Pankhraj with Meher Baba's Mandali

(Standing second from left in white shirt. Others are Bal Natu,Jal, Pendu, Bhau Eruch, Aloba)

Pankhraj was born on the day of Ramnavami in the year 1922 at Kamptee a place near Nagpur. He was thus named Ramchandra by his parents. His earlier education was done at Kamptee High School and later at Patwardhan Higher Secondary School, Nagpur. Later he joined Morris College Nagpur during 1938-39 for his graduation.

At the Morris College Nagpur Pankhraj met Dr. C. D. Deshmukh who was one of the disciples of Meher Baba and the entire college knew him for his commendable knowledge of Spiritual teachings of Meher Baba. All his students in a way or other knew well about Meher Baba, but only a few developed genuine interest in Meher Baba. Pankhraj was one of those dear students for whom Dr. Deshmukh had great affection as he felt more and more interested in Meher Baba. Young and curious Pankhraj desired to go to Meherabad and meet Meher Baba one day and test for himself the stories about Baba’s omniscience.

In the year 1941 it so happened that he left Nagpur for Meherabad without giving any prior notice to the mandli. Baba was in seclusion at that time inside the room at the top of the Meherabad hill. Non was thus allowed to meet Him, just when 19 years old Pankhraj reached Meherabad hill with a list of questions in his mind, to be asked to Meher Baba. He was attended by Vishnu who readily told him that Baba was in seclusion and could not be seen or communicated with.

Pankhraj did not move back but remained at Meherabad underneath a tree waiting for another opportunity to convey his request for darshan to Meher Baba. All the Baba’s mandli observed this young man who was sitting under a tree and repeating his request to be conveyed to Baba. His consistent reminders were conveyed to Meher Baba. On knowing that Pankhraj from Kamptee had come to seek Baba’s darshan, Baba through Vishnu sent a massage to Pankhraj. “Pankhraj should instead first go and have the darshan of Sadguru Narayan Maharaj, if his purse permits”.

With the very specific instruction Pankhraj could immediately understand that Meher Baba was omniscient and was pointing to one of his errors. He fell in tears and begged Vishnu to kindly convey to Baba his apologies and let him kindly have a darshan. Vishnu however was surprised at the instance as what could be the story behind Baba’s massage for Pankhraj and politely inquired. Pankhraj told him that before knowing about Meher Baba he was completely prejudiced about such Saints and Masters. His prejudice had given way to arrogance in openly criticizing them.

It so happened that Shri Narayan Maharaj was often coming to Kamptee the place where Pankhraj was born and brought up and visited His disciples and a temple which was close to their residence. While the people of Kamptee visited the house where Shri Narayan Maharaj was giving darshan, Pankhraj sat on the verandah of the opposite house and always criticize Shri Narayan Maharaj for being a fake Saint as Maharaj always wore silk cloths and diamond rings, which was contrarery to Pankhraj’s idea of a Spiritual person.

As a young boy at that time Pankhraj could not understand what he was doing under the impulse of prejudice, held by him in criticizing a real Perfect Master in His physical presence. The pinch of salt in Baba’s very first order made Pankhraj understand the omniscience of Baba, as there was otherwise no obvious reason for Baba to ask Pankhraj to submit to Shri Narayan Maharaj’s, first.

Through Vishnu Master Pankhraj prayed to Baba for forgiveness and darshan. Pankhraj was however allowed to have darshan and Baba came out of the room for a few minutes. Pankhraj with his long sustained opinion about Saints and Masters expected the Sadguru in rags but was astonished to see the divine beauty of Meher Baba, and fell at his feet , thus transforming his life and self to a altogether amended and different path, for the rest of his life.

Transformed from within, Pankhraj returned to Nagpur and resumed his normal hardships of life. Although outwardly every thing was in the same fashion, but deep within him a fire was burning and a longing to be in communion with the Master persisted and continued through letters and correspondence. Dr. Deshmukh, a remarkable philosopher and disciple of Meher Baba, was holding the key to the communication between Pankhraj and Baba. Pankhraj exchanged through him letters which were rewarded with Meher Baba’s replies.

Pankhraj, after meeting Baba, felt absolute change and while implying his fullest strength to the work and duties, his inner voice to renounce the world and join Baba, as one of His mandli persisted. His desire to acquire a passport for Meherabad became stronger and stronger from within. Baba in His most acclaimed fashion, always kept Pankhraj’s request finely balanced between materialization and post-ponement. Although Pankhraj was always asked to wait for the appropriate time, the good lad was never tired of pursuing Baba for granting such visa to the Ashram.

One fine morning perhaps in 1944, as Pankhraj was hurriedly preparing for his regular morning routine, the doorbell rang and reluctantly he opened the door. He found standing on the door one of the mandli and a close disciple of Baba, Murli Kale carrying a letter from Baba, for Pankhraj which was instructed to be personally handed over at his residence.

Pankhraj asked this pleasing personality, Murli Kale standing in the door. Whom do you want, he said?. For a moment Pankhraj thought, it was someone approaching to make certain inquiry. Smilingly the young man on the door asked, are you Pankhraj. I have a letter for you. Pankhraj for a moment thought ” it must be some appointment letter”. He opened the letter carelessly. This letter was from the One without a Second, Meher Baba.

In his mixed reaction filled with surprise and happiness Pankhraj read the news from Baba, which contained a small note which changed his life at once. The letter instructed Pankhraj to :-

“Be in readiness to leave everything and come to Me”- Meher Baba.

Those who knew Baba and His ways would not be surprised to learn that actually it never happened but, it was one of His famous vaccinations for detachment that was used once again to keep Pankhraj always prepared to leave everything, when called, and join Baba.

Pankhraj often told me that this gave him immense strength and confidence, as he always felt that he was never made for this world but was always Meher Baba’s. In this readiness Pankhraj remained always prepared to leave everything and join Baba. And however it is equally true that Pankhraj did everything possible in his life for spreading Meher Baba’s name in all corners with the gift of his excellent narration skills. Off-course he did everything as an ardent disciple, except joining the Ashram, as a permanent resident.

The message in the letter was clear. It was more important to be in readiness than to actually leave anything. Meher Baba’s words were always from in His divine foresight. They conveyed the truth of truths. But Pankhraj had gained one more thing from the letter which was a band of trusted friend-ship with Murli Kale, the bearer of the letter, which continued and later cherished in Jabalpur. It was long after Murli Kale’s death, that Pankhraj’s daughter Meera married Murli’s son Niket Kale.

Baba was very specific with Pankhraj and had issued certain orders to him. One of which was to repeat Baba’s name twice a day for a certain number of times, as instructed, and the other more significant order was for celibacy and observance of a strict physical distance from any women above seven years of age. In course of time the understanding and his love for Baba had grown manifolds, and Pankhraj had become a familiar face at Meherabad, acquiring a status of a regular visitor for the darshan programs.

Pankhraj availed an opportunity to come, stay, and see the fine ways in which Meher Baba worked during the various darshan and tour program, held from time to time . During the year 1947 when the freedom movement in India was at peek and the dream of an independent country, free from the British rule emerged as a early possibility, it was then in April 1947 that Baba decided to give darshan at Madras, and thus after a pause of long 13 years Baba stayed at the house of Sampath Aiyangar. Dr. C. D. Deshmukh and Pankhraj joined the close group from Nagpur, at Aiyangar house, and spent the days with Baba.

- by Meera Kale

Proxy Bride Story

R.P.Pankhraj

Pankhraj respected much one of his school teachers who was also staying in their neighborhood at Kampti. This school teacher, Mr. Raje had a large family and the eldest of his daughter was Tara. She was working in one of the Govt. Departments. Pankhraj and Tara developed mutual respect for each other and in course of time began thinking of tying the wedding knot together. Tara always knew that Pankhraj was a devotee of Meher Baba and has always been asking Baba for permission to join his ashram. But in spite of this uncertainty that Baba may call him for good and he may leave the worldly belongings, Tara decisively kept the fire in her heart intact.

With mutual understanding the Raje family also came in contact with Baba and Tara also felt drowned towards Baba and accepted Baba’s instructions as a key to their life. Pankhraj and Tara often requested Baba for permission for their wedding and guidance. Meher Baba however always kept postponing the issue regarding their marriage. As Pankhraj had the orders not to touch any women above seven years of age they thus could not marry until permitted by Baba.

Both of them repeatedly raised the issue humbly before Baba as the pressure from the parents was consistently increasing for Tara to enter wedlock, as being the eldest daughter. Even due to this uncertainty in their life Tara’s younger sisters wedding was performed by their parents. On persistently making efforts to contact Baba Pankhraj received a Telegram from Meher Baba:-

16th Oct 1949 Telegram Pankhraj Darjee Mohalla Kamptee – CONTACT COMMUNICATION IMPOSSIBLE STOP LIVE YOUR USUAL LIFE WITH ASSURANCE OF MY DEEP LOVE – BABA

Later when the issue regarding Pankhraj’s marriage became much delayed Baba sent a letter to Pankhraj which said

” In the year 1950 both you and Tara Raje should go to Baba. In the presence of Baba both of you should shake hands with each other and subsequent to this meeting you should return home and enter into wedlock.” Baba sends His love and blessings to you both.” Yours brotherly, Adi K. Irani.

During the year 1950 on October the 16th Baba stepped down from the New life, to the old life for a few hours and wanted all gathered there to write down on a paper the things that they wanted to discuss with Baba and to seek His guidance.

Pankhraj wrote about his impending wedding with Tara Raje ordered by Baba to be only performed in Baba’s presence. As the gathering was for the men mandli only Pankhraj had not brought his fiancée with him and this was another of his problems. Baba in His humorous ways, as ever sorted out a solution, for the problem and commanded old Gustadgi to stand near Pankhraj as Tara, or a proxy bride.

In the presence of all Baba blessed the couple and performed the wedding of Pankhraj, by Gustadji standing as a proxy Bride. Meher Baba called Kalemama, one of Baba’s senior Mandli to stand behind the couple and chant some mantras to make the occasion realistic. Kalemama who often read “Bhagwat Geeta” for Baba, read a few couplets as Mantra’s for the occassion. The “proxy bride” represented by Gustad ji and the groom Pankhraj garlanded and embraced each other and bowed down to Baba. Meher Baba expressed to Pankhraj that “I have performed your wedding with Tara and you may go back to your home and get married to her in any fashion you like”.

It was a delightful experience for the mandli before they were back to the New life. Every one congratulated the couple. Meher Baba had reaffirmed His commitment to the New life once again, and here the poor couple forgot to beg to Meher Baba for exemption from His orders “Not to touch a women above seven years of Age”. Although, Pankhraj and Tara wedded each other before the marriage registrar on the 3rd of December 1950 at Nagpur.

They had already realized that they had forgotten to ask Baba to relax one of the orders for Pankhraj “Keep strict physical distance from any girls above seven years of age.” Meher Baba created such situations in the life of their disciples that put their faith and obedience to the hardest possible tests. But Baba’s love so prevailed that even the toughest conditions were easiest to obey with His grace. The new couple had already suffered humiliation from their families as their wedding had been postponing for Baba’s suitable orders. Even the younger sister of Tara had married with due permission from the parents, by availing the benefit of the uncertainty of this divinely planned wedding.

Meher Baba had re-entered the New life and was unapproachable for being asked to allow any further relaxations. The newly weds however could not help but wait for a moment of earliest communication with Baba, while without any question implicitly obeying the Masters orders they kept absolute physical distance with each other while staying in the same house, for a number of months.

It was how the life and the surrendarence to the Guru was tested in companionship with Meher Baba. In such times, when people compete for more and more material pleasure, the exemplary abstinence of a newly married couple for an indefinite period while staying in the same house, in order to obey and please their spiritual Teacher was an example of the paramount order and will certainly be remembered for centuries for exemplary obedience.

Meher Baba returned back from New Life in the January of 1951 and Pankhraj had an opportunity to communicate and get an amendment to the standing orders and was allowed to touch his wife. Baba was however very compassionate towards Pankhraj and his family and often remembered them.

In the year 1953 Pankhraj was staying in Qr. No D/12/4 , Govt. Staff Qrs., Amravati Road, Ravi Nagar, Nagpur, which was allotted to his wife who was work ing in the Education Dept. at DPI office. Meher Baba’s visit to Nagpur was scheduled and Pankhraj managed to get Baba’s acceptance for a personal visit to bless their house. Baba instructed Pankhraj that He wanted rest and no one should be told about the visit. Pankhraj agreed and reached the place where Baba was staying to escort Him to his residence.

To their surprise when Meher Baba reached Pankhraj’s house they found that the news had some how already broken that Meher Baba is visiting the place and several persons had already gathered and were eagerly awaiting. Baba smiled at Pankhraj who had promised Baba good and quite rest in his house. Any way, Baba happily came to the house and was welcomed. Meher Baba gave darshan to the gathering of persons accumulated at Pankhraj’s house and also allowed His prayers and Arti to be performed.

Meher Baba stayed in Pankhraj’s house for a few hours and after the distribution of prasad, proceeded. During this visit of Baba Pankhraj’s son Anand was nearly one year old and was only taking milk. Mrs. Tara Pankhraj wished that Anand should start eating food with Baba’s hand and during the same visit at Dr. Kher’s house at Nagpur when all gathered for darshan, Baba called her near and lovingly gave the child prasad with His own hands as a divine blessings, as his “Annaprashana”.

Baba called Pankhraj’s son Anand as little Gustadji as Baba performed the wedding of Pankhraj and Tara by proxy of Gustadji standing in place of the Bride. Baba always remembered to mention this wick in His correspondence with the Pankhraj family. This little Gustadji often went to darshan programs of Meher Baba along with his parents. Once during 1957 on the 18th of March when Pankhraj had been to Sakori to meet Baba, at Sakori this little Gustadji was allowed to even sing Baba’s Arti in Marathi in the presence of Baba. Pankhraj had the opportunity to be with Baba during the Andhra tour program from 18th to 20th Jan 1953. The reference and photographs of Pankhraj and his family are available in most of the reference books on Baba.

Later Pankhraj family moved to Jabalpur and another girl child was born to them. Pankhraj sent a photograph of the new arrival to Meher Baba and to which Baba replied by naming her as MEERA. Anand and Meera had the opportunity to visit Meherabad or Pune as little children and received Baba’s blessings. They attended Madhusudhan’s wedding in 1959 and the East-West gathering and also the final darshan of Meher Baba during January 1969. Once Baba dictated a letter to Meera. Some portion of which is represented below though translated in English.

“Baba’s very dear Meera, Your sweet song dt. 15th Septem ber reached today and was read out to Baba which made Him very happy. You are Baba’s Meera and you have a fire in your heart alike Meera. The rays of this flame will spread through your songs in the future and you will become illumined like Meera. You are very dear to Baba and Baba is ever present in your little heart. You should sing songs and please Baba. Baba sends His love and bless ings to His dear Meera and wants His Meera to convey His love to daddy, mummy and Anand”.
At Jabalpur Pankhraj became the Secretary of Avatar Meher Baba Center, and widely traveled for Baba’s work in several parts of Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh. While working in the State Electricity Board, he retired as Regional Accounts Officer, and later passed away in 1988 on December 14th. Mandli sent a Telegram to Jablalpur after receiving the news of the passing away of Pankhraj.

“UNEXPECTED NEWS OF OUR DEAR PANKHRAJS DEMISE SHOCKED MEHERAZAD MEHERABAD MANDLI. OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO BEREAVED FAMILY WE WILL MISS OUR DEAR PANKHRAJ. WE SALUTE HIS STEADFAST LOVE AND DEVOTION TO HIS BELOVED LORD AVATAR MEHER BABA.
-ERUCH-

In the Convocation Hall

(Reproduced from “Glimpses of the God Man” – by Bal Natu. With kind permission of the Sheriar Press)

The Baba people with whom I became acquainted at Nagpur were Pankhraj, Kapashe, Lokhande and a few others. Pankharaj had been caught in the divine net two years earlier and was one of Baba’s active workers. When Baba came to Nagpur He gave Pankharaj a specific duty. Baba had instructed Vishnu to wire him every day in care of Dr. Deshmukh regarding the welfare of the men and women mandali at Aurangabad. Pankharaj was to collect the telegrams and hand them over to Baba. A simple thing. For three days it all went well, but on November 14 Pankharaj did not get the expected telegram. In the afternoon Baba called him and inquired about the wire. Baba looked a bit annoyed to learn that the telegram had not arrived. Considering Baba’s huge correspondence, this telegram was a small affair; however, I wish to narrate this episode in detail for it revealed something of Baba’s relationship with His lovers and His keen interest in every instruction that He gave. Baba said, “Vishnu won’t fail to send the telegram.” Pankharaj replied, “Baba, these are days of war, and top priority is given to military and not public communications.” This was his common sense point.

Baba persisted, “Go to the post office. Inquire well and bring me the telegram. There could be a mistake somewhere.”

After a short time Pankharaj set out for the post office, and Baba proceeded to the Convocation Hall with the mandali. The program in this hall was one of the grand functions in Nagpur. Justice W. R. Puranik, Vice-Chancellor of Nagpur University, had arranged this program. Principals, professors, judges, lawyers and mostly educated people had gathered to hear Baba’s message and have His darshan. Baba looked very radiant — there was a loveliness and beauty about Him. Some prominent persons were introduced to Baba, and a few delivered short speeches in His honor. During this solemn program Baba spotted Pankharaj standing near the far end by the door. He looked at him and gestured to ask if the telegram had been received. Pankharaj shook his head to express no. Later in my life with Baba I witnessed other such silent communications, which were carried on with the persons concerned without disturbing the public programs.

During this darshan program the Honorable Justice Sir Niyogi read Baba’s message, “The Unity of All Life,” a part of which is given below:

In the one undivided and indivisible Ocean of Life you have, through ignorance, created the pernicious divisions based upon sex, race, nationality, religion or community; and you allow these self-created divisions to poison your heart and pervert your relationships … Slowly but surely must you imbibe … Truth at the feet of the Masters of Wisdom; slowly but surely must you shed prejudices and get disentangled from the superficial distinctions, … slowly but surely must you tread the Path to the formless and the nameless One …

When you enthrone the nameless One in your mind-heart, you do not necessarily put an end to the game of duality. You have to play your divine role in the drama of creation without being caught up in duality … The unity of life has to be experienced and expressed in the very midst of its diverse experiences … All life is One and all divisions are imaginary. Be ye established in this eternal Truth which I bring.[i]

A Wonderful Way of Replying to a Letter

The program in Convocation Hall was one of the best. The next day Baba was to visit Saoner. Special cars and buses were reserved to take the mandali there. After supper Baba called Pankharaj and said, “Tomorrow I am visiting Saoner. You should not join the mandali in the morning but come by a later bus after today’s telegram is received.”

Then Pankharaj was again called at about 9:00 P.M. for the same inquiry. In exasperation he answered, “No telegram. I have made the necessary inquiries. What else can I do in this matter? I can’t help.”

At this Baba asked Adi Sr., who was standing by His side, “Had Chanji been alive to attend to the correspondence, what would have been his reply?”

Adi promptly replied: “Definitely not like that of Pankharaj. He would have humbly said, ‘I will try once more, Baba.’”

This served as a reply to the letter Pankharaj had addressed to Baba two months earlier. He had expressed his desire to work in place of Chanji, who had dropped his body in August 1944. Baba called Pankharaj near Him and twisted his ear and remarked, “Do you now know how competent you are for Chanji’s work?”

Pankharaj felt very sorry about his reply but was happy, too, with that “pleasing punishment” which, in fact, was an
expression of divine intimacy. Was this not a wonderful way of replying to the letter?

At about midnight Kaka Baria woke Pankharaj up, for he was being called by Baba. Pankharaj hesitatingly went into Baba’s room but felt at home on finding Baba in a very happy mood. Baba conveyed through the alphabet board: “Someone handed over the telegram to Kaka on his way to the bathroom. He placed it in a drawer of a mirror-stand and then completely forgot about it. A little while ago when Kaka went there again, he chanced to open the drawer and found the telegram. Go. Have a good rest. Do join the mandali going to Saoner without fail.”

In a minute Pankharaj came out of Baba’s room wondering about His ways — so exacting, so loving!

[i] Messages, pp. 74, 75.

Pankhraj gets Married

Pankhraj weds Tara bai

(Story reproduced from “Glimpses of the God Man” – by Bal Natu. With kind permission of the Sheriar Press).

The previous night all the Baba people staying in different hotels were advised that if anyone had had any difficulty in obeying Baba’s orders which had been given to him in the Old Life, he should bring that point to Baba’s notice. Such people were to write their problems on separate notes which were to be handed over to Baba the next day. After a short break the morning session continued. Baba inquired whether all had come back. Then He allotted time to attend to these problems. As Baba learnt the contents of each note, He spontaneously offered concessions or suggested adequate changes in the previous instructions. All these little alterations expressed Baba’s deep spiritual insight, tempered with His sense of humor. This was most evident in the case of Pankhraj, who was earlier asked by Baba to get married in His physical presence. Before coming to this topic, I wish to relate a short account of Pankhraj’s previous contact with Baba which reveals Baba’s omniscience in drawing His dear ones to Him.

In 1940 Pankhraj was studying in a college at Nagpur. During summer vacation, he chanced to read some spiritual literature which impressed him so much that he decided to discontinue his education, much to the displeasure of his father. Instead of having a degree to lead a so-called rich and respectable life, he resolved to be a simple aspirant and seeker of Truth. He commenced leading a life of strict spiritual discipline. He took vegetarian food without salt, slept on a rough bed, maintained a day-to-day diary in which he wrote about his own weaknesses and made confessions. He formed a small group and prepared a code of conduct. He became a sadhak (an aspirant). This was not only a sudden but also a complete change from the life he had led in college. During his college days Pankhraj was a good sport and keen participant in college activities. He did not then have any interest in spirituality. In fact he used to criticize the lives of the saints. However, years earlier as a child there had been a time when for days and months he used to repeat the name of God, Rama, continuously for hours. Perhaps the seeds of spirituality had thus been sown in his childhood.

In July 1940, he attended a talk by Deshmukh on “The Need for the Awakener”. The Awakener’s (Baba’s) message of love touched his heart. As he read and heard more and more about Baba, he felt that Baba was the personification of love and the embodiment of beauty. The more he became one pointed in his allegiance to Baba, the more he severed his connections with his former group of semi-ascetics.

In 1941 he got a temporary job in his father’s office filling in for a clerk who had a 20 day earned leave. The day he received his first pay envelope, he decided to spend the money on a visit to Meherabad to see Baba. Dr. Deshmukh told him that Baba’s whereabouts were not known. He suggested to him that he get an appointment. But in his fervor to see the Beloved, Pankhraj was not ready to wait any longer. He boarded a train at Nagpur and got down at the Ahmednagar railway station. He had not been to this place before; however, in one of the books on Meher Baba he had seen a picture of the Meher Retreat on the hill and remembered that it was by the railway track.

With this meager information he started walking along the railway lines until he reached the top of the hill. There he saw Pendu supervising some construction work. From him he learnt that Baba was not at Meherabad and he felt very sad. Pendu, who was the manager at Meherabad, nevertheless permitted him to stay in the ashram, down the hill. It was here that after so many months he drank tea and slept on a mattress. He gradually realized that Baba expected His devotees to lead a normal life of love and service, in His wholehearted remembrance, without imposing unnecessary restrictions. If you get a plain meal don’t grumble, if you have a feast don’t indulge. Parading of spirituality vitiates the core of spiritual life.

Coincidentally the next morning, Baba arrived at Meherabad and was busy calling different members of the mandali. They were meeting Him after a year’s absence, resulting from His extended mast tours and seclusion. As they were called to receive specific instructions, Pankhraj, through Vishnu, conveyed his request for darshan to Baba. But it being a phase of seclusion and special spiritual work, Baba refused to see him.

Pankhraj had come to Meherabad with the intention and mental preparation of staying permanently near Baba, but he found that he was not allowed to have even a glimpse of the One at whose feet he wanted to surrender his entire life. This was quite shocking. Instead, Baba sent a message that if Pankhraj could afford to, he might pay a visit to Kedgaon for the darshan of Shri Sadguru Narayan Maharaj, one of Baba’s Masters. This was quite an unusual instruction. But it carried hidden significance. Pankhraj loved Baba but he was very skeptical about His Masters, especially Upasni Maharaj and Narayan Maharaj because of the perverted information published in a few Marathi journals. He had neither the urge nor the money to spend on this visit to Kedgaon. This message, though not acted upon, nevertheless helped Pankhraj to shed his misgivings about Baba’s Masters. To be able to accept Baba as BABA on his terms, needs not only inner guidance but also His grace.

The denial of darshan greatly upset Pankhraj. In obedience to Baba’s instructions he left the ashram, but remained sitting under a tree by the roadside asking each of the mandali going up the hill to place his “case” before Baba for reconsideration. He could not refrain from sobbing and weeping bitterly. After his going through a period of agony and restlessness for a fairly long time, Vishnu came with heart-warming news from Baba. Pankhraj was summoned by the Beloved, and in raptures he followed Vishnu up the hill. He was asked to stop at a distance of about 50 feet from Baba who was then standing on a cement platform under a tree. He wore a silk coat and looked very radiant. In the period of “special working”, Baba would not allow anyone other than the resident mandali to come closer to His person. Pankhraj saw Baba; and His divine splendor stirred his soul to its depth. His joy knew no bounds. He stood gazing at Baba. Nothing was asked or conveyed orally but his heart communed with the Beloved’s. After a few minutes, Baba gestured, “Isn’t it enough? Now leave.”

On the way down the hill, Vishnu asked Pankhraj some personal information about him and his family members and especially inquired as to why he wished to stay near Baba. According to Baba’s instruction, Vishnu said to him, “If Baba gives you sufficient wealth to provide for all the amenities of life, will you be happy?” “I have not come here for this,” was Pankhraj’s reply. When this was conveyed to Baba, He was pleased and He called Pankhraj again for a second darshan. At this time Pankhraj was told that he would be called after a year or so and that Baba might then give him certain instructions which he should wholeheartedly follow. He was also instructed to return directly to Nagpur. However, before he left Meherabad another message communicated to him was that Baba’s nazar (protective blessings) would be on him. With Baba’s initial refusal to see him, Pankhraj found himself in the valley of dejection, but Baba’s subsequent intimate concern and loving messages lifted him up to the skies. Baba, at times, used and is still using this “pushing away and drawing closer” technique to awaken the hearts of His dear ones to His love.

With a very warm heart Pankhraj left Ahmednagar. He had a passing thought to get down at Chitali, to see Upasni Maharaj at Sakori. But Baba’s instruction to go straight home made him drop the idea. When he got down at Bhusaval, he saw the connecting train for Nagpur standing on the next platform. Instead of directly getting into it, his mind lured him into walking round the city before catching the next train. What a vain thought! It was the trick of the Devil tempting him to swerve from the spirit of obedience to the Master. Poor Pankhraj succumbed to it and after roaming about in the city he returned to the station but boarded the wrong train. Only after great inconvenience did he reach Nagpur but at least the lesson he learned stayed with him for the rest of his life: never to alter with selfish motive any of Baba’s instructions. After Baba’s darshan at Meherabad, he witnessed a considerable change taking place within him. The rigidity of sadhana was replaced by liveliness. He realized that Baba’s guiding hand had been silently at work during the so-called good and bad times of his earlier life. They had all been designed to lead him to Meherabad for the darshan of the Eternal Beloved and the opening of a new chapter in his life.

In the summer of 1942 Pankhraj was specially called to Dehra Dun. Baba directed him to follow a few specific instructions and this gave him a strong feeling of being accepted by Baba. The years passed by and he came into closer contact with Baba. He wished to remain a bachelor but circumstances took such a turn that he had to ask Baba whether he should get married or not. Baba permitted him to remain engaged to a girl, another Baba lover. The marriage, however, was to take place in Baba’s august presence. Time rolled on and Baba entered the New Life. In this phase, no one from the Old Life was allowed to see or correspond with Baba. So Pankhraj refrained from getting married. In the meeting at Mahabaleshwar, Baba permitted His dear ones to put forth their difficulties, if any, with the previous instructions given by Him.

In the course of the notes that were read out to Baba, Pankhraj’s case was also brought to His notice. Only men were invited to this meeting so Pankhraj’s fiancee, though a Baba lover, had not come. With a smile Baba asked dear old Gustadji to stand up. He was to play the role of Pankhraj’s “bride”. Amidst laughter, Baba asked Pankhraj and Gustadji to come closer to Him and to shake hands as husband and wife. They did so and Baba blessed the couple! He then instructed Pankhraj to go home and get married in any way he liked. Pankhraj wished to perform the wedding without any pomp or traditional ceremonies. So he visited the Registrar’s office with Tara Raje, the bride, and in Meher Baba’s loving remembrance, Rama Pankhraj and Tara signed the register. It was a human attestation to the Divine Registration! To this day, in their united love for Baba, the Real Beloved, Rama and Tara are leading a happy married life.

Baba thus attended, very lovingly, to one and all the questions brought before Him by His disciples and devotees. Rama Pankhraj’s case is enough, I think, to give an idea of the magnitude of the other problems presented as well as of the love and loyalty with which Baba lovers obeyed and still obey Baba’s instructions. When this item of dealing with the difficulties was over Baba looked relieved and switched to the next subject.

Decisions about Accompanying Baba

Baba first asked the servant companions about their decisions. He made it clear that if anyone or all of them wished to stay behind, He would provide for each good boarding arrangements plus some pocket money! Baba of Himself asked Vishnu to attend to the lodging and food arrangements of the women staying at Hyderabad. Nilu was sick and so he did not attend this session. Murli decided to stay behind. Donkin very devotedly said, “Baba, my heart will go with you but my body shall stay at Hyderabad.” The remaining six servants, Pendu, Gustadji, Baidul, Eruch, Kaka and Kaikobad, decided to be with Baba.

Then turning to the visitors, Baba asked those to stand up who were willing to go with Him for four months, accepting the conditions laid down by Him. Out of 75 Baba lovers, 15 showed their readiness to accompany Baba through thick and thin. They were: Minoo Kharas, Nana Kher, Pankhraj, Goma Ganesh, Sailor Mama, Todi Singh, Kishan Singh, Daulat Singh, Pritam Singh, Gadekar, Babadas, Shripat Sahai, Kain, P. D. Nigam (Pukar) and A. C. S. Chari. The Arrangementwallas were not to consider anything about this subject as they were given certain duties from the beginning of the New Life. Baba concluded, “Today you have decided for yourself; tomorrow I will decide for each of you. As for me, whatever I have already declared is final.” Baba continued, “In fact, this New Life [phase] is only for me. I began it on October 16, 1949. Till now, although I am leading the New Life, I have not been able to live it as I wanted to. In the coming period of four months, I want to live the whole of the New Life and end it for me.”

But as it turned out, Baba did not call anyone to stay with Him. However, in April 1947, He visited Madras and held an open darshan program. One of the conditions of attending this program was that the visitors could have Baba’s darshan and personal contact only once, after which they had to leave. Three Baba lovers from Nagpur — Kapse, Nana Kher and Pankhraj — duly reached Madras and arrived at Meher Bhawan, in Saidapeth. Because of the condition of having darshan only once, the three did not join the line of those waiting to see Baba, but instead continued to feast their eyes on Baba’s graceful, radiant figure by looking at Him through the windows of the room where Baba was sitting on a specially adorned seat. Soon the morning program was over without the three having ever entered the darshan room.

Later, when Baba was resting in His room, He sent a message to the three to present themselves before Him. When they were ushered into Baba’s presence, He joked with them about their method of observing His order. He asked each one if he had anything special to ask Him. Since the period of two years was over, and since his parents were pressing him to marry, Nana opened the topic with Baba. Baba conveyed, “If you wish to get married, I give you my permission and blessings.” Nana explained that it was not a question of his wanting to get married, his only interest in the matter was to do as Baba wished.

Hearing this, Baba asked if he was in love with anyone or if anyone was in love with him. Nana’s reply was, “No, Baba.” Then Baba asked him to confess if he had touched any girl with a lustful intention. Nana again answered, “No, Baba.” These replies pleased Baba very much. He gestured, “Then why don’t you marry me?” Nana, not knowing how to respond, mumbled, “Yes, Baba, that is best.”

At the close of the interview the group feared that Baba would ask them to leave for Nagpur at once, but He graciously permitted them to attend all the programs during the darshan days in Madras and they felt overjoyed.

Ransack a Good Bank

Baba’s earlier plan of holding a meeting of one month in February, 1946 had been canceled. However, in His message for spiritual workers, Baba assured them that He would give certain instructions which would help them to lead a life of Love and Truth. Nana, having resolved to totally surrender to Baba, sought an opportunity to ask Baba if he could volunteer as one of Baba’s workers.

In December, 1947 he visited Ahmednagar and through Adi conveyed his intention to Baba. Though in partial seclusion, Baba asked Adi to bring Nana with him to Meherazad. Baba asked him, “Why have you come?” Nana explained that he had come in response to Baba’s circular — to receive instructions from Him. Baba looked happy. The first and foremost condition to be His worker, Baba explained, was to obey Him implicitly. Nana said that he was willing to do this.

Baba continued, “Will you do whatever I ask you to?” Nana answered, “Yes, Baba!” “Will you cut the throat of your father as soon as you go home, if I ask you to?” Nana unhesitatingly replied, “Yes, Baba.” With a smile on His face Baba continued, “Leave that aside. But can you give me 4,000,000 rupees within two months?” Nana again replied, “Yes, Baba.” “How?” Baba countered. Nana told Him that he would go from door to door and do his best to collect the required money. Baba interjected, “You won’t be successful if you follow that method. But if you ransack a good bank you can come off well! You can give me the money and then go off to prison for a number of years. Are you prepared for this?” Nana, with devout obedience, responded, “Surely.” “Go and do it then,” Baba gestured. At this Nana turned and began to walk away. Just then Baba called him back and expressed His happiness over Nana’s readiness to follow His commands and added that He neither wanted money, nor the life of Nana’s father. Time and again, Baba has brought to the notice of His close ones that what He really wants from them is their lives in complete surrender to Him and nothing else.

Baba continued, “If you want to dedicate yourself to my cause, you must be free from any personal liability.” Nana brought up the problem of disposing of the shop that he owned. Baba permitted him to transfer ownership into the name of his mother. He then asked Nana to visit Ahmednagar again on an appointed day. He was told to walk the distance from Nagpur to Ahmednagar barefoot and beg for his food. He was to carry no extra clothing, only the shirt and pants he had on. Baba also told him that without hurting the feelings of his parents he had to tell them that he was going to stay with Baba permanently.

On his return to Nagpur it was hard for Nana to convince his old and loving parents to permit him to walk barefooted. They requested Baba to withdraw this order and also the order of begging for food. Baba agreed. Then there was a change in Baba’s plans. He soon commenced the New Life phase and Nana’s hopes of meeting Him and leading a life under His guidance seemed to have ended. But then, after a year and a half, Baba called him for a two-week stay at Meherabad in November, 1952 and then asked Him to accompany Him on His Fiery Free Life tour.

Through the sharing of such stories, our evenings were spent happily in Baba’s loving remembrance. As the days passed, the momentum for the Fiery Free Life was building.

Baba Leaves Mahabaleshwar for Hamirpur

In the third week of January 1954, Eruch informed Adi of the final dates for Baba’s darshan tours in Hamirpur and Andhra. Adi wrote Baba asking to be excused from these tours as his health was not good and, in addition, he had to attend to a lot of correspondence. Baba, however, directed Adi to report to Mahabaleshwar immediately.

So, on January 26, Adi was in Mahabaleshwar. Baba gave Adi some general instructions about work at the office and also at Meherabad. Baba concluded by telling Adi that although he could miss the Hamirpur tour, he had to accompany Him when He went to Andhra, no matter what. Not only that, but he was ordered to come to Mahabaleshwar on February 19, the day Baba was to leave for Andhra, to drive Baba to Poona where they would board the train for Vijayawada.

For the Hamirpur trip, Gustadji, Ramjoo, Jal (Baba’s brother), Pendu, Eruch, Aloba, Kumar, Bhau and Kishan Singh were to accompany Baba from Mahabaleshwar. Baidul had been previously sent to Poona by Baba for some work and was supposed to rejoin the group there. In addition, Sadashiv Patel (also known as Patil), along with Dhake, Chhagan, Sidhu, Savak Kotwal, Yeshwantrao and Krishnaji were also to join the party at Poona. Meherjee was to meet and accompany them from Bombay onward, while Nana Kher and Pankhraj of Nagpur were allowed to join the mandali at the Itarsi railway station.

Before leaving Mahabaleshwar, Baba told the mandali that in the upcoming programs, thousands of people would come for His darshan and hundreds of them would rush to get closer to Him, to touch Him, especially to bow down at His feet. Baba also conveyed that His health was not good and that it would be the responsibility of those traveling with Him to carry Him as if He were a “flower” so that after the darshan tours of Hamirpur and Andhra, He would arrive back in Mahabaleshwar still fresh and blooming.

The crowd surged around Baba’s car and, despite requests from the mandali, refused to budge. In fact, those closest to the car probably could not have moved even if they had wanted to as so many others at the back of the crowd were pressing forward to try and get a glimpse of Baba. Seeing their enthusiasm, Baba agreed to come out and give darshan if they would all sit in an orderly fashion. Within five minutes about fifteen hundred people were sitting quietly around a platform in front of the dispensary. Baba, with His glowing eyes and a soft radiance about Him, sat on the platform so all could see Him.

At such times, there often appeared on Baba’s face a serene sweetness which is impossible to describe but which melted the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to witness it. Baba’s compassion and love were so divinely blended that the poor villagers felt themselves immeasurably enriched at having His darshan.

Baba dictated on His board:

If you have rock-like faith in God and flame-like love for God, nothing in this world will affect you. Flattery will not touch you, happiness will not humor you, misery will not trouble you.

I give you all My blessings to love Me and find that God alone is Real, and that will make you rise above this imaginary phenomenon and make you understand that BABA alone is Real.

At the close of this program, Nana Kher and Pankhraj sang Baba’s arti in Marathi, which had been composed by Dr. C.D. Deshmukh. The refrain was, “Meher Baba, Sri Guruuraya … ” (O Meher Baba, glorious majestic Master! Bowing down to your feet, O Purifier, we perform your arti with the flame of love.) This arti was sung throughout both the Hamirpur and Andhra tours of 1954.

Manik was greatly alarmed to hear this. He requested his officer, Mr. Amritraj, “to do something, for God’s sake” and to prevail upon the officer at Waltair to get the bogie fit enough at least to travel as far as Vijayawada where it could be replaced with another bogie. Mr. Amritraj promised to do his best. So it was that Manik was still anxiously awaiting word on the bogie situation when Pankhraj and I arrived.

Pankhraj with wife and son Anand

P. G. Nandi

I was optimistic and a happy-go-lucky person from my boyhood. My early life was not smooth and rosy, yet I never felt disheartened at my failures and adversities. I saw many deaths in our family. When I lost my mother quite early in my life, I depended upon my Auntie who brought me up with great love and affection.

Later my father died and I depended upon my uncle, elder to my father. I could not finish my graduation in the college due to lack of money. I sought for a job which was very difficult during the thirties – a decade of economic depression. at last I got a steno – typist job without any remuneration for six months. After this apprentice period I was paid Rs. 5/ per month as my hand-expenses. So I could eat monkey-nuts now, as my Tiffin, which was an improvement on a glass of drinking water as my Tiffin. I had two increments in two years and my pay rose to Rs.15/- per month.

When I sat for a competitive examination in the Posts and Telegraph Department for the job of a Telegraphist. I was successful and selected for training for one year for a stipend of Rs.30/- per month. After one year’s training and a few months in the Calcutta Telegraph Office, I was transferred to Chittagaon (Now in Bangladesh), for a pay of Rs.55/-. Many friends advised me to give up the job as Chittagaon was being bombed regularly by the Japanese after the fall of Rangoon during the second Worlds War.

Being adventurous, I did not listen to them and duly joined my duty. In spite of daily bombing at aerodrome of Chittagaon, life continued to flow smoothly and in two years I appeared for another All India competitive examination on the Telegraph Engineering side as a departmental candidate. I became successful in the examination and was selected for training for a few months at Jabalpur in 1944. After training I was posted back to Calcutta as Engineering Supervisor. in 1948, I was transferred back to Jabalpur.

In 1949 (January 19) I got married. Within two years of my married life I came to learn from a doctor that she was suffering from Mitral stenosis of the heart and that she should not conceive at all. The days of pleasure had gone and the nights of sorrow came in. Within a few years after my marriage, my uncle, auntie and many cousins left this world leaving me alone in this world. I had to depend entirely on my wife, the center of my joys and sorrows. After seven years I was transferred to Calcutta.

In 1960, again I was transferred to Jabalpur. After one year, on the 1st June 1961, my wife had a paralytic attack and she expired next day in the Victoria Hospital after 12 years of our married life. This was the greatest and rudest shock in my life because I loved her too much. The more she suffered, the more I loved her. Never did I hesitate to sacrifice my comforts and pleasures to make her happy and smile. She also loved me much more then anything in this world. Our two souls were, as it were, moulded into one.

After this blissful union, her physical separation, caused by cruel but merciful death, was an anti-climax in the drama of my life. I was a millionaire but became penniless over night. Who would guide me in my difficulties, console me in my afflictions and caress me in my psychological breakdown ? As a result, I lost my balance of mind and I wept and wept and wept foolishly, perhaps to lighten my agonies. I gave up all games and sports, I gave up the company of all friends and well-wishers who advised me to marry again or to take “diksha” under some “Guru”. I shunned the society and became self-centered.

I did not marry again for biological needs and for the company when there is none else, because I felt I had loved my departed wife once for all and surrendered to her for ever. I did not take “diksha” under some Guru, because I felt if I am true and honest, ” Guru” would come to me instead of my going to him. In this mental state I passed my days and nights. Mechanically I was going to office and coming back. I was taking food from a nearby hotel and never cared for my health so as to die early to meet her in the next world. Keeping myself shut within four corners of the room, I wept bitterly for her. But any amount of weeping did not make her return to me nor did I die to meet her eternally. What a predicament !

One night, when my cup of sorrow was overflowing, I prayed to God from the core of my heart in this manner; “O God”, I never prayed to you, I do not know whether you exist at all, but people say that you do exist and that you are the only dependable one for those who had none in this world. Perhaps I have come to this stage of my life, If so, please help me and guide me for the rest of my life and reset my upset life”.

At that very moment there was a knock at the entrance door the the house. I wondered who could knock when I deliberately shunned all friends. Anyhow, I opened the door and allowed in a gentleman of younger age with whom I was acquainted several months ago.

He was the friend of the son of one of my colleagues. The son shared a room in the house when his father made over the house to me on my transfer to Jabalpur, and his transfer to Calcutta. The young gentleman enquired about the whereabouts of the son of my colleague and also casually asked me how I was passing my days after my dear wife’s death. On my reply that I was feeling lonely and miserable, he offered, on his own, to lend me two books so that I might pass my days peacefully and perhaps seek solace in life by turning over to the spiritual side.

On my further query about the authors and contents of the book he disclosed that there was one booklet on the miracles of Sai Baba of Shirdi and the other book was “God Speaks” by Meher Baba. On my further enquiries about the identity of Sai Baba and Meher Baba, he replied that he was a devotee of Sai Baba and that he knew nothing about Meher Baba. He further added that he had purchased the book “God Speaks” but could not finish it as it was very difficult to understand. He then promised to send those two books, the next day.

But it so happened that those two books were not received next day. I was eagerly awaiting the books which did not reach my hand till the elapse of three weeks. After this period of waiting I was thinking about these books while I was at office when suddenly a peon of the office brought those two books to me. I was amazed. On further queries I came to learn that the young gentleman, who visited my house that momentous night of sincere prayer to God, actually presented those two books next day, as promised, to one of my officers while in the South Indian Club with a request to make over the books to me. But is so happened that the officer completely forgot to hand over the books to me in the office and remembered them after three weeks.

After all the books were received. The booklet was finished in no time. When I opened the book ” God Speaks”, I saw the picture of Avatar Meher Baba reclining on a tiger skin and fell in love at first sight. I thought within myself if I were to have a Master in my life I would prefer Him as He looked most divine with a compassionate smile on His face and most modern without any beard, most suitable to the modern age. Slowly I started going through the book without understanding its deeper meaning. But, since it is a story of the Creation explained in a scientific manner and since I remembered my cousin’s advice to go ahead even if I had not understood in the beginning, I continued to read the book with difficulty and came to the end in a few months.

This reading, however, had a healing effect on my mind and increased my hunger for reading and knowing more about Avatar Meher Baba. But no one could supply me with any information regarding His whereabouts. In this way many months passed away without the young gentleman turning up again to take back the book “God Speaks”.

It so happened that one day one of my student- colleague (J.D. Raje) who was transferred to Calcutta and came to Jabalpur in connection with his sister’s marriage, paid a visit to my place to renew old acquaintance and saw the book “God Speaks” on my table. Immediately he exclaimed tauntingly, “Oh, you have also become a “Chela” of Meher Baba”.

I explained to him the circumstances under which the above book came into my possession and enquired whether he could throw light on Meher Baba. He then invited me to come to his place in the evening so as to introduce myself to his brother-in-law Mr. R.P. Pankhraj who was the local Secretary of the Avatar Meher Baba Jabalpur Center.

This chance meeting with dear Pankhraj opened a corridor to the world of Avatar Meher Baba, and I came to learn more and more about Baba. Dear Pankhraj informed me that Baba was in “Seclusion” and that he would inform me about His Darshan program when ever He decided. Meanwhile his library of books by and on Avatar Meher Baba were flung open to me and I gradually enriched myself with all external knowledge about Him and ultimately installed Him in the throne of my heart with the firm conviction that He can be none other than God (Antaryami-Indweller of heart) who immediately responded to the sincere prayer of my heart by providing me with His most important book “God Speaks” and secondly, by creating an opportunity for a chance meeting with dear Pankhraj, the master key to open the door to the spiritual world of the Avatar.

Thus my revered Master entered my life in 1962 graciously but unceremoniously, without doing any sadhannas required of me. I lost the temporal companion of this life in the form of dear wife, but gained the constant companion in the form of Avatar Meher Baba for all lives to come.

In the merry month of May, 1963 Beloved Baba decided to give “Darshan” at Guru Prasad in Poona and I merrily accompanied dear Pankhraj to have His “Darshan” for the first time in this incarnation of my life. He sat on the only chair and we the Jabalpur Group – sat on the floor of the Guru prasad Hall along with hundred others. He appeared to me just like the rising sun – crimsoned, radiant and resplendent. He announced by the gesture of the fingers of His hand that He would break His silence in ten months hence. Then the “darshan” started.

First the ladies finished their turns and we all watched. Then the turn of the Gents came and our group the rearmost got the first chance from the rest. Dear brothers R.K. Upadhyaya and Shri Awate was in front of me while dear Pankhraj, standing near, was introducing Jabalpur group to Beloved Baba. When the turn of Shri Upadhyaya came, Beloved Baba enquired of him if he had composed any new song and if so, he could sing the same in front of the mike. So, Mr. Upadhyaya started singing a new song to his Beloved while the line of darshanites stopped during singing.

This opportunity brought me almost to the threshold of the Beloved and sat a few feet away from His glorious lotus-feet. At that moment a chance thought occupied my mind to look intently on the signs and emblems of conch, flag etc. on the sole of His lotus-feet which I understood Lord Krishna possessed in His incarnation. But Beloved Baba was sitting with His left leg over His right thigh with sole of the left leg turned one right angle away to the left from the line of my eye-sight.

But it so happened that the moment the above thought possessed my mind, Beloved Baba immediately changed the angle of the sole of His lotus-feet towards the line of my eye – sight as if in response to my thought. Immediately I realized that Beloved Baba had caught my thought as I had read earlier in several books on His life story and admonished myself for such foolish thinking and I intently gazed upon Him without any whisk of thought whatsoever.

At last my turn came to have His darshan after the singing was over. I put my forehead on the hallowed lotus-feet of the Beloved without any knowledge of His instruction not to touch His lotus-feet. But Beloved Baba did not object to this while dear Pankhraj was introducing me to Him.

Beloved Baba out of great compassion touched both the cheeks of my face with His palms and lifted me up, like a grandfather lifting his grandson, and intently looked into my eyes. But He did not embrace me as He did in the case of other souls. Thus the Darshan-Diksha was over.

I felt so happy with His Divine touch on my face which was beyond words. I felt like a weightless man walking on air, delightfully and like a bird, care free, dancing from tree to tree. One brother of our Jabalpur group commented upon not having the embrace of Beloved Baba which was the most desired during “Darshan” but I kept silent thinking within myself that Beloved Baba had done what He knew best at that moment.

After three days of Darshan program I returned to Jabalpur along with the group with an outlook of mind completely changed. I became my old self again – a happy – go – lucky person. The prison of self-centeredness was broken open and I rushed to my friends and well-wishers from door to door only to announce that “I was the happiest man in the world”, which I claimed as a bachelor. But there was a difference. Earlier the claim was based on ignorance but now it is based on knowledge of certainty that I am connected to the source of all happiness.

The clouds of sorrow had disappeared and the sun of bliss appeared gloriously in my life when I dreamt the following dream one night, in which Beloved Baba gave me divine embrace.

Beloved Baba was sitting cross-ledged with His open body without any garment but with a tuft of sacred thread slung over His shoulder just like the Brahmins. I became a small baby in His lap. Just like mother He was caressing me to His breast with His two hands clasping me tightly. After this deep embrace He asked me to comb His hair which was lightly sparsed. While combing, the tooth stuck on the pulp-skin and blood cosed out. I became frightened. Baba said, “Don’t worry, Bring tincture Iodine”. The dream broke.

This is how I came in contact with Avatar Meher Baba in this incarnation of my life.

- P.G. Nandi-
dt:10.11.1984.

Baba’s Telegram

By the grace of Avatar Meher Baba, the writer used to conduct regularly every Friday evening “God Speaks” – classes in his rented residence at Wright Town, Jabalpur, sometime in the year 1966. One Mr. Dutta, a colleague of the writer, used to attend this class while he was staying with the writer before he was allotted a govt. quarter. When Mr. Dutta shifted to his allotted quarter in the P & T residential campus, he shared this quarter with one Mr. Roy holding a responsible post in the University of Jabalpur. Mr. Dutta did not bring his family expecting his transfer soon and Mr. Roy was a bachelor.

One day Mr. Dutta brought to the notice of the writer that Mr. Roy was suffering from insomnia and pleaded with a fervent request whether he could help Mr. Roy in any way from this pitiable plight, thinking that the writer had some spiritual power. The writer did not know Mr. Roy at all. Out of human consideration, the writer requested Mr. Dutta to ask Mr. Roy to attend the Friday “God Speaks” class, so that Beloved Baba might help him if He so wills!. But Mr. Roy did not attend the class, though requested to so.

A few days later Mr. Dutta again requested the writer in the office to do something for Mr. Roy, whose condition was getting worse day by day. Then the writer thought for a while and then agreed to meet Mr. Roy after office hours, i.e. after 1700 hours. The writer in the meanwhile decided to enact in such a manner as to make Mr. Roy happy so that his disturbed mind might be soothed to tranquility. Accordingly, the writer along Mr. Dutta went after office-hours to meet Mr. Roy in the P&T campus quarter. The moment the writer met Mr. Roy, he embraced him and kissed him, as if a long lost friend had been found out. Immediately, Mr. Roy exclaimed that he wanted to ease himself and ran to the toilet leaving the writer wonder-struck. (Much later he admitted one day that he felt an electric shock while the writer embraced him, though the writer was completely unaware of this fact and was not invoking the help of Avatar Meher Baba during this enactment). He returned from the toilet and prepared cups of tea for all and the writer began his acting again through lively conversation with him, quoting sometime Rabindranath Tagor’s relevant poems pointing to the futility of unhappiness when man himself is a source of happiness. Mr. Roy was himself a literary man and hence his cultured mind might have been touched through the writer’s joyous and hilarious enactment exhibiting mirth and merriment and upholding the motto “Sorrow for Tomorrow”. After about two hours, i.e. about 1900 hours the writer left for his own residence.

Next day when the writer attended office, Mr. Dutta reported to him that Mr. Roy had a good sleep last night after about a fortnight. The writer listened , smiled and forgot about the incident. When the writer returned to this residence after office hours, Mr. Ram Pankhraj, Secretary of the Avatar Meher Baba Jabalpur Center, came running to him with a telegram dated 20.03.1966 from Avatar Meher Baba as follows:-

Telegram from Meher Baba

0 1940 52 AHMEDNAGAR 19 19
NANDI CARE PANKHRAJ SUNDERBHAVAN
KACHIYANA JABALPUR

= I AM PLEASED WITH YOU LOVE
MY LOVE BLESSING TO YOU = MEHER BABA

The writer felt amazed at reading the text of the telegram, which was received for the first time since he came in contact with Beloved Baba in 1963, and also noting the timing of the telegram which was 1940 hours. Then he realized that he was not acting, but Beloved Baba Himself was acting through the medium of the writer. Meher Baba alone choose His medium fit for the occasion when He condescends to help a soul in a pitiable plight in His own way in His own time. This fact was confirmed later by Shri. Adi. K. Irani, Baba’s Secretary when Mr. Roy wrote to Beloved Baba about His timely help through the medium of the writer.

- P.G. Nandi-

Letters from Meher Baba

Letter from Meher Baba to Nandi

Letter from Meher Baba to Nandi

I met Dr. Arya for the first time when he was Dean of Agriculture Engineering at Jabalpur. He had arranged a Baba function at the University bungalow, his residence. Later when he became the Vice-Chancellor or the President of the Agriculture University of the State, we were a regular visitor to attend the Baba functions and meetings that were held in his huge University Mansion at Jabalpur.

I had come to know that Proff. Arya had not met Baba personally, but his understanding of Meher Baba’s philosophy and literature made us drowned to-wards him. Proff. Arya’s graduation in Engineering from Allahabad, a pivot of India’s education and research activities, and a further M.S. degree in Agriculture Engineering from the University of Illinois (USA), gave him a very reasonable opportunity to understand the Eastern and Western philosophies, in the modern and scientific context. He served as one of the founder Teachers of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kharagpur for nearly 14 years, before joining the Agriculture University at Jabalpur.

It was all the surprise to know that not having met Baba, Prof. Arya was able to feel the intense love and longing for Baba and was in possession of an unshakable faith in the Godhood of Baba. I always felt that, if he had met Baba or Baba had known him, nothing better could have happened. The answer to the mystery was later revealed to me when one day I was spending my afternoon with Prof. Amiya Kumar Hazra at his residence at Jabalpur, and during the course of our discussions on Baba and His disciples, the context of our talk turned to Prof. Arya’s deep understanding and love for Baba. Whereas, the fact that Arya could not meet Baba, physically, or in person, was raised, Hazra remembered having received a letter from Baba regarding Prof. Arya. I asked Hazra to, let us find the facts, on this issue, and we searched through the box full of letters that Hazra had received from Baba and disciples from time to time and precisely found, the one written by Bhau Kalchuri, as dictated by Baba. Indeed it was the one we were looking for. In the letter Baba had remembered Prof. Arya and had directed someone to go and meet Arya, a Baba lover at Jabalpur.

I was more than convinced to see that letter and remember Baba’s words that “I am closer to you than your own breath”. It was Baba’s compassion that was flowing in all directions, remembering those who remembered Him. And unmistakably, it was the source, and the fire in the heart of Prof. Arya.

Prof. Arya, due to his scientific upbringing never believed in God in his earlier days. It was Baba’s “God Speaks” that turned the direction of his life. In his own words Prof. Arya said that “I had become almost and atheist due to effect of advancement in scientific thought. Arya Samaji upbringing and leftist leanings of my father had prepared ground for my doubts about the existence of any entity called “God”. It was the study of “God Speaks” that rekindled, in my mind, the faith in the Universal Being called God, and in Meher Baba being Avatar in human form”.

It so happened that he heard of Baba’s name through Mr. M. Appalnaidu (now living at Ankapalli), who gave him “God Speaks” to read. Prof. Arya has to say with great emphasis that, there is no other book in the world that explains metaphysics so beautifully. “God Speaks” and “Discourses”, jointly summarize, in most simple language, the most complicated ideas, used by all religions of the world, in a evolutionary order. The fundamentals of all Upanishads become particular cases of generalized frame work detailed in “God Speaks”.

Prof. Arya was born in the village Barwan, District Hardoi (UP), and he got his early education at Benaras and the nearby places of Uttar Pradesh, the largest State of India. He showed meritorious qualities right from the early age. He stood second in the State level Merit in Intermediate school exams. His father was a school teacher with a staunch devotion to social aspects of Arya Samaj’s philosophy. He was working hard for removal of untouchability and acceptance of the widow marriage by the society. Goverdhan Singh, Arya’s father, and his companions, regularly engaged in the discussions about Arya Samaj and the traditional Hindu religion. For young Prof. Arya These discussions were seeds of enquiry in to the aspects of God, Soul and Prakriti. It was later at Allahabad and during his higher studies in the USA that he came in to contact with Christianity, which enhanced the struggle in his mind, regarding the truth and life.

Later, while teaching Engineering at Kharagpur he felt that all these questions in his mind were not merely searching for an answer, but for someone who was a solution himself. He immensely felt that, he has enough of intellectual activity and what he had now needed was some one, with inner awakening. One event of younger days that influenced his thinking were related to me as following. Once Prof. Arya’s father took him to a theatre, which was playing the old mythological story of Ghantakarna, a mythological character, who wore little bells on his ears so as to prevent, the name of Vishnu or God from entering his ears. Every time Ghantakarna heard the name of God, he shook his head, in order to make the bells toll and prevent the God’s name entering the ears. In this drama, some artist in the make-up of Lord Vishnu appeared, and started performing his role. Young Arya was surprised to see the figure, which for him ment God’s presence. He wondered as to why people always said that God can not be seen. This moment he was seeing God in front of him in person. He resisted with difficulty the temptation of going forward to the stage to touch the feet of God in person. This disturbed the young child’s heart and he was restless for many days. As a child he had experienced the shadow of the inner joy and the craving that one goes through when he is in the presence of God, in human form.

On some other occasion he revealed to me another instance, that was regarding his friendship with a Christian American Missionary teacher Mr. Max Strong. Arya would often argue with the teacher that being a follower of the Arya Samaji school of thought, he did not believe in any Avatar, Rasool or Son of God. He said to the teacher that he may accept that Jesus was a great saint, but he can not understand Christ being “Son of God”. Mr. Max Strong, his teacher, replied and said: “Jesus himself has said that he is Son of God. If he told a lie, he can not be accepted as a saint of any level”. This argument struck on in Arya’s thoughts and led him to finally accept Avatarhood of Baba because `Baba said so’. Prof. S.V. Arya was a founder teacher of the first Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur. Later he shifted to Jabalpur, as the Dean of the faculty of Agricultural Engineering at J.N. Agriculture University. Prof. Arya ascribes his sudden rise in his career, less to his qualities, and more to the miraculous intervention of Meher Baba. It was in 1981 that he went to have a darshan of Baba’s Samadhi during Amartithi for the first time, and in the same year, he was chosen and appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru Agriculture University , at Jabalpur. It was, off course, no bed of roses, yet as Vice- Chancellor, he was the first person to complete a full term of 5 years and even and extended period. Proff. Arya took the job as an opportunity to let the people know about Meher Baba. I met a lot of teachers of the University, who on being asked if they knew of Meher Baba, would present the delightful answer that “Since Prof. Arya has become the Vice-Chancellor, who has not heard of “Meher Baba”. He was Baba’s Ambassador in the University.

Prof. Arya is now well known to the present generation of Indian and western Baba lovers. He enjoys and maintains the gift of intimacy and a refined relationship with the contemporary Baba lovers and philosophers, and is a constant source of inspiration to the youngsters.

Although Meher Baba has always stated that he performs no miracle. He attributed the happening of the miracles to the faith of His disciples, they bestowed in Him. But in-spite of this humble proclamation, miracles happened all the time. Prof. Arya feels that Baba is with him all the time and leads him to act according to His will. He believes that all events, major and minor, relating his life, have been engineered by Baba. The way he was helped by various persons in all possible ways to pursue his studies. The way, amongst utter diverse conditions he was able to continue his studies and got second position in the State Intermediate examination and the further achieved a gold medal at degree level were not only miraculous, but were impossible without Spiritual grace. Baba led him throughout the life even though he did not know about Baba then. It was only Baba’s loves and compassion, leading us to His damman, knowingly or unknowingly. Divinity of previous Avatars were also revealed to a handful, during their presence on earth. In fact more people know about Baba as Avatar today, then knew Ram and Krishna. Prof. Arya in his own ways has strong reasons to believe that his destiny moved in such a manner which could not have been otherwise moved if he had not known, and believed, Meher Baba. He was not, the only one drenched in the showers of divine grace, but the descending grace of Love, was even felt and enjoyed, by those whom he wished, to be graced with Baba’s love. Telling one of the rarest stories of Baba’s grace, he reveled that once, it so happened, like it was a fairy tale of God’s miracle in his own village, where a young man, who murdered his cousin, and was sentenced to death, was waiting in gallows, for execution of the sentence. The appeals to the Higher courts only confirmed the sentence, and even the Mercy appeals to Governor as well as to the President of India availed no relief. It was certain now, for the young boy to wait for his execution, and leave the only chance of his survival, to the All-Mighty God. Knowing Prof. Arya, since childhood, he wrote a letter from jail, appealing Arya to do his best to save him from the gallows. Obviously there was nothing that anybody could have done, but to pray to God for saving the poor. It was only a matter of a few weeks time when he would meet the hangman. Pro. Arya could think of none other than Meher Baba, so he sent a small picture of Baba to his jail address, and told him in writing that ” it was a photo of none else but God”. He also wrote to him that he should believe and pray to the God in the photograph, and if it was Gods wish to save him, he would be saved, in-spite of all apparently adverse situations. Yet, if God wished him to be punished, he should submit to Gods wish, and go to heaven, for having seen God’s photo before death. Arya wrote the latter part because he knew, that there was no visible way of saving him, from being hanged till death, after his mercy appeal being rejected from the President of India’s office.

Believe it or not, the boy praying to Baba’s photograph in jail was saved in a manner most unusual and miraculous to the human understanding. I so happened that, the year in which he was to be hanged was the birth Centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi. On the 2nd of October, Government of India decided to declare that all the persons waiting in jails, to be hanged, will have their life sentences commuted to life imprisonment. This fellow was still in Jail, waiting for a date to be fixed for his execution, and received Baba’s grace in disguised. The compassion of the God bestowed on him and not only heard his prayers and saved him, but saved all others who were waiting for a death sentence in the Indian Jails. Prof. Arya met this man in his village later, after he had served the jail sentence for mandatory years, and was freed. This man died later of mouth Cancer.

Prof. Arya added that although Baba says He does not perform any magic or miracle that violates physical laws of the Universe, which he Himself has created, yet almost every day, more or less dramatic events that occur, incidentally or co- incidentally, are nothing but the reverberations of the faith that one holds in Baba’s divine presence. Arya’s life is full of, a continued presence of Baba, within and around him. He is like a open book with Meher Baba inscribed on each of the pages, accessed any time. All persons, Whether known or unknown to him, during an intimate conversation, find that the conversation only revolves around Baba, and a lively presence of the Avatar is felt by each around. The seed of Baba’s name that was continually spread by Prof. Arya during his tenure of services in the Indian Institution of Technology, as well as the Agriculture University, brought a large number of people close to Baba’s philosophy and teachings, and contributed to the understanding of the deep significance of the vedantic concept of the Avatar as Meher Baba, in the elite and studied circle of the society.

Prof. Arya, holds a paramount place amongst the foremost Agricultural scientist of the country, and has substantial contribution not only in the field of Technology, but also in the field of Urdu poetry, and a very rare composition of verses on Baba’s life and philosophy in the doha and choupai forms of poetry as used by Tulsidas while composing Ramayana, the story of Rama. He has also given the “Parvardigar” and the “Repentance” prayers, a poetic composition in Hindi. He has also a vast understanding and personal research work in the field of Ancient Indian and Moughal Coins, and is recognized as a distinct Authority on the subject, by a number of institutions, and researchers, who are engaged in crucial and critical understanding of the Coins of the country. Now spending his retired life at Jabalpur, Prof. Arya is always available to Baba lovers throughout the globe, through his potential and prompt correspondence with friends and disciples of Meher Baba. We all wish him a healthy and happy life, and a great time filled with Baba’s Love, poetry and philosophy.

by Niket Kale

Dr.S.V.Arya

(Ex-Vice Chancellor, Jawahar Lal Nehru Agriculture University)
Alok Nagar, Adhartal, Jabalpur. (MP) India
Tel.: 0761-2460533 / 4030656 Mobile: 09424606863 Email: chandar30 [at] gmail.com

Meher Baba's letter for Arya

Meher Baba's letter to Proff Arya

Sullu with Meher Baba

Sulloo Meshram was one of the pioneers of Baba activities at Jabalpur. He heard of Meher Baba for the first time through Newspapers in 1937 and later he met Eruch’s father at Nagpur. At his request, Eruch wrote to Baba that Sulloo would like to meet Him. Meher Baba called Sulloo to Panchgani in the month of April 1938. Jal Bhai (Meher Bqaba’s brother) came to receive Sulloo at Panchgani.

Next morning when he was taking his bath Baba called him through Gustadji, who was also observing Silence as per Baba’s orders. Gustad ji however gestured to Sulloo that Baba wanted him immediately. Sulloo rushed to Baba in what ever state he was while taking his bath. In the presence of all Sulloo appeared before Baba, drenched with water from head to foot and wearing just his underwear. Baba asked him what thoughts were passing in your mind and Sulloo replied that I was taking my bath and I was naked when you called me and I was thinking of immediately rushing to you in the naked state. Baba on hearing this from Sulloo immediately replied through the alphabet board, “FIT FOR THE PATH”. Baba sent Sulloo back to Nagpur after a visit of two days duration, telling him to keep writing to Him regularly.

During 1939 and 1940 Sulloo was in contact with Baba from Nagpur and later in the year 1941 he came to Jabalpur to join the Gun Carriage Factory at Jabalpur. Meher Baba called Sulloo in November 1944 to Nagpur where a darshan program was arranged at Dhantoli by Dr.C.D.Deshmukh. The Chief Justice Mr. M.B. Niyogi was also present at the Darshan program as was the famous Saint of Maharastra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj, who came for Baba’s darshan along with his followers. Baba embraced Tukdoji Maharaj on the stage. Tukdoji Maharaj sang bhajans before Baba one of which meant ” Is there any time left now to work for the Avatar” Avatarache kaam karaya walech ajuni urla ka.

Much later Tukdoji Maharaj also came to Jabalpur for a short stay and was hosted by Dr. Sarde in Napier Town. Sulloo met Maharaj at Jabalpur. Baba once instructed Sulloo to observe silence on every Sunday and also not to touch money. During 1945 Sulloo went to Baba at Meherabad. Since Sulloo had been keeping silence for more than a month, he had brought with him an interpreter, Shri Ramnath Sharma, a co-worker. Baba asked Sulloo to break his silence or Baba would send him to Himalayas. Baba asked Sulloo, “If I send money to your mother every month, will you stay with me?”

Sulloo explained to Baba that he was very eager and restless for self realization; he asked if Baba would give it to him in a fixed time. To this Baba replied that a baby can not be born before nine months and there is a fixed time for every thing, but Baba promised him self realization during this very life. Baba said, “you will do wonders.” Later during the conversation Baba added, “I am one with God and you have surrendered to me; how can I keep you in Maya?” With respect to his friend and interpreter Shri Ramnath Sharma, Baba explained that Sulloo and Sharma were linked through connections from a past life.

Sulloo went to see Baba in the year 1945 at Hyderabad for the Jubilee Hills darshan program. In February 1953, Beloved Baba’s darshan took place at Nagpur. During the last day of the darshan programme, Sulloo went to Nagpur to Barrister Verma’s residence with his son Vijay who was one year and ten months old. Baba touched Vijay and showered His love on Vijay. Vijay’s mother and others bowed down to Baba. Ramjoo Abdulla interpreted Baba’s gestures, telling them that Baba says He delayed His stay at Nagpur for Sulloo to attend the darshan program.

Lord Meher page 2769 mentions the following incident about Sulloo where Baba compared him with Sudama, a friend of Lord Krishna :

A week later, March 11th, a letter from Sullo Meshram of Nagpur was received and read out. Baba was in a good mood and remarked, “Such devotees and lovers should be worshipped”. Baba then joined His own hands together and closed His eyes as if praying — something the mandali had never seen Him do before. He had the letter read out again and observed:

“Sulloo is greater than me in the sense that he loves me with such deep devotion. He has seen me only once in Panchgani in 1938, and since then been kept far away. Lovers in that respect are truly great.

“Why did Krishna wash the Sudama’s feet and drink the water? Because of Sudama’s Love. He washed not the feet but the love of Sudama, and drank its water.

“God always is, was and ever will be. But the existence of God’s great and true lovers – like Sudama of Krishna, Sulloo and others now – reflects God’s true greatness. The greatness of their lovers is such that it creates faith in a Master, whom the poor, ignorant lover does not truly know at
all. But because of firm faith, the follower is ready to give up his very life for the Master. Isn’t that greater than God?

“God is always greater in His infinity. But if lovers, in spite of their finiteness, rise to give up all, sacrifice their very lives just for love and faith in their Beloved, whose true being they do not at all know, it is indeed greater. That is why God, even in spite of His infinity, bows to the greatness in recognition of the spirit of selflessness that He beholds
in the love and faith of His true lovers. …”

(Lord Meher page 2769)

During the 1954 Sahavas with Baba in Meherabad a photograph of Baba with Sulloo Meshram, Murli Kale, Raja Sagar Kher, Y. L. Muniraj, and Subedar was taken. Click to see the Photograph. It was a one week stay and much information is available about this programme. The Jabalpur group requested Baba to come to Jabalpur to give public Darshan. Baba replied that He might not give public darshan, and would prefer going to the houses of the families devoted to Baba. Later many preparations were made by Jabalpur Baba lovers anticipating Baba’s visit and even the General Manager of the Gun Carriage Factory had been requested to provide for a bungalow for Baba’s stay. This was discussed with Baba but in 1957 Baba said that He would come one day for just one hour and later said that He would come only after 700 years.

In this connection I remember having been told Raja Sagar Kher pressed Baba hard for a darshan program at Jabalpur in 1957. Baba first responded that if Jabalpur will remain He would come. Afterwards, He explained that Jabalpur had been due to be submerged in water, but that He had postponed this tragedy for 40 years.

Exactly 40 years later, Jabalpur was hit by massive earthquake — on 22nd May 1997. There was a risk that the earthquake would rupture Bargi Dam and Hydroelectric Project. If this had happened, scientists calculated that Jabalpur would have been submerged under an eight-meter deep layer of water, but happily the dam held. All Baba lovers now confidently expect that Baba will keep His promise to come to Jabalpur after 700 years.

Baba often remembered Sulloo and wrote long letters and sent Telegrams to him. Once Baba sent Sulloo a single telegram consisting of two full pages. Even the postal department officials were surprised at such an unusual communication. Sulloo gave the telegram to Francis Brabazon and it was incorporated into
his book entitled “Tears of Joy.”

In 1959, Sulloo went for Baba’s darshan after the death of his second son and later in 1962 attended the East-West Gathering. During this Gathering the war between India and China was going on and one correspondent of the Press asked Baba which country would win the war. Baba replied through another question to the correspondent. Baba simply asked the correspondent to observe which of the two countries Baba had chosen to be His country. The answer was latent in the question.

Sulloo came for darshan again in 1963, and finally attended The Last Darshan in 1969 after Beloved Baba had dropped His body. Sulloo wrote several songs in praise of Meher Baba which were sung in Baba’s presence and from time to time wrote and published several small booklets containing his songs and describing his experiences. Sulloo joined Baba on 31st December 1999, much after his retirement from the Service at Jabalpur. Sulloo lived a isolated life and often confined himself in his room in deep meditation. Those who met him found him always deeply engrossed in Baba and felt that he was hardly aware of the surroundings. Sulloo spent most of his time in his attic room in meditation and in singing the songs of his Beloved, He will be always remembered by all for his simplicity and remarkable obedience.

Information compiled by TrustMeher, based on Lord Meher, personal interview with Sulloo Meshram and other resources.

Baba’s Nagpur Visit and Sulloo Meshram

(Reproduced from Glimpses of the God Man – By Bal Natu, with kind permission of the Sheriar Press.)

Each one in Baba’s family has his or her own story of the Beloved. I would like to interject here an episode from the early life of Sulloo Meshram, one of Baba’s dear lovers and the author of the song collection Meher Prakash Bhajanwali. Meshram first heard of Baba when he was just thirteen years old. He was living with his family in Nagpur, a city Baba visited for a few days in December 1937. Accompanied there by several of the mandali, including Princess Norina Matchabelli, Baba stayed at Mary Lodge, the home and estate of Papa Jessawala, Eruch’s father, in a locality known as Chhavni.

Because of various incidents that took place at the time, a certain amount of publicity attended Baba’s visit to the city, and reports about Him began to appear in the newspapers. Sulloo himself did not see Baba at this time. However, while reading the press reports about His visit, something touched his heart, and he felt impelled to find out more about this Man who had become the center of so much interest. Those around Baba have often noticed that, as the propitious moment of one’s coming into the orbit of the Avatar’s love draws near, a number of seeming “coincidences” occur. Sometimes gently, sometimes forcibly, these coincidences push one toward Him. In Sulloo’s case, it was simply a newspaper account that made the initial contact.

But before continuing with Meshram’s story, I cannot resist recounting a unique episode that took place during the course of Baba’s stay in Nagpur in December 1937. While it does not relate directly to Meshram, it does convey a sense of the atmosphere that prevailed around Baba at this period. After all, Baba is the Timeless One. So any story that provides occasion for loving remembrance of Him serves the purposes of this chronicle.

This striking anecdote was told to me by Gaimai Jessawala, Eruch’s mother, who was Baba’s hostess for His visit. Gaimai recollects the story as follows:

Beloved Baba’s stay at our house, Mary Lodge, in Nagpur, for three or four days in December 1937, was delightful and memorable for all of us. Some of the time was taken up with a public darshan program that was held on the estate for three consecutive days. On one occasion, soon after Baba arrived with Norina and a few of His men mandali, I noticed a woman entering. All of a sudden she began to shout loudly and repeatedly, “Kalanki Avatar has come!” Kalanki [Kalki] Avatar means the White Horse Avatar or the Expected One.

Trying to pacify her, I asked her where she had come from and what was the purpose of her visit. In a very agitated tone she told me her story. She said she was the wife of a judge in Baroda [Gujarat] and had a guru who had died some time back. She had a vision or a vivid dream in which the guru told her that she should go at once to Nagpur to a place called Chhavni [camp], where Sakshaat Parabrahma Paramatma ["God manifest in human form"] as the Kalanki Avatar was going to give darshan. Accordingly, she caught the first available train, and after arriving at Nagpur and getting directions, she came straight to our house. She brought her brother and sister-in-law with her for Baba’s darshan. Hearing her story, I offered her food and refreshments. But she refused, impressing upon me that our entire household should desist from eating while Sakshaut Parameshwar was in our home!

When the darshan program started, the woman worked herself into a frenzy, proclaiming repeatedly that the Kalanki Avatar had come and that all should hasten to take His darshan. She kept rushing back and forth in the great crowd of darshanites who kept filing past Baba. Eventually, Baba called for Norina and told her to instruct the woman to make her announcement to a group of women sitting in the far end of the hall and not to shout near Him. But Norina politely argued that, because of the language barrier between them, it would be difficult to make the woman understand what she was saying.

However, Baba gestured to her to speak to the woman anyway. So Norina threaded her way through the crowd and started to give Baba’s message in English, speaking slowly. But evidently the woman guessed from Norina’s beautiful features and continental manner where she was from and started conversing with her in broken Italian! Amazed, Norina then realized why Baba had insisted that it should be she, of all people, who should converse with the woman. Later on, when I was washing Baba’s laundry, this same woman approached me and asked to be allowed the great privilege of also washing some of His clothes. But as it was Baba’s order that I alone should perform this task, I had reluctantly to refuse her earnest request. But while Baba was out of His room, she managed somehow to get hold of a pair of His chappals [sandals] and, with great fervor, went around the house tapping the heads and faces of everyone with them!

Although the judge’s wife was a stranger to Gaimai and did not return to Mary Lodge thereafter, what was significant about her visit was that she gave to the people of our age an early intimation that the Avatar was again in our midst. This came long before Baba Himself was openly to assert His status as that same Ancient One. Apparently the time had not yet arrived for people to hail Baba publicly as the Avatar.

The woman’s sudden arrival and departure was like a streak of lightning flashing for a few moments across the sky, only to vanish as quickly as it had appeared. It seems that whatever little time she spent in Baba’s presence must have filled her heart to the brim with His divine love. Silently, Baba bestowed upon her the deep conviction of His being the Avatar. This awakening to Baba’s presence within her heart was so profound that she had no need to see Him again physically; nor did Baba inquire about her further. Incredible! In His all-encompassing divinity, Baba knows what one needs, how much, and when! Such was the divine charisma and magnetism of Baba’s personality that, in His presence, extraordinary incidents like this were not unusual.

To resume Sulloo Meshram’s story: in 1938, a year after Baba’s darshan program in Nagpur, while Sulloo was still in his early teens, he took to visiting the Jessawalas, and there he learned more about Baba. Procuring Baba’s address, he wrote Him a letter in which he expressed his desire to see Him in person. Baba, in response to Sulloo’s longing, lovingly granted this request. And so, in the first week of April 1938, overjoyed at receiving Baba’s invitation, this young boy of fourteen left Nagpur by train on a 700-mile journey to Panchgani (not far from Poona) where Baba was then residing. Some of the money for the trip had been provided by his school principal, who was interested in spirituality. At Kalyan, which is a junction, Sulloo had to change trains. But upon leaving the compartment he found to his dismay that his suitcase, containing clothes, some Baba photos, and all his money, had been stolen. He was literally penniless. Only two baskets of oranges, which the Jessawalas had entrusted to him to give to Baba, remained. What a predicament for a young boy venturing alone on such a long trip! Although he had lost even his ticket, somehow he managed to get onto another train, wondering all the while why such misfortunes should befall him when the journey he was engaged in was to meet the All-Compassionate One. Yet it is not uncommon for people to lose something tangible when they are traveling to meet the Avatar. Perhaps these tangible losses are an indication that one should be willing to part also with the intangible thoughts and feelings that stand in the way of seeing the God-Man as He ought to be seen.

When he arrived in Poona, Sulloo had no idea how he would travel on to Panchgani with no ticket and no money. But as luck would have it, he met a bus driver bound for Panchgani and told him of the theft of his suitcase. The driver not only believed his story, but as it turned out, had formerly been one of the servants who years earlier had carried water to Baba’s bungalow, and so had a special feeling for Him. This driver happily agreed to give Sulloo a free ride to Panchgani. Once again, Baba’s unseen guiding hand had silently taken care of the details of a lover’s journey to Him.

When he got off the bus in Panchgani, to the boy’s complete surprise, a stranger approached him and asked if he was Sulloo Meshram. This stranger turned out to be Baba’s brother Jal, who by Baba’s order had been waiting to receive him. As it happened, Papa Jessawala had sent a telegram from Nagpur to Panchgani, informing Baba about Meshram’s departure. Jal took Sulloo to the mandali’s residence. A short while later, Baba arrived and took His seat, His long hair flowing and a radiance glowing on His face.

Sulloo’s heart leapt within him, and he rushed to Baba, prostrating himself at His feet. Baba lovingly inquired about his journey, and He beamed a smile as He heard about the theft of the suitcase. For He had committed a far greater theft — He had stolen this young boy’s heart! In his enthusiasm Sulloo exclaimed that he wished to offer his life to Baba and to obey Him implicitly. Baba did not respond at that moment but asked him to go with Vishnu, one of the mandali, to rest in a nearby lodge.

Sulloo stayed on in Panchgani for three days. On the second day, while he was having a bath, another of Baba’s disciples, Gustadji, came into the room. Because he was observing silence, Gustadji conveyed through signs that Baba had summoned Sulloo to come to Him immediately. Sulloo had heard that whenever called, one was expected to go without delay. Although he had just started his bath and was wearing only his underwear, he left immediately without taking time to dress further.

He found Baba sitting with a few of His disciples. Half-naked,
Sulloo stood before Him. Baba asked, “Have you slept well? Did you have any special thoughts?”

Sulloo replied, “Baba, I spent several hours singing songs in Your praise.”

Baba looked happy and gestured, “Fit for the spiritual path.” As Sulloo had obeyed Baba immediately without question, Baba gave him some guidelines to follow. They were: he should never tell a lie to anyone; he should abstain from lustful actions, smoking, and alcohol; and he should not eat meat, fish, or eggs. Further, Baba instructed Sulloo to meditate for an hour every day and to write “Om Parabrahma Baba” for another hour daily.

On the last day of Sulloo’s visit, Baba ordered Vishnu to make arrangements for his return to Nagpur. Sulloo was taken by car to Poona on the first leg of this trip; and from there a train ticket to Nagpur was bought for him. In short, Baba paid for his entire return fare. What a royal send-off from the King to one of His teenage lovers! He had come to Baba penniless but was leaving with the coffers of his heart filled with real spiritual treasure. He arrived safely in Nagpur, where he gave a full account of his stay with Baba to the Jessawala family.

After this initial meeting, a rapport was established between Sulloo and Baba which continued to grow through the years. Baba sowed the seed of love divine in Sulloo’s heart, and in time this seed began to germinate and flourish as naturally and spontaneously as a bud opening its brightly colored petals to the sunlight. In early 1954 he was inspired to compose songs about Baba in both Hindi and Marathi. Compiled in Meher Prakash Bhajanwali, these songs were the fragrant flowering of Sulloo’s love for the eternal Beloved.

Compilation by TrustMeher

Excerpts from Lord Meher reproduced with kind permission of Bhau Kalchuri. Excerpts from Glimpses of the God Man – by Bal Natu, reproduced with kind permission of the Sheriar Press. All quotes of Avatar Meher Baba copyright of Avatar Meher Baba Trust, kings Road, Ahmednagar. No part of the published material be reproduced in any form without prior permission.