi's announcements, readings of Baba'smessages by Don Stevens and Darwin Shaw,Prayer of repentence by Dr. Harry Ken-more, Madusudan's thrilling Bhajans, HabibQavval's entrancing music, Raju s BurraKatha (rather Baba Katha), Dr. Donkin smedical help, the ever active Adi K. Irani sarrangements and Ramakrishnan s servicesmanifested the Baba fervour in them.

With a love and affection which transcended that of a mother, Baba looked to theconvenience of every lover and postedvolunteers to look after all devotees thatcame from abroad. The invulnerable Dr.Murthi was always with the Yogi.

The Westerners who had assembled fromUSA, Europe, England and Australia wereso irnmersed in Baba consciousness that theywould not leave their seats even after Haratiand Gate Cholo.

S—7


The gracious Baba gave the yogi aaopportunity of addressing the Westernfriends. Elezebeth Patterson of Myrtle Beach■Centre, Mr. Purdom, Ivy Duce, Ruth White,Harry Kenmore Poet Francis BrabaZon,Adi K Irani and many others assembled in ahall. Mr. Adi K Irani and Braba Zonintroduced the Yogi to the assembly. TheYogi addressed them on Baba's greatnessand his mission in America for about half-an-hour. Next day Baba himself introducedthe Yogi to the American devotees andrequested them to make arrangements forhis visit to America...It was agreed thatthe Yogi shall be invited at the opportunetime. ,

United States of America is the chosen■centre of universal movements. The soil has-already been prepared by Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Vivekananda, Yoganandaand a lot of others including the lovers ofSufism and Abdul Bahai. The AmericasJiailed by the vast Atlantic and the Pacific

east and west unite 99

Oceans shaking hands with each other inPanama, hold the banner of One Worldand One Humanity. America has helpedto restore peace in the world by defeatingtwo tyrants. Its' generous help to Indiacannot be forgotten. America has saved theworld from the verge of chaos and destruction, It has wealth, heart, strong hand,liberal mind and genuine love for humanity.A World Spiritual Centre must be stronglyestablished in America in the name of Baba.The crisis created by nuclear dynamics andspace technology can be averted only by asynthesis of science and spiritual consciousness. Baba's Love is the remedy for thefear and doubt of the present mankind.We have to blaze a way beyond the twilightmind and attune life to the deeper soul.Baba is the greatest Avatar of the age andhis vision is the Yogi's mission. He aspiresto work it out in America and many othercountries. To train an army of Babamissionaries and carry Baba's message


abroad is the aim for which the Yogi hasdedicated his life.

35. THE avatar RIDDLEMeher Baba often says "I God, I am

Avatar ". Mansur Al Hillaj in the 9thcentury said " Anal Haq, I'm God " ; hetaught every one to be conscious of theirinnate Godhood. He was imprisoned as aheretic, nailed to a cross for four days andexecuted at last. Byazid maintained thatthere was no God beside the self and sufferedpersecution. Sankara maintained " I amBrahman (Brahmaivaham) He washonoured for that in India. Vedanta insistsupon the divinity of the inner man. Thefour Vedas declare the formulas " Thou

art That, I am Brahman, This is Brahman".Krishna wants Arjuna to surrender toHim who is the Ancient One. In the same

plane of consciousness Baba too says " I amGod and all are God."

There is no magalomenia in a realisedman saying " I'm God Moses got the

THE AVATAR RIDDLE 101

message of " I'am". Empidocles the GreekPhilosopher jumped into the Volcano (Etna)to prove that he was not the body, but thePure immortal Spirit. " To be as good asGod is the summum bonum of life" saidPlato. Krishna is worshipped as the perfectAvatar. When undivine forces, afflicthumanity, when vice tyrannises over virtue,the Divine who is the Master of theUniverse descends to restore Virtue andredress the grievence of mankind and raiseit Godward. The monist protests and theagnostic laughs at the idea of this Avatar orManifestation. How can the Omnipotentone constrain Himself in a flesh-and-boneform? How can the Unborn Eternal Onestoop to the pangs of birth ? God can doeverthing at His Will ; and why should HisLogos descend or ascend? Such are theunending questions of logomachy.

An Avatar is not a birth in ignorance.It is a spiritual birth. The atmosphericelectricity is not impaired by acting upon a


dynamo. The divine Force is not dwindledby acting upon the universal mechanism.We come to know, of the subtle atoms of

Nature when they charge a microphone andmove the reels of a film. Even so the limited

man is able to know about the infinite God

when His Power acts through the manifestGrace. Beyond the eidolon of appearance,beyond the physics and chemistry of grossmatter, beyond the surface forms and

colours, the Avatar or Manifestation has themajesty of Divine Reality. Godhead takesform to bring man nearer to His Godhood.

Avatar is the descent of the Infinite in afinite body. The body is a simple cloakof illusion, why should the Avatar meetihotor accident and break his bones?

Why should the Avatar suffer from cold andfever and need a doctor? Such silly questionsare often posed by Mr. Ignorance andmadame Vanity. Even animals cry, roarand bleat. Why does this Avatar keep hismouth closed ? Thousand such questions

the avatar riddlle 103

are pelted at believers. Opposite currentsalways apply a pulling force. One bookworm was creating breaches in Baba-loveby sayiug 'A God with crutches, and patchesand stretchers creates ditches in our faithThere are such endless questions comingout of vital ditches; but Baba himselfanswers these doubting itches.

" When I say I am Avatar some feelshocked. If I say everyone is an Avatar, afew would be tickled. Many would considerit a blasphemy, or a joke. Yet I know I amthe Avatar in every sense and each one ofyou is an Avatar in one sense or other. Itis God who makes me say I am an Avatarand that each one of you is an Avatar.I have come down from the highest toyour level ; love me with all your heart,you will come to my real level of the Highestfor I am in you all. Love me as I wantyou to and you will find your own self isnothing but God. I say with Divine


authority that I AM THE ANCIENT ONE•and the slave of those that love Me.

If you were to ask Me why I do not■speak, I would say I speak more eloquently-through gestures. All talk is idle talk. I talkthrough you all. To relieve the boredom■of talking through your forms, I keep silencein my physical form. If my silence cannot•speak, what avail would be speeches madeby the tongue ? My mission is to utter thisword of Truth "I am God (AhamBrahmasmi or Anal Haq), the word ofwords. I must break my silence. I performno miracles; but when I break my silencethe first and the last miracle will be performed. The Infinity which is eternallymine will one day belong to every one ofyou! "

Now Dear Readers, love God, feel for•others, find your own fault, suffer thesuffering of others, feel happy in the happi-ness of others, endure your lot, love, live and"die for God. If we love God honestly we

THE AVATAR RIDDLE 105

become one with Him. Love, serve and behonest. Baba says " I am never born and Inever die. The real birth is when one isreborn in God and the real death is whenone dies to self. Go further and furtheraway from I, My, Me and Mine. Renounceyour limited self by my Grace. I have cometo release that Grace. The Power housemust be switched on and all connected withit will be enlightened, through out the world.If the bulbs are of low candle power, thelight will be little. If the bulbs are of highcandle power the light will be bright. Butbulbs not working or fused will not begiving light. This is why I have been tellingyou all to love me more and more ' .

, n *nlT

l'-> yfu.i.m f • . 1 . '/ .uni' luo W' 'u '11-. , ■ A :AIMI'Siiiii.'JM

. ' •'•i ■ r-i nuiOV.'E

36. MEHERSTHAN FESTIVAL

The opening of the Mehersthan was anoteworthy event in the annuls of the

Avatar. It is a fertile place on the Bank ofthe Godavari at Kovvur. Kovvur was

originally called Gowtama Kshetram sinceSage Gowtama did penance there. It wasa place visited.by Lord Chaitanya and nowby Avatar Meher Baba. Sri. Koduri KrishnaRao, a flourishing business man of the placewas inspired to raise a Shrine and a statuefor Baba there. Baba's silent magnetismcreated a transformation in his life. His

wealth was immortalised in the bronzestatue of Baba ever present in Mehersthan.Its tower displayed the Aum, Flame,Cross and Crescent representing the Vedic,Avestic, Biblic and Koranic symbols. FromAdvaitins to Zorastrians from A to Z, allcan feel at one before the sanctum of Babahere. It is a poem of universal harmony.The opening of the Mehersthan opened anew chapter in the spiritual harmony ofhuman existence. Details come out inMEHERSTHAN MEMOIR. A briefaccount is given in this Book.

37, EIGHT MESSAGES

BABA'S Eight Messages for theMehersthan are inscribed there prominently:

1. Tear the curtain of set ceremonies andrituals and you will find that I am the Worshipped, the worship and the Worshipper.

2. To clothe simple worship with thegarments of ceremony and ritual is to exposeMe to the cold winds of ignorance.

3. To faithfully love God-Man is to trulyworship God.

4. To find Me here in Mehersthan searchthe depth of your heart.

5. Mehersthan has been built for Me withlove, but I may only be found here by Mylover who brings Me here in his heart.

S. As the heart is, so is the house as theeye is, so is the Image within the house.

7. The heart of man has always been theancient temple for the worship of the AncientOne.

8. Nothing can house the Ancient Onethat does not house love. MEHER BABA.

38 . OFF WITH RITUALS !

The festival at Mehersthan was attended

by 15,000 Baba-lovers from all parts ofIndia. They were of different religions, butall one in Baba-consciousness. Baba has

Illumined a Light of Love common to all.Hence devotees thought over the mode ofconducting the Opening function andP. Ramalingeswara Rao BA. LLB reckonedas the PA (Personal Assiatant) of Baba,wrote a long letter pleading for the Vedicceremonies. He said in it that Vedic tradi

tions were observed by Rama and Janaka.Unvedic religions like Buddhism arethrown out of India. Hence clarificationis necessary on the following four points;

1. Are rituals to be had or totallyavoided.

2. Can Vedas be chanted during theunveiling of Baba's statue ?

3. How to instal the idol and conduct

the function ?

OFF WITH RITUALS ! 109

4. How to carry on the daily worship?The above points were finely replied by-

Mr. Eruchi taking hints from Baba.

1. Baba wants no ceremonies and formalobservances in his House of universalworship. Real worship demands spontaneous expression of love in offering flowers,garlands and prayers, in singing hymnsand Bhajans and in doing Arti.

2. The statue of Baba is not an idol to beinstalled. It is his own person embodied inbronze. After unveiling, Vedic hymns canbe sung and prayers from all sacred scriptures like Bible, Koran and Avesta Zenda.

3. No Idol can replace the loving livingpresence of Baba, the Avatar of the age.Mehersthan must be a place of true

Worship by the expression of pure love forBaba.

4. There can be no better form of dailyworship than repetition of Baba's name,reading from his messages and discoursesand recalling incidents of Baba's life.


P. A. Rao and devotees felt blessed in thisgracious reply and proceeded on with thefunction enthusiastically.

39. A FULL DAY PROGRAMME

The whole day was a feast of interestingsongs, speeches and features from 6 AM onthe 28 to 6 AM on the 29 th February, 1963.No eclat of drums pipes or Vedic hymns!

No rituals and ceremonies; no priest.' nooffering or breaking of cocoanuts, nooblations, no traditional observances!

The Maha Rani Shanta Devi opened theMehersthan and unveiled the statue witha solemn prayer to Baba :

''O Ancient One, Your true abodeis in our hearts. Bless us all so that we maygrow to love you with that love which willmove you to unveil yourself in our heartsas readily as we now unveil your statue".

Adi K Irani raising the Seven ColouredFlag of Baba said " The banner of Truththat will be unfurled at Mehersthan topmast, will herald to the entire humanitythat God is one in existence, that man is

A FULL DAY PROGRAMME 111

essentially one in life, and that all prayersand meditations have one purpose behindthem-that is to evoke love of God in thehuman heart. Meher Baba is the embodi

ment of that Love and let us love him andlive in him I "

" Avatar Meher Babaki Jai! " was theconstaint hallelujah of every holy programe.


40. SPARKS OF EMOTION

The dais v/as tastefully decorated with,flowers and festoons and a life-size paintingof Baba commanded the view of the

audience. The Rani, Irani, Yogi, DhanapatiRao, Koduri Krishna Rao and others were

seated prominantly on the dais. The programme of the day began with songs ofdevotional fervour by Baba-musicians, andpoets.

Then speechs on Baba's mission weredelivered by the chosen nine. Mr. KoduriKrishna Rao the host and donor read a

welcome address to the Maha Rani and to

Mr. Adi. He said in it; "We are extremelyfortunate in receiving the Divine Grace ofthe living Avatar. Our joy knows no boundin welcoming you in our midst, MaharaniSaheba, as the representative of Baba. Youare a great model of pure simplicity andwhole hearted surrender to the Avatar"

SPARKS OF EMOTION 113

"We warmaly welcome you, dear Adiji,as the model of supreme love sacrifice andcomplete dedication to Baba's service. "

♦

Speakers were at their best and theirwords were sparks of their soul in tunewith Baba.

Dr. GSN. Murthi in his grand eloquencesaid: "The silent Baba inspires eloquence.Love is the one message of Baba which comprises a world of scriptures. Baba's mysticsilence is a running commentary of theuniversal reality. His silence is a soundbrake that controls the giddy speed of theheadlong Time Spirit. I wish that Babadoes not break his silence at all. " He thenread a highly introspective charter ofinner worship.

Dr. C. D. Deshmukh MA. Phd. spokewith emotional gestures : "Adi is Baba'ssecretary for the past forty years; hissimplicity is a miracle. The high placedMaharani's devotion to Baba is a miracle.

S—8


Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati, a realisedsoul, well experienced in Vedic traditionsproclaims Baba as the greatest Avatar; thatis a miracle. Baba's work done throughsilence is greater than anything achieved byspeech. It is an antedote to the noisyneuclear age of warmongers. "

Dr. Bharucha from Navasari said: The

Presence of Baba in it is more importantthan the bronze statue. Mehersthan is a

milestone in the annuls of history and thisday is a landmark of the future. "

Dr. Shankar Sri Rama Rao in his brilliant

Telugu speech said: "Mere rituals withoutlove is like decorating the corps. Religiousmen came in legions but the nectar oftheir words were turned into blood andtears by their followers. Baba does notadd to religions. He awakens divinity inman and unity among religions "

Sri D. V. Krishnayya Principal of theYijayawada College maintained that Baba

SPARKS OF EMOTION 115

was the highest manifestation of Truth andLove and He was the proof of Divinity inthis hedonic age of scientific etheism.

Sri Tirumala Rao M P. said that Baba's

silent dynamism was the force of universalharmony.

Sri Paidy Laxmayya, Commissioner forHindu Religious endowments impressivelymaintained that image worship must beunderstood introspectively. Baba's statueis the presence of Love Divine which is thetorch bearer of Life Divine.

Mancham Sastri and Satyanarayana recited their special poems of scholarly meritwhich were much applauded by the largeaudience.

The day was replete with sleepless programmes and displays of art and heart. Theentrancing Burra Katha, the refreshing filmshow of the East and West Gathering atPoona, melodious concerts, and the JinglingMeher Lila were feast for the eyes and ears.


There was an All India convention of the

Baba Workers next day, presided over byMr. Adi. K. Irani. Every worker gave a goodaccount of his service to Baba which showed

the achievement of the Silent Splendour.

Baba sent to the Yogi on the 28th noontwo telegrames appreciating the SilentSplendour. "It prompts me to break mysilence this year or next year" said Baba.It was Baba's wish that a second pocketedition of the book must be brought outwith a prominent chapter on Mehersthanand Yogi's speech fully quoted. Hence theoliowing chapter which forms a full reportof the Yogi's peroration.

;f!a

41. BAB A IS BAB A

THE COSMIC SPACE

IS TEMPLE THINE

Grand sky the tower gemmed so fine.All beings are Thy graceful formsAll flowers and fruits Thy sweet poems.All hearts are Thy shining rooms;Who can image Thee in customs ?Mountains are mejestic thronesWinds and streams are sacred psalms.Thou swimmest in the moon-lit seaThe dawn-lit beauty adorns TheeWhat is human ceremonyTo Thee, the One in the Many !A Spring-lit bird of Dawn-lit tune,With flame-lit heart I commune,O Wedded delight Self-to-Self,Riches unsought by royal pelf.Come, let us build a new Eden ^With united heart love-laden.

Let us raise a heaven of peaceWhere the woes of earth shall cease.Where stag and lion sip in a poolWhere songs and actionsFlow from the soul

Where God is King of supermenAnd Law His bright silent OMEN I


Salutations to'the Ancient One, the infiniteimmortal Supreme, the Father who lovinglyprotects all creatures. Salutations to the

Unique One who resides in the heart ofbeings as the Soul ! Salutations to Baba andBaba lovers. My hari Aum 1

A glorious day opens in the life of Babalovers to day and a magnificent chapter inthe Book of the Silent Splendour ! Theinauguration of Mehersthan is an achievement in the spiritual history of mankind.No prophet of man has touched the heartof so many lovers so, silently all over India,all over the world and nobody to myknowledge, had such a mangnificent shrineand statue for himself while alive. Therein Meherabad Baba has made his tombdecorated with lovely .murals by Helen,ofSwitzerland and here you have a livingmonument of his silent glory sculptured ina symbolic temple arid a syrnbolic" representation of his appearance. All glory to SriKoduri Krishna Rao who has been the

BAB IS BABA 119

instrument of Baba in raising this wonderfuledifice of Divine Grace. This monument

was raised not for the name and fame of an

individual, nor by the vanity of Wealth andpower.

A Telugu verse comes to my memorywhich says; " Lord of my heart, I adoreThee not for worldly fame and name, notfor self-glory, boons and powers, not tomake a fetish of my creed; I adore thee in.silence for the joy of Inner communion,for the freedom of at-one-ment and for the

peace of conscious union with Thee in my

soul. I have no desire for boons and

riches. Who brings wealth when one isborn and who takes it with him when he

leaves the body? The hidden gold is forgotten. None eats gold or silver. A littlefood for hunger and a shelter to rest thebody are enough for men. O Giver, giveme the gift of giving all that I am and havefor Thee in utter surrender. Give me the

wisdom to remember Thee always, in everything and in every event of life


A POWER HOUSE

It is with this spirit of dedication thatMehersthan has been raised as a field ofservice to Baba lovers. The statute ofBaba was unveiled by the devout Maharaniand the seven coloured standard of universal Love was hoisted on the symbolic Towerby Brother Adi. K. Irani whose life is adedication to Baba's service. Let us allunite heart and soul to develop this centreas a Power House of Cosmic Energy. Thehuge gathering of 15000 devotees before us isa symbol of Baba's victory. I see Him inall and all in Him. Mehersthan is chargedwith the dynamism and filled with thePresence of the Beloved of our hearts. Itis a poem of beauty revelling in the rollingallegro of the perenniel Godavari. Thereis no flood in the river to day but there isa deluge of streaming joy and delight in theoverflowing crowd of Baba-Lovers inMehersthan.

BABA IS BABA 121

SACRED GODAVARI

My fancy is littered with living visions asI stand here breathing the atmosphere ofMother Godavari. My ancesters flourishedon her banks near Amalapuram. I have anostalgia for the land cherished by Godavari. Rama and Sita lived in Panchavation the banks of the Godavari, Ramadasdid Tapasya there in Nasik. AnotherRamadas raised a temple for Rama atBadrachalam on the bank of the Godavari.My friend Durgirala Gopalakrishnayastarted his spiritual politics on the sacredbanks of the Godavari. Mahatma Gandhi'smovement gained momentum here, atRajamundry. So a Centre for Baba in thisgowtama vilas has a special signiflcance.

• 0.4


bAba in the statue

But what is the meaning of the statuethat we have raised for Baba to day?Statues are raised for political leaders andheroes and poets. We see in Rajamundryand all over India statues for Gandhiji. Isthis such a statue ? See this piece of paper;as an ordinary paper you do not set muchvalue on it. Send it to.Nasik mint. Rs. 100is printed on it. Then you value the samepaper and keep it carefully for your expenses. Suppose a beautiful image of TirupatiVenkatesha is finely printed on it; youframe it and worship it reverentially in yourBuja room. Unrealised men are likeordinary paper, learned men are like thecurrency note and realised God-men are likethe picture of Venkatesha adored in sanctums. Suppose there is pure gold with you.You make jewels and they are worn by yourwife and daughters who look into themirror and feel complaisant over theirbeauty. Again you make the image of

BABA IS BABA 123

Krishna with the gold; you touch it withreverence and adore it in your Puja room.That is the difference between the statue ofa Godman and that of political leaders.The joy of worship flowing from the divineimage is like the joy of tasting temple pra-sad as distinguished from hotel meals.One is for the soul's hunger and the otherfor stomach's hunger. Baba is not an idolatornor does he advocate ceremonial worshipfor his body. He is not the body of fleshand bone. He does not want a high pedestalfor his seat. I cannot forget an incident inBaba's life evidencing his utter humility.It was 9.a.m. in a sahavas; He strode to theplatform and bowed down to all. Then hesat among men and then among womensaying " I share my feeling with you ofbeing one with you and one of you ". Thenhe washed the feet of seven poor men andgave them money and again worshippedthem saying " Each one of you is ah Avatarof God. I feel happy to bow down to you


and place at your feet this offering. Itouch money only to give it to the poor.I am with you all, in every level. To findme you must lose yourself in my love."

LOVE IS WORSHIP

So the meaning of this statue and thebuilding is cultivation of Baba's Love. Loveis his image; love is the mantra; love isthe prasad. Love is the worship of lovers.

Let us make this centre vibrant withBaba—love. We must keep it bright with theDivine presence so that anyone entering thesacred sanctum must feel electrified withlove like a bar magnet thrust into an induction coil. One must feel the thunderingSilence of the meditative splendour. Thesoul must be soaked in psychic love andmind must be dehypnotised from dogmaticcreeds and patented isms in which dualitiesgo on hounding each other. The GoodPower and bad power must be overpowered

BABA IS BABA 125

by God-Power and God-Love. The mellowvoice of Pure concience, must lead the soullike the mystic force that leads the stellarbodies ahigh, across the night, to minglewith the dawn of peace. The conventionalman is vainly hugging formal foams tossingabove babbling billows and make-believechicaneries. He must wake up and go deepin to silence for bringing out the gems ofhidden wisdom. Baba's Silence is such anintegrated book of gems. His Message isthe saving boat of Grace. It can help ashore,humanity struggling in the stormy waves ofthe Time Spirit. Baba speaks the languageof the heart which far transcends thelanguage of letters. It is the language ofsoul's love.

UNIVERSAL CENTRE

This Mehersthan consecrated to Babamust become a universal institution. Rama-

krishna adored Kali at Dhakshineswar;

that has become a world centre. He lived


at Belur and that has become head quartersof the Ramakrishna mission. Sri Aurobindolived in a house near the seashore of Pondi-chery. His Presence has expanded into ahuge Ashram which the Mother is conducting now. See how Dayalabag expanded bythe meditation of Radhaswami. See howthe hut where Ramana Maharshi livedexpanded into a big Ashram. How I wishthat I meditate here and develop this centreinto a universal Prem-Samaj !

EAST AND WEST AT BABA"S FEET

Baba has a wonderful centrifugal andcentripetal force. We are celebrating theCentinary of Vivekananda who came to thelime light of world recognition on theplatform of the Parliament of Religions,at Chicago. Vivekananda sought Americaand with great difficulty got a place in theworld fair. But Baba brought not onlyChicago but all America, Europe andAurstralia around the ambit of his aura.

BABA IS BABA 127

The world makes a pilgrimage to his

Meherabad. We have witnessed how the

East and the West gathered at His feet.

Word was a burden before that Silent

Presence.

INEFFABLE DIVINITY

Baba is not a miracle monger. I haveseen hundreds of luinineries in the spiritualworld having travelled thrice round theworld and many times round India addres-ing thousands of listening aspirants. But Ihave never met a Perfect Silent Splendourlike Meher Baba. I had the fortune of

meeting rare Hymalayan Saints, perfectMasters like Jnana Siddha, Sai Baba,Upasani Baba, Narayan Maharaj, SiddhaRuda, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo,Gandhiji etc. I have written books uponthem which are popular ; each has his greatness. But Baba is Baba aud Rama is Rama.


RAMA AND BAB A

Can we compare Baba with Rama

and Krishna ? Rama married a wife.

Both went to the forest. There the golden

deer came; Rama ran after it and shot it.

In the mean time Ravana stole into the hut

and carried away Sita. Rama had to wage

a bloody war to retrive Sita.

Our Baba is a celibate. His onlywife is LOVE. He was never deceived by

the illusory golden deer. His wife Lovecan never be approached by the arrogantlustful Ravana. Baba does not want war

even with Ravana. His Sita is always safewith him and her heart of divine love wakes

up in every pure heart.

Rama led an army of monkeys to fight

Ravana. But Baba has an army of human

devotees to fight evil with love.

IS HE KRISHNA ?

Sri Krishna's life is a series of scufflewith cruel enemies. He lived under perilsand he faced demons and finished themplayfully. He loved the Gopies and embracedevery one of them at the same time. HisRasa lila has made history as well as hishelp to Pandavas and Draupati. He inducedthe Maha Bharata War and enthused thedejected Arjuna to fight and conquer theenemies. He gave Gita to humanity throughArjuna and that was the immortal contribution of Sri Krishna for which we adorehim. Did Baba do any one of these ? Ofcourse he gave and he gives a New Gospelof Love ; but that he gives from the untra-melled peace and calmness of Pimpalgaum.Human soul is Baba's Arjuna. The vitalbattle in the mind of man between goodand bad, joy and sorrow, love and hatred ishis Kurukshetra. He speaks silently and wereceive his Gospel of Love silently and act.Baba cannot be a Vamana, the divine

S—9


dwarf who got three feet of land fromMaha Bali and crushed the donor under his

feet. Baba cannot be the Nrisimhavatar who

Jumped out of - a pillar and tore theabdomen of Hiranya and killed himto save his son Prahlada. Baba is not a

Parasurama who killed his mother to obeyhis father. The old Avatars had to wagewar with lethal instruments be they bow,arrow, chakra, trident or spear. They had to,shed the blood of a titan to, save a helplesstribe. Their mission was different.

FLOW OF SOULS

Again I maintain Baba is Baba and Babais modern. His advent i s o f mightyimport. Mercy is the form of Buddha andLove is the form of Baba and that love

speaks in thundering silenee of a meditativeSplendour. Humanity has been hypnotisedby worldly creeds of dogmatists,by the watertight compartment of traditionalritual and ceremonial Isms which constrain

the free soul to steriotyped frameworks.

BABA IS BABA 131

Baba wants us to come out of this framework and allow the soul to flow free fromlove to love in a perennial stream ofconsciousness which leads the soul to the

supreme realisation of 'I am God". Baba

does a silent spade work here and there forthe flow of hunian consciousness throughthe channel of love towards the ocean ofBliss Divine. He wants man to live and feelthat God lives in him and that God alone Is.Men are making noise in press and onplatforms raising parties and isms dividinghumanity already torn to shreds by castes,religions and divisions. Man has not yetsolved the riddle of existence which is

becoming more complicated as hisscientific vanity hits planets. From Know-^thyself of Socretes to the Thing in Itself ofKant, from monism to pluralism, frommoralism to rationalism, from hedonism toexpansionism man has created innumerable isms and finds himself in a cul-de-sacafter all. Yesterday we witnessed a Nazi


labunsram and to day w e witness ared vandalism in the yellow peril that hasovershadowed the crowning glory of India—^Himalayas the abode of holiness.

OUR GREAT STRENGTH

Baba told that day ;— " I am in India ;and victory shall be with India." Thevery next week a unilateral cease fire was

declared and the Chinese forces retreated

from our borders; the Colombo conferencemet, and messengers of Peace began to act.The Silent Presence of Baba in India is our

great strength and asset. He is here to freethe human soul from the grip of oldignorance of the divided mentality. Just asthe silent sun radiates helium, Baba silentlyradiates a Heal-All Love that shall unite

humanity in God.

MILLENNIUM OF PEACE

Atoms bombording one another releasemegatons of energy which is the life of thescientific world; souls in contact with the

BABA IS BABA 133

God in. Baba release Mehertons of cosmicforce which is the life of the spiritual world.Love is the Isonomy of Life and Babaawakens that almighty Love in the heart ofmen. Power politics envisages a push-buttonwar, a nuclear holocaust which shall endhumanity altogether and pulverise thisbrittle globe into a heap of stinking waste.Science must unite with the Soul; mattermust embrace the Spirit, East and westmust go together to solve the problems ofinternational life. The ringed sectarianforts and narrow divisions in the humancamp must dissolve into a mighty flood ofuniversal love and harmony that shabring back a millennium of peace and bliss.

NEW AVATAR

Pesimists ask what is the need for a newAvatar when we have so many back-numbers in the realm of Avatars. To them

we relate a story from the life of GuruNanak. Saint Nanak visited Ludiana aboun-


ding in various types o f make-believesanyasins. They sent him a cup full of milkconnoting that they had no need of himwhen the place was full of saints. Nanakadded a handful of sugar and sent backthe cup connoting " I have come as sugar toyour milk So Baba has come with thesweet message of "Love and Live in God"and that is the switch of a saving energythat shall destroy all human accrimonies.

SEE BABA IN- ALL

When I read the Gita, I see Baba asmy Krishna; when I study the Bible, hecomes before me as the Father in Heavenliving in my heart. As I study the zendAvasta, Ahura Mazdan comes before myvision in the flaming form of Baba. As Ichant the Vedas, Baba says in me "AumShanti . I feel Baba breathing in me andliving as life in my being. His is the law.of my life. Whatever he says is my Gitaa,nd Bible. Do not think'that I am a slave

BAB A IS BABA 135

of colour and dress. I never bought adress in my life. I wear the gift of allnations on my body. I wear all the sevencolours. Japanese gave me this jibbha,friends in Switzerland gave me this alarmwrist watch which I wear to limit myspeech to the time. I possess only God-love.If he wants me to take a cup of tea (whichI never touched in my life) I shall smellit! I live for Baba after seeing sixty fivecbosen saints in my life. My road-wearypilgrim soul has found its sanctuary inBaba.

I LOVE BABA

Many people put me all sorts of questionsbut I answer them with a single sentence" I love Baba with all my heart and heappeals to my soul ". Baba calls himselfGod for God has a right to call himselfGod. Shankara said "Aham Brahmasmi

I am God " you do not object. But whena realised Avatar says I'am God, why do


you look askance ? The present man is toocritical to listen to old tales. He wants

something new. That new Gospel of love andharmony is given by the Silent Splendour.Buddha taught compassion, Christtaught patient mercy, Gandhi taughtAhimsa, Zoraster taught goodness, Shankarataught Thou art That Brahman and Baba inone word taught God-Love and that sumsup all teachings. Behold the ocean intowhich all rivers mingle ̂ behold the Aurorainto which myriad stars dissolve; beholdseveral tastes mingling in a sweet dish !Salt cannot be eaten as it is; mix it withsalad; then it becomes palatable. Even somingle in love with souls ; then life becomessweet. Reeds are many; music is one;ports are many; the ocean is one, namesand forms • are many ; the soul is one;trees are many, the garden is one ; religionsare many ; the goal is one God. Bulbs are

many the light is one, men are many butmankind is one. One current moves the

BABA IS BABA 137

different mechanisms of life; know that; onelight illumines all colour bulbs ; know that.India has a mission in the world and it is todeliver the message of Ekam Sat, Tat TwamAsi-Truth is one and Thou art That. TheRadiogram plays innumerable tunes; butone silent current actuates all. Baba is likethat current. Many varieties of crops growon the earth ; one rain cherishes all ; Babais like that rain. One river cherishesseveral fields; Baba is like that river.

Blessed are they that know Him as Thatfor they shall realise universal harmony mlife. Blessed are they that love Baba withall their heart for they shall fulfil their lifein love of God. Blessed are they thatadore God in Baba for they shall attaindivinity in life. Blessed are they that commune with Baba and hold to his daamanfirmly, for they shall have the protection ofBaba. Blessed are the faithful for theirs isvictory; blessed are the sincere for theirs isthe joy of fulfilment; blessed are the


truthful; for theirs is ,the crown of victoryin life. Hail Baba ! Hail humanity! Hailuniverse ! Hail God in All" AUM !

42. ETERNAL—I

Meher Baba is with you when your love iS'with Him. The Yogi was meditating andcommuning with Baba one day when a pain-was felt in his brain. Deeper communionbrought an accident before him. " This ismy crucifixion. I am not this body; whateverhappens to this body does not affect my soulwhich is God" said a voice. Next dayBaba was smiling like a rose among thistles.The fatal fractures in his body told upoiihis physical health. He does not pretend taphysical immortality. His grave is readyt ere. He does not attribute eternity to-ephemerons. Baba wears body as a garment.He is not limited by finite conditions. He isnot limited to the image that we have installed here. But this is an aid to rememberhim and act as if Baba is watching us every-

ETERNAL—I 139

where. Baba is soul; his word is theuniversal symphony in tune with the soul.To limit him to our mental conceptions and

conventions is equal to saying " God is inmy pocket case". When the soul evolvesfrom animality and humanity to divinity,when life is concentrated in the psychic

spotlight of the Innermost, the conventionalhusk of name and form, time and space andcausality fall away automatically and onerealises the I-am-ness in God the Eternal.Then you can see how Godmen play marbleswith rolling spheres. You can know thenhow they turn silently the wheels of theuniversal mechanism. Baba's Silence is

eloquence of the Ineffable. It is the silentcurrent behind that moves the Talkie. The

Driver oils the car to reach the final

destiny. The dynamo in Baba's car is verysound though the tyre gets tired andpunctured now and then, Baba is the Mastersitting in the car. Even if the car is shatteredhe will get another. Baba shall keep the


body going on until His mission is fulfilled.Yes, it is fulfilled. Thousands of lovershave taken up his mission. He stands onthe summit of God-Consciousness watchingthe march of his army with the telescopeof inward gaze. He is unaffected by thescandal storm below. His smile is anefflorescence of the soul's delight. Hissimplicity is a symbol of his spiritualinnocence. He is a child among childrenand God among men. He has come tokindle divinity and awaken humanity tonatural divinity. He is the Awakeningforce. Sleep not; wake up, standup; havefaith and see with psychic love. The DivineGlory spreads its rays East West Northand South and envelops all souls in ahorizon of circling effulgence. Off withmental doubts and vital desires. Come toBaba whole hearted in love. His touch is akiss of bliss. His look brings out the obscurekernel from your soul. He is an electromagnet of inner attraction. He pours

O MAN ! 141

himself into you when you pour yourselfin sincere surrender into His heart. Helives in you when you live in Him-Commune heart to heart in peaceful lovewith the ETERNAL—^I.

43. O MAN!

O man, hunting after itching pleasureswhich end in pain, listen: You haveexplored and exploited the resources of thesenses for pleasure. Yet you feel a bankruptwithin. Rosy beds and velvet sofas, rich feastsweet drinks and embrace of vital pleasuresdo not satisfy your inner hunger. Openyour eyes within and see the mystery of thesoul. The blind cannot appreciate beautyand deaf a concert. A child cannotappreciate a masterpiece. When the heartis blind to love and faith, man cannotappreciate spiritual life. Be soul-conciousand you can be whole conscious. You livein the stinking flesh a slave to cravings.That is why a prick pains you; a loss un-


balances you. Live in God who is your lifeand breath. God is all-in. all. Do notmake a fetish of your body, moons andzetas. Your nuclear vanity cannot transcendelemental Nature. You cannot create asingle hair. An Almighty has made thisuniverse of beings and becomings. Anomnipotent Master has placed everything inits own place. The eye cannot hear and theear cannot see. Body cannot think nor thebrain walk. The eye cannot see the facewithout a mirror and the lungs cannotbreathe in a vacuum. Surrender in sincerefaith to that Almighty One who has ordained^rth and heaven man and woman to obey

IS natural laws. Who can prevent thethe singing

bird . Who can stop heart beats ? Who canpump life into the dead ? Everything ismeasured and set in harmony by a mystic.Power. There is a meaning in His creation "If the hands and legs are diiferent there isa meaning. If the fingers are unequal, there

O MAN J 143

is a meaning. None can undo God's work.None can transgress His Will. God leadsthe army of devotees to victory. " I amhere ; victory shall be with us here " says He.Believe; the Divine Captain leads us todivinity. Let us all obey Him, follow Himfaithfully and fulfil our destiny in HisGodhood.

This world is a dust in the firmament.

The 250 millions of human creatures homed

in it can be packed in a box ̂ a mile ineach direction; 4500 million years havegone since this earth was born. The humanbeing walks on this planet for the past 200centuries. Man used fire since 9000 years.

Since the days of Bacon and Newton downto the present atomic age, scientific intellec-tualism rules over mankind expanding lifefrom press to Sputnik, Nuclear dynamicssends man to supersonic regions in skyrocket planes. The dreams of astronauts

orbit earth above ionised heights and sendcommunications in electric signals on micro


second pulses. The rocket moon speeds upat an orbital velocity of 25000 miles totouch the natural moon. Supposing manreaches the moon one day? can his naturechange ? The same tragedy of errors shallbe repeated there too. Man has managedthis world very badly leaving 75°/o starvedand the rest shedding blood in wars. Hispacts and tacts are like acts in 'Macbeth'!The solution is dissolution of craving,egoism, lust, greed and envy, and realisation of the ONE THAT IS THE ALL.Man seeks a cosmic age of peace and plenty.He seeks a war-free world whose collectivelife is an efflorescence of the Inner Spiritwhich is the God in man. Nations arestruggling towards that fulfilment and acosmic emergency calls for our immediateattention.

A Leader is needed for this age. TheSILENT SPLENDOUR adored in the

pages of this Book is that Leader 1

o man! 145

Blessed are they that recognise the Incarnate Divine; for theirs is the glory ofexistence! Blessed are they that love andlove; for theirs is the Grace of the DivineBeloved I Blessed are they that have theGrace of the Divine; for theirs is victory inlife! Blessed are they that embrace theDivine; for theirs is the cosmic energywhich works wonders! Blessed are they thatremember the Divine; for theirs is peaceand plenty! Blessed are they that live forthe Divine; for the Divine shall live in them.

Blessed are they that serve the Divine; for

the Divine shall give them strength. Blessedare they that pour themselves into surrender;for the Divine shall pour himself into them,transform their life into a poem of divinity!Blessed are they that give themselves to theDivine for the Divine shall give Himself tothem !

44. GATHER ALL

Gather all, O gather allIn God's universal hallGather all big and smallConscious of the One in all!This life is a rhythmic stream _Flowing between weal and woeThe theme of life is psychic dreamPlaying between yes and no.Summer smiles and winter weepsAutumn plucks the vernal prideBut a songful Something keepsUrging on our onward ride.

Cradle and grave and birth and deathCannot defy Eternal IVital waves can sway the earthThe Real is high in mystic sky.We have the seed; we have the fieldWe have the lead;,we toil boldWe enjoy here a golden yieldAs one mankind in one New World.

GATHER ALL 147

Gather under the canopyOf gracious heaven glowing brightWe are peaceful we are happyOur life is full of love and light.

We live in God; love Him in allGi ve all to Him ; gain all in HimBy His Grace we reach our goal IHAIL SILENT SPLENDOUR AUM I

JAI BABA !

^ Sk(A,(Ldkatn.aMia Bkaxoti

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