– Godavari Ma (Meher Baba) Swami Shuddhanand Bharti –
Born : 11th May 1897 – Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, India
Died : 7th March 1990 – Sholapuram, TN., India ( 92 y.o. )
Married : J.Renganayaki
Children : 2 Girls & 2 Sons
The Yogi wrote several hundred works in English, French, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Sanskrit; five thousand songs, and fifteen hundred poems in French. The magnum opus of the man conscious of the presence of God in him, Bharata Shakti, (in 50,000 verses) described his ideal: only One Humanity living in communion with only One God in a transformed world! Bharata Shakti is a monumental and unique work. The Yogi depicts the essence of all the religions, of all the prophets and saints, all the approaches of Yoga and all the cultures on an allegorical fabric. It is a book for any age which all spiritual researchers and all nations should read and meditate on.
A yogi from Pondicherry named Shuddhanand Bharati, 56, came to Dhanapathy’s for Baba’s darshan. Many years before, Bharati had met Sai Baba, who had given him a candy, saying, “Your Beloved will possess you soon. Keep silent and centered on the Self. Sweet [blessed] is the heart which is linked with the Sweetest [God].”
Upasni Maharaj had once told Shuddhanand, “The Beloved of your life will one day embrace you.” And a high saint of Hubli had said, “You will meet a silent Master.” Now, after meeting other spiritually illumined beings such as Ramana Maharshi and Aurobindo, at last he faced Meher Baba, and immediately recognized him as “the Saint of saints, the Mahatma of mahatmas, the goal of my long pilgrimage.”
Baba met him very lovingly, and Shuddhanand Bharati bowed his head at Baba’s feet. Baba gave him a message titled “Inner Humility Is Strength, Outer Humility Is Weakness.”
While the little girls were dancing before Baba, he stated: “The first Song I sang, the first Dance I danced have eternally bound me. In spite of my best efforts, I am unable to free myself.
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Yogi Bharati invited Baba to accompany him to Switzerland, and Baba told him to write him about it later and he would consider the request.
Baba was about to go back to his bungalow for lunch when Shuddhanand Bharati asked if he could sit in Baba’s room and meditate for a while. Baba permitted him to sit in the room where he would converse with the mandali.
After his meditation, the yogi told Nilu, “Baba is a very great saint.”
“Meher Baba is not a saint,” Nilu corrected him. “He is above all saints!”
“What spiritual practices does Meher Baba do?” Bharati inquired.
“There is no need for him to do any sadhana.”
“What do you mean?”
Nilu explained, “Meher Baba is the source of all knowledge. There is nothing for him to achieve or know, as all knowledge flows from him. Seekers do sadhana, not the One who is Realized.” Bharati was offered milk and fruit, and left at 2:15 P.M.
One of the delegates to the conference was G. S. N. Moorty. While studying for his PhD in philosophy in Calcutta, Moorty had met Dr. Deshmukh who encouraged him to have Baba’s darshan. When Moorty heard that Bharati was going to Dehra Dun to meet Baba, he asked if he could accompany him. Bharati had no objection, but Kishan Singh warned him that Baba had told him only to bring Bharati.
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Before leaving the pandal, Baba embraced Shuddhanand Bharati. Baba sat in his lift-chair and he was carried to the car by Meherjee, Pesi and two other men. As Baba entered the car, Prakash Chhabra, who had filmed throughout the day, took some final parting shots. At 6:00 P.M., amidst loud, shouts of his Jai, Baba was driven back to Meherazad with Kumar, Kaka, Eruch and the driver.
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