Who's Who on the Higher Planes

WHOISWHOON THE HIGHER PLANES

according to

MEHER BABA

.BEING THE AVATAR, I H.~~VE COrviE to awaken mankind, and would like the entire world to come to me. Real saints are dearest and nearest .to my heart.

Perfect Ones and lovers of God adorn the world, and will ever do so. The physical presence ¡ of the Perfect Masters throughout eternity is not necessarily confined to any particular or special part of the globe. My salutations to all - the past, present and future Perfect Masters, real saints - known and unknown lovers of God, and to all other beings, in all of whom I reside, whether consciously felt by them or not.

Meher Baba

CONTENTS Preface The Masters and Ule PaUl Incarnations of Ule Avatar The Perfect Masters The Perfect Ones Liberated Souls Adept Pilgrims Masts of the 5Ul and 6Ul Planes Otllers Notes The Higher Planes Liberation Zarath ustra and Abraham Spiritual Perfection Minor Advents Discarnate Masters Perfect Masters?

Gustadji, Meredith Starr, Judas Iscariot Spiritual Places Three Kinds of Perfect Masters The Anger of a Perfect Master Do Perfect Masters Incarnate Again?

Perfect Ones Pilgrims on the Path Flying Saucers Mystic, Divine and Occult Powers How to Recognise a Perfect Master Agents Moses Angels and Archangels Saints Theosophy The Threshold of the Abode of God Geography of the Planes Reincarnating on the Planes Companions of the Avatar Lovers of God Krishna Jesus Christ Further Reading Key to Abbreviations Meher Baba

PREFACE Meher Babe., over the course of his lifetime. identified several hundred God-realised and spiritually advanced souls. He also explained in detail the states and stages of the spiritual path. Collected here are the names of some of the people he mentioned. and a few of his explanations about the higher planes. The-people Meher Baba identified are divided between six lists: INCARNATIONS OF 'IliE AYATi-\..R 'IliE PERFECTIYIASTERS AND 'IliE AVATAR 'IliE PERFECT ONES LIBERATED SOULS ADEPT PILGRIMS MASTS OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH PLANES The lists give their names. and where available. where and when they lived. There are also page references to books in which something Baba said about them hes been recorded. For example. this entry from. the PERFECT MASTERS section: DHUNIWALA DADA of IChandve,. Sei-IChed (near !tarsi) Madhya Pradesh d. Nov. 29 19'30

GGM'3 p1'37-1'38

sw p'396.398. v p276 LM'3 p951. LM4 p1165

DhuniwalaDada was a Perfect Master who died in 19'30. He lived at Khandve,. Sai-Khed. near the town of !tarsi in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. On the right are abbreviated the titles of books where Meher Babais quoted as having said something about Dhuniwalla. GGM'3, for instance, stands for "Glimpses of the God-Man Meher Bal>a. volume 3" by Bal Natu. The books listed here can be found in the libraries at Meherabad, Meherazad. the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach. and at some other Meher Bal>a centers. The KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS is the second to last page of this book.

There are 67 Perfect Masters {not including incarnations of the Avatar) listed in the order in which they lived. There's also an alphabetical index immediately after the chronological list. If you 'W8.1lt to know more about Perfect Masters, read the section TiiE MASTERS AND TiiE PAlH (a series of explanations by Meher Baba) and the appropriate NOTES. ¡Most foreign vords are defined in the first note. There's a seventh list. OTI!ERS, of people who mAY. have been spiritually advanced or in some cases God-realised. The OlHERS list is the only list of people whose spiritual status was not identified by Meher Baba. If you know something Baba said about anyone on this list. please wite to the address at the end of NOTES. Baba sometimes identified people 'Without giving their names; they're listed as _ _ _ {a blank line). ¡Vhen a person is known by several names. the alternate names are in parentheses. There's a list of books. FUR1HER READING~ in the last pages. Copyright information is at the end of NOTES. "It is not through intellectual exercises and such learning. or know1edge acquired by reading or hearing lectures. that spiritual truths can be understood. At the most. these can give one an intellectual understanding. which is the first preparatory stage for ushering one into the Path. What is essential is a true inner feeling. an actual experience of the Truth. which is real. lasting and convincing. When one experiences union 'With God. one knows by actual experience that one is in harmony "iYi.th evenrthing and everyone. that there is nothing but one infinite indivisible existence. and all else is but f1eeting shadovs."

Meher Baba. 26 June 1939. Meherabad. LM? p2432

THE IviASTERS AND THE PATH EXPL~.HATIOHS

BY NEHER BABA

1HE PERFECT ONES There are 56 God-realised souls in the wrld at ial1 times. They are al"\Vrays one in consciousness. They are always different in function. For the most part, they live end wrk apart from and unkno,;rr.~. to the general public. But five. who act. in a sense. as a directing body, always work in public e.n d attein to public prominence end importance. They are known as Sadgurus or Perfect Masters. In .Avataric periods. the .Ava.tar, as the supreme Sadguru, tel<es his place as the head of this body, and of the Spiritual Hierarchy as a whole. · I 1

The key to the wrld is only one. but it is in the hands of the five Perfect Masters. For example, a safe has only one key, and no other key can unlock it. The five Perfect Masters control the safe - the wrld. One Master is the keeper of the key. without which the sefe car.tnot be opened. The second guards the safe, which cannot be opened without his prior consent. The third is the jone who alone has the authority to use the key to unlock the sefe. The fourth is the one who has the right to distribute the riches in the safe. And the fifth Master is the one who has the power to authorise the distribution. Thus, there is only one key to the wrld, equally shared among the five Masters. The five Perfect Masters, plus the 51 other God-realised souls (Maizoobs and jivanmuktas) control the key. The 51 are members of the parliament of the five Perfect Masters. 51 plus five equals 56. This number 56 never changes. In this way the game of the wrld goes on and on . .AU this I am telling you is a secret.

2 Good and bad thoughts, feelings, wrds and actions are all due to the working of the mind. If the mind vanishes, one realises the highest self. just as they are the givers of light, Sadgtirus or Qutubs are also the givers of thoughts. Not only can they predict certain actions, but they can tell what will happen years into the future, even before it is created in the mind of an individual. I or they are one with the universal mind which gives light thoughts and everything. Hence. they not only predict, they also predestine. Things actually become divine will according to the Perfect Masters' will or wish.

3 Every God-realised personality is Perfect. However, those who come down and act as Masters - the Sadgurus and Avatar - come down with their minds universal, and use divine powers to work for others. There is a place, Vidnya.n Bhumika where the Masters work and rest. It is similar to a threshold in between tw places, vhere they can menage works both for the higher and lower worlds. One aspect is the preparation of souls from the lower wrld and the deliverance of them to the higher world, eventually realising them. The Masters come down with the special purpose of bringing ripe souls to the highest state.

Vhen the Perfect Masters come dovn with this duty to the wrld, and wrk every day with the people of the wrld, they descend with universal mind. Through the universal mind, they take upon themselves the sins (bad sanskaras) of the ripe souls, and thereby suffer themselves. They experience bliss through the soul, and suffering through the mind. They enjoy the bliss through the soul, vhich is one with the 4 Almighty. end bear the universal suffering through their universal mind.

TiiEAVATAR The first man to realise God es one indivisible and eternal truth wes tel<en up into this · realisation t;.y the eternal A'7ataric infinite consciousness. The .Avatar is the first Master of the first God-realised soul. But in God-realisation. the i\lll consciousness of the first Master became fused with the eternal! y infinite consciousness of the Avatar.

Therefore. with the ¢Oming odo"!Vn of the first God-realised men, the AYa.tar himself descended and took an incarna.tion in his body. So. from the point of vie"W' of incarnation, the Ava.tar is the same as the first Mester . This first Mester ha.d nt:J Master in humar.t form. But all subsequent Masters have had Masters ir.t the human form to help them in Tt·uth-realise.tion ... The first 1•Aester. who got fused with the eternal Avataric infinite <:on.sc:ir:tusness. is the Master of all Masters...

5

Of the 56 God-realised souls on earth, the five Perfect Masters are the most import&{( And the one who is the highest of all is the Avatar, myself. I come every700 to 1400 years, and it is undoubtably a very rare and lucky thing for each of you to have the opportunity of loving me indi'~ridually, since even the Sadgurus long to touch the Avatar physically. 'When the world is in the grip of pain, misery, suffering and chaos, I manifest myself. Spirituality then reaches its pinnacle, and materialism is at its lowst level. Then again, with the passing of time, spirituality diminishes and materialism increases. From the beginning of time this game has been going on, and it will go on for an eternity.

6 The one who manifests as the A¡.fatar has to give a spiritual push to the whole world.

This is greater than the circle preparation wrk which all Sadgurus have to perform.

This great push is the main difference in their duties. Besides this difference, the Avatar is always perfect in all respects, spiritually as wll as materially, and in particular physically. The Avatar always has a charming personality, with a beautiful, symmetrical face and body, while the Perfect Masters are generally of odd size and shape physically, with certain defects, sometimes so abhorrent that one does not even like to look at them. Christ, Muhammad, Zm-athustra. Buddha. Rama and Krishna wre .A""~;atars, and hence had charming personalities. So is mine. Upasani Maharaj, Narayan Maharaj and such present Perfect Masters have one personal defect or another. Upasani Maharaj's stature is too big, like a giant. Narayan Maharaj is too small, short in stature, like a dwarf. But this physical difference betwen the Avatar and Sadgurus makes no real difference in their spiritual status, which is always divine. ?

The Avatar descends from his highest state of divine consciousness to the state of human consciousness. He does not need to pass through the stages of evolution, reincarnation and Realisation. He is God always, and comes down directly from his God state to man state and becomes conscious of creation. His benevolent wrk is universal, and he gives a spiritual push to all objects in creation, inert and living, animate and inanimate both. s It is very difficult to grasp the entire meaning of the wrd 'Ava.tar. ¡ For mankind, it is easy and simple to declare that the Avatar is God, and that it means that God becomes man. But this is not all that the wrd 'Avatar' means or conveys. It wuld be more appropriate to say that the Avatar is God, and that God becomes man for all mankind, and simultaneously God also becomes a sparrow for all sparro"WS in creation, an ant for all ants in creation, a pig for all pigs in creation, a particle of dust for all dusts in creation, etc., for each and everything that is in creation.

When the five Sadgurus effect the presentation of the divinity of God into illusion, this divinity pervades the illusion in effect, and presents itself in innumerable varieties of forms, Gross, Subtle and Mental. Consequently, in Avataric periods, God mingles 'With mankind as man, and with the wrld of ants as an ant, etc. But the man of the world cannot perceive this, and hence simply says that God has become man, 9 and remains satisfied 'With this understanding in his own "1//rld of mankind.

It is wrong to believe that Prophets or Masters or Avatars have come to gi'Ve religions to the wrld. The so-called religions are an effort to commemorate the association with a great spiritual Master, and to preser.,re his atmosphere and influence. It is lil~e an archeological department trying to preserve things which only resuscitate the past.

1o

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GOD-REP.~ISATION

How to explain what happens when you become God-rea1.i:sed? No more body, mind, egc, nc mere

univer~e,

cnly ycu

~

Ccd experiencing blis:!:. Ycu then experience

1mow1edgeotoo, power too, but you do not use power. You are one with thi;s power, thi;s know1edge, this bliss. When you come down for the world, you take on a universal mind. Now, as God, you see all souls as your own. You see yourself in everything, and your universal mind has all minds in it, as one mind. What every mind suffers comes into your mind. Your mind suffers the suffering of all minds, and experiences the happiness of all minds. But as ignorance exists in all minds, the suffering is infinitely more than the happiness of those minds. Therefore, you suffer infinitely.

However, your soul, which is fully conscious and enjoys God's bliss continually, and which is also enjoying its infinite state, is not affected by this suffering.

Now you, as soul in your present state, ere unconscious of God and God's bliss. Your mind now suffers or is happy according to your impressions. Soul, as it were, is not affected, because through ignorance your soul is identified vith )-our mind. After attaining know1edge, your soul consciously experiences God's bliss. If you come down, your mind then experiences suffering or happiness, but soul is not affected. You are soul. When your mission is complete, the universal mind goes, and 'Iiiith it unhrersal suffering goes. Then soul enjo~ God's bliss eternally.

11 The happiness of God-realisation is the goal of all creation. The real happiness which comes through realising God is wrth all physical and mental sufferings in the universe. Then all suffering is as if it were not. The happiness of God-realisation is self-sustained, eternally fresh and unfailing, boundless and indescribable. And it is for this happiness that the wrld has sprung into existence.

12 Most God-realised souls leave the body at once and forever, and remain eternally merged in the unmanifest aspect of God. They ere conscious only of the bliss of union.

Creation no longer exists for them. Their constant round of births and deaths is ended. This is kno~ as Mukti or Liberation.

Some God-realised souls retain the body for a time, but their consciousness is merged completely in the unmanifest aspect of God, and they ere therefore not conscious either of their bodies or of creation. They experience constantly the infinite bliss, power and lmo'IVledge of God, but they cannot consciously use them in creation, or help others to attain to Liberation. Nevertheless, their presence on earth is like a focal point for the concentration and radiation of the infinite paver, lmo'IVledge and bliss of God. And those who approach them, serve them and wrship them are spiritually benefitted by contact with them. These souls ere called Majzoobs, and this particular type of Liberation is called Videh-Mukti, or Liberation with the body.

13 The Majzoobs, though God-realised, go about in rags or are completely naked. They remain in dirty surroundings, and ere oblivious of the wrld and of people, to whom they appear to be crazed beggars. On the other hand, Saliks and Sadgurus, though fully God-realised, act just like ordinary mortals. They eat, drink, sleep, talk and appear to suffer like any other ordinary man. But how can you recognise them?

Among a hundred thousand so-called saints, there may be only one who is real. What is the test? The best test is his company. Maintain your connection with him, stay vith him. Then you can know him, and even, in your own limited way, judge him by your standards, understanding him to some degree ... By keeping the close company of 14 a so-called saint or Master, you will come to know who is real and who is false.

A Sadguru is like an ocean, a limitless stretch of water. Empty your mind of all maya.vic desires, and the waters of the ocean will find a way in - the waters of know1edge, power and bliss. The jiYanmuktas and Majzoobs and other spiritual beings on the subtle and mental planes are the pipelines for the waters of realisation. They distribute the ocean's waters to desening candidates who are prepare<'! and who are 15 being p:tâ&#x20AC;˘epared.

'

Love and self-surrender both lead one to the goal. But generally in the path of lov~, one -drops his body after reaching the final destination. Whereas the one vho treads the path of surrender, besides becoming consciow of God, also becomes consciow of the three spheres, Gross, Subtle and Mental, -and thus returns to gross consciousness to serve as a beacon of light to others on the path. That is vhy surrendering is better than lo-,-e.

A Majzoob has no other consciousness except of God - no Gross, Subtle or Mental consciousness. He is fully and di"~linely absorbed. After gaining not¡inal consciousness, hovever, one can become conscious of the Gross, Subtle and Mental planes. Became of this, the Qutubs are able to lead others on the path and make them like themselves ... Alongside their state of divinity, the Perfect Masters remain in the dirt of the vorld, the ocean of life. They vork in the maya of the illusory vor1d, though this dirt does not touch them. On the contrary, they lift others from the world and purify them. Therefore, surrender to a Perfect Master is the best method of treading the path, and there is no better vay than that for reaching the objective, God-realisation.

16 Thet¡e are .many vho have delusions of having realised God . .After reading Vedanta and Sufi literature, many genuinely believe that they have attained the state of Ahm Brahmasmi or .Anal Haq, the l-am-God state. Nevertheless, such delusions are far better and more tolerable than the established assumptions of mankind that this world and its affairs are everlasting and real. What I say is that it is far better to be led into believing that 'I am not other than Paramatma' than to get established in believing that 'I am only a speck of dwt, I am a sinner, and I am weak."

1?

WALlS AND PIRS Ve find three types of Gurus or Masters in the wrld at all times: 1. The imposter; 2. The genuine but limited Guru, the Wali or Master of the 5th plane, and thePir or Master of the 6th plane; '3 . The perfect Guru or Sadguru, who is God-realised.

When a Vali is pleased ~th someone, he whispers or breathes a divine word in his ear, or he looks steadily into the eyes of the person concerned, and causes a lift in that person's consciousness. In this heightened consciousness, the person can easily read the thoughts of those near him if he vents to. He sees colored lights, and sometimes sees the face of the Vali ~thin the light. But the Vali may raise one to his ol'ln level of consciousness, and cause him to identify himself li'ith the mental body, and he sees his gross and subtle bodies distinctly as garments that he "Wars. Although this raising of another's consciousness is not mere hypnotism, but bestowal of an experience of a very high order, the state enjoyed, being li'ithin Ute domain of limitation (had) is still part of the passing show of illusion. The angle of vision has merely shifted from what it was previously. The view is vastly greater, but he still faces maya ~th his back to God. A Pir does not use either of the methods of the Wali. When he is pleased li'ith someone, he may ask for a glass of 'Water or a cup of tea. and taking a sip or tw, may give it to him to drink. Or he may ask the person for something, such as a hankerchief o:r scarf, and after using it for some time, return it to him. By such a seemingly insignificant action, the Pir may bring him up through any of the lower planes, even to his ovn station, and cause him to take a complete about-turn, so that ma)"a is forever behind him, and before him is the indescribable beauty and glory of God. In his lifetime a WaH and a Pir can raise one person, or at most two persons, to his own level of consciousness. A Pir cannot take anyone beyond the sixth plane, which denotes the very edge of limitation. There is an abyss to be crossed between the sixth and the seventh planes of consciousness, between the last point in limitation an-1 infinite limitlessness, the goal.

...

A Pir is himself in the realm of duality, and therefore cannot take anyone to the unitive state of unlimited consciousness. A Sadguru, being beyond the bounds of

1imitati'ln, aan a:-.d dt:lli!S: dt:l S:Q. Hli! utili:u~s: infinita wa路;s: Gnaiuding diraat I;.oh路;s:iaal touch, or !::-ven just a "Wish) fur th!:: b!:::sto"W"ing of his grac!:: on th!:: cn!::s h!:: 路:hccs!::s, to

make them transcend duality and merge in the consciousness of God the unlimited (Behad).

A Vali or a Pir necessarily requires the physical presence of a person whose level of consciousness he intends to raise. But time and space are no obstacles to a Sadguru when he 'Wishes to bestow his grace on any person or thing. The person concerned may be thousands of miles away, or not even in a physical body. Just a wish of the Sadguru can instantaneously establish that particular individual in the consciousness of the seventh plane of limitlessness (Behad) ...

A Pir can make one see God. But even then one's 'real I' still has falseness attached to it. A Sadguru, at the right moment, "Vthisks away entirely the entire falseness. And how does he do it? That is inexplicable. Only he who is know1edge itself can do this.

Vhen falseness is entirely shed, real individuality is established. This is the 'I am God' state.

1s The importance of saints is that they point so many to God.

19

The saints are like the nerves of my body. They work for me, and I guide their lives.

20

MASTS Masts are God-intoxicated souls. The glimpses of divinity that they get &路e accompanied by a joy that breaks through any type of sordid composure. One state of unbalanced exaltation is replaced by another state of unbalanced exaltation. The divine intoxication of the elixir of the liberating loVt of God admits of different degrees. The mast, with a feeling of uncontrollable happiness, plies through the unchartered planes, which open themselves to him, tmtil finally, he is dro'lliiled in the tmlimited bliss of an ultimate merging in the divine beloved. Only in the end is his lost balance finally re-established, for not tmtil all obstructive factors in the journey are successfully overcome can the lost balance of consciousness be restored.

21

All masts are intoxicated 'With God. They are intoxicated by divine love. Vhen a normal person is intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, he enjoys this sensation so long as the intoxicant is in sufficient concentration in his physical tissues. A drtmkard feels happy, cares not for anyone or anything, and has one dominant sensation, of drtmken~ess, in which the past, present or future have practically no meaning. But as soon as the ordinary intoxication passes a'Wy, the drunkard suffers the reverse, the hangover. Stimulated physical intoxication is inescapably temporary, because it is limited by the very stimulant itself, the conditions of the environment, the cost of the stimulant, and the resilience of one's condition.

Now, a person who is God-intoxicated experiences the same sensation that a drtmkard enjoys, and cares for no one and nothing, in proportion to the extent of his inner intoxication. The vast difference is, the mast's intoxication is continual, that it may increase but can never decrease, and that it has no harmful physical or mental reaction. It is an inner state of permanent and tmalloyed intoxication, independent of anything external. The principal sensation of a mast is this permanent enjoyment of dh"ine intoxication. The creation is full of bliss, and the mast enjoys this bliss, and thereby becomes intoxicated to an almost tmlimited extent, virtually consuming him and absorbing him, and thereby making the world around him vanish . .Absorbed in God, such a person is continually absorbed in thinking about God, &ld with that comes ... pure love, consuming him further in a state of divine intoxication.

22

'

...Mast~ are not in~ane or ~ad in the ordinEU·y ~en:s:e. Mast~ are desperately in low

with God, or consumed by their love for God. Masts <Jo not suffer from what may be called a disease. They are in a state of mental disot·der .because their minds are overcome by such intense spiritual energies that are far too much for them- forcing them to lose contact with the world, shed normal human habits and customs and civilise<J society, an<J live in a state of spiritual splendor but physical squalor. They at•e o";rercome by an agonising love for God, and are dro"Wned in their ecstasy. Only the <Jivine lo'\o-e embodied in a Perfect Master can reach them.

23 How does it happen that some men and wmen become masts? There are those "'li'ho have become masts whose minds have become unbalanced through unceasing <}welling upon thoughts of God, so that they neglect all normal human requirements.

There are those whose minds have become unbalanced by sud<1en contact with a highly advanced spiritual being. There are those who ha,re sought spiritual experience and ·have met a crisis from which they do not recover. What characterises all masts is their concentration upon the love of God. 24 If I really like anything, I like two things- masts and children. I like masts for their strength, and children for their helplessness. The fire of love is very terrible indeed, and masts present a challenge- of this terrible fire of love- to God, the bebved . ...This challenge- that the beloved should manifest himself- is always accompanied by heroic efforts to achie'lfe total self-elimination or egolessness; efforts that may take many forms. To lhre in dirty surroundings, such as in or near a latrine or a urinal, is one way of utterly forgetting one's bodily existence. And the beauty of it is that when the body is utterly neglected or forgotten - because the consciousness is aware only of love for the divine beloved- it <1oes not deteriorate, but takes care of itself automatically.

The minds of ordinary people are constantly busy looking after their bodies, but they find that, in spite of taking every kind of precaution and care, deterioration can never be avoided altogether ... It is not given to eveybody to be a lover of God. Such lovers are so consumed in the fire of love that they are not conscious of their stage of spiritual progress, and they <1o not have any thought of union with God. They simply 'enjoy' the torture of love, and long for more and more of it. These lovers don't have any thoughts about their separation from the beloved, or ... any thoughts of union with him. They are resigned to the state in which they find themselves, an<1 when their resignation reaches its climax, itis the beloved who seeks union with them ... 25 THE SPIRITUAL PATii True spirituality can be attained, not by the intellect, but by heart and feeling, by inner experience. · 26 However far man may fling himself into outer space, even if he were to succeed -in reaching the furthermost object in the universe, man will not change. Wherever he goes, he will remain what he is. It is when man travels within himself that he experiences a metamorphosis of his self. It is this journeying that matters, for the infinite treasure, God, is 'Within man, and not to be found anywhere outside of 2? himself.

When ·fOu begin to think of yourself as being on the Path, then you are not. The Path is not a defined direction set apart from you, for it begins an<1 ends within yourself. It is not so much that more of the Path i~ traversed, as it is that more of the veil of ignorance is lifted. In short, the Path is 'I want nothing.' However, although this denotes a freedom from wanting anything, even this desire for nothing is a want and a binding that must ultimately be effaced before you can reach the goal and attain that total freedom from all wanting ... The solution i:s to lo~re God as he should be loved.

It is lo,re for God alone that counts.

28

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TiiE MASTERS AND THE PATH SOURCES

1.

2.

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

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15.

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19 20.

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24.

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There are 56 God-realised... Discourses p268 The key to the world... Lord Meher '3 p810 Good and bad thoughts ... Lord Meher 4 p1258. 10 December 1929, Nasik Every God-1¡ealised personality... Lord Meher 4 p1259, December 5 1929, Nasik The first man to realise God... Beams from Meher Baba p27-J1 Of the 56 ... Lord Meher '3 p944, '3 june 1927, Meherabad The one who manifests ... Lord Meher 4 p1259. December 5 1929, Nasik The A.va.tar descends ... Lord Meher 7 p24'35 It is very difficult to grasp... God Speaks p268-269 It is wrong to believe that Prophets... How a Master Works p16'3 How to explain... Lord Meher 7 p2'318, 19 September 19'38. Meherabad The happiness ... God Speaks p1'39 Most God-realised souls... Discourses (3rd edition, 1943) v .1 p 2-3 The maizoobs ... Lord Meher 4 p1202-120'3 A. Sadguru is like an ocean ... Lord Meher J p816 Love and self-surrender ... Lord Meher 4 p1269, February 1819'30, N~ik There are many who have delusions ... Lord Meher 5 p1735. November 11932 We find three types of gurus ... The Everything and the Nothing p29-'31 The importance of saints ... Treasures from the Meher Baba Journals p83 The saints are like ... Meher Baba journall :'3 p62 Masts are God-intoxicated souls ... The Wayfarers p7-8 A.ll masts are intoxicated ... Lord Meher 6 p20'31 ...Masts are not insane ... Lord Meher 6 p20'35 How does it happen... Lord Meher 6 p20'31 If I really like anything ... The Work ofMeher Baba. etc .. 1949, p22-23 True spirituality can be attained... A.va.tar p 1'37 Ho"We"Ver far man may fling himself... How a Master Works p396, 196'3 When you think ofyourse1f... The A.ncient One p168, 1959, Poena

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INCi\RNATI<)NS OF THE A.\,.ATAR a.c<::ording to Me her B;:..bey in chronologi(~esl order. Those for ""'hom no dates e.t·e lmo"Yrn are listed ;3fter\'i·ard. Those \'i'hose names a.re unlmcf'w'fl are listed 8$ P.eferen<:es C~re abbrevio:c.ted on the right of the page. There e.t·e notes e.nd a key to a.bbrevia.tions ;:t_t the end. For more e.bout the Avatar. see DL.~COURSES p266-270. 291-297

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s~NG

p 156. HlviVi! p435 AO p212

GGM.3 p 1:l6, HlvPN p44,3.

IL P51. LM2 p521 LM .3 p98t)

JESUS CHRIST (Yeheshua ben Miryam) b. c.6 be Jew

see note on jesus GG1vl3 p 156, HMW p443

MUHAMMAD ibn Abdullah of Mecca and Medina

August 20, 570- June 7, 632

LM2 p441. LM3 p833 LM4 pl259

SHANKARACHARYA (Sankara) 686-718 or 788-82 o Hindu

GGM2 P33, SYvG p 157 HMW p437, GS p316 ·

- - - - - i n Venice, Italy

LlviS p 1702

c.1312 ad

SHIVAJI of Maharashtra b. April 10, 1627 or March 19, 1630 d. April 4, 1680 Hindu

TY p5.3, LM.3 p742, 971 LM3 p883, LM<t p 1308fn LAP p 153-154, HMW p449

MEHER BABA (Menvan Sheriar Irani)

LM2 P3.36, GGM2 p35 GGM3 p246, 248

Feb. 25 1894 -Jan. 31 1969

Realised Jan.1914, Perfected c. 192 0

(don't kno~. . .;r dates) see note on l'.miOR .ADVEl-ITS

______ in EP"ypt · - - - - - - n<)rtll of :Myrtle f,each, South Carolina ______ at Ojai. California ______ woman

______ at Portofino . Italy c.l433?

______ at A~.1ila. Spain before 12•JO? - - - - - - svveetm€-a.f.. seller in north India ______ E·U.d(itlist monK. ju_ ngle a:::cetic in Burma (Myanmar.)

GGM3 p78

e. ~.\1

.L .L

11

GGM.3 p49 <:'nt· • 1oc-)0!" ,. -

~;r;r - '-'1_.

II •

Pu·

LM5 pl794 Hlvi'.~l P4.3(.)-4.39 LM~) 1:. 1,3_7,4 LM4 f• f.30(3fn

TY nc:, ~ ••t·· .., .. ,,!.

LIY <± p 1 .)1...1 o n J.

}:' _, ._)

.

THE PERFECT Tvli\STERS A.ND THE A\'AT.AR Perfect Me.stet·s e.nd hKe.rne.tions of the Ave.tru· e.<~cording to Mehe:r Babe. ru·e listed in (;hrono1ogicel o:r,1er. ln<;&n;:t.tions of the Ave.tar are marke-1 "i!:·'ith a D.. Those -w·hose ne.mes e.re unkno"'\\m e.re listed es . Those for whom no dates e.1·e knO"i!:'n e.re listed after~··e1·d. :Referen<~es e.re a.bbrevie.ted on the right side of ee.<;h t)age. Notes. a. key to e.bbreviations ertd e. ree.ding list e.re to"'l'te.rd the end of this book. See the fir:.:t note. THE HIGHER PLANES . for gener81 ba<;kground. For more about Perfe(;t l•1!esters (Se!1gurus, Qutubs, or Selil~s-e-l•iluke.mmi1) see the preceding se(:tion THE Ivl.ib~TERS AND THE PATH. the notes. DISCOURSES p78-82. 271-292. and G(:aD SF'E.Al{S p150-164. 261-264.

NE p 14.3. 14a. GS p2 66 . 300 HlviW p427-428

D. SHIV A- GAHESH (Adam . Shankara)

_ _ _ _ _ Master of Zarathustra c.4000? l)c Helxe'.<V'

LM4 p 1196 LM2 p431 . LM3 p502, 1020 LM4p 1196, 1.352, SiN p281 RD p307, Hivl'iN p443

D. Zt-l.RATHU STF~A

(Spit3.ma Zoroaster, Zarthusht) cAOOO? be JANAK

e.3500? be

D. RANA

(Ramacbandra)

LM2 p61 0, Uvi7 p2 440-2 441 Givi p2 42-..:: 44, RD £.3.09 MBJ 1:4 p<±S-46

Hindu

c.3500? be .

D. KRISHNA Vasudev d. Feb. 20 3102 be Hindu. b. ABRAHAM

see note on Krishna.

(Abram) c.2000 be? Jew

_ _ _ _ _ woman c.540 be Master of Gautama Buddha

SWG p 156, Hiv!W p435 AO p212 HMvV p436, Aw 4:4 p2 5.

Siddhartha GAUTAMABUDDHA (Shakyamuni) 568-477 be

Uvi2 p523, LM.3 p986 HMW p443, I L p51 GGM3 pl56

b.

Nataputta Vardhamana MAHAVIRA of Vaishali (Bihar) and Pava e.543- e.476 be or 599 - 527 be

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Uvi4 p 1259, MBJ 1:4 p 1.3-1·;

GM p303

(Yohannan ben Zakarias?)

Jew e.6 be - e.2 6 ad

Givi p2 55-2 56 H1v!W p4.36

D. JESUS CHRIST (Yeheshua ben Miryam)

b. e.6 be Jew

see note on jesus Christ

GGivi3 ..f' 156, HiviV11 p44.3 LM.:. p441 . LM.3 p8.3.3

b. MUHAMiviAD ibn At•dullah of Mecca and 1vledina

i·.ugust 20. 570- June 7, 632

L!vi4 p 1259

6 SH .llJ~.Jf~ •.!\R~. .CH.U.R ..'l .~.. (Sa.rllt~tra.)

6·36-71•3 or 7(')()-f,20 Hindu BAY .P2ID Bistami of :t:.istam. Persia CuJ)U Yazid Tayfu!- al-E,i~:t::1mi) d ..37::.

lvlu.slim

LAP p70C:. . FL p75

EN p 11 I SH p (3 9

'

_ _ _ _ Master of JunaydJ c.850?

FL pt>3

Abul Quasim al JUNAYD of Baghdad d.91 0 Muslim

GS ~276J 308 SWG p161, HMW p484-5

VI1HOBA of Pandharpur and Arangaon

Uvi2 512 MBJ 1:2 p59, HMW C6og

c.940

Hindu

ABU'L FADL c.1 000

Muslim

SWG p96J 164

ABU SAID b. Abu1-Khayr 967-1049

SWG p96, 162 MBJ 1:4 p28J 4:1 p39

Muslim Jetsun MILAREPA of Tibet (Mi-la-ras-pa) 1052?-1123 or 1135 Buddhist

SWG p 158J HCG p80

Sheikh Yahya SHAHABUDDIN SUHRAWARDI of Persia and Egypt 1145 - 119-1 or 12 34 Muslim Khvvaja Saheb :MUINUDDIN CHISTI of Ajmer (Hasan a1 SizjiJ Gharib Na"Y'laZ) 1142-1233 Muslim

b. Dipalpurl Pur.Ljab 1200-1280 Muslim

MBJ 1:2 p41-42J Di p198J 411 HlviW p642-643J SWG p 160 LM 1 p 12J LM3 p788, 1126 W p 107 ISH p68 1

Khwaja KUTIJBUDDIN of Dehli (Qutab-ud-din) c.1200 Muslim BABAFARID Ganj-e-Shakkar

ISH p9-16 GS p280-28 C 318

HMWp643 MBJ 1:2 p41-42J ISH p68-69 MBJ 1:2 p41-42J IL p29J Dip 198-199 LM3 p 1126 IS~p68-69J 104-105 GS p77J HMW p642-643

Makhdoom Ali Ahmed SABIR of Kalyar Shariff c. 12 00 Muslim Muhyuddin IBN ARABI of MurciaJ S:Qain and DamascusJ Syria July 1165 - October 12 40 Muslim

1

GS p217-218J IL p27J RD p 152 GGM4 p62-66 120-121 MBJ Jan.1942 p164-169 1

GS p278J 307

FRANCIS of Assisi

(Giovanni Francesco Bernardone) 1182- Oct. 3 1226 Christian

Hazrat NAJMUDDIN KUBRA c.1200 Muslim

LAP p79-80J LB p71 Aw 4:3 p34J 20:2 p42 ISH p 123-125

ZARZARI ZARB/lJ<.SH

c.1200 d.1302? Muslim SHAMS-E-TABRIZ

of TabrizJ Persia (Shamsuddin) d.1246 or 1247 Muslim JELAL AL DIN RU:MI

of Balkh and Konia 1207-1273 Muslim NIVRUTI1 of A1andi

(Ni~7rittinath) c.1270 Hindu Master and elder brother of Dnyaneshv·?ar

LM 1 p71fnJ LM3 p945 HMW p576-577, LT p29 MBJ1:3 p67-68 LM3 p983J Di p417 HMVv p576-577 Livl3 p983.: Di p417 LJ p29 GGM3 p164 MBJ 1:9 p2~-27

.,

.

"

DNYP.l·IESH'NAF~

(Jnane~;hv·mr)

of idandi 1275? -1293? Hindu

l"UZ•.:U,·IUDDIN AV·lhva

~ , ITS p44_,. LJ~13 ~ 754_ft~1 I L p.:! 8, NE p 11 'i, tArlvl) p ltl'i

of Dehli

IviB l 4:2J'94-96 GS p20()

(Nizam al Din 1v1uliamr.nad ibn .ll.lunad) c.1 .32 4 lvlu::;lim

Hlvl..,N p59o-599

in Venice, Italy c.1312 ad see note onl1'ID~OP. .ADVEl-ITS 6

FAF~IDUDDIN

HJo. .·l~N p393., Av p 130-1 .?> 1 TK p.344_ , G1vl p251 LM.:, p9~5 . LM~i p 1[)00

ATI..i:..R

c. l ~~5·0 Muslim

1vlaswr of Hafez HAFEZ of Shiraz

I ·1· n

ij,·'l..P.130-1 ~' 1, Hl'·.·i~N p393 G'Jlvl3 p2~~4. Da p7, 9, 14 LM3 p980 . 983.. Uvf:J p 1i)OO

of Benares d.1518 lvluslim/Hindu

L!:. p p ,!i. t~) '"' .::J.--.r;_.JC: '( ll 'IV .::J.---. .•.::J.---. p 1~ L1vl3 p983.. Di p413 . RD p j02

(Shamsuddin 1vlohammad Hafez) ..,-"~r', --, 1 )i.

- !"

-

1·~"..-'

1

.)<) ~'

N U::; 1!

K.h..BIF~

BU ALI SH;.\li Qalandar

of Paniput

1400s

.£. ~

Y..~1uslim

Hindu

P.2ARK~JWAN

c.1600? Zoroastrian 1608-1650

Hindu

P.Fo.IviDAS SAiviAR1H

1608-1681 Hindu Master of Shi-.:.raji ~ SHIV~..JI

of Maharashtra b. Apr~l ~o. _!~?7 o~ March 19. 1630 d. Apnl 'i_. ll).::;.o Hmdu (Bu~mji

~A~rangaon

Buva) c.162!0 Hindu

.~.LI

I··1UH.t.J·til'··IAD of Shiraz (The E·ab) Shi'ite Muslim 6c:t. 20 1e. 19 - July 9 1{) :) 0

oi

;t.

T o.Y

l_J

GGivl4 p 115 1:2 p2 9, 1:4 p2 g GGlv12

p 117, 379

Gl.J~li3

p 141

GGM2 p377-378 GGM2 p377-378 LH p 165 LM3 p963, 1020 GGM·~

TUKAP.P.Jil

BUA.JI BUA of

1 ..r.

p 1109 LM7 p2Y~ 1 SWlr p 157

JANARDAN S\hl~mi of De~laeiri or Dau1atabad (Janardanpant) 1500s Hindu

EKNATH of Pratishthana or Paithan

1 1

~? Llvl~)

S-wami of Nadia and Puri (Gauranf.cra, Visvambhara Misra, Nimai) 27 Feb. 486- 1533 or 1534 Hindu

GHP.JTANYA

S~folami

'..)-

Y.o~lf.J

Guru N.t:..NP..K. of Ta1v..randi .

15 April 1469 - 7 Sept.15~>9 (or 1533 or 15·3e.)

(Ekoba) 152 8 or 1548-1609

.l

Rav\~atpindi

c.l ~32 5· Hindu

p159 Da p36,61-62, LM3 p983 LM3 p883 . 971 Llvl4 p 1196, Llvl5 p 1798-99 LAPp 15·3-154. 173. Dip 149, 416 TY P5·J. LM.3 p742, 97_1 . LM3 ~<38J. LM4 p 1~,0c)ln Lil~P p 1_):;-15.4, HlvfW p449 .- Hivi>;~~,r D6'?9 . lvi~·J 1} p5~9 .

UvL! p5L::-:d,),Llv1"± p1.)11tn

u . .I4 p 1240in Uvi 1 •D9

.

•

MAULASHAH

of Multan P..K.P~KOT

LM 1 p9, SW p 15

c.1825 Muslim

IL p~d. LM 1 p72fn LM2 p5t>9, i..lv13 pg45fn

SW.PJVII

(Svvami of Ako1a) Hindu c.1850

GHOUS J.~I SHAH Qalandar of Paniput 1804-1880 Muslim

.

MBl 1:2 p30, })65, 1:3 p32 IL p47 . MB E28J 1, RD p 152 W p320, LM2 p4t8, GS p26l-253

TOTAPU:RI

Master of Ramakrishna c.1865 Hindu qalandar

Aw 10:1 p22

of Dakshinesvvar (Gadadhar) Feb. 18 1836 -Aug. 16 1886 Realised c.1865 Hindu

GGM3 p248, Glvl p242 Aw 4:2 p3, 10:2 p 17 LM2 p617, Llv13 p817 SW p400, LAPp 183, 215

Baba ABDU:R :RAHIVIAN (Andu1 Rehman) of Bombay? c.1880?

LM 1 p214 GS p218

:RAMP.K:RISHNA Paramhansa

Hazrat DAOOD CHISTI of Sagar? c.18 79 Muslim Master of Tajuddin Baba

LM 1 p52-54, 58, 52fn LM7 p2402

Hazrat Bla.BAJAN of Poona (Goo1 Rukh) Muslim 17 89 or 1790 - Sept. 2 1 1931 jalali/jamali khvvaja Realised c.1860?

MBJ 1:4 p29-39, LH p64-65 FL p17-18, 174,318 LM 1 p 6-19, LM3 p831, 943 NE"p114, Aw 10:1p23, 32 LJ p25-27, 45, GGM3 p204

SAl Bla.BA of Shirdi c.1838 -Oct. 15 1918 Hindu/Muslim ja1ali/jamali _ghaus Realised c.l854, Sadguru c.1858

LH p63-64 GGM4 p 155, Ll p27,44 LM 1 p64-83, LM2 p61 0 Aw 10:1 p23,32,36, RD p310

TAJUDDIN BABA of Nag2ur

(Tajuddin Mohammaa Badruddin) Tan.17 1861- Aug. 17 1925 Muslim · jalali/jamali Realised 1879, Sadguru c.1883 NARAYAN MAHARAJ of Kedgaon

(Narayan Rhim Rao) May 25 1885 -Sept. 3 1945 Hindu jamali Realised c.l 903, Sadguru c.l 903 UPASANI MAHAP.PJ of Sakori

(Kashinath Govindrao Upasani) May 15 1870 -Dec. 24 1941 Hindu ia1ali kh~Naja Realised 19 12, Sadguru 1914 DHUNIW.¢.~A DP..DA

of Khand~ATa, Sai-Khed (near !tarsi) Madhya Pradesh d. 29 NoT..r. 1930

LT p2 8~ 45-46

tMl p48-63

LM7p2402 HMWp576 Aw 10:1 p32~ LH p6S LHp65

tl:lHMW tp~~-~~ p576

Aw 10:1 p32

LHp64 LJ p28, 44-45, Aw 7:2 p23 Aw 10:1 p2 3,32 LM 1 p87-115, LM'3 p815 GGM3 p137-138

sw p396,39~, w p276

Liv13 p951, LM4 p 1165 4

b. I··1EHEF~ B.O:::..BA (lv!erv.,ran Sheriar Irani) Feb. 25 1e.94 - fan. 31 1969 ·

see note on l•.•lehe:r Baba I~J 'D),)O_.

'• .-. r .... .... 1 I.. c:: L1N.:.

'J'~r './ ~ p.::;•_.l GG1v!3 p2 46_. L 4i3

Realised Jan .19 ·14 Perfected c.192 0

----=----- of Svria c.1963 man Muslith

- - - - - - o f Pakistani Punjab man 1v!uslim

c.1963

~a. . v-?10:1

- - - - - - of Indian Punjab c.1 963 man Hindu or Muslim-Hindu

i·~ Vol 10: 1 p 32

p32

Hivi\,i.l p440

-~---- of Jviadhya Pradesh c.1963 man Hindu

- - - - - - o f South India c.1963 man Hindu

i·\'W10:1 p32

PERFECT MASTER~~ (don't know date~)

KHWidA KHIZR (Khidr, Iliyas)

IL P.)C:: 1·'

Z.l:..K.F-.RIA (Zacharias?)

(i:,to,T

, •• v1

('·1:<: .•') :'t,.;._

't) ..

A..,N 10:4 pl9

SUP.P.Y PIP..l!..NE Pir of Baghdad

{Piran) 1v!uslim

IL p46. HMW p460

_ _ _ _ _ _ of the Punjab

S'~N

Master of Bahau1 Huq of Mu1tan

p324 . DH p42-49 MBJ 1:9 p27-28

Muslim

LM3 p850

BANDF-.NAVF-2 of Gulbarga

Muslim

GGJv13 p2 .~i 7

- - - - - - o f Lucknovv•

the eunuch Sadguru

ITS p64-68

Haji MALF-.NG SHAH of Kalyan Muslim

PM p59, L1vl2 p50 1-502 SW p 119-120, RD p 185-186 ST p 11

Prophet KP2.A.RIA INCA.RNATIONS OF TilE .t:..YAT.A.P. (don't lmow dates) see note on

~-m~oR

ADVENTS

D. _ _ _ _ _ _ in Egypt b norili of Jvivrtle Beach. South D. at 01ai. California · I

Carolina

.

b.

':l·.Toman

/l _ _ _ _ _ _ /l _ _ _ _ _ _

at ~ll.. vila. Spain before 1200? sv.leetmeat seller in north India Buddllist monk. jun;2;le a~:cet.ic in Bunna nvivamriar) -

!J. _ _ _ _ _ _ at Portoiino .

D.

.

I

Italy c:.1433?

GGM3 p78 GGlvt) p49

.~ .....·'~ ~H ••• V'l. -;;,p.

1or:: -,. _.l\)A

Pu

LMS _p 1794 HlviW p4.;8-4,3.9 LMS p 1634 L1vl4 p f30Mn TYp5,3.

L1vi4 p 130Mn c::,

INDEX OF INCARNATIONS OF THE .AV.ATAR AND PERFECT tv'I.ASTERS in alphabetical order. The incarnations of the Avatru· ru·e marked with a triangle D..

Many of the Masters ai'e known 1>y mot·e thail one name. Next to each name is the page number in the chronological list that immediately pt·ecedes this index. In that list, which is five pages long, the page numbers are in the lowet· right hand ~~ot'tler. tJ. AB RAHP.JYJ 1 D. ~.B P.~JYI 1 ABDUR P.~Jii...YAN 4 ~.BU'L FADL 2 ABUL QUASIM .ll.~ JUNAYD 2 ABU S~JD B. ABUL-KHAYP. 2 ABU YAZID TAYFUP. AL-BISTAMI 1 D. ADAM 1 AKALKOT SWAMI 4 ~.KOLA, SWAMI OF 4 .A~I AHMED SABIP. 2 ALI f·1UHAMMAD (TiiE BAB) 3 ANDUL REHMAN 4 ARABI, MUHYUDDIN IBN 2 ATTARI FAP.IDUDDIN 3 /J.2AR K~JWAN 3 BAB,TiiE3 BABA ABDUP. RAHMAN' 4 BABAFAP.ID GANJ-E-SHAKKAP. 2 BABAJAN 4 BANDANAVAZ 5 BAY AZID BISTAMI 1 BEP.NAP.DONE, GIOV ANN! FRANCESCO 2 BISTAMI, BAYAZID 1 BUAJIBUA 3 BU ALI SH~Ji QALANDAP. 3 tJ. BUDDHA 1 BUVAJIBUVA 3 6? CHAITANYA SWAMI 3 6 CHRIST, JESUS 1 DAOOD CHISTI 4 DAWOOD CHISTI 4 DHUNIWALA DADA 4 DNYANESHW~..P. 3 EKNATii 3 EKOBA 3 FAP.ID I BABA 2 F.A..P.IDUDDIN ATTAR 3 FRANCIS OF ASSISI 2 GADADHAP. 4 6 GANESH 1 GANJAY SH.P.KK~.R 2 GAUP.ANGA 3 D. GAUTAI'..YA BUDDHA 1 GHAP.IB NAWP-2 2 GHOUS ALI SH.Pli Q.P~Jl...NDAP. 4 GOOLP.UKH 4 GULP.UKH 4 GUP.UNANAK 3 H.~..FEZ 3

IBN ARABI,l·!IUHYUDDIN 2 ILIYAS 5 JANP.J( 1 JANAP.D.P.NP.~.NT 3 JP.l.JP.J:~D.i:..N S\XlP..lill 3 D. JESUS CHP.I ST 1 JETSUN I·!IIL.AJ:~EPA 2 JN.P.NE SH~.¥AP. 3 JOHN TIIE BAPTIST 1 JUNAYD 2 KABIP. 3 KASHINATII GOVINDRAO UPASANI 4 K.P2J:..RIA 5 KHIDP. 5 KHIZ:R 5 KHWAJA KHIZP. 5 KHWP.JA KUTIJBUDDIN 2 KHWMA SAHEB NUINUDDIN CHISTI 2 A KRISHNA 1 NAHAVIP.A 1 MP.JCHDOOM P.~I P.liMED SABI:R 2 MALANG SHAH 5 MAULASHAH 4 1::. MEHEP.BABA 5 1::. MERWAN SHERIAR IRANI 5 MI-LA-RAS-PA 2 MILP..REPA 2 b. MUHAJYIMAD 1 MUINUDDIN CHISTI 2 MUHYUDDIN IBN ARABI 2 NAJMUDDIN KUBRA 2 NANAK 3 NAJJ.AY AN MAHARAJ 4 NARAYAN P.HIM P.AO 4 NATAPUTIA. VARDHAMANA MAHAVIRA 1 NIMAI 3 NIVP.ITTINA.TII 2 NIVRUTTI 2 NIZAM A.L DIN 3 NIZAMUDDIN AWLIYA 3 PIRAN 5 PIP.ANE ~IP. 5 QUTAB-UD-DIN 2 1::. P.AMA l 1::. RAMA.CHANDP.A 1 RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA 4 RAMDA.S SAMARTii 3 RUM! JELP.~ A.L DIN 2 SABIR, ALI AHMED 2 SAl BABA OF SHIRDI 4 A SANKARA (SANK.A.P.ACHAP.Y A) 1 1::. SANKAP.A (SHIV A) 1 1::. SJ:..NK.P.RACHP...RY .t. 1 SHAHABUDDIN SUHRA~NARDI 2 SHP.JC.KAP., GANJAY (BABAPP..RID) 2 1::. SHAKY AIY!UNI 1 SH.i:.J·II S-E-TP..B P.IZ 2 SH.PJY!SUDDIN IY!OH/-JY!IviJ:..D HAPEZ 3 b. · SH/-J~KARA ( SHP..NKAP.ACHP..P.Y .A.) 1 1::. SHANKAP.A (SHIV A) 1 I

/:,. SHP...NKP..RACHP..RY A 1 b. SHIVA 1 A SHIV tJI 3 b. SIDDHARTIIA 1 b. SPITP.J·IJA ZARATHUS'ffi.8.. 1 SUHRAWARDI, SHAHP...BUDDIN 2 SURRY 5 SWAM:I OF AKOLA 4 TAJUDDIN BABA 4 TAJUDDIN I~OHP.JYII·1AD BADRUDDIN 4 TUK.li..RAl'IJ 3 TOTAPURI 4 UPASP...N'I MAHP..R.h.J 4 VISVAMBHARA MISRA 3 VITiiOBA 2 YAHYA SHAHABUDDIN SUHRA"~N.h...RDI 2 b. YEHE SHU A BEN I·IJIRIP.Jvl 1 YOHANN.P..N' BEN ZP...K.P..RIAS 1 ZACHARIAS 5 ZAKARIA 5 A ZARATIIUSTRA 1 b. ZARTHU SHT 1 ZARZP..RI ZARBP...KSH 2 b. ZOROASTER 1

- - - - ' - - of Indian Punjab c.196 3 I) _ _ _ _ _ of Lucknow, the eunuch Sadguru 5 _ _ _ _ _ of Madhya Pradesh c.196 3 5 - - - - - o f Pakistani Punjab c.1963 5 - - - - - o f the Punjab, Master of Bahaul Huq - - - - - o f Rawalpindi c.182 5 3 _ _ _ _ _ of Southlndia c.1963 5 _ _ _ _ _ of Syria c.1963 5

5

-----Master of Gaut.ama Buddha (woman) 1 -----Master of Tunayd 2 - - - - - Master of 2arathustra 1 b. b.

A b. b. b.

A A A

- - - - - o f Avila, Spain 5 of Burma, Buddhist monk 5 of Egypt 5 of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 5 of North India, sweetmeat-seller 5 of Ojai, California 5 of Portofinol Italy 5 of Venice~ Italy~ c.1312 ad 3 woman Avatar 5

Ivl.A.JZOOB s

I

PERFECT ONES

JIY.~.NIYITJKTAS I

.A.ND PAR.AJYIH.A.NSA ;~

SOPAN r.)f Alandi (Sopandev) c.l290 younger brotJ1er of DnyanestfiNar

MBl 1:9 p22.,.27 . GGivL3 p 164

IviUKTABAI of Alandi

GGM3 p 164 .MBJ 1:9 p22-27

sister of Dnyanesh"Wa.r c.1290 CHANGDEV (Chang De-~!a)

c.12 90 disciple of Dnyaneshwar and Iviuktabai

I

MBJ 1:9 p22-27 IL p23. GS p77

IviULLA SHAH

MBp23

F~2ILAY.62.

Ivm p23

BUP~I

MBpU>

SINDHI

YASIH BIN HUSAIN :RAZI

IviBp23

ABUL HUSAIN J'.'IUZEEN

MBp28

AHMED GHAZ.t~~I

MBp25

Abdur Rehman JAMI of Afghanistan (Nur al Din Abd al Rahman) 1414-1492 or d.l429

MBp25

_ _ _ _ _ several Perfect Ones in or near !tarsi, 1920s

RD p303

_ _ _ _ _ woman jivanmukta or majzoob 192 6

With disciples, mountains of Tibet

LM3 p815

MAULANA SAHEB

of Bombay

Muslim

GGM3 pl38

_ _ _ _ _ of Persia, 192 7

LM3 p994

_ _ _ _ _ of Persia, 192 7

LM3 p994

_ _ _ _ _ of Persia, 1927

LM3p994

_ _ _ _ _ of Egypt, 192 7

LM3 p994

sw p386

_ _ _ _ _ of Pandharpur, 192 7 _ _ _ _ _ of Lahore c.1929

Wp28&

_ _ _ _ _ of Europe c.l 932

LM5 pl603

JIY .A.NiviTJK TAS

Svv'arni

R.~.NTI:RTI1

c.1900 Hindu ISH~NAR

DAS ;W?Aivii of Shahal)ad

and TUlrikur .(near Yadgiri) (Tilgur swami)

S"'N p404 410 LM3 p962 . 978, l 108 TX~

1 P'-·1 '"I~- ..•) o0

'NO-)

GGM2 p2 4.386 'N p lel7, 36r3~ 369

I·.oJAJZOOBS BANE MIY AN BABA. of

Aurangabad (Benemyan Baba) d.1914 gi·w.m realisation by Sai Baba BAPU SJ.JiEB

. Uvi 1 p215, Plv1 p24

sw p280-281

Wft.~I

(Bapu Shaha)

of Ahmednagar d.c. 1919

Ll\tl2 p327- 328, RD p 195

CHACHA of Peshawar, Indore and Ajmer

(Nur Ali Shah Pathan, Ganja Baba) Muslim c. 1940s

.

BABA SHAHABUDDIN of Bhat

(Bhatwalla Baba) c.l 943

T?\7

p 187, 210-211

PERFECT ONES WHO MAY HAVE B:eEN PERFECT MASTERS K.ALYAN c.4000? be disciple of Janak

MBT 1:4 p45-46 GM p2~3-244

Husayn b. MANSUR AL-HALLAJ 858-92 2 Baghdad Muslim disciple of Junayd

RD p307, SW p281

I L :R45-47, 51 LM 3 p 1136-1137, 1137fn

Abu Bakr Dulaf Jahdar al SHIBLI of Baghdad d1sciple of Junayd d. 945 or 946? Muslim MIP.ABAI of UdaiQUr

1433-1468 or 1504 ?-1550 or 1573-1630 Hindu

HMW 484-485 GS p277, 317 ISH p64 GM p332, AO p 10

01HER GOD-REA~ISED SOULS

_ _ _ _ _ yogi of the sixth ~lane given realisation by Krishna C.,:>OOO be JUDASISCAP.IOT (Yehuda Ish Kerioth)

disciple of Jesus c.35 ad MAJNU (Majnun) BAPUZAMIL SHAH DATAP.

of Datar Hill, Junagarh M~..RIAMBI woman disciple of Tajuddin Baba c.1900 Muslim

- - - - - man given realisation

by Dhunivv'alla Dada _ _ _ _ _ Hindu doctor g~ven realisation by Maulana Saheb GUSTADJI SHILST (Hansotia)

Feb. 20 18 9 0 - Oct. 30 1957

I11EREDITH ST/1.-RR

promised Perfection b;1 Meher Baba

HMW p 319 Q, GGM3p48 HMW p662 -o6 3

LM3 pllOOfn GM p316, PL p78 Wo-b pll LMl p58

GGM3 pl37-13,~ GGM3 p138 LAP p505 LM 1 p260-261 Q, LM3,.p 1071

Uvl4 p 150.:.-1503

LIBERATED SOULS see note on LmERATIOH

Pharaoh RJ.lviESES II(?) of Egypt b.c. 1303 be JJ.lYlSHED IRJ..NI

Aw 4:2£26

1893- Feb. 27 1926

GOPP..L

FL p32 LM3 p779- t85

s~.¥J.l·I1I

promised liberation by Meher Baba August 1926 GENU CHAIYlHAR

LM 3 p 114 3- 114 4

d. Feb. 24 1929

FER.A.M WORKINGBOXWALLA

promised liberation bv both Upasani Maharaj and l\oieher Baba

SHERIAP. :MUNDEGAR IRANI

March 2 1 1853 - April 30 1932 SHIREEN IRANI

1878- Feb. 25 1943

ABDUL GH.P.NI Munsiff d.

JAL KERAWALLA d. Oct. 6 AUROBINDO Ghose

LM3 p835-836

Aug. 7 1951 1952

6th plane yogi given reallsation at death by Meher Baba NERULA of Amravati Principal of Vidarbha Mahavidya1aya promised realisation at death

by Meher Baba NOZHER DADACHANJI

1933? - Oct. 12 or 13 1955 MI1HILESH of Dehra Dun 1953?- Jan. 3 1957

LM4 p1358 AV·l

4:2 r26

LM 1 p 118- 32 L1vl5 p f603-1604 UJ1 p1.33-141 Q, GGM3 p136 Q, GGM3 p 136

OL Q, GGM3p248

AL p92-94 LH p85-86, Aw 4:2 p7 FL p14

CURSHET TALA.TI

d. Jan.(?) 1958 of Poona d. March 1959

FLp32

GADEKAR

SRINIVASAN :MUDA.LIAR of

d. Oct. 1959

MARY BACKETI of

d. Sept. 5 1962

Poona

England

d. May 1963

d. Nov. 11 1965

BAPUSAHIB SHINDE

d.Dec. 1965

of KOV vUr, Andhra

FL p166

7

of Poona

RAIYIJOO ABDULLA of Lona v1a 1900(?) - Jan. 11 1967 KISHINCHAND GAJWANI 7

d. Oct. 16 1968

Q, FL p62

FL p 142, 166

"WILL BACKETI' of England KODURI KRISHNARAO

FLp50

and Satara

FL p238 FL p253-254 FL p275 FL p333

.

•

ADEPT PILORIIvfS

~.

SIX'IH PLANE

NOSES (Musa) Jew

HlvHV p4 3) Livi 1 p3lfn, FI p32

NADANI <)f Bar<)da c.1900

master of Inayat Khan Sufi _ _ _ _ of Africa d. August 1928 _ _ _ _ of Europe c.1 9.32 P.ANA.NA !YI.AJi.P.P.SHI 18 79-1 9:)0 Hindu G.P.DGE NAHAAAJ of Pandharpur d. Dec. 21 1956 Hindu KAMB.P~POSH

BABA of Dehli c. l 939 SHASTRI BUA of Hyderabad NASIBAN MASTANI of Lucknow

OL LM.3 p 1076 LM'S p1603 LM~ p-1359 fn i·.. L p95-9t•. AO p 153 Aw 2:4 p 1-11, 4:3 p36 LM 1 p 190, FL p 10 W P2 .32 GGM1 p26

woman (not a mastani) d.l 940s

AUP.OBINDO GHOSE yogi

V•l p290

given realisation

at death by Meller Baba _ _ _ _ of Algiers c.l 952 Sufi Murshid _ _ _ _ of Egypt c.l 952 Sufi Murshid _ _ _ _ of Ind1a c.1952 Sufi Murshid _ _ _ _ of India c.l 952 Sufi Murshid _......;.___ of Meshed, Persia c.l 952 Sufi Murshid

OL HMW p123 HM'iilf p123 HMW pl23 HM'~N pl23 HivPrl p 123

BETWEEN 'IHE Stll AND 6tll PLANES

_ _ _ _ ofBaghdad c.1928 disciple of Meher Baba

LM3 p1076 PIP'IH PLANE

_ _ _ _ aged woman vmo helped Baba Farid on the 4tll plane c.12 50 INAYATKHAN of Baroda .

5 July 1882 - 5 February 192 7 Sufi

JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI

KIRPAL SINGH 1894-1974 Sikh

_ _ _ _ of Egypt c.1928 _ _ _ _ of Baam, Persia c.l 92 9 _ _ _ _ of Bandarawela c.l 932 agent in charge of central Ceylon AMIR AHMED ofHyderabad 5th?

GHANI BABA of Nasik c.1930 TiiE BABA b.c.1860 chargeman of Nasik CHOTA BABA of Persia (Abdullah Rokneldin Pakra-wa.n) b.191 0 disciple of Meher Baba Muslim NANLY PALNER HALL of Los Angeles GHULIAPPA SWAMI Of Sholapur c.1942 yogi BR.PJi!YIANANDJI NAST of Mu.ttra (not a mast) c.l 945

GS p77 G1 Feb.l994 p2 3, TK P5 Aw 20:2 p17, LM3 p 816-817 JW, LM4.P1350, 1469 AO p 154-165, AL P95-96 Aw 20:2 p25 LM3 pl076 LM4 pl240 W p200, LM5 P 1755 GGM2 p25 LM·4 p1292 OL LM3 p 1006-1003 LM3 p 1042-1045 AL p95 FF,JH w p3"57 W p307, OL

5th OR 6th PLP..NE ADEPT PILGRII'IJS

Ishar Singh of Rajpur DV 2:1 p30 Manghat Ram of Raj pur DV 2:1 p30 s·1Nami Sivananda Sarasvati of Rishikesh 1887-1963 Hindu GG1vl4 p 15-20 Khwaja Saloddin of Kasba Peth, Pune 1800s? Muslim LMl p256 Jamal Hansvi LM2 p480 1·-Aamu Baba of Bombav disciple of Tipoo Baba LM3 p1052 Dada Thanthan Pal of 1amunia (near Jabalpur) c. P~49 . · GGM2 p 14, Wo-b p2 2 Mau~anj-ka Hafizji of Mauganj and Rewah GGM2 p 16 1Ou% salik -like c.l 949 Wo-b p24-25 · OL Nitvanda of 1vla1abar (Bombay) Hindu Harihar Dadaji of Sanavo~at, Khandvva chargeman of tlle Perfect Iviaster Dhuniwalla Dada c.1941 Wp276 Pir Fazl Shah of Kotah d.1940s ITS p42-44, W p281-282 Moti Baba of Lahore 1940s w p287 Dandekar Baba of Ludhiana c.l 946 wp291 Kammu Baba AO pl58 Khwaja Baqi-Billa of Dehli T p184 - - - - o f America c.1927 disciple of Meher Baba LM3 p994 Kala S'"ain of Amritsar c.l 946 Wp194-195 Bansi Baba of Bansi c.1945 Wp204 adept ~ogi, b.c.169S? Bashtr Mian of Bareilly c.l 942 Wp205 Bhorwala Baba of Bhor c.l 94 7 w p212", 296 Oria Baba of Brindaban c.1945 Wp216 Pir Saheb of Calcutta c. l 945 Wp220 Mashita Baba of Chhachhrauli c.l 946 Wp225 Mungsaji Maharaj of Dhamangaon c.194 7 W p2 33, GGM2 p2 7 _ _ _ _ of Madura c.l 9-:tO wp'295 Lakshman Das of Mitri c. 1946 Wp305 Maulana Shamsuddin Ulema of Moradabad c.l 942 w p305-306 Shadruddin Shah Salik of Multan c.l946 Wp306 Tukdoji Maharaj of Nagpur c.1940 w p 309-310 Ae:hon Baba of Nahan c.1946 Wp310 wp310 ¥taliji of Nasik d.l 934?

Zinda Wali of Phulwari Sherif, Patn.a c.l942 Wp322 Maulana Ashrafali Chiragh-e-Hind of Thana Bhawan c.19'i2 (5th plane?)

Wp363 S"Wami Hari Ram of Satbela !slana, Sukkur wp361 c.1946 Hindu Wp348 Krishna Guard of Sadhaura c.1946 Hindu Ial Tapasvi of Rishikesh and Uttar Kashi c.1946 w p343-344 Keshwanandji Maharaj of Rishikesh d.c.1940?

Wp344 w "41) _ _ _ _ of Rishikesh c.1946 GGM.fy68 Abhaya Dev of Charthawal c. l95.3 Wo-a p6- t, 12 Devig1ri Maharaj of Uttar Kashi c.1946 J

S.AJNTS*

Dllruva Hindu Pralllad Hindu s~I'Tami Siddllarudh of Sholapur Hindu Augustine of Hippo, North Africa ta:urelius Augustinus) 354-430 Christian · Rabia a1-Adawiya of Basra c. 750 woman Muslim Catherine of Siena 134 7- 1380 Christian Francis Xavier Christian April 7 1506- Dec 3 1552 (or 1562?)

Teresa of Avila lvlarch 2 8, 1515-1582 Christian Saijan Shah Wali of the , Pavagarh Hills Muslim Maula Gilori Shah of Abmednagar (Hazrat Shah, Mau1a Baba, Maulana Shamsuddin Chisti) c.192 0 :Muslim buried at Meherabad

,·

Llvl3 p982 LM3 p982 w p247 U.J4 p 1302 and fn

GGM3 p48, LAP p61 Aw 20:2 p42 LT r>25, LM f R8 MBJ 1:4 J>27-28

GGM3 p48

Aw 20:2 p42 GM p248 RD p366

GM p332, GGM3 p48 Aw 20:2 p42

RD p365·, LM2 p678

LM2 f485-486

512-S 3,FLp36 MBJ 1:2 p60-61

IviASTS BETWEEN 1HE 6th AND 7th PL~J,TES BABA of Kilakkarai d .1940s "The King ()fall Masts" Iviuslim NANGA BABA of Jasgiran ma.jzoob-like d.1944 IYI.~.STER HEIYIR..!Ui of Rohri majzoob-like ja1ali c.1946 P.t~~LUKOLL~Ji

~N

p279-280

w p261

wp346-.347

SIX1H PL~J,TE TIPOOBABA chargeman of Bomba}r d.1944

PM p24, Givl p155-156 LM 1 p2 14, [M2 p 711 ~N p385, LM3 p 1052 p 131 pl84 wo-b po W p51-7L187, 315-.316 w p59, 362

_ _ _ _ _ of Agra majzoob-like c.1.929 CHAm BABA of Negapatam (Mutha Baba) jamali V\rith traits of ja1ali c.l q4g ABDUL Q.A.DIR .nu~Jii of Tanjore ghous-like c.1942 LAKHAN SHAH of Ajmer mazjoob-like jamali I jalali c.1939 DADA IYIAHARAJ of ~~~mraoti majzoob-like c.1939 QUTUB SHAH of Aurungabad (Captain) majzootJ-liRe c. 1943 CHADD.A.R BABA chargeman of Bangalore, d.c.1940 PHUL w~~A of Belgaum jalali c.1940 SIDDIQ SHAH IYI.P..JZOOB of Bidar majzoob-like c. 1945 MUHSHI of Burhanpur ghous-like? c.1939 KARIM BABA jalafi chargeman of Calcutta c.l 940 MUHAMMAD BABA of Cuttack 100% jalali c.1945 CHIN! SHAH MAJZOOB of Gorakhpur d.1940s REHMATULLAH BABA of Saharanpur ittefaqi 1 jamali c.1946 CHOTA MASTAN of Hubli c.1942 SAIYID MOEINUDDIN. (Majzoob Mian) chargeman of Hyderabad jalalt majzoob-like c.1945 - - - - - of Hyderabad mastani d. 1940s GOKH.A~E BABAof Ismailpur J·amali c.1941 NANGA SADHU of Jodhpur d. 940s DADAMAHARAJ of Amraoti majzoob-like c.1939 GULAB BABA of Karanjgaon, Ellichpur c.1939 UMAR BABA chargeman of Bomt>ay majzoob-like, jalali c.1948 TOTAPURI of Kup jalali c. 1946 SAIYID MUSTAFA of Mira Datar c.194 1 INAYA1ULLAH NAST (Inayat Majzoob) chargeman of Muttra (Mathura) c.1944 QADlR MIAN of Naini (Chai Baba) c.1941 I~AJZOOB WALI <)f Nakodar majzoob-like c. 1942 W.A2IR BABA of Aurvad (near Narsobl1awadi) <j. l 942 MOTI BABA of Negapatam and Madras c.1940 BHIKU BABA ()f Polavaram ma.jzoob-like c.194.3 _ _ _ _ _ of Quetta majzoob-like c. 192 4 WP~I BABA of Re~..va.ri majzo<)b-like jamali c.1941 JOPRIW~~A BABA Of Sallaranpur c.1942

sw w

'vV p 108-9, 188

wpl94

Wp199

w p 122-123, 201 . w p124-125, 208 Wj>213

Wp2lt-218

Wp72-78,219 Wp227 Wp239

wp349-350 Wp247

Wp253

wp254-255

Aw 21:2 p29 WR257

wp2o3-4

w p264

Wp264 GMJ>155 p385-38o Wp283 "vV p304

w

wp.308

w p.310-31 w p312 ·wp~l~

Wp.316:317 wo-b p7-8 'vV p325- 326

Wp330

wp342

~N

P349

:

w p355 w p3'?8-3~9 Wl3 o

Shastri Bua of Secunderabad Hindu c.1945 Aghori Baba of Simla majzoob-like, jalali c.1946

Nuru Baba of Sojat madarzad . ja1ali-Jamali c.l rj41

- - - - - of Ujjain c.19Y1

w p 11 ~ .

·

lviohiuddin Baba of Uran (Nanga Baba) majzoob-lil~e c.1942 Saiv1d Badruddin Rafai Shah of Baroda salik-lib&, maizoob-like c.194 7 Nilkanthwala of Rishikesh (Po•Nder-V·lalla) c.1958

364

. .,., p-'64 .)

w p391 FL p41,44,85, 118

FIF'IH PLANE IviASTS

_____ of Pathri jamali c.192 4 Ali Shah of Ahmedna~ar (Bapji) iamali d. Dec. 27 19::->6 Muhammad Mast of Ratnagiri, Bombay and Meherabad (Tukaram Cha~p;ran) Hindu, jalali Qabristanwala of Ajmer (Kullar Shah, Socrates) c.1939 Harihar Baba chargeman of Benares c.1939 Lobev.Jala Baba of Chanda jamali/ ittefaqi c. 1942 Chambeli Shah of Chapra ghous-like _____ of Katni itt.efaqi, jalali I jamali c.1939 Dhondi "Bua of Wai c.1946 _____ of Dehra Dun c.1946 Meherban Baba chargeman of Meerut jalali? c.1946 Nanga Khan Mastan Pesha-wari · of Rawalpindi madarzad c.1942 Sain Puda of Rawalpindi salik-like majzoob-:-like chargeman of Rawalpindi c.1930 - - - - - a tall ol<l man jamali-mahbubi c.1946 Nur Ali Shah Pathan of Sehwan · (not Chacha) c.1946 Lala Mast of Vengurla c. 194 7 Talli Sain of Verka (-wali mast) c.1940s Pathan Baba (Jafar Shah Mast) of Colaba, near Bombay c.194 7 '75~ salik-like, 25~ majzoob-like' Chambu Shah of Moti-wada, Baroda c.194 7 Shah Jehan of Calcutta c.1948

..,Np321-322 FL plO wp78-83. 18.:t-85

w p42-51

wp 109,188, 394

Wp209 w p225 Wp225 Wp265

w p367

Wpl56

w p299-300

wp340-341 Wp341

w p353-355 Wp356 W?-305 w p36 -36t> Wp384

w p379-381

Wo-a p6

MASTS PROBABLY OF 1HE 5th OR 6th PLANE

Badri Baba of Chandtara c.1949 Sobha Mast of Katni c.1949 Maul~Ti Saheb Mastan chargeman of Madras ialali c.1945 Batwa Shah of Benares {juwu Shah} c.1949 Ali Asghar of Mahim, Bombay c.1949 Majzoob i~..li Shah of MorYi, Saurashtra (Bhujwala Baba) majzoob-like, jamali c. 1949 Mastan of Ol~ha c.1941 jalali chargeman of Okha Nannu Mian charqeman of Dehra Dun c.l 946 Haiezji ~~ab~e~a c'11ar~ema_n of Dehli c.l 941 lvlastam Mat ol Agra a.l940s

GGM2 p 10,386, Wo-b p 19 GG:f:/12 p386, Wo-b p23 Wp29~

GG~112

g38t> Wo-b p2_r29 W p384, "'•No-b p4-b Wo-b p 14-15

VI

<)THERS ~tho~e

spirituo1 :::to.tus

"'ft03

not i-dentifie-d by Meher Bo.bo.. They me.y ho.,re been

.Adva.rJ.ced Souls. Setint.s. Perfect. Ones or even Perfect Masters. If you know something Meher Bat>a se.id about them, please write to the address on the next to last page.

SvVG p 120

NPJ·TU NOAH PAP.ASHU:RAHA ASHTRA-.:l.tU<P.A

SWG p 120

master of lanal( c.3500 be YAJNAV~~KYA master of Janak c.3500 be SHUKA son of Vyasa, disClRle of Janak c.3500 be YASHISHTHA !YIUNI guru of Rama c..3500 be LAKSHiviAN t'rother and disciple of Rama c..3500 be H~J-iUNAN disciple of Rama c.3500 be P.AVANA Killed by Rama C.3500 be v~~HIKI auth<x <)f Ramaya.na c.3500 be UPAM~J-iYU guru of Krishna c.31 oo be BM.AP.PJYIA Vasu.dev brotller of Krishna c.31 00 b(~ P.ADHA lover of Krishna c.31 00 be AP.JUNA disciple of Krishna c.31 00 be SUDAiviA disciple of Krist1na c.31 00 be NARADA disciple of Krishna c.31 00 be YALYA P.ISHI discifle of Narada c. 31 oo be VYASA author o Shrimad Bha~avatam BHRIGU Rishi of Broach c.2 000 DC MALKI TZEDEK (Melchizedek) · master of Abraham (?) c.2 000? be NATHAN the Prophet c.950 be Jew DAVID c. 950 be Jew SOLONON son of David c.950 be Jew AHIJAH TiiE PROPHET (AhiasJ master of Baal Shem Tov? c.950 be Jew ELI-JAH (Elijah) c.869 be jew · ENOCH (ldris, Hermes) Jew LAO-TSU (Li Ert1) of Chu (China) b. c.604? be PYTHAGORAS of Greece and Italy c.S30 be SOCRATES of Greece d.399 be PLA'ro of Greece c.429- c. 347 be HILLEL of;erusalem 75bc - 10 ad MIRYAM o Nazareth (Mary, mother of Jesus Christ) c.2 1 be - ? Jew _ _ _· __ of Hyderabad c.SO? ad disciple of Jesus Christ CLENENT of Alexandria. Egypt b.c.150 ad Christian ORIGEN of Alexandria, Egypt c.2 00 ad Christian PLOTINUS of Alexandria and Rome 205-270 PORPHYRY of Svria, Rome and Sicily (Malchus) 2.33 - c.304 PAUL of Egypt ' c.300? Christian 1HEON of "Egypt c..300? Christian BENUS of Egypt c.300? Christian MACARIUS 01 EP"vpt c..300? Christian HYPERICHAS ofEgypt c.300? Christian ACHILLES of Egvpt c.300? Christian P.a.l'HHUTIUS or'Egypt c.300? Cl1risti3:n .

ANTONY of EgyP,t c.250-350 Cllnst1an PA.TANJALI C.):~o Hindu BENEDICT of Norcia. Italy

c.430 - c.S':>O

Christian

MYP.DDIN (Merlin) of Britain c.')00?

VIVIENNE of Britain (The Lady C•f the LaKe) c.SOO? Kin•;r .ii.PTI1UF: Pe.ndr;) ·~·o::m O:: •f r:.rit::dn o::: . ~.oo -::·

u

ML part 2 p46

u

u LM7 p2434 LM5pl691 LMS p 1.691 FL

p93

ISH p27-29 HMW p693-694 MBJ f:7 p42-44

SWG p 117 SWG pll7 SWG pll7 SWG pll7 S..,NG p 117 SWG pl17 SWG pll7 SWG pll7

BODJ.\1-DARUMA (Bodhidharma) of India and China Buddhist c.S20 J.\~I IBN Tt.~IB c.600 disciple of lvluhammad

MB l 1:2 p2 5 HlviW p718, LM7 p2 594

HUI-NENG of Hsin-chou, China Buddhist 638-713 HASAN of Basra 642-728 Muslim P.A..DI·,l:ASJ.\JYIBHAVA of Tibet (Guru Rimpoche) c.746 GAUDAPJ:..DA master of Shankaracharya c.750? Hindu GOVINDA J.c..n master of Shankaracharya disciple of Gaudapada c.750? Hindu ABDULLAH HARIS ri!UHASIBI of Basra d. 85 7 GS p2 64, 311 SA'ADY.PJi GAON 892-942 lew TILOPA 988-1069 Buddhist SWG p2 7,2 8, 158 NAROPA of Bengal, Kashmir . Pullahari, Nalanda and Zangsl~ar (Nadapada, Narotapa) 10 16-1040 or 1100 Buddhist SWG p2 7,2 8,158 ri!ARPA the Translator, of Tibet d.1096 or 1097 Buddhist master of the Perfect Master Milarepa SWG p93, 158, HCG }:)80 MUH.PJYliYIAD GH.P.ZALI b. c.1059 LM3 p962, GS p249 ABDJ:.~ QADIR J:.~ .HLANI 107 8-1166 Muslim U...i6 p2 041 HUJV?IRI (Ali b. Uthman alJullabi al Huj"wiri, or Abu1-Hasan a1-Jullabi al-Hujwiri) b.c.l 000 Gazna, Afghanistan, d.1070 or 1079 in [ahore (now Pakistan) Muslim GS p306 SOLOIYION IBN GABIROL of Spain c.1022 - c.1070 Jew ABDULLAH AL-AN SARI of Herat (Persia) d.l 088 GAMPOPA 1079-1153 disciple of Milarepa ABU Hfl.JYliD fl.~-GHP.2ALI of Khurasan d.1111 BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, France 1090-1150 Christian HILDEGARD of Bingen woman Christian 1098 - Sept. 17 1179 ELIZABETii of Schonau 1138-1165 Christian Sheikh SAADI of Persia 1184-12 63 Sufi FARID AL DIN ATIAR of Nishapur GS p 302 chargeman of Baghdad (?)

111 9? - 1230? Muslim ISH p 124-125 AN'IHONY OF PADUA (of Portugal and Italy) August 151195-June 12 1"231 Christian CLARE of Assisi 1195-1253 disciple of Francis of Assisi Christian DOUCELINE of Provence c.12 14 Christian MECH'IHILD of Magdeburg .

12 10?- 12 97 woman Christian MACCHIND:RANATii master of Gainanath c. 1225 GAIN/lo..NATII master of the Perfect Master Ni"'oTrittl c.12'10 JACOPONE DA TODI 1220-1306 Christian . ...

ABRAHAM ABULAFIAof Spain 1240- after 1291 Jew VISHOBAKHECHAR c.1250 master of Namadeva ANGELA of Foligno 1248-1309 Christian MOSES OF LEON, Spain c.12 75 Jew JOHN of Parma c.12l~8 Christian Sheikh NASIR J:.~ DIN MAHIYIUD of Dehli c.1300 disciple of Nizamuddin?

JOHN of La Verna c.1300? Christian R.C..I'IJON LULL c. 1315 Christian A~-1IR KHUSP.AW 1235-1325 Muslim disciple of Nizamuddin?

NP.1YIP..DEVA (Namdev) of Pandharpur .

Nort.ll India and tlle Punjab 12 70-1350 U

e

I·I!EISTER ECKHART {johannes Eckhart) of German r,T 12 6 0- 112 7 Christian Maulana SA D AL DIN ~,fAHMUD SHABISTAP.I d.132 0 Muslim · BIRGITTA. OF SVVEDEN (Bridget)

1304-1373 Christian HUSAYN IBN IviUHJ:.llll'!JAD AI. F-~J:.J-H J:.~ KERI·!JANI disciple of Nizamuddin c.1324 Muslim Hazrat B~.BA FAKRUDDIN of Khojaguda Pa.had (near Hyderabad) 1300s IDLIA..N of NorVollCh 13 4 2 - 14 16? V·Toman Christian J:..BDft.~ ~ARIIYJ JILl of Baghdad b.1366 d. betw.1408 and 14281vluslim 'IHOMAS A KEMPIS c.1380-14 71 HENRY SUSO c.1400 NICHOLAS of Cusa c.1400 CATiiE:RINE of Genoa 1447-1510 Christian RP..MAN.t..NDA c.1450 (master of Kabir?)

IviARDANA disciple of Nanak c.1460 - c.15 36 ANGAD disciple of Nanak c.1530 '" CHAND BODHJ:.~A (C.handrabhat) of Devagiri (Daulatabad) disciple of Janardan Swami c.1500 Hindu MICHEL DE NOSTREDAME of Provence, France (Nostradamus) Dec.14 1503- July 2 1556 TIJLSIDA.S of Banaras 1532 - July 2 4 162 3 Hindu JOHN OF TiiE CROSS of Spain (Juan de la Cruz, Juan de Yepez y Alvarez) June 2 4 1542 - 1591 Christian JACOB BOEHME of GermanY. 1575-1624 RAVIDAS of Rajasthan c.1600 (master of Mirabai?)

BAB.AJI master of Tukaram c.1625 :RAMESHWAR BHAIT disciple of Tukaram c.1640 SANT.AJI TELl disciple of Tukaram c.l640 GANGARAM MAVLA disciple of Tukaram c.1640 RANGA.NATHA SWAIYJI

p .311

GS p 170

LM7 p2397

GGJvl2

P359-365

GGM3 p 147

MBJ 4:2 p94

u

u u u

disciple of Ramdas Samarth c.1650

AKKABAI woman disciple of

Ramdas Samarth c.l650 VENUBAI woman disciple of

Ramdas Samarth c.l oSO

LM4 pl181 LMS p 1798-1799 LAPp f53-154, 173

KALYAN c.l650

disciple of Ramdas Samarth

M2:3~5

SARMAD (Sar Mast) d.1660

Armenian Jevvish Sufi (mast?)

BROTiiE:R LAWRENCE (Nicholas Herman) d.1691 MP..RGUERITE-MARIE ALACOQUE of Paray -le-Monial, France (Margeret Mary) 164 7-1690 Christian INAYAT SHAH of Lahore d.1728 (master of Bullah Shah) Sufi BULLAH SHAH of Qasur 1680-1752 or 1758 Sufi IviAKDHUivi P.~l Lft.~ SHAHBAZ of SehTy\mn 1700s ADft..M Bft....A~ SHE~Il master of Baal Shem Tov? c.1700 Jew BAP~ SHEI·tl TOV (Israel ben Eliezer) founder of Hasidic Judaism 1700-1760 Jew NOSHE HAYYIM EFRAJI·Il of Sadvlkov Q'randson of Baal Shem Tov ' c. 177f)- .lev.J ~

BP..RUKH OF MEZBIZH grandson of Baal Shem Tov d . l.)ll u

L~.. P

le'~~,~

.

HMW p569-5 70

SWGpl11,165

w p35b

NP.JUilP..N OF BRATZLAV d . l81 0 . Jew

great grandson of Baal Shem Tov YAJ.JC.OV YOSJ:..YF of Polno:u~ (Jac<?b Joseph) disciple of Baal Shem Tov d.17 <j2 Jew ARYE LEIB of Spola (the Spola Grandfather) disciple of Yaako~7 Yosayf d .1811 Jew PINCHAS of Koretz disciple of Baal Shem Tov d .179 f Jew RAPHAEL of Bershad disciple of Pinchas of Koretz d .1816 Jew IYIAGGID OF ZLOTCHOV (Yehiel Mikhal) disciple of Baal Shem Tov d.c.1786 Jew ZEV WOLF of Zbarazh son of 1'-1iaggid of Zlotchov d.1800 Je~N

0

IviORDECA.I OF KRE1'-1NITZ

son of Maggid of ZlotchoTvT c.17 80 JeT.Pl IviOP.DECA.I OF NESKHIZH

disciple of Maggid of Zlotchov d.l800

AP...RON LEIB of Pnmishlan

Je~~"

. disciple of Maggid o! Zlotchov c.17 80 Jew NP.liUIYI of Tchernobil disciple of Baal Shem Tov d.1798 Jew I·I!ORDECA.I of Tchernobil (Motel) son of Nahum of Tchernobil d.1837 Jew DAVID LEIKES disciple of Baal Shem Tov c.1750 Jew WOLF KITZES disciple of Baal Shem To\T c.l750 jew IviEIP. IviARGP.~IOT aisciple of Baal Shem Tov c. l7SO Jew ZEVI THE SCRIBE disciple of Baal Shem Tov c.1750 ew LEIB BEN S~..RAH disciple of Baal Shem Tov c.l750 ew MAGGIO OF MEZERITCH (Dov Baer) disciple of Baal Shem Tov d.1772 Jew ABRAHAM 'THE J..NGEL I

son of Maggid of Mezeritch d. 1776 Jew IviENEHEM MENDEL of Vitebsk

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1788 Jew

SHMELKE of Nikolsburg

disciple of Maggid of"Mezeritch d.l778 Jew AARON of Karlin

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1772 Jew LEVI YITZHAK ofBerditchev

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.l809 Jew IviESHULLAM ZUSYA of Hanipol

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1800 Jew

ELIMELEKH of L1zllensk brother of Zusya

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.l786 Jew SHNEUR ZALMJ..N of Ladi (the Rav)

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1813 Jew SHELOMO of Kar1m

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1792 Jew IviAGGID OF KOZNITZ (Israel)

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.l814 Jew

THE SEER OF LUBLIN (Yaal{O~l Yitzhak)

disciple of Maggid of Mezeritch d.1815 Jew

lNJLLI.P.JYI BL.P.KE o1 England 17) 7-182 7 Christian TULSI S~liiB (Dakkhini Baba) -

of Hathras, near Aligarh 17 88-1848 P.AO DESHiviUKH d.1854? Hindu JUSTINE BISQUEYBUP.U of Mauleon, France b. Nov . 11 1817 Christian CATHERINE L.~.BOURE of Paris, Fran(:e c.18.30 Christian GOP.e~

Uvl 1 p68-70, LM2 p480

BERNADETI"E SOUBIROUS of Lourdes, France c. 1858 Christian Bt..HAf.JLLAH of Persia and Palestine (Mirza Hussein Ali) founder of Babai faith

Nov. 12 1817- hfay 29 1(~92 BAHA (..ll.. bbas Effendi) son of Bahaullah 1844- No"'· 28 1921 TR.6JL.6..NGA SWAivii of Banaras 1800s SH.PJUC.ARI IviP.J JIEW b. 18 26 disciple of Trailanga Swami I''IO:RYA Hindu/Buddhist 1800s KOOT HUMI L.6~ SINGH Hindu/Buddhist 1800s HELENA PETROVNA BLAVATSKY 1831-189 1 disciple of Ivlorya HENP.Y STEEL OLCOTT of New York 1832-1907 Buddhist/Theosophist -.;NILLIP..M QUP...N JUDGE of New York Theosophist .P..NNIE BESP...NT of England and India Theosophist 184 7-1933 Hazrat ABDULLAH SHAH c.18 70 Muslim 1HE:RESE of Lisiem{ (Marie Francoise Therese Martin) Christian January 2 1873- September 29 1897 SHARBEL MAKHLOUF d.1898 Christian SWAMIJI MP.liARAJ (Seth Shi-.;T Dayal Singh) c.1900 SAWAN SINGH 1900s CHARAN SINGH 1900s P..P..NGA SWAMI of Puri c.1900 SARADA DEVI wife and disciple of Ramakrishna 1854?-July211920 M.PliENDRANA1H GUPTA of Calcutta ('M', Master Mahasaya) disciple of Ramakrishna 1854 - Tune 4 1932 Sv.ro.mi VIVEKANANDA (Narendra Nath Gupta) Jan.12 186 3 - July 4 1902 Hindu disciple of Ramakrishna Swam1 BRAHMANANDA (Rakhal Chandra Ghosh) disciple of Ramakrishna Jan. 21 1863- April 10 1922 Sadhu CHRISTIAN LEIK of Estonia disci:Rle of Meher Baba May 2 0 18 70- October 30? 192 9 RADH~RISHNA ~o~an disciple of Sa1 Baba of Sh1rd1 c.1900 BACH.P~SHAH of Sukkur c.l900 SISTEP. MAP.Y FAUSTINA of Glogowiec, Poland (Helen Kowalska) 1905 - Oct. S 1938 Christian KULKARNI MAHARAJ Hindu c.192 0 MASTANII'I!AI of Sukkur (Mai Saheb) c.1924 B.P~AJI of Badrinarayan (Shi-.;Ta Baba, Trambak Baba. Hariakhan Baba?) master of Lahiri Mahasava MATA.JI of Banaras disciple and sister of Babaji of Badrinarayan Lt..HI:RI I~t.liASAY A of Banaras (Sh·vama Chanm Deva Sharman) September 30 1132 i3 - 1Ml5 · P.~DUL

SWAMI KEBP.~.a..N;l..NDA

c. l qoo

disciple of Lahiri Ivlahasaya SVilAMI PRP...N.A.BANP...NDA

d.c.19~.6

disciple oi Lahiri lvlahasaya

LM4 p 14 ")f) LlviS p 18"2 4&1n L1VI 1 p51 &fn

SW 404,410, LM2 p61 .1 LM3 p97 81 LM6 p2 179.

Aw ~:4 poO~ SWp404

u

W p361, RD p346

GMp2~

W p360- 361, RD p34t>

YUKTESWAR Giri of Puri and Serampore

1855-1936 disciple of Lahiri hiahasaya Paramahansa YOGA.NANDA January 5 1893 - March 7 1952 disciple of Yuktesv.Jar Giri iE (GEORGE 10NILLI.AJ'1 RUSSELL) of Ireland 1867-1 9:>5 MARTINBUBER 1878-1965 Jew SWAMI RAMDAS of Kerala (Vital Rao) HCG p 110 Hindu b.1884 Jto.NYANG KHYENTSE CHOKYI LODRO of Tibet 1896-1959 DUDJOI-1 RINPOCHE of Tibet 1904-198 7 DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE of Tibet 1910-1991 KUNU Lto.I·tiA TENZIN GYJ..LTSEN of North India Tibetan Buddhist c.1950 KHANDRO TSERING CHODRON of Tibet ..y•ifoman Buddhist ANJANI BAI c.192 0 woman disciple of Narayan Maharaj Uo~i 1 P32-?>3 sw p 121 ~t\~bdul WAH.P..D c.l92 0 · SW p 122,131, Plv! p24 BA.BA ABDURREHMAN of Dongri c.l92 0 - - - - - Italy 1920s Buddhist devotee of Meher Baba "advanced on the path" LM4 pl260 GEORGES GURDJIEFF of Russia and France 1877?-1949 Sv~mi PARAM.A.NANDA of Boston c.1931 LM4 p 1485-1486 ILAJ SWAMI of Avanashi c.1949 yogi Wo-b p8-9 SADHU VASWANI (T. L. Vaswani) of P"oona Hindu c.1950 FL pl2 19 ANANDA.MAYI MA of Bengal (Nirmala Sundari Devi) April 30 1896 - 1982 PADRE PIO of Pietrelcinal Italy Christian d.1968 NITY ANANDA of Ganeshpuri (Bade Baba) d.1961 Hindu SWAMI MUKTANANDA 1908 - October 2 1982 Hindu disciple of Nityananda of Ganeshpuri NEEM KAROL! BABA (Maharajii) d. September 11 1973 PUKAR of Hamipur (Parameshwari Dayal Nigam) disciple of Meher Baba d.1977?

Gwalya KARMAPA of Tibet and Nepal (Ranjung Rigpe Dorjel 16th Karmapa) d.1981m Cfilcago Buddhist CHOGYAM TRUNGPA of Tibet~ Scotland and the United States MEHERA JEHANGIR IRANI LM2 p693 January 7 1908?- May 20 1989 .

LM5 p1744 aisciple of Meher Baba H~·AVvp457 GURU BAWA Muhaiyaddeen of Ceylon SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA disciple of Swami Sivananda Sarasvati EKNATii ESWARA.N of Kerala and California Jll-1 MACKIE Murshid of Sufism Reoriented~ Washington D.C. GODAV J..RI MJ.J disciple of Upasani Maharaj Aw 7:2 p22-23 SWA.MI OMKAR of Andhra Pradesh BABA HARI DASS of India and California AJviNACHI (Mata Amritananda) of Kerala b.c.l 952 1

1

1

{don't know dates) IB P.AHil'tl ADAHA1·11

1vlal{hdtun f:o~I SHAH of lvledina and lvleerut P.J·1IIP. KUSHROO of Dehli ANAN'D NATH of Suraj Kund BABA BUD.A.N BABA YAQUT of Ke1oshi TEG BJ:..HADUR of Dehli 9th Guru of tl'.Le Sikhs Hazrat. Ghaus B•.:!..HAUL HUO

of Mu1tan

·

BJ:..HLUL of Persia

Khvvaia B.A.HTIAR K.C.JCI of Dehli

BHAP.~.DV f:.JA

LM3 pq52 GGM4 p114 GGM4 pl14 GGM 4 p 112- 113 Llvl6 p2004

GGM4,P.114 MBl 1:9 :p27-28 SW p324, LMj ,eo~)O DH p~2-49 LAPp f79-180 D plS,6-157, HI··AW P379-386 GGM4 p114

u

BRJ:.J·tiACHAP.I IviJ:..HAP..AJ of Lucknow CHOKHYA Mt>.HAP.AJ CHYAVANA Raja DILIP DEORIABABA DUP.VASA GANGOTRI BABA of Gangotri, Hir!.Lalayas

TJ

u u u

and the Kumoan Hills

GORA KUI·tiBHAP.A Svvami of Kolhapur GORAKNATH Raja GOPICHAND Hazrat JAIY!AL HANSVI Sheikh MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM

u

LAP p309- 310 LM2 p61 t>, M3:3 p3

TY p80

(Ghazur-e-Illahi)

INA.Y A.TULLA of Mathura Pandit JAGANNATiiA JAMA.DAGNI Rishi JA.NABt>.I JP..RA.1KARU JIGAP. KHANDOBA ABDUL HASAN KHAP.QANI ABU HAMZA KHO:RASA.NI MACHINDRA NATH MA.NIK P:RABHU MA.NOHAR NATH of Suraj Kund MATSYEND:RANATH MERWAN BABA of Ko1hapur MI:R HASAN SAYYED SAWAR of Ajmer MIRTAQI MIRZA JAN JANAN BAHAUDDIN NAKSHBP..NDI NANA AULIYA of Maharashtra NATiiA Maharaj NAV.O.HARI Kh ....vaja BANDE NAWJ-2 of Gulbarga Maulana NIP2 AHJviED :Muslim Abu! Hasan NOOP.I QUDUNTUL-KUBRA HASAN P.ASUL-NUI·tiA (-Iv1EI·1A?)

GS p265 GGM2 p38b

u u u u

GGM3 p2 83, FL p45 LAP p540-541

u

ISH p 108-1 09 HMW p630, 686, GS _p229 MBJ 2:12 p74)-747 MBl4:1 p40 LM2 po16

u u

GGM 4 P 112-113 GGM2 P336

LM7 p2390 GS p43

GS R281 MBJ4:1 P38, 51

.

Muslim

u· ........ 1·"? lJlJ Vl...

7

P.OHIDASA CH.AJviBHAR.e.

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u

Kh~tJaja

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TYp45

SALAUDDIN of Kasba Peth,

Poona

Ivluslirn

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SAJJANA KASAl

JEHANGIR

GS p276 MBJ 1:2 p65, W p25

S~JviN~..NI

HAJCI1'11 SA..NAJ

SANANDA SAVATA IviA~I SHAH PIR of Meerut Muslim Baba SHARAFUDDIN of Hyderabad Imam SHERANI Hazrat IviOOSA SOHAG of Ahmedabad SOMB.b..RI Maharaj SONA SUNDARDAS SAHL-BIN-ABDULLA TASHTARI VIDY ARANYA autlwr of Panch Dashi VIDYASNJAR VISHV AMITRA YASHAV ANT~..RAO MahaH~j ZUNNOON IviiSRI of Egypt

_ _ _ _ _ of Malangarh Shariff, Bornanvvadi

u

GGM 4 p 113-114

Wp254

H:rvn:v o6 )0 JviBJ 2:12 p74)-i47 IviBJ 1:4 p28

u JviBl 4:1 P39-40 LM 1p99, 99fn

u

u

MBJ 2:12 p745-748 MBJ 4:1 p39 HMW p 554-555

RD p 145-146

A SUFI LINEAGE SAID TO HAVE BEEN DICTATED BY 1HE PERFECT MASTER NIZAMUDDIN IN 1324 PROPHET MUHAMiviAD* ALI IBN TALIB HASAN AI. BASRI ABO AL-WAHID IBN ZAYD FUDAYLIBNIYAD IBRAHIM IBN ADHAM HUDHAYFA AL-MARASHI HUBAYRA AL-CHISTiii ALI DINAWARI ABU ISHAQ AL-CHISTiii ABU AHMAD AL-CHIS'IHI NASIR AL-MILLA WAL DIN YUSUF AL-CHIS'IHI MAWDUD AL-CHIS'IHI SHARIF AL-ZANDANI U'IHMAN AL-HARUNI MUINNUDDIN CHISTiii (HASAN AL-SIZJI)* SHEIKH BAKHTIYARUSHI (QUnJB-UL-DIN BAKHTIY AR KAKI) SHEIKH FARID (BJ!...BAFARID, GANJAY SHAKKAR}* NIZAMUDDIN AWLIYA (NIZAM AL-DIN IviUHAMMAD IBN-J!.liiviAD)* MAULANA SHJ!...M .b~ DIN (SHJ!.JYIS AL MILLA WAL DIN IviUHAMMAD IBN-YJ!.liY .~..)

Those with 8$terisks '* were identified by Meher Baba 8$ Perfect M8$ters (The Prophet Muhammad was an incarnation of the Avatar).

If this linee.ge is correct., all the men listed may have been Perfect Me.sters.

Source: LM7 p2'395-2'397. Te.ken ft•om Themes of Islamh:: Ci Yilize.tion: a Chisthi Deed of ~P.P.Oir1tment: The Ft·iends of God, translated by John Alden Williams fl•om Ka. Nizami 's Religion end Politics in Ir1dia. See also LM7 p2'39'3-2'394.

NOTES The Higher Planes Liberation Zarathustra and Abraham Spiritual Perfection Minor Advents Discarnate Masters Perfect Masters?

Gustadji, Meredith Starr, Judas Iscariot Spiritual Places Three Kinds of Perfect Masters The Anger of a Perfect Master Do Perfect Masters Incarnate Again?

Perfect Ones Pilgrims on the Path :Flying Saucers Mystic, Divine and Occult Powers Hov to Recognise a Perfect Master Agents Moses Angels and Archangels Saints Theosophy The Threshold of the Abode of God Geography of the Planes Reincarnating on the Planes Companions of the Avatar Lovers of God Krishna jesus Christ

THE HIGHER PLANES The spiritual path runs ft•om the physical world to the Beyond state of God. It traverses the Subtle and Mental worlds. and ends in the realisation of divinity. Those . who take this path are called Rehre.v (pilgrims of the path). The path begins in the Gross or Physical world. goes through six planes of higher consciousness. and ends in the seventh plane, the plane of God-realisation. These ple.nes are not outside ·us or above us. but are 'Within us. Ordinarily it takes many lives of effort to reach the goal. the perme.nent, conscious realisation of divinity.

Besides human beings, the inner planes are home to Angels and Archangels. Angels and Archangels are unembodied souls. Unlil~e human beings, they have not gone through evolution of consciousness. They never took the forms of stone, metal. plant, insect reptile. fish. bird or animal. They do eventually take human form. only once. in order to realise God. To attain conscious union with God. the soul must incarnate in human form.

The first three planes of higher consciousness are in the Subtle World. The fourth plane is at the juncture of the Subtle and Mental Worlds. The fifth and sixth planes are in the Mental World. The seventh plane is the plane of union with God. Those on the seventh plane are called God-realised souls or Perfect Ones. The se,renth plane is the only plane that is eternal and permanent. When a person becomes one with God. and everyone eventually does, he or she enjoys infinite bliss forever. One's individuality does not disappear, but becomes infinite.

In the very beginning, the soul qescends without consciousness from the undifferentiated being of God. The soul is actually God. But in its descent it takes on apparent separateness, and begins to imagine itself as something other than God. The . soul comes down through the Mental and Subtle Worlds in the state of sound sleep.

Those souls who become conscious in the Mental world become Archangels. Those who become conscious in the Subtle world become Angels.

Most souls continue to descend until the physical plane. They find themselves impelled to identify with physical forms. This is the process of evolution of consciousness. The soul, which is actua11y God, imagines itself to be embodied and separate from other souls. The soul experiences itself as gas, stone. metal. plant. insect, reptile, fish . bird, animal, and eventua11y, human. It is a long-drawn out dream that takes millions of years to complete itself. On attaining the first human form, the process of reincarnation begins. The soul imagines that it lives again and again as a human being. experiencing every possible kind of human life.

Driven by disillusionment with worldly life and intense love for God or Truth. the soul enters the spiritua1 path. The soul. still imagining, ascends through the higher planes of consciousness (which run through the Subtle and Mental Vorlds). and in the end becomes one with God. The God-realised soul has achieved the goal of life and fulfilled the entire purpose of creation. He or she has awakened from the dream of separate individua1ity, and realises the divinity that has always pervaded everything.

A few of the souls who realise God are brought back to consciousness of the creation.

They are called Paramhanses and Jivanmuktes. They experience both the state of conscious diYinity and the illusion of creation. From among them, a very few become Perfect Masters. The Perfect Masters (also known as Sadgurus or Qutubs) help free other souls still in bondage. They are responsible for the government of the creation.

Meher Be.ba explained that there e1·e 18,000 plenet.s with human beings. But it is only on Earth t.h8.t the Perfect Me.sters take birth. EaJ•th is unique e.mong planets in that it is necessary to incarnate here to begin the spiritual path e.nd to realise G.:1d. At any one time there are n~re Perfect 1\•18-Sters ali"~.re in human form on E81'th. Ead1 Perfect Master h~.s a circle of 14 disciples 'lfthom he or she prepares for God-realisa.tion .

The fit•st person ever to t•eaHse God became the first Pe1·fect Master. He is known as the Avatar (Bu<ldha. Christ, Rasool ), and is the master of all masters. The A'~ratar is the f'u.sion of the eternal A. vataric consciousness, which pre-existed the creation, and the first God-realised soul. Having taken on the responsibilty for e'~rery individual soul in creation, the A'~ratar incarnates again and again on earth. Every incarnation of the A'~ratar is brought about by the fhre Perfect Masters of the time. Perfect Masters, unlike the A'~ratar, ordinarii y· do not incarnate again.

The first incarnation of the A'~ratar is represented symbolically in Hinduism by Shi '~ra and Ganesh: Shiv-a as the first soul to realise God, and Ganesh as the same soul when he came do"itn for the first time as A.vatar. In Ju<laism, Christianity and Islam the first human being, who became the first A'~ratar, is known as Adam. The better known incarnations of the Avatar are called major advents, and the less known ones minor advents. Meher Baba s&d, referring to minor advents, "I often incm-nate as an unknown master." The Avatar has a circle of 122 disciples he prepares for God-realisation.

There are three types of Perfect Master: kwaj~ galandar and ghaus. The khwaja tends to stay in one place. The qalandar generally goes naked, and wanders from one place to another. The ghaus separates his arms and legs from the the trunk of his phy.;ical body, later putting the body back together again. Perfect Masters have either jamali or jalali temperament, or a combination of the tva. Jamali Perfect Masters are mild or sweet-tempered. Jalali Perfect Masters are fiery-tempered, and sometimes beat their de,rotees. Though they may appear to be angry or violent, they are actually in an egoless state, and whate·-rer they do benefits others spiritually.

Most people who realise Gad do not retain their physical bodies. They are Liberated, which means they realise God soon after physical death. These Liberated souls are called Muktas. Souls who realise God and keep their physical bodies are called Perfect Ones. The Perfect Ones are of four types: Majzoob. Paramhan:;a, Jivanmukta and Sadg:yry.

The Majzoob (also called Brahmi Bhoot) has no consciousness of the three wrlds or of his or her Gross, Subtle or Mental bodies. He or she experiences the infinite power, knowledge and bliss of God-realisation. Those who come into contact with a Majzoob are benefitted spiritually.

The Paramhansa continually experiences infinite power, knowledge and bliss, like the Majzoob, but in addition sometimes has consciousness of his or her bodies and of the three worlds. The Paramhansa is also called Majzoob-Salik or Salik-Majzoob. The Jivanmukta (also called Azad-e-Mutlaq) experiences infinite power, knowledge and bliss, and simultaneously experiences his or her Gross, Subtle and Mental bodies and the Gross, Subtle and Mental vorlds. A Jivanmukta. towards the end of his or her life, makes one soul spiritually perfect . .An-yone who comes into contact with a Param.hansa or Jioo:Tanmukta is automatically benefitted spiritual1y.

There are 56 Perfect Ones lhring on ea1·th at any one time. Fi·-re of them are Sadgurus (Perfect Masters). The rest are Majzoobs, Paramhansas or Jivanmul~tas. The last three t·:fPes are not Masters and have no spiritual duty (except, in the case of the Ji'~Tanmukta, to make one soul Perfect). When the A~ratar is incarnate, there are 57 Perfect Ones ali'~re on earth (he is the 57th). During A'~ratarie periods there may be several more Perfect Ones (in addition to the 57) made Perfect by the A~ratar, who are gi oo:ren special spiritual responsibilities.

The seo;renth plane is the plane of God-realisation. The Avatar. Perfect Masters, Perfect Ones and other God-realised souls have z:eo;renth-plane consciousness. Men ;:md 'if1'0men on the spiritual path a1'e on the fit•st six planes. They· are eithet· Sali~:-like pilgrims, yogis or masts. Salik-lil::e pilgrims (also ·:alle<l saliks) are gui·Jed by a Pe1'fect Master or the Avatar, and appear balanced t•ather than intoxicated . Yogis try to advance by their O""Wn efforts. Sometimes they are guided by Perfect Masters or the Ao;ratw· . Masts are intoxicated or ·o.,rerpowered by the bliss they expet·ience on the inner n1ane::. ·

Saliks on the first two planes are called initiate P.ilgrims. Those on the third and fourth planes are called advanced P.ilgrims. Those on the fifth arid sixth planes are known as adepJ.P.ilgrims.

Adept pilgrims can act as spiritual masters or guides. They themselves have not realised God, but they can help others in their journey through the planes. They are conscious of the plane that they have reached (the fifth or sixth plane) and of all planes beneath, including the Gross plane.Iifth plane masters are called Valis; sixth plane masters are called Pirs. Adept pilgrims should not be contused with those called saints by the organised religions. A saint, as defined by Meher Baba. must be on the sixth plane of consciousness, and may or may not be identified with any religion. A person on the sixth plane is made to realise God at death by a Perfect Master or the Avatar.

A mast has become intoxicated or dazed by his love for God. He generally appears mentally unbalanced, but is actually spiritually advanced. Masts can be on any plane · from the first through the sixth. A person who enters the spiritual path without the guidance or help of a Master may become a mast. A female mast is called a mastani.

Masts often have some of the qualities of ghaus, kh'Wja or qalandar Perfect Masters, and are therefore called ghaus-like, etc. They also have the jalali or jamali temperaments, or a combination of the two. An ittefag! is a mast vho, without any love or longing, becomes suddenly and accidentally intoxicated by divine love.

Ittefaqi masts often "'11'/ear iron rings on their arms and legs, and wander about late at night. A madar2ad is a person who was born a mast, generally goes naked, and wanders continually day or night, rarely resting. A maj20ob-like mast is more or less merged in God, depending on the level of his advancement. Masts occasionally serve as ~iritual charg~. The chargeman of a place is responsible for the spiritual wll-being of its inhabitants. Meher Baba identified certain masts and salik-like pilgrims as being spiritual chargemen of the city or area where they lived.

Those vho traverse the spiritual path by their own unaided efforts can take as many as 100,000 lives to reach the goal. lor those who have the good fortune to be guided by a Perfect Master, the process is much shorter. The follo'We!'s of a Perfect Master or the Avatar are usually more or less veiled from the wonders of the higher planes. This protects them from the many enchantments and intoxications that slov down their progress or prevent it altogether. It also keeps them from misusing the occult powrs of the planes, which can be very binding and even bring about a fall back to Gross consciousness.

THE AVATAR•s SUFFERING "The Avatar has to incur upon himself the infinite burden of wrries of the entire suffering wrld, while wrking in the world for the spiritual upliftment of humanity. This suffering of people steeped iri the darkness of ignorance becomes the Avatar's suffering. This is his crucifixion. The Avatar is crucified every moment of his life on earth.'

"But with this infinite suffering vhich he has to take upon himself, he also has the infinite bliss of the Perfect state, vhich he eternally experiences. Otherwise it would be utterly impossible, and he would be literally crushed under the burden of such suffering from all sides. If an ordinary man, however great, "Were to feel even a thousandth part of the A·vatar's suffering.. he wuld go mad. The Avatar has to bear this burden to lighten the load of the suffering of the world .. .'

"It is my life mission to 1·emove the burden of mankind's suffering. I have come for this. But, really speaking, it is not my work, but the ignorance of people, and their underlying indifference towards things spiritual, that makes me suffer."

Meher .Baba, 19)9, Meherabad, LM7 p21'36-2·f37

LIBERATION "Most Gt)d-t路ee.lised souls leave the body at once and fore.,rer, and reme.in eternally merged in the unmenifest aspect of God. They are conscious only of the bliss of union .

Creation no longer exists for them. Their constant round of births and deaths is ended. This is known as Mukti or Liberation." Meher Bal:>a DISCOURSES, 3rd ed., v.l p2 "Although I am the formless one, I am destined (as the Avatar) to assume a human forrq egain and egain, and so I am here. But I wish for you to becme free from the wheel of births and deaths. of being born again and again: growing. maturing.. marrying, enjoying, procreating, dece.ying and dying. God is just as soft as he is hard, as compassionate as he is harsh. Just remember that ~路hen you call on him or invoke him, if he is touched even once, the impossible then becomes possible and you become free ."

Meher Baba November 2 1952. Meherabad. GGM'3 p 133-134 "Ordinary Mukti (}lajat) is achieved only after death by some exceptionally God-fearing.. Truth-toYing, good souls. And this Mukti usually comes three to fiYe days after the soul has left the body. Since this Mukti is attained without the body, the indi.,ridual soul enjoys only bliss (anand). And although power and knowledge are there. such a Mukta cannot experience them. Such a Liberated soul is conscious only of the bliss of union. and for him creation no longer exists. thereby bringing to an end the constant round of births and deaths."

Meher Bal:>a GOD SPEAKS p 259 "I say with my divine authority to each and all that whoever takes my name at time of breathing his last comes to me. So do not forget to remember me in your last moments.

Unless you start remembering me from now on. it will be difficult to remember me when ym.lf end approaches. You should start practicing from now on. Even if you take my name only once every day, you will not forget to remember me in your dying moments."

Meher Babe. AWAKENER21:2 p41 CHARLES PURDOM: "Will you comment on what you mean by 'to come to me'?"

BABA: "To come to me means Liberation. experiencing me as I am. ~lo more bondage of births and deaths. But it does not mean the state of a Perfect Master, of Perfection.

That is only to be attained in the gross body. So if you are not blessed with this state of Perfection, at least you can have Liberation. If you just take my name, just at the moment of dropping your body, )"'U will come to me. Yes. anyone. It's not easy to take my name at the very moment of leaving the body. Then you individually experience bliss. infinite bliss. After Liberation. you continue to experience infinite bliss eternally. Why? Because it belongs to you eternally. You experience what belonged to you eternally. Even spiritual ecstasy cannot be compared with divine bliss.

Remember this!"

May 28 1958, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (LAP p529. Also GM p'337) After seeing the film THE TEN COIYJMANDMENTS, Baba commented that RAMESES (the old pharoah portrayed in the film) had attained Mukti by ta.king Moses' name when dying. He also said the Pharoah's son (played by Yul Brynner in the film) had entered the spiritual path in his next life (FL p32).

Baba's older brother JAMSHED IRANI died February26 or 27 1926 (LM3 p779-785). Baba later com men ted about his death: 'If you loYe me, you are with me. Then you come to me . Throl.~h loYe, you cetn become one with me. My brother Jamshed loved me very much. He "'f/as mad with lov"e fot路 me.

Once he W'8.S so t'ull of loYe for me that he couldn't conte.in himself, end he dropped his body. But just before dying, he shouted out loudly BsbB.I He he.s come to me. He is now with me eternally.路 (July 21 1956. Ne"!f/ York, A'?lAKENER 4:2 ~,26)

'My brother Jamshed, when we were bo·:rs, used to quarrel and fight with me. As he grew older, jamshed began to lo'V"e me. Later on, in Meherabad~ he couldn't sleep because he thought all the time about me. When he went to Poona all of a :mdden he had a splitting headache, and the heart felt hea,ry. And just before an attack of apoplexy, he felt very blisst'ul. He shouted m·f name, and then fell into a coma. And during those three hours, his lips were moving with the rhythm, "Babe.. Baba. Baba."

Mani was there. Then he died. He came to me.' (May281958, Myrtle Beach, GMp3'37) GOPAL SWAMI came to stay at Meherabad in January 1926. One day in August 1926, Baba

was in a happy mood and said to Gopal S-w-ami, "Tell me what you most desire."

Gopal: "Nothing.''

Baba: "Go on, ask me. Ask for anything. Tell me your desires now, and I will grant them." Gopal was silent and smiled. Baba went on, "Speak out. Empty vour head and heart before me. Now is the time. I, of my own accord and will, am asking you to have yow· desires fulfilled. Now is the time when I am in that mood." The other mandali also encouraged Gopal to speak.

Gopal: "Mukti.''

Baba: "Granted. So be it."

Baba told the mandali: "Gopal is a "~rery good and sincere devotee. He is the only determined and staur.ch keeper of my orders. Out of the many (yogis, sadhus, fakirs and ascetics) who have come seeking spiritual advancement, he is the only one who has survived and not run away on one pretext or another. He obey"'S me without question, and willingly accepts whatever food is offered to him."

Baba told Gopal: "I will fulfill your wish, and in this birth. But suppose I were to gi,re you the form of a donkey, a leper or a criminal in the next?"

Gopal: "As you wish, Baba, if it would be your pleasure."

(LM'3 p835-836)

GENU CHAMHAR, a student at Baba's school for boys, died of pneumonia in 1929. Baba said, 'Genu has won ... He is with me. He is freed, and has no more births left. He has attained Mukti.'

(LM'3 p114'3-1144) Meher Baba's father SHERIAR IR.ANI (called Bobo by his children) died in 19'32. Baba told his brothers Beheram. and Adi, 'Death is necessary and is like sleep. When a person awakes from sleep, he finds himself as he 'WaS. However, after death, a person finds himself in a different atmosphere and in a different body. Both death and birth are dreams. Vhere is the sense in being merry or miserable for the sake of a dream?

Bobo's death, however, is not sleep. He has gone beyond it and is awake forever . He is emancipated, and has been giYen Mukti -Liberation.'

(LM5 p160'3-1604) JAl KERAVAlLAdied October 61952. Baba said of Jal, "Jallived for me and died for me."

"His connection with me was and is unique. His lo"~re for me was unbounded, his faith in me complete, his obedience to my orders implicit, and his surrenderance to my will absolute ... My beloved Jal has come to me eternally in peace."

(LC pl7, GGM3 p257) Dr. ABDUL GHANI Munsiff died August 7 1951. Baba commented, "Ghani and Jal ha"~re won, that is what I feel. The last word that Jal uttered as he breathed his last was 'Baba' How fortunate. Indeed, such cases are rare."

(November 21952, GGMJ p1)6) DAULATMAI IRAl-11, Mehera's mother, died November 4 1952. Baba said, "My dear Daulatmai, by God's grace, wi.llli'l!e in me forever.

(GGM3 p162)

Dr. l~RULA, the principal of a college in Amravati called T.Jidarbha Mahavidya1aya.. met Meher Baba in December 1952. Nertlla 'itas a dev~tee of Ramakrishna, w·ho died in 1886. Baba told him, "I authoritatively declare that I am the Avatar, the Ancient One ...

Ramakrishna "'ftas a rare type of Perfect Master. Go on loving him, and one ·day you "~'"llill find him ... A few how·s before your death :rou ""Wi.ll see me in the form of Ramakrishna, and :rou will realise God." (GGM"3 p248)

HOZHER DADAClUNJI died in sn airplane accident in 1955. Baba :>:aid, 'I am never s:arry for anyone who <lies. He who dies with m·r name on his lips, with me in his heart never dies. I nevet· worry about them, for theirs is no loss. If I am. e~rer ~rorried, it is for those that S"1.1ffer through the death, which they might allow to alienate them fro~ me. That woUld be their loss indeed. Why suffer unnecessarily? My dead live in me. That shoUld make you happy. So why not rejoice in his happiness? Loving me as you do, knowing me for the one I am, you shoUld be only happy to know Nozher is happy in me. Knowing this, any mourning you may do therefore must be for yourseh-es only, from selfish moti"~res. You don't know how fot·tunate they are who die with my name on their lips and in their hearts.' (.AL p94)

'He W"eS a handsome )""Oung man, and deeplyde""Y""Oted to me ... .As I had instructed him, he newr failed to take my name each time before flying ... Nozher "ff8S one of my gems. He died with my name on his lips, and has come to me ... In reality, there is nothing such as death or birth. I know this, and I sa·r it with the authority of my conscious knowledge. We are all in eternity, and we will alwa-,-s be there. Really, none comes or goes, none is born or dies. But to experience this truth, we must first free ourselves from the bond5ge of our ignorance. After a hundred years or so, you will all ha"~re dropped your bodies, and yet you will still exist. Do not think about your bodies, but think only about me. Then, before you drop your bodies, you will be able to remember me. My miracle will be to make you become me.· (LH p85-86) MlTHILESH, the three year old daughter of followers of Baba in Dehra Dun, died jan. 3

1957 sa-ying Baba's name. Baba said of her, 'She is the most fortunate of fortunates, as are all who die taking my name.· (FL p 14) CURSHET TALATI died in 1958 in London saying Baba's name. Baba told his mother, Dina Talati, 'Be happy. Curshet is not dead. He lives in me.'

(FL p32)

Baba said in 1958 that his aunt had taken his name when she died: 'My name ""W5S on her lips when she dropped her body.'

(GM p337) After GADEKAR, an old devotee of Baba. died in March 1959, Baba's sister Mani wrote, 'Baba told us only he knew how fortunate Gadekar was, who also 'VIith his last breath had called out Baba's name and had come to him forewr.''

(FL p50) When SRmiVASANMUDALIAR died in a fall from a ladder in 1959, Babahad Adi cable his family, 'Baba wants the Mudaliar family to know that his dear Srinivasan has earned his nivas (abode) in his beloved Baba.'

(FL p62) MARY BACXETT died in 1962. Baba cabled her husband Will, 'My Archangel Mary has come to me after fulfilling her appointed task. Be happy in my lo,re.' WILL BACXETT died about eight months later. Baba cabled Mollie Ew, 'Both my dear .Archangels Will and Mary Backett have come to me for all time.'

(FL p 142, 166) KODURIKRJSHNARAO died in 1965. Baba wrote Krishnarao's wife: 'Your husband Koduri Krishnarao's love for me and his service in the cause of the Avatar hav-e made him immortal. Krishnarao now li,es eternally in me and is blissfully happy. I -w-ant you to be bra"~re and to keep happy in Krishn&•ao's happiness. M·:T lo"~re blessing to ";lOU and your <Jeer children.' Baba cabled the An<Jhra group, 'Ko<Juri Krishnarao was one of my dearest lo"~rers, and has come to rest eternally in me.· (FL p238) ~lhen

BAPUSAHIB SHiliDE died in 1966, Baba sent a message to all his centet·s:: 'Bapusahib Shinde has come to me to rest in me eternally. One of my dearest lo~lers and w'"Orkers, Bapusahib served me wholeheartedly and shared in m:r s:uffe!'ing.' Baba told the mandali, 'I have lost Bapusahib Shin·je, but he h;:~S found me.' (fL p25·3-2:.{)

died taking Baba's name in 1967. Ba.ba ·:abled his family: 'My Yery Ra.mioo has come to me to res:t ete!'nally in me.'

(FL p275)

R.Al'ILTOO .ABDULLA dea~·

G.A.JWANidied October 161968, just havitlg finished praying befot•e Baba's picture. He had ,isited :eaba three days before. :eaba cabled hiS family: 'My child

KISHINCHAliD

l::is:hinchand Caj-w-sni vas: fortunate tea

~ee

me phV:\:ically j-w:t befeare hi~ ceaming tea me

for eternal rest in my divine bliss. His deep lo,e for and faith in me has made his whole family blessed.' (fl p333) Two other possible cases of Liberation are described in MEHER B.ABA1 THE COMPASSIONATE FATHER1 by Hoshang Hharucha, pages 16-17 and 60-62. The first is that of Pleader, who died saying Meher Baba's name around 1956. The second is a man Baba ,Tisited in Madras in 1947. It should be noted that members of the circle of the A'ratar often incarnate again. The fourteen members of the inner circle realise God during the 100 years after the manifestation of the Avatar. The 108 members of the outer circles of the Avatar realise God during or after that 100 year period (see DISCOURSES p296-297). Norina Matchabelli, for example, died in June 1957. Baba cabled Elizabeth Patterson and Kitty Da'l."f, "Be happy my very dear Norina has come to live with me fore,er" (LAP p49")). Later Baba, when asked about a little boy, sai<l the boy 'fiSS the reincarnation of Norina. Baba had previously said that Norina 'fiSS a member of his circle. Members of the circle of" the Avatar incarnate for the sake of his spiritual work, not for their own spiritual advancement.

"Nirvikalpa samadhi must not be confUsed with this ordinaryMukti or Moksha state.

Shaul<! a soul reach the Mukti state, it does so after the death of the physicalbo<ly.

Such a soul reaches God, but this occurs ontv after death. Thus there is an important distinction between or<linary Mukti on the one han<I, an<I Nirvikalpa samadhi on the other, because the latter is experienced while the soul retains the body, and thus becomes Videh Mukta (aMajzoob}."

Meher Bal>a. GOD SPEAKS p259 "The Sadgurus bestow Realisation according to the divine plan chosen by the Avatar.

So it is the A'Tatar who chooses who will become God-realised. It is for the Avatar's own special circle and lovers and devotees mat he himself bestows Realisation or Mukti (Liberation). All other souls receive Realisation or Mukti from the hands of the Sadgurus. Mukti occurs at the moment of death. At Realisation one retains the human body and continues to live ... This divine plan 'fiSS laid out by the first soul when he came back down as the first Avatar ... It is this plan that the Sadgurus execute in the timing of each soul's Realisation or Liberation." from notes dictated byMeher Baba (NE pll")-114) "Those who remember Baba wholehearted! y, or repeat his name while breathing their last, come to Baba when they drop their body. They are Liberated from the rounds of births and deaths, and experience eternal bliss. Only Baba's grace makes it possible.'

"Those who are close to Baba in their love for him, but drop their body without their last thought being of Baba. or without his name on their lips, also come to Baba. When they reincarnate, they are born in a very intimate Baba family. Such souls come to Baba in human form, when Baba sa·:rs of them they have 'come to me'.· "Those who know of :eaba. and die without their last thought being of Baba. and without his name on their lips, but die with thoughts of God or of the spiritual path, also come to Baba, when Baba specifically remarks they ha·ve 'come to me'. Such souls reincarnate -rvith intense desire to lead a spiritual life, and through their search for God, they eventually come to Baba by contacting him in his physical body. Thus, when Baba says so and so has 'come to me', it has different meanings fat· different ones. As for the mandali of :Baba, and the very intimate men and w-omen disciples, thei1· case is entirely different. Their ~rery existence is because of the breath of Baba's grace, and with or without their body, their existence is in Baba."

Mani Irani, in a lettet· to Kitty Davy, Sep tem bet· 2 1966

"

"Lo~;e and self-sur1·e.nde.r both lead one to the goaL But gene1·all;r on the path of lo~;e, one drops his bod;r aner reaching the fins1 destina.tion. Whereas the one who treads the path of su.r.rende:r, besides becoming conscious of God, also becomes conscious of the three spheres - Gross, Subtle and Mental - and thus returns to Gross consciousness to se:r-;te as a beacon of light to othe1·s on the path. That is "ivhy· surrendering is better than love." Meher Baba, February·18 1930, NasH: (LMi p1269)

"It is nev·e:r presumptuous for anyone to hope for Realisation. It is the goal of creation and the birthright of humanity. Blessed ru·e the~.,r "'i'rho are prepared to assert that right in this ver;r life."

Meher Baba, THE .ANS~lER p26

ZA.RA. THUSTRA. AND ABR.AHAivl Zarathustra and .Abraham -were both incarnations of the A-;ra.tar, according to Meher Baba. The historians Plutarch and Diogenes believe.j Zarathustra live.j 5000 years before the war of Tt·oy (1184 be). Plato and Aristotle dated him 6000 years before their time . .Meher Baba said Zarathustra li-:red almost 6000 '~/ears ago, hence c.4000 be.

According to Eruch Jessawalla.,. Meher Babaexplained that Abraham, who was a more recent incarnation of the Avatar, had a number of Zoroastrian follo-wers ''ii'ho recognised him as the Prophet Zarathustra come again. Abraham "fii'8S thus also called Zarathustra. Because of this, some historians belie"~re there "'li'ere two Zarathustras (;~ome belie"~;e there -were many Zarath ustras). Historians generally date Zarath ustra bet"!N-een 1400 and 500 be., roughly '3000 years later than he actually lived. Meher Baba also said that the ancient Persian kings Jal, Rustom and jamshed, "'i'rhose H-;;es are chronicled (inaccurately) in the Zoroastrian scripture Shah Nameh, liYed about 100,000 ·:rea1·s ago.

FIVE SADGURUS MAKE ONE AVATAR "Thet·e &'e always 56 God-realised souls. Now, out of these 56, five are sent out into the wc•rld. But in e"rery AYatari<: period these fi"~re become one, thus tjemonstrating the cycle when the Avatar appears in form. Therefore, the Avat81' exists in the heart of these fi"re as one. These fi're are God-realised like the Avatar. All are one. But in the Avat&·ic period, the Avat&· is equal to fi"'re Sadgurus. Thus, fi're Sadgurus make one AYatar- that is the long and stlort or it. Therefore, if the Sadgurus were to sho~r their hearts, 'Y'OU would find me in them. Five are always alive. Babajan left her body; the one in her place need not necessarily be in Poona, but there must be five in the ow'Orld."

Meher Bat·a, 28 September 19'38, Meherabad, LM7 p2324

THE ASTRAL WORLD "There is no Astral world as such. The Astral world is not a portion of the Subtle world.

However, in bet"W"een the Gross and the Subtle 'W"'rl,1s there are se"Y"'en sheaths "'li'hich form the so-called wrld of the Astral, and this serves as a link l>et'W"een these tw worlds. A Gross-conscio1.~ soul may l>e sai-d to ha"Y"e an Astral body, which linl~s the Gross wif.h the Subtle. The Astral may l>e called the imprint of t11e Subtle over the Gross, whi<:h imprint is neither Gross nc•r Subtle. In sleep, in the ordinary dream sta.te, one experiences the impressions of the Gt·oss world 'Yfith the Subtle t)ody subconsci01.~ly, and not 'W'ith the Astral body. All experiences in the wo1'1d of the Astr:31,. experienced tht·ough the medium of the Astral body, :;1·e 8s insignifi<~ant :jS dreams . .After disemtodiment, the soul experien<::es the wot·ld of the Astral in the Astral body. This may be s:;id r.o M t.he Astral journey of the soul. 'W'hen the soul gets embodied, the Astral body is shed, ::t.nd 'W'ith a ne'W' Gross body it gets a fresh .Astral body. But as long :3s H does not get eml>odie<l its Sut-tle and !•!lent:~! t>O'-jies undergo rhe experien(:es of the state of heaven or hell through the medium of the .Astt•::cl body,. in ::t.(:cor<lan(e "Vfitll t11e imt:;·ressions tllat w"ere a.(xumula.ted 'Ylllile it w':3:; in :~n emt>o•he·::l state. The spiritual pt~.th t>egins only 1'rith the inYolution of (:on:x:iousness . w'hen the soul begins to expet·ien(e the firs\ pla11e of the Subtle 'IS'Ot'l·l81l·:j not when it just has ::..c.:::ess to the Astr::.l phenomen::.. n·e:m the Gross wot·ld. A\ the st:~.ge ,;•hen the soul expet·ietKes f'ully the fit•st pl8ne of the Sub He w'Ot'H. the Astt·::U sl1eatl1 rh:3.t 1in1\e.j r!1e Sut>tle with the Gross is sn::..pped for good." from notes (ji(;t::..ted by Meher Eat-:3,. .::;oD SPEAKS p294-29~·

. ,

SPIRITUAL PERFECTION "Out of millions of souls, only one becomes Perfect. Perfection entails unimeginable hardshit:.-s and sufferines. The Perfect man can bestow divine consciousness, the experience of infinity, upon o.nyone in the t"'ftinkling of on eye. The Perfect mo.n bestows conscious divinity. at the right moment. upon those who have an age-old Meher Baba. January 1922, Mand"lffa (LM2 p'337) connection with him."

"The Perfect Ones, who retain normal consciousness and the body, even after realising the unchanging and absolute Truth. dwell eternally in divine love. which transcends all duality ond all underste.nding. They enjoy abiding end unasseilable peace. for they have arrived at the final goal of all creation."

Me her Babe. 1952 (G M p 198-199) "Just as everything in the domain of duality is based on degrees, so also is perfection based on degrees when concerned with duality. Good and bad. virtue and vice, strength and weakness are all based on degrees when considered in relation to duality. Bad and good. vice and virtue. ,;.realmess and strength are all aspects of duality. But in reality, all are a degree of oneness in duality. Evil is not evil, but the lowest degree of good. Similarly. weakness is not weakness. but the lowest degree of strength.'

"Perfection also has degrees when compared with imperfection. Therefore one perfection in duality does not include every perfection. He who is perfect in.science is probably not perfect in singing, and one perfect in singing will not be perfect in painting. So all these perfections ere in the field of duality. Have you ever heard of perfect crimes? When murder is so cleverly perpetrated as not to leave a single clue behind, it is called a perfect crime. So even in crimes and so-called sins, there is perfection.'

"But spiritual Perfection is not in the domain of duality. All these relative perfections explained come within the scope of intellect. but the perfection of spiritually Perfect souls is beyond intellect. When one is Perfect spiritually, one experiences that nothing except God exists- he alone exists. To a Perfect being, everything that exists under the intellect and under the domain of duality is illusion. So for the Perfect . man. nothing exists but God. Science. art. music. weakness. murders are all dreams to him. His knowledge, his Perfection, is one indivisible existence.' "~!hen this Perfect soul, for spiritual reesons, wants to use all his power end knowledge. he does it purely for the spiritual good of others. He then applies his universal mind in that subject and knows all. To express everything outw.rdly is not necessary, but he does know everything. How? A111ang'l.l8ges have their root in the Mental world of thought, and are then expressed orally. But he, the Perfect man, knows the mind of everyone. He knows the purport of every thought before it is uttered. So it is with everything, science, art etc. If he wants, he can know it even before it is actually manifested. But he does that only when he thinks it necessary.·

"... Perfection include all perfections. but there is no need to express them. Krishna Perfect spiritually. That meens he was perfect in everything, but he never sho,;.-ed his perfection materially because that material manifestation of perfection hes no meaning, an<.J is in the realm of illusion. He could have shown himself a pet•fect dt·unl~ard. a pet•fect sinner, a perfect rogue. but that wuld have shocked the worl<.J. So he <.Jid not exp1·ess that. He "ftes a perfect dr,Jnka!'<.J, perfect sinner, perfect rogue. perfect in evenrthing. He must ha"~.~e been. because he vlas. above alL perfect God.'

was

"... '7,lhen it is necesseu·y, these Perfect souls express their Perfection in eYe1·ything. for the spiritual benefit of the wrld, I cen be perfect in ;=tt"l'"~l mode of life I have to adopt, not merel;.r to show perfe(~tion, but fc•r my work. Every aspect of life is contained in the highest state of Pe1·fection: perfection in the 'W'Orld. perfection in ;.roge¥ perfection in attachment, perfection in detachment.~· Meher Beta 19'39. jat>alpur. LM7 p2418

IviiNOR AD'/ENTS OF THE A'lATAR

"In the intervals between Avate.ri<~ periocjs, the one AYatf'.J!' continues unbroken his successions. but the positions he assumes on ef'.J!'th are of less univet·sal spiritual significance, though always his role is one of beneficial help to stru,'ggling humanity ... N'o generation is without his physical manifestation in one form or another, though of'ten his true identity remains hidden, his presence on earth unlmo'Wtl to mankind."

Jean AdrieL A'.:tATAR pSO "Baba told us once that bet'\'v"een his major advents as Avatar, he in<~a.rnates as persons of lesser importanc~e every so often, always people of historic importance, end that his last such birth was as Shivaji."

Kitty Davy, LAP p320 "He (jeclf'.J!'ed that he 1i'8S Shilraii (1630-1680) the Maratha warrior and king, in his last birth ... He also reme.rked that ·he ur.tderwent great penances and ordeals -in the pe.st, and that in one of his preYious births he wa.s a Burmese monk. and lived on 1i'ater for ten yee.rs in a jungle of that countr;.... " Abdul Ghe.nL TY p53, also HMW p449 "During one of my minor A\rataric advems, i 11ved in seclusion in Burma for ten years without food."

Meher Baba 9 May 1930. LM4 p1308

"I wa.s here 620 years ego."

Meher Baba 19 August 19'32, St. Marks Sque.re, Venice, Italy, LM5 p1702 "Long ego, before the cathedral "Xres built, I w.s here in Avila. I used to walk on this hillside and quietly rest end meditate here. There were no trees there at the time. It was more desert than countryside."

Meher Bal>a October 24 19'33. Avila Spain. LM5 p18'34 · "Baba told his group that he was Shankaracharya... He referred to it as an in-between Avataric incarnation where he did not reveal himself fully. An Avatar can neYer be less ... in the sense of being minor. but he can have an incarnation where he does not reveal his Perfection fully. As a matter of fact, Baba once told the disciples that even when he appeared as Jesus... he revealed only three-quarters of his Perfection because the people of those times were not ready to receive more ... There have been hints and allusions to Baba's having once had in-between incarnations in Spain, China and Cuba and that he had one in Egypt .. .'

"Elizabeth and Norina one day told me a story about their stay with Baba in Portofino, Italy. At one time Baba occupied Lord Carnavon's castle on top of a mountain at Portofino ... Be.ba had in"~tited a large number of Western disciples to stay with him.

Each morning as they came do'Wtlstairs to breakfast one or more of the guests would complain bitterly that they had had "~rery little sleep because of disturbances which they finally concluded must be caused by a ghost. Baba apparently paid no attention.

One night the intruder came to the t•oom shared b~r Elizabeth and Norine.. They suddenly heard a tinkling clatter among all the articles on the washstand, such as the co"~.7er being lifted from the soap dish end dropped, etc. Elizabeth raised her head end 1i'hispered to Norina in the adjoining bed. 'Do you hear what I hear?' Since they were both enYeloped ,-tith mosquito netting, Norina seemed to feel sefe, end sliding down under the covers, she said in a "Xthisper, 'He can't touch me.' Which sentence ended up in an outraged wail as she shrieked, 'He pulled m~r heir!'

"The next day Ke.ka admitted to them that a men 8nd ,-,omen in the Subtle body h::t.d been racing me.dly oYer the ce.stle day and night. d::..moring fc,r Baba.'s ;:t_ttention. ;:md pleading

~'ith

him to rele.;,:e them from their earthbound

~ta.te.

Shortly thet·e.;,ftet',

K8.ka stated t-hat Baba suddenly snapped his :'ingers. ;:tnd the m.;:trl dise.ppea1·ed. And only some hours latet· did he dismiss or free the 1'l0m;:t.!l in the s;3.me way. Be.b::t. then told K;:t.ka tha.t in a previous ino:::a.rnation he (Bt~.ba) ha.d been ;:t. Metster. ;:uid \\•'hile 'if.3ndering on this mountainto1'.· sudtjenl;.r en(~01.mtered the gi!'L 'X'ho h;3.d been having a tn·"'St there \\·'ith her lo":rer. As Bt~.ba. spcl~e to her. the man emet•ged from :;m.ong the tt·ees, mb~onstrued the :><:ene. .9nd strucl:: B::t.ba... The (~ouple w:;:, 1::;3.rmkt~lly held to this spot for fiv-e hundred ye81'S until Babe. freed them."

I~rr

Duce H1•1I1tl rA.i?-4'=;9

. '

"I often incarnate as an unknown Master, and I came to Portofino with some of my disciples, including some of those who are 'flith me now. In those days there were no houses or buildings in Portofino as there are now, but there were some huts. A couple used to come daily to this hill where the Yilla is built, stay for a long while, and then ¡ go a"Wy. One day I happened to go up alone. Upon seeing me, the man got annoyed, but I went nearer and sat close by. He got angry and gave me a slap. I did not say anything, but walked off quietly. One of you who was with me then was so enraged at hearing this that you went up the hill and found the couple sitting there. The man again got angry, and a fight ensued. In the struggle you neared the edge of the cliff.

The wman helped her husband and they both threw you over the cliff. .Anyone else would have died, but not one of mine. He was saved. This excited another of my disciples to whom I had told the story. He went up the hill the next day, but he did not find the couple. On the following day, he and the one saved returned together and found the man and his wife there. The man got into a terrible Yiolent struggle 'flith mytw men, and was seriously wounded ... " Meher Baba.. July 193'3, Portofino, Ital¡;t, LM5 p1794 "... To Ruano, Baba once disclosed that she had his close contact long, long ago when he was in Egypt."

Ba1 Natu, GGM3 p78 According to Pukar, one ofMeher Baba's devotees, Babasaid that in one minor advent he incarnated in female form. Pukar said Baba did not give the name or location of that incarnation. Pukar also said that Baba explained once that he incarnates three times between each pair of major advents. ~ajar advents take place roughly every 700 to 1400 years (GS p271).

During a Yisit to the Meher Spiritual Center north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...

Meher Baba said, ".Ages ago, this was a place where Baba Yisited, moved about and stayed" (Apri11952, GGM'3 p49). Visiting Meher Mount in Ojai, California in 1956, Baba ..said the land was very old, and he had been here before" (l'ilis Frederick, Gl .Aug. 1994 p21 ). Baba didn't explain fUrther.

HE WALKED 1HE AMERICAS by L. Taylor Hansen tells of a white-skinned spiritual master who wandered the American continent about 2000 years ago. Hansen, an archeologist, collected native American legends of this master, who had long hair and a beard, wre a white robe and sandals, and had scars on his hands. He arrived originally by ship, walked as far south as Central America and as far north as Canada.. and left after ten years. He trained disciples, taught large numbers of people, and performed miracles of healing. He taught the Sha'IN"n.ee: ''Do not kill or injure your neighbor, for it is not he that you injure, you injure yourself. Do good to him, thus adding to his days of happiness, even as you then add to your own. Do not wong or hate your neighbor, for it is not he that you wong, you wong yourself. Rather love him, for the Great Spirit loves him, even as he loves you." (p45) He asked each tribe he visited to name him, thus becoming known by many names: Wakes. Vak:o, Vis-ah-co, Vah-kan, Vakon-tah, Vaikano, Vak:ona.. Vaicomah, Teo-Vahkan, Hea-wah-sah, Tla-acomah, Tah-co-mah, Hurukan, Sume, Ee-me-shee, Ee-mee-shee-totl, Ee-see-cotl, Tama.. Tacobya. Ta-copah, Tlazoma.. Ahunt Azoma..

Mahnt-Azoma.. Cama.. Caboy, Vira-Cocha.. Paruxti, Kate-:Zahl and Quetzalcoatl. One tribe, the Eastern .Algonkin, asked him to tell them his name "in childhood when he lived across the ocean. The name he gave them was a strange one, hard to say in their liquid language ... Chee-Zoos ... " (p53).

He chose 12 men from each tribe, trained them, and when he travelled on, left them in charge. He gave each tribe his robe and sandals (they made him new ones).

Hansen had great difficulty collecting these legends, as the tribes kept them secret.

She thought the master might ha,re been Jesus, journeying after the crucifixion. He:r book is a-vailable from .Amherst Press, Amherst Wisconsin 54406.

"After my having become realised many times, I came dovn as Avatar with you all innumerable times. Only in the last cycle, 5'329 times. And once more after 450 years.

The end will be the 5'330th time- although the uni路-rerse is never finished. So I am both personal and impersonal - and in the impersonal too, I am conscious. The 路 unconscious ocean is Baba. in that conscious drop is me, and also in everyone, I Meher Baba. HMW p45J experience myself consciously."

"Whether there have been 26 Avatars since Adam, or 124,000 Prophets, as is sometimes claimed, or whether jesus Christ vas the last and only Messiah, or Muhammad the last Prophet, is all immaterial and insignificant when eternity and reality are under consideration. It matters very little to dispute whether there have been 10 or 26 or a million Avatars. The truth is that the Avatar is al"W.ys one and the same, and that the five Sadgurus bring about the advent of the A.vatar on earth. This has been going on cycle after cycle, and millions of such cycles must have passed by, and will continue to pass by, without effecting eternity in the least."

Meher Baba. GS p266

DISCARNATE MASTERS? "Realisation is only one. The difference between the Perfect Masters (Qutubs) and the Majzoobs is that the former have the authority to use the power they have, while the latter do not. What a Perfect Master hands over to his chargeman is not power, which is already in him, but the authority to use it. During his physical lifetime, the Perfect Master can do the greatest amount of universal work for the good of the vorld. After he leaves the body, he enjoys eternal bliss, and though the power is with him, he cannot use it. :For this reason, at the tomb or samadhi of a Perfect Master there is spiritual power. But it is the faith of the people in the disembodied Master which becomes the medium to utilise that po-wer. That is why people derive benefits t1' revering a Perfect Master's tomb. But the benefit accruing from such sources and drawn upon by the indh,idual's faith is invariably material in nature. Internal spiritual benefit can only be derived when a God-realised Master is in the physical body.'

"There have been some rare instances of people deriving spiritual benefit from the shrines of past Masters or saints. But this spiritual benefit is derived only in special cases where the earthly connection of the receiver and the giver has been cut short by unavoidable circumstances. Such instances are very rare and far bet-ween.

Material benefit from disembodied saints is more common, and is in proportion to the faith of the receiver.路 "There is nothing outside ourselves. Everything, like planes, heavens, universes, earths, beings and things, are all within us. The Master gives the aspirant nothing that is not already latent in him. He is only instrumental in rousing the aspirant to the awreness of the divine treasure within him. He shows us the treasure that is already there. Duty therefore means authority. It is for this reason that a Perfect Master is ever eager and longs to give up this mortal body which prevents him from enjoying his eternal bliss.' 路 "From the beginningless beginning, the Messiah or Avatar is the only Perfect Master who takes birth on this plane again and again from age to age. The last perfect form of that being vas Rasul-e-Khuda. Muhammad. As Maulana Niaz Ahmed says, 'The name and characteristics of my friend vary in every age. His form changes, but the face is al"W.ys one."'

Meher Baba 2 February 192'3, Bombay, LM2 p474-475 Ordinarily, at death, a spiritual teacher or Master gives up the authority to guide or help others. Three exceptions are: TiiE AVATAR, who maintains his connection "liith the Gross, Subtle and Mental worlds whether or not he is incarnate.

KHWAJAKHIZR, a Perfect Master of ancient times. Babaexplaine~ that Khizr holds a special office as a discarnate Perfect Master vho takes temporary human form whenever ¡needed. Khizr is believed by the Sufis to have been the Master of Moses.

Meher Baba said Khizr gave realisation to Francis of Assisi (Av 4:'3 pJ4). Bhau Kalchuri wrote that Khizr gave realisation to the Perfect Master Narayan Maharaj (LMl pJlfn).

MARY, the mother of jesus Christ. Meher Baba said that Mary had been given authority to continue to help people even after her physical death (source: Mehera Irani to Erico Nadel). Thousands of appearances of Mary have been reported in this century, often accompanied by miracles and healings. In the early 1960s in San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain, Mary appeared to four girls over a period of several years. At Me<ijugorje, Bosnia. Mary has been appearing daily to a number of people since 1981. A world-wide movement of Catholics, emphasizing purity and prayer. is centred there. In Scottsdale, Arizona. similar apparitions have been taking place since 1988 around St. Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church. The apparitions of Mary at Scottsdale have been documented in several books (see FURTHER READING). Three small volumes of lessons entitled I AM YOUR JESUS OF MERCY~ said to have been dictated by jesus to Gianna Talone, a pharmacist in a Scottsdale hospital, are reminiscent of the teachings of Meher Bal>a.

Orthodox Roman Catholics believe in Mary, and naturally publicise the appearances that best confirm their beliefs. One exception is a recent series of appearances of Mary to Annie Kirkwood in Texas. Mary's teachings there include reincarnation and karma The books MARY'S MESSAGE TO THE WORLD and MESSAGES TO OUR FAMILY, both

by Annie Kirkwood, tell of these messages and apparitions.

t

PERFECT l'vlASTERS? These men on•j "'!"tomen mo.y have been Perfect Mo.sters . If ;rou knovon;nhing Meher

Baba said about them. please lliTite to the •:tddress •9.t the bottom of the next to le.st page.

KALYAN c.4000? be disciple of Je.ne.k

Glvl p24"3-244 MB.J 1:4 p45-46

-~---

ISH p27-29 HM'!'? p693-604

of Hvdera.ba.d, c.50? ad disdple of jesus christ

MANSOOR (Husayn b. Mansur 81-Hallaj) 858-922 Beghdad l•lluslim

.ll.BTJ BAKP. DULAF JAHD.P.R .P~ SHIBLI of Baghde.d disciple of ]1.m.ayd d. 945 or 946? Muslim

GM p250 IL fr{>-47, SL RD p307 HM~l

484-485 GS p277, 317

TILOPA 988-1069 Buddhist

SWG p27,28J58

NAROPA of BengaL Kashmir, Pu11ahari. Na18i1da and Zangskar (Ne.dapada.. Narotapa) 1016-1 040 or 11 00 Buddhist

S'!'?G p27,28J58

I'·IARPA the Translator. of Tibet d .1 096 or 1097 Buddhist J!.BD~~

SWG p93,158, HCG p80

QADIR .P~ JILANI 1078-1166 Muslim

M.G.CCHINDRANA1H

LM6 p2041

me.st.er ofGainanath c.1225

(MATSYE}IDRMTATH?)

TJ

GA.INANATH mastet• of the Perfect Master Nivritti <::.1250 I'>'IIRABA.I of Udaipur 14'3'3-1468 or 1504?-1550 r)r 157'3-1630

Hindu

A.O plO ISH p64, GM p332

Also see the Sufi lineege said to have been given by the Perfect Master NIZA.IviUDDIN at the end of OTHERS. Any or 811 of the people listed there may have been Perfect Masters.

GUST.ADJI, !VIEREDITH STi\RR, JUDi\S ISCARIOT GUSTADJI SHILST (Hansotia) died October 30, 1957. Meher Baba wrote in a cable to Eli2abeth Patterson, 'My de&· old f:t'iend anJ silent companion Gustadji Shilst, dropping his body on 30th October, realised me as I really am. Infot·m 811 (:oncerned.'

(LAP p505) Baba had said pt·eviously that one membet· of his d:rcle would realise God befot•e Baba manifested 8S the A~ratar.

Bhau Kalchuri quotes l•A:eher BatJa as having told I·IJEP.EDI1H ST.A..P.P., 'I have drai'tn you here and lli'ill make ;rou Perfect in this life.' (July 2'3 1928, Toka LMJ p1071) Stat·r stayed '?tith Bal>a in the late 1920s. fotm.,jed a retreat for him in England, and travelle'j i'lith him. in the Unite,j States. He left Bat-a •lut'ing the 1930s, denouncing him . e.nJ eventu.."'lly t·e(:ame involve(j i'tith a spiritu..'\1 group called Sut>uo. Starr '.::ot·respcrnded lli'ith Baba in the 19:.os ot· 1960s, e.nJ died ;:t.t•rJund 1979. For more about l\•let·edith Stat·t·. see LM4 p1~·02-1:·03, LM:) P1747_179~·. and DL :.-7, 12-16,39. !•.•l•:trg::ti'et Cr:3.ske quoted BC~.t)•:t. •:t.s h·~ving sai(j that .JTJD.~.s ISC~ARIOT h•:t.d hK8.t'n8.ted •:tg;:dn and "li.·"aS once ag;:dn ;:t membet• of Be.b•:t.'s dt•cle of .:jisdples. (DL pl ;.2-1:.·3) This is in •:tpparent disagreement i'lith B•:t.ba's sta.tement that ju.~j,:t.S 1-l•:t.s •:.. member of jesus Ch1·ist's innet· drde ~.nd reelised God. 8.tld the1'efot·e '111'0U1d not itK.;t.t·nate again.

See DISCOTJF:SES, 7th ed ... p29;.)

..

SPIRITUAL PL.ACES .

"From ancient Hmes, India hes been a 1an<J of spirituelity. So being born in India is a ma11er of spiritual pride. in as much as a person is seemingly so near the :;piritual goal. The best of people born in Ameri<;a,. Europe, Afri<;a erJ.d other countries, with their good r\arma from this life, are born in India in their next life . .And the "\Y'orst of those born in India with felse pride, egoism and undesire.ble karmas are born in Europe and Amet'ica or in places which are so spiritually backward."

Meher Baba,. 28? May 19'30, Ahmednagar, LM 4 p 1314 "In the matter of spirituality and sincere search for the Truth, the mer1telity of the West seems better no"\Y"adays than that in India. The Indian people's a.ttitude 8nd mentality these days is very peculiar. India as a whole now wants material po"i"ters, political a"\Y'al~ening and "\Y'ealth. Yet remember. it is India more than anywhere else that produces masts. But on the whole, the situation here is deplorable. As fares the Path is concerned, India's spiritual faith cannot be questioned. But the intellectual gymnastics by its scho1e.:t¡s is disgusting."

Meher Babe. 22 December 1939. Bangalore. LM7 p2483 "There ere three types of spiritual beings in India: the :>ensational. the unassuming but deep and quiet, and the Man-God or God-Man. The sensa1ional types just make a show of 1heir knowledge of Vedanta and give lofty talks on higher ideals of life and spirituality. It is all on the surface, hence an outward show. They seek to create an impression. and people who go to them ere impressed by miracles. which are really nothing more than (tantric) tricks. This is undesirable, being a sort of bargaining. I do not want this kind of faith. The other type, which is unassuming and quiet is deeper in knowledge and experience, because they are advanced souls, and a few are Perfect Ones. They prefer a quiet lif'e, and do their work in silence. and hence are little known. The Sadgurus and Qutubs experience Godhood and manhood both. They have attained the spiritual heights. and have also come down to human level to help mankind. Their methods are peculiar, hence not understood by ordinary people."

Meher Baba.. to Consuela Sides and Mercedes D'Acosta 17 November 1938, Meherabad (LM7 p2'3'35) "Since times of old, there have been endless numbers of rishis (sages) and te.pes'Wis (ascetics) who have lived there (in Ben&¡es) for years. practised penances. meditated. and were in high states of sam.adhi {spiritual trance). Great souls soch as Ram.a Krishna Buddha and even jesus had been here during certain periods of their lives.

It is due to these highly evolved souls and Mesters of their ege that the pla¢e is surcharged with spiritual atmosphere. True sanctity does not lie in the dead walls of brick and stone, or even in the waters (of the sacred rivers), but it is in the great living beings who stayed here and filled the environment with the fire of their devotion, love and wr~hip, and in the great spiritual forces releesed by the Masters during their stay here."

Meher Baba (about Benares) 19'37?

HMV p 709 (also LM6 p2076) "During his physical lifetime, the Perfect Master can do the greatest amount of universal work for the good of the "\Y'Orld. After he leaves his body. he enjoys eternal bliss, en<l though the power is with him, he ~annot use it. For this reeson, at the tomb or sam.adhi of a Perfect Master there is spiritual po"\Y'er. But it is the faith of people in the disembodied Master which becomes t.he medium f.o utilise that po,;,er. It is for this reason that people derive benefits by revering a Perfect Master's toml:>. But the benefit accruing from such sources and drawn upon by the individual's faith is invariably matel'ial in nature. Internal spiritual benefit can only be derived -:xrhen the God-realised Mester is in the physk-:.1 body. There have been some r;:~re inste:n<::es Ctf people deriving spiritu.'.ll benefit from the shl'ines of past M:e.sters or saints. But this spiritual benefit i$ derived only in special cases where the ee.rthly ~onnecHon of the redev~r orld the gi'~ler has been cut short by unavoidable <~ircumsta.nces. Such instan<~es ere ver:.r rare and fe.r between. Material benefit from disembodied saints is more (:ommon. and is in proportion to the faith of the recei\;oer."

Meher Be.ba J 'february 192'3~ Bombe.y, LM2 p474-475

"By my li•.Jing presence, I clean the tangled atmosphere of the shrines of dead saints, Sadgurus and Qutubs. This complicated atmosphere is of the thought "»'Orld. Thought force is really very strong and poverful. Chaitanya did not go to places of pilgrimage for the sake of pilgrimage, but for cleansing their atmosphere, which -were f)Jll of the.sanskaras of thoughts of worldly people. For my work, a pilgrim on the third plane is more helpful than the place of a dead Master of the seventh plane. But a well-known dead saint or Master may ha"le a strong influence due to the multitudes going to his tomb. That is why I thin do'Wtl the effect of this complicated thought Meher Baba., LM7 p2)91 atmosphere by visiting such places."

"In Europe, as on other continents, there are holy places connected to great spiritual wrk. The four centers of Europe are Saint Mark's in Venice, a place on the Ligurian Coast of Italy, Assisi and AYila. I have now visited and revisited them all. From their Meher Bal>a. 24? October 19'31 holy grounds have sprung many saints."

Avila. Spain, LMS p1834 "The Avatar has always been and will always be born in Asia This is because of the peculiar sittlation there in the e'~rolution of the universe, and in the existence of the Gross plane, which necessitates the manifestation of the Avatar only on that particular continent... Never has there been a female Avatar, nor will there ever be one. The A'~latar has always been a male, and will always be in a male form."

Meher Baba. 29 June 19'34, London, LM6 p1885 "The Himalayas are no longer spiritual. Spiritually, they are no more than masses of stone. In the great universal game of the spiritual evolution of mankind, worked out personally by the hierarchy of great spiritual Sadgurus and the Avatar, the Himalayas or Mount Abu or the Nilgiris wre once so highly spoken of, and recognised and re'l!ered by the world as the homes of great rishis and saints. It "W8S called the land of the rishis, the abode of sages and saints. But nov they ha'l!e no greater part to play in the wrk, nor have any greater importance than huge heaps of rocks. Man wants God, but is gi'l!en stone in the form of churches, temples, idols and images. They are now all corrupt. Considered once as places of worship, they have turned into pitiable centers of business for their caretakers. The places of God's prayer, worship and love have changed into centers of business. Thus are the names of God and religion besmeared, bringing ultimately to humanity natural calamities such as plagues, pestilence, famines and other curses of nature with untold miseries on humanity in their wake. So it is for this that the teaching of the Avatars and Sadgurus caution one not to give importance to such places and forms of wrship.

Their work is to diminish and destroy all these piles of stone which keep humanity away from God, rather than draw it closer."

'31 March 19'38, Panchgani, LM7 p2276 BABA: You say you have come to see me. But if you were really to see me as I am, all else that you see would become as nought. You ha'l!e visited many places, and in a way that is good. But tell me, out of all the places you have visited, which did you like best?

Q. The Himalayas. I lo'~le the Himalayas for their grandeur and spiritual atmosphere.

BABA: Yes, there are and have been rishis and munis in the Himala)-as throughout the ages, but e'l!en they ha'l!e not seen me as I really am. You like the Himalayas for the spiritual atmosphere, but what about that place within you where God dwells?

Don't you love that place best? Once ·:rou pay it a "~l'isit, all other places, hows:oever beautiful and glorious and charged with spiritual atmosphere, will hold no charm for ·y"'OU. You will then d-well -w'i thin your self, and 'lllill cease seeing other places. and will see only me as I really am.

17 January 1959, Poona. inter"~l'ie':'"..r with a social worker, AO p168-169

THREE KINDS OF PERFECT MASTERS "Baba explained that Qutubs (Perfect Masters) are of three types, Qalandar, IChwaja and Ghaus. A Qalandar or a Khwaja or a Ghaus is not a Qutub.but a Qutub can behave like a Qalandar or Kh'Wja or Ghaus. The Qalandar type of Qutub is usually naked and never stays for long in any one place. Totapuri. the Mester of Ramakrishna Par8mehense., belonged to this type. Usually a Qutub <Joes not move from his place.

The Kh"W.ja type stays at one place. Upesani Meharaj and Babajan belonged to this type. The Ghaus type can separate all limbs of his boody and reunite them at ~11. If any ordinary mortal tries to see him in that state. he loses his eyesight. Baba said. "Sai Baba was of the Ghaus type. He used to keep a night "W.tchman vho had strict instructions not to look at him after he went to sleep. One night the "W.tchman's curiosity got the better of him ond he peeped in, ond lost his sight at once."

Hoshang Bharucha. AWAKENER 10:1 p 22-2'3

THE ANGER OF A PERFECT MASTER "Bal>a once explained that vhen the Mester showed emotions such as annoyance, disappointment, anger, etc., it meant that he was using a special form of energy for certain deep-seated sanskaras with vhich he vas dealing for the spiritual benefit of the de"~rotee or person. It did not imply that his inner serenity vas disturbed at all, as when an ordinary person shows any of these emotions."

Kitty Davy, LAP p 114 "Vhen a Master is in the most perfect and peaceful internal state, or vhen some internal work is nearing successful completion, there sometimes automatically occurs an overtlovofthis internal state in an outward manner. The external outburst by a Master is the shMow of his internal perfect state, and is radically contradictory to the bliss within. Consequently, in its outer manifestation, it takes the form of abusive language, shouting and beatings. But whosoever receives these egoshattering blessings from a Perfect Master is very lucky indeed, since these tongue-lashings and physical beatings wrk miracles for him, and bring him unimaginable benefit, especially in his external affairs."

Meher Babe. '31 january 1923, Bombay, LM2 p47'3 "The anger of a Sadguru is beneficial to those connected ~th him and to others, but the anger of an ordinary man is harmful."

Meher Baba. LM'3 p769

DO PERFECT MASTERS INCARNATE AGAIN? According to GOD SPEAKS, a Perfect Master never incarnates again. Adi K. Irani told of one occasion vhen Meher Babaexplained that for every 'rule' there is an exception.

For example, he said, Perfect Masters never incarnate again- but the five Perfect Masters who bring down the Avatar do incarnate again. Adi said Baba did not explain how or when they incarnate again, or whether they always, or just occasionally, take another human form. Adi also commented 'If you ask the other mandali about this, · they 'flill deny it -but I was there and they were not'.

For more about the first soUl and how he became the first Avatar, see BEAMS p27·32 and THE NOTHING AND THE EVERYTHING p105-108.

THE TRUE SAVIOURS OF MANKIND "There at•e individual as well as national and universal problems which need the spiritual guidance of Perfect Masters and Avatars. Age after age these God-men gui.de humanity T.hrough their divine messages. Even after the absence of their physical bodies, these messages are <::arried to the remotest corners of the world by their disciples, devotees and followers, who spread the beloved's word even at the cost of life. The Avatars and Perfe<::t Masters give their .divine gui<lance an<) protection to the human ra<::e and the world in their own unique and imperceptible ways, which are beyon-d the grasp of the human intellect. The Perfect Masters are the true saviol..ltS of mankind, and not of the selecT.ed few only. Their love and grace alone sustain the universe."

Meher Baba. MESSAGES DELIVERED DURntG ANDHRA TOtlR, FEBRUARY AliD MARCH 1954, p10-11

¡~rf we study ~he

PERFECT ONES

teachings o~¡ Meher Baba we find that realised beings may be divided, !or all pract1cal purposes, mto three types: the Majzoob, the jivanmukta and the Perfect Master. The Majzoob is merged - complete! y and utter! y so - in God. Sufis call this state the final fana and it is a state in which the soul experiences, but does not use, in~inite.pover, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss. This means that although the Majzoob 1s conscious of himself as God, he is quite oblivious of the three spheresgross, subtle and mental .. .'

"Meher Baba tells us that the Perfect Master experiences and uses infinite powr, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss. and. on top of this. that he is conscious also of the three spheres. Most important of alt he has the authority to use his infinite powers. and so can help all living things towards their ultimate goal. and can also make certain souls spiritually perfect...'

"The state of consciousness of the Jivanmukta... varies from time to time, end is sometimes a consciousness of himself as God (exactly like the Majzoob. in fact). and sometimes a consciousness of one or other of the spheres- Gross, Subtle or Mental {not at all like the Majzoob. in fact). It is also necessary to explain that when the .Jivanmukta is conscious of himself as God, He is not conscious of any of the spheres, and that vice versa when he is conscious of any particular sphere. he is not conscious of himself as God. Nevertheless, whatever his state of consciousness, i.e., whether of himself as God or of some sphere or other. he always is. and always will be, one with God. I should mention finally that Meher Baba told us that the Perfect Master always has 'duty' while in the body, but that the Majzoob and the jivanmukta do not.''

William Donkin, THE VORK OF MEHER BABA... 1948-1949, p27-28 Donkin's description of the jivanmuktaabove may (by mistake) actually describe the state of the Parartlhansa. See GOD SPEAKS, p149. 197-198 and NE p 108-114.

"The Majzoob may apparently like or dislike, ask or reject seem happy or angry. It is an automatic reflex action of which he is unconscious, like the sound of snoring is to the fast-asleep man emitting it Like the sleep-walker. who is unconscious of his actions, howver normal or varied they may be, the Majzoob is oblivious to his body and surroundings. and is conscious only of his divine state of 'I em God.'" Meher Baba GOD SPEAKS p150 "The Mental-conscious soul ... keeps waiting till it merges with God or Truth in the seventh plane. After merger. the soul may remeln immersed in the bliss of God-realisation and become a Majzoob, or come down to the lower planes of duality for work (without losing its realisation of the unitary Truth) and become a Perfect Master. Whether a particular God-realised soul becomes a Majzoob or a Perfect Master is a matter decided by the initial urge in creation. These varieties of terminal states are not subject to sanskaric or impressional determination. In both terminal states there is no trace of any binding impressions. However. the entire fabric of the universe serves but one purpose: the realisation of God." Meher Babo. BEAMS p17 "The A~-atar can do all that aSadguru does. He has and prepares a circle as a Sadguru does, but he does one special thing also. The A"'Tatar can make a person who is not even in the circle, or turned to God, a God-realised Salik -vrith special duty ... Krishna "'ftaS an A~Tatar, and he realised and brought do"rm seo:renteen people who "W-ere out::ide his circle. These se~ren teen were extra God-realised sotlls .'' Me her Baba (LM3 p 1002) For more about Perfect Ones, see GOD SPEAKS p148-152, 161, 196-199, 266-267, and THE HOTHIHG .AliD THE EVERYTHING p99-114.

PILORHvlS ON THE PATH

"The succession of experiences that .one goes through ~n ~he process ~f involution is called the spiritual path. and the gomg through them 1s likened to a )Ourney. At one stage you heer melodious sounds end music that enchant end overwhelm you. At another stage you see wnderful visions. in which. most often. you get lost. Such experiences are part and parcel of the great dreem in illusion, though together they may 'be called a real or super-dream. compared with day to day experiences of the Gross sphere. The experiences are so innumerable end veried that the journey appears to 'be interminable. end the destination is ever out of sight. But the vender of it is, vhen at last you reach your destination, you find that you have never travelled at ell. It was~ journey from here to here. As one Sufi expressed it 'Vhen I plucked the date (the fruit of Realisation), I found the fruit was within me'."

Meher Bal>a El¡l p 11 "There are three main types of pilgrims on the path: the intoxicated ones (in Persian they are called masts), the sober ones (in Persian they are called saliks), end those who strive on their own efforts. the Y.Qg~. The masts are the individuals al>sorl>ed in the ecstasy and 'bliss of the heavens of the planes. The saliks are individuals stationed in the planes end guided 'by a Sadguru. The yogis go through the heavens to the planes, and sometimes are guided 'by a 3adguru. These are the pilgrims of the inner path vho are journeying to realise God through the Subtle and Mentel planes and heavens ...'

"Those wayfarers or aspirants vho attempt to go forward or ascend the planes without the direct help of a Perfect Master are inevitably trapped ... 'by the enchanting diversions of the heavens of each Subtle plane up to the fourth. Those enchanted are in a state of hairat. and it is these intoxicated ones. the masts, vho dvell absorbed in the heavens. But the pilgrim vho remains sober, the salik, who journeys into the inner realms with the help of a Sadguru. is not allowed to become enmeshed in the coils of the heavens .. .'

"The Avater and Sadgurus take individuals who are ready through the planes, but they are usually veiled from the conscious experience of the planes and heavens. The yogis, occultists, mystics, masts and saliks travel the path of the inner planes unveiled. going through the heavens consciously 'by their own efforts. Heavens are the experience of the povers (siddhis) and ecstasies (hal) of the planes in the Subtle reelm. A yogi on the first to the fourth plane does not experience different phenomena of the Subtle wrtd. The yogi vho does experience phenomena of the Subtle is actually in a section of the heaven of that plane ... Vhile in the ecstasy of heaven one does not move, one cannot progress, one cannot advance to the next plane 'because one is in the state of enchantment or hairat.'

"A sa1ik on the planes, a yogi l>etveen the planes. a mast lost in the heavens. or one veiled are only a matter of different experiences of the path and hov one journeys it guided or not. Ultimately it is insignificant hov one journeys. Vhat is important is that the path is journeyed and that the journey is completed, reaching the seventh plane. Unfortunately, if one goes through the heavens. progress is slow and there is always danger of enchantments. Enchantments are dangero¡us because they ere overpo"\Vering. overwhelming ... Once one is enchanted. one will become entranced by the allurements vithin the heavens' different sections, and thus progress no further. The Subtle heavens are filled with unimaginable ecstasy. and so if one succumbs ('becomes a mast) it is understandable. Those masts vho lose themselves in the intoxication and 'bliss of the heavens do so out of love for God. and are overwhelmed in their experience of becoming God ...'

"EYet¡y human must inevito:r.bly journey thrcrugh the se,ren plo:rnes, for these pla.nes are the path to realising the goel of life ... The goel is the end of the journey, and that goal <::an be no~hing else but Reo:rlisa~ion, attaining ~he state of I am God." Bhau Kalchuri. from notes dictated l>y Meher Bal>a NE p62-63

I·ii.ARY BACKETI: You once said that everything was illusion until one reaches the seventh plane and attains full union 'With God. Why do w have to bother 'With the intermediate planes?

BABA: Union is real, but one has to pass through the planes, even if it is for a second.

When a Sadguru or the A,ratar 'Wishes, he can raise )"''U to the seventh plane in a second, but still in that second you have to pass through the whole six planes.

Meher Baba, 4 March 19"37, Nasil~. LM6 p212"3 "The Perfect Master (Qutub) does not make one consciously pass through the planes.

To grant intermediate experiences of the planes is child's play to the Perfect Master.

But the Perfect Master is not interested in gi'Ving a drop. When he gives, he gives the ocean. For him to do so, he expects from his disciples complete obedience in wholehearted lo"~re. When this is fulfilled, in one moment he raises the disciple to the highest le"~rel, which is the experience of infinite consciousness of the state of I am God." Meher Baba, EN p 15 "There is no special spiritual advancement in merely going from the Gross (physical) wrld to the Subtle or even to the Mental world. It amounts to going back to the place from which the soul has descended on earth. Instead of trying to go to some other worlds, the soul should go from the Gross wrld into the planes of advancing consciousness ... One has to start his journey in the Gross body, and also realise the highest truth in the Gross body. The planes correspond to the inner changes of the states of consciousness. It is possible to pass through these planes in darkness (i.e. without knowing it) or with know1edge ... Fat actually crossing the planes, what is necessary is true spirituality. True spirituality requires real love for God. A person cannot be said to love God if he cannot accept his will without discontent or resentment ... True spirituality requires the surrenderance of the ego-centred outlook and attitude."

Meher Baba, Sp p105-107 "... Baba has wed the follo'Wing simile to describe the progress of an aspirant on the path. He likens the path to a house 'With three steps up to the front door, and these three steps are the first three planes. Thereafter, there is a fourth step up to the threshold at the front door. This threshold is the fourth plane, an a"ffkward and dangerous place, where the pilgrim may lose his balance, and fall back down the first three steps if he is not careful. If, ho"Wever, he crosses the threshold successfully, he enters the safe and level t1oor inside the house, which is the fifth plane. He "ffSlks along this until he reaches the other end of the house, where there is a closed door.

When he reaches this door at the back of the howe, a centre of vision opens in his forehead, which is represented by the opening of the door; and he now sees God, and is on the sixth plane. But as well as seeing God, he sees also an impossibly deep valley that separates him in his present position from the splendor of God beyond, and he does not know how to cross this great rift. It is here that he needs the help of a spiritually perfect soul to take him across this last colossal obstacle, which is greater than the sum of all his previous obstacles on the path."

William Donkin, w p 114-115 For an account of ~·hat it's like to traverse the planes, see THE TURNmG OF THE KEY, p3)7-341. Another account of experiences on the planes can be found in LORD lYIEHER v4 p1495-1497. Contrary to what is printed there, this outline for a screenplay "''!i"8S not witten by Baba, but adapted by others from notes he ga"~re. More about the different kinds of spiritually advanced souls can be found in THE WAYFARERS, p21-)4.

FLYING SAUCERS Irf Duce n-ote that she visited the Museum of Uatura1 History in New Yorlt with

Meher Baba in

19~'2,

while he was recovering from a car a.cddent:

"As Mehera guided B8.ba's wheelchait•, I trotted along beside her, and during a lonely stretch of ·::orridor. I lea11ed over and asked him. "Have any of the people a.sl~ed you 8.bout flying saucers, Babar Baba ga"~re me a knowing look, which indicated tha.t he suspected that I was interested ;:Uso. "Yes. t"W'O people. I told them that they do not come from other otanet~"

{Hl•AW o128)

., 0

TviYSTIC, DIVINE AND OCCULT PO\VERS A pcroon on

~he hi~hcr

plano"

~ot" .,cr~o.in

po"''''Cr". On tho fir"t three plane" the"c

are called mY.,2tic P.Owers. and they include being able to read the minds of others, recite words or passages from a book without seeing it, allowing oneself to be buried alive for hours. producing things from nowhere, stopping trains, levitation. etc. On the third plane one can rsise dead sub-human creatures. The powers of the fourth plane are called divine P.Owers. and include the ability to raise the dead. including human beings, and to create new HYing forms in new worlds. A person on the fifth plane can control the thoughts of others. A person on the sixth plane can control the feelings of others. A person on the se,renth plane who regains consciousness of creation has unlimited powers, but being desireless, has no inclination to use the infinite po-wers except (on rare occasions) for the spirituel benefit of others.

The exercise of powers is not a sign of spirituel advencement. Some occult powers have nothing to do with spirituality. They are the result of good sanskaras of past lives. These are called minor occult P.owers, and include clairvoyance, clairaudience, healing. producing sweets or money seemingly out of nothing, etc. Other powers can be attained through tantric exercises. These are called maj.Qt occult P.Owers. and they include levitation, flying and floating in the air. dematerialisation and materialisation, etc. For more about occult powers and the powers of the inner planes. see DISCOURSES p191. 196-200; THE NOTHING AND THE EVERYTHING. p6?-98. and GOD SPEAKS p12'3-1 '31. 222-2'32.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A ·PERFECT IVIASTER ".An ordinary man may not be al>le to discriminate satisfactorily between the different stages of spiritual attainment up to the sixth plane. He may be able to know that such souls are advanced, but not the extent of their advancement. But when a · sincet•e and patient seeker of truth comes into contact with one who is spiritually Perfect, he will obser,re certain outer signs that are inseparably associated with inner spiritual Perfection. The most important of these signs are tht·ee:' "First, Perfection is not only oneness with God, but the continual and uninterrupted experience of oneness in everything. A Perfect Master continually, without break, experiences and realises his own self as the self in all. This inner experience objectively manifests itself in the spontaneity of love that such a one feels or expresses to'W8f'ds all creation. To him nothing is attractive or repulsive. Good and bad, saint and sinner, beauty and ugliness, wisdom and idiocy, health and disease- all are modes of his own manifestation. When embodied Perfection loves, fondles, or feeds any living creature, it feels and enjoys as if it were loving, fondling ano feeding its own self. In this stage, no vestige of otherness is left.· "The second sign is the atmosphere of bliss that Perfection radiates in its immediate vicinity, an atmosphere that a stranger in search of it cannot help feeling. A Perfect Master not only enjoys infinite bliss, but also experiences universal suffering. The acuteness of suffering, however, is nullified or subdued by the overwhelming feeling of bliss. Hence Perfection can outwardly appear blissfully calm in the face of every kind of suffering and persecution.· "The third sign of Perfection is its power to adapt itself to any level of humanity. It can be as nonchalant on a throne as in a gutte:t•. It can ~re:t·y naturally be thrifty with the poor, extravagant with the rich, regal with kings, 'l'lise 'l'rith the learned, and simple with the illite:t·ate and the ignorant. Just as a Maste:t• of Letters teaches .English in diffe:t·ent ways to beginners an,j graduate students, so, also, a Perfe,~t Master adapts himself to the level,Jf those whom he wants to uplift spit·ituallly." .

Meher Baba, GOD SPEAKS, p262

AGENTS "Much of the .,rork of the Divine Incarns.tion is often done through his Agents, who carry on the duty entrusted to them by the Incarnation. The Agents may be on the Gross plane or on the inner planes. If they do not ha'\o-e a Gross body, they are invisil>le to ordinary people. They help people in their ascent through the planes.

Some Agents fulfill the purpose of the Divine Incarnation unconsciously. They do not know consciously whence their impetus or inspiration comes. Other Agents consdously receive instructions from the Avatar and knovingly and voluntarily carry out these instructions.

Meher Baba BEAMS p 15 "There are ... certain people who are Agents of the Saheb-e-Zam.an (Avatar). These Agents are holders of definite and distinct offices ... These states of the Agents are distinct offices held by certain souls who carry out important wrk for each Sahel>-e-Zaman. On the death of one Agent, his office is automatically filled by a successor. For just as there is always a Saheb-e-Zam.an or a Saheb-e-Waqt, so there are. always his Agents.'

"Baba explains that there are three types of Agent: 1. Direct Agents. who are very few. There is one in Europe, one in Asia one in America one in Africa- one in fact on almost every important continent. These Direct Agents receive instructions directly from the Saheb-e-Zam.an.

2. Indirect Agents, who are few, and who receive instructions from the Direct Agents.

'3. Borrowed Agents, who are many, and who receive orders from the Indirect Agents.'

"The prindpal Agents are always on the fourth plane. and through the powers that they vield on this plane, they act for the Saheb-e-Zaman. They may even do miracles for the Saheb-e-Zam.an, since the Saheb-e-Zaman himself almost never performs miracles. For if he vishes to do so, he must, at the time of doing the miracle, actually station himself on the fourth plane. These Agents are on the fourth plane only because of the necessity of using certain of its powers for the work of the Saheb-e-Zaman. They are not in the position of those on the spiritual path, who when they reach the fourth plane may use its pavers for good, or may misuse them, and so fallback to a very primitive state of evolution."

Villiam. Donkin, V p'37'3 "Perfect Masters. who control and direct the spiritual and material welfare of the universe, usually do so through their Agents, who are scattered in different parts of the wrld, and who hold diffe1·ent spiritual jurisdictions in accordance with their spirituel status. Some of these Agents from the higher planes are vaguely conscious of the source of directions and orders that they carry out. But the majority of those from the lower planes are unavare of the source of directions and orders, which they implicitly and automatically carry out."

Meher Baba SB p40 "Higher spirits are actually Agents of God. vith powers and certain duties. They have physical forms in order to wrk in the wrld according to the directives issued by the Perfect Masters."

Meher Baba LM2 p720 "Those who return after realisation are Perfect Masters. And they have Agents ...

Perfect Masters control the whole universe, and yet they remain aloof. They are in the ocean. in the descent and ascent in reincarnation. e'\o·erything and everyone, and yet aloof. Now, the Emperor, who is head of all masters, cc•ntrols elt also the Mastet·s.

Now. Agents are of two types: with form. snd without form. Agents are between descent and man. How do Agents work? This is most interesting. The Agents vithout form have no connection with other Agents, because they have not undergone the process of evolution. But they are powerf"ul. They have no mind, no desire, no fot'm, but they sre spirits, and exist and are like sparks. One who gets illumination can see them, even with their eyes . Here, nov, ere so many. They have no mind. yet can hear and see. because they feel. What they do is whatevet' they see an<l hear. Through feeling they pass it on to the unconscious clcee.n. What they report comes up to the point of creation, the point after ascent. So that message goes to the Perfect Masters .

EYerything these millions of Agents see or hesr goes to the Perfect Masters.'

"The Agents in bodies with minds (with form) at•e not perfect, but po'Werful. There are different types: avtad. abdat afreed and afsoony. The first type, avtad, are those who receive messages and give messages, like wireless operators, to the Perfect M~ters. The second type, abd~, Me those who can di:s:appeM at wilt or appeM . thousands of mile a'li/ay with external bodies. But haw do they disappear? The form dissolves in a twinkling of an eye and appeM:s: somewhere else .. Vhen these avtad:s: send messages to Perfect Masters; it passes through the second form, abdals, and if in any of the messages something is serious, the abdal goes there.'

"I will gi,re an example. Once, in the time of Piran, a Perfect Master, some of his disciples 'Were coming to India from Arabia in a small boat. The boat was an the paint of capsizing. The avtad at once sent mess8ges to Piran. and the abdals appeared there and saved the boat. Piran knew all this, but even before his ordering, the abdals had done it. Piran began to bleed, and the other disciples who were "With him asked why he was bleeding, and so he told them.'

"Now you know what the avtads and abdals do. The real work is dane by afreed and · afsoony. The man you saw today by the Shalimar gate -was an avtad . .Avtads always appear mad. Afreed and afsoony appear sane. I will shav you one of the afsaany before returning to Bombay- mast po-werfUl. He can even create farms. Yet they (the afsoany) are not perfect. Only one thing is real: the infinite ocean of lave. All else is illusion. This ocean of love can be attained through love, and by loving the Perfect Master you are laving the ocean. I receive billions of messages every day, but let them pass over me. Only important messages I deal "With myself... So you are all one with the ocean, but yet separate ... jesus only once explained about Agents to his disciples."

Meher Baba. 20 Apri119}}, Kashmir from Elizabeth Patterson's Diary, HMV p459-462 "Qutub in Sufism means Center. That Center controls the whale universe through his Agents. Meetings are held, but these meetings cannot be seen "With the physical eye.

The Agents who control the Gross only are called abdals. They are capable of changing their bodies. The Urdu word badal means change . .Abdal, therefore, is one who can change."

Meher Baba. 7 February 1937, Rahuri, LM6 p2091 "Abdals are those who change their forms, but appear at one place at a time. Abdals are either male or female in form. Very rarely you find an abdal in a TIOman's form.

If an abdal does appear in a TIOman 's form, she does not change to a male form, but always appears as a TIOman, changing from one female to another depending upon what duty the Qutub (Perfect Master) assigns to her. She may appear as an old woman, a young woman, a smiling TIOman, a miserable woman . .An abdal does important work, but mostly in the male form. If a male, he does not appear in a female form. The avtad is a! ways of a male form, and does odd jobs for the Perfect Master."

Meher Bal>a. 1965, Guruprasad, Poona. HMW p461 "When I work universally, through Agents, mind being universal, it is linked up with every indhridual mind ... e·.,ren "With advanced minds, who are my .Agents . .And so in every part of the world I am present and working through Agents ... Only those who are on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh planes, and -vrho are conscious of me, know under and for whom they are working physically. And this knowledge they have through the medium of their Subtle and Mental bodies. One in Rishikesh never saw me but knows me. They cannot see me physically. But their Subtle and Mental bodies being detached from the Gross. they see my Subtle body, which is similar to my Gross.

And the consciowne.ss of the planes they are in makes their spirits know the indi~ridual behind my Subtle body. So they know that they "'-ork under me, whose Subtle body they see, and "7"1fhich is similar to my ph;rsical fot·m. They also know that I am one with the infinite.'

"Fot· example, while I am sitting het·e, my Agents ;3.fe '11"rorking in India, Persia, Af1'ka, and so on. This very moment they see my Subtle body. all at the same time, in the different planes. Becaus.e the messages they send are sent through the Mental plane, Tvhet'e thet'e is only the '11"ti11 to do a thing, and instantatleausly it reaches the desired spot. ..'

Q: "How do they become Agents?"

BABA: "Mostly due to past connections ":ilith me. Those connected -with me in past H":.;oes:

become Agents. Those deeply connected become members of the circle."

M:ehet· Baba, THE .AHS,lER. p31-33 "... Certain masts and ·~ertain salik-like pilgrims &'e kno'rvn as spiritual chargemen ...

Such a man sees to the spiritt~o~ and material vrelfare of the place of which he is spidtual chargeman. The spiritual ch&·geman of a small place is a mast, but in a large place he is a salik-like pilgrim, and in some centres of peculiar importance the chargemanship is in the hands of both a mast and a salik-like pilgrim. This system, whereby a mast or a salil~-like pilgrim is often the spiritual chargeman of a p&·ticular city or district, is peculiar to India, and in other countries there are spiritual Agents."

Villiam Donkin, THE "~'IAYFARERS, p·37 For more about Agents, see THE WAYFARERS p·373-375, and p458-463.. 728-7'32.

HO~l

A :MASTER ,lORKS

rviOSES Meher Baba told three stories that are probably about Moses. Two appear in DISCOURSES. p123-124. and the third is printed in SPARKS OF THE TRUTH (1967 edition. p61-65). The first two stories are about a 'great sege' who 'happened to be a prince' and was 'quite advanced upon the path.' The third story is of 'great saint who is -very much respected up to this day in all quarters of the world' who was permitted to accompany an angel on his tour of duty. This story is told in the Kot·an (18: 69-82) about Moses. Another 'rersion of this story identifies the 'angel' as Khwaja Khizr, who according to Sufi tradition was the Master of Moses. Bal>a explained that Kh waj a Khizr is a Perfect Master who takes temporary human form whenever needed. Babe. said Khizr was the Master of Francis of Assisi (Aw4:3 p34). Bhau Kalchuri identified Khizr as the Master of l~arayen Ma.haraj in his book Lord Meher (LMl p31f'n} .

.A CIRCLE WITH SEVEN COLORS "If you see Chanii "'Yiith your Gross eyes, you see his figure -no circle, no colors sw·rounding him. But if you concentrate and can see him through your Subtle eyes, you can see his astral form "'Yiithout color or mark, a faint form, a bit blua or grayish.

If, however, you have developed Mental consciousness and see him through your 1•J!ental eye, ·:rou see him in the form of a circle with seven r.;olors, all blended together in one ... Colors at•e due to sanskat•as created by imagination. Why seven colors? When the first clash between Energy an<! the Hea~rens or Space (Pran and Akash) took place, it created a spark, a circle which had seven colot·s. All such spat•ks ha-ve se-ven colors. No one knows that e~ren before the electron, there is one form in the beginning. But what name to give it? The clash of Energy entering Space created this first form.''

Meher Baba, 11 july 1936, Rahuri, LM6 p2021 "An Aura ... is the mental refle<:tion of the aggregate impressions of thoughts and actions gathered by and stored in atl indh'idual mind. As long as the impressions at•e there, an Aura is al"'i/ays there, as an en~relope of Sut·tle atmost)here comprised of se·v-en <~olot•s, ii'hkh remein mot·e or less prominent ac<~ot·ding to the nature of ea,..::h in<!i'vi<!uars impressions. No t":f/0 men are •:dil<:e in all r~spects . •md yet all have r..::ommon ph)~"Sical featut•es. Similarly, the aggt·egate of individual impt·essions diffet• from one anothet·, t,oth quantitati~rely and qualita.ti-;,rely, yet every Atlrais comprt::erj of seven colors r..::ommon to all. These seYen ·~olc•rs of an in·:jividua.l's Aut·a t•epresent the SeYen principal categories ·~Orrespc•n,jing to the aggreg;j,te impressions of ear;h individu'9.1. Thus ever:r individual Aura is •:Ul image of a dt·de of seven o:;olors. Each Aura differs frnm the others in its proportion of each of the :even (:Olors, :j,((:Or·:jing to the in di vi dual's p1·edomin•:~.n t im pt·essions. LH:e'W'ise ee.ch Aura e1so diffe1·s in the r;olor formation on the t)orders t~et"'iteen every t"''/0 pre,jom.in•:.n t O::Olors in it. for exe.mple, red "\YDuld be the most p1·ominent ·:~olot· in the Am·a of a man w'hose impressions a:re predominantly made ut) of lustful actions...

Mehe1· Bat:·a, PL 1>~:8 For more ·~t:·out the Aur•j,, •:.J1d ij,fl expl•ID•j,tfon of the Halo . :ee THE ? ATH OF LO'.:'E 1::·~·6-60.

i\NGELS AND A.RCHANGELS

the king of the gods or the king of the Angels, the s8me e.s the Greek Zeus or the Roman Jupiter ... There are 558 human beings on the third plane as soliks, and even more 03 m.e3ts ore absorbed in the heavens, but only one holds the post of Indra. The Angels are the ancient gods of mythology. Indra controls the Angels and 83signs duties to them., making certain that ee.ch Angel fulfills its duty in the proper way for the balance of nature in creation. Angels inhabit the second section of the third heaven, Devaloke. Angels are the Devas. who have only Subtle form and no Gross body. A pilgrim "~Aiith third plene consciousness can see these Angels as a norm& man sees Gross creatures. Angels do not pass through evolution in the Gross world.'

"IHDRA is lmo"'\Vtl

03

"Angels ru·e those drop-bubbles -w·ho remained stationary in the Subtle world during the first six stages of movement in the ocean of Nothing, and never rea.ched the se~renth stage, the Gross world. When the drop-bubbles first entered creation through the Mental planes unconsciously, some became Archangels that exist in the sixth heaven. Those who became Angels continued to pass through the Mental planes. but attained consciousness when they entered the thir<J plane's second heaYen. the Angelic abode Devaloke. or the first heaven Makan-e-Hoori. and became Fairies.'

"Though completely happy and enjoying bliss to the fullest as automatons of the "Will •)f Indre,. Angels still 83pire to attain human form, because only in human form. can a soul become God-realised. God-realisation is the divine goal of all life. not Angelic existence or being a god among gods. So the Angels and Archangels must attain a human form. as also Indra must leave his throne and gi.ve up his reign to progress further toward Godhood. After an Angel has existed in Devaloke for four cycles (a cycle is about 26.000 years>. the Angel has the opportunity of being born in human form. After only one birth and lifetime as a human being, that Archangel or Angel receives Liberation from all future births and deaths- Mukti. the state 'Jf infinite bliss realised .. .'

"It is the work of the Angels and Fairies (Yarious types called genii, or iinni, or sylphs. etc.) under the direction of Indra. to keep light. heat. sound. water. and the elemental forces of nature in equilibrium. Without the Angels and Fairies, there would be frequent colossal disturbances in the universe as a result of the imbalance of these elements and energies ... Indra has control of all the 330 million gods or Angels. Each Angel performs a different function under Indra's reign. Some control the "Winds, temperature, the sees, or evolving forms. Some Fairies ere connected with metals. vegetation. worms. insects, fish. birds or animals. The 330 million .Angels in Devaloke perform specific functions for the maintenance or preservation of the universe. according to the specific duty assigned them by Indra... " from notes dictated by Meher Baba (NE p79-81) Meher Baba: Angelic qualities de~reloped to the highest degree still do not make a Perfect being. The Angels are free from the lower animal qualities. and possess higher qualities of godliness. but they ha,re no ... reallo~re for God, which makes one worthy of union. Angels. of course. have love. but it is in their nature. essence. They haYe what ce.n be called r1e.turcl love. which makes Angels highet• the.n hum.e.n beings. But being devoid of love for God. Angels cannot realise God. For that. they must e.ssume human form "With these higher qualities developed. In human form alone ~;an they create lo,re for God. qualifying them for the attainment of Go<J-realisation. Realisation of God can ne~rer t>e a.ttained without the human form.

Angels mu:t :3.ssume one human birth to realise God. Remjoo Abdulla: ... I do not understand what the natur::t11ove of Angels is.

B:j.ba.: Look ho-:rt a mother loYes her .::;hild. She ·does not have to Gul ti Yate her love. This feeling of hers just happens. ::tnd is ne.tur::t1.. t·ut it is not lo~re for God. The same is inborn in Angels. Being innate. that is -o::i"hY it is ·~alled naturalloYe. 4 August 1929. He.t'V'?.n, Ke.shmir, LM 4 p 1189

"There is an ocean of infinity in God. In this ocean there are wave::: "'f!hich produce the creation of drops. The drops in the "Waves, which were created in the beginning with the '?!him in the infinite ocean, do not pass through the seven stages of evolution as others do, but immediately assume the form of Angels instead. These Angt=ls ai·e in the same state for cycles and c·:rcles.. for eons and eons. They have Subtle forms and are in the second heaven in the third Subtle plane. They unconscious!:r thirst for a human form . even though they ai·e in the highest state of happiness. But this bliss is of no use to them without full consciousness. It rarely happens . but after millions and millions of years, one Angel is born as a human being in order to realise its real self. Why? In order to gain consciousness, "W"hi,~h up to no'?/ it lacked . though it has passed numerous years in the Subtle world as an Angel.

After an Angel is born as a human being, it does not ha"~te to pass through human reincai·nation, but be,~omes Realised in that very first human birth. These Angels are not born on the gross plane together, but one at a time. Therefore, from a spiritual point of ·vie'7'.v_. man is far superior to Angels, because the Angels, in spite of enjoying millions of 1--ears of bliss in heaven, have to take human form before attaining liberation."

Meher Baba, 7 Jul·fl930, Meherabad (LM4 p1325) "The Archangels a!"e a creation by themselves, and are embodiments of God's qualities. In order to realise God ... the Archangels, after a cyclic period, directly take the human form and achieve the object in one lifetime. The reason why is this. The ocean of di"~iinity consists of drops and "W"~res in a latent form. As soon as the surface of the ocean -w-as rufl1ed -w'ith motion, the waves came into being, and these wa,-..res ha"~re all the attributes ofthe ocean in them. These big "'fta"~res are the Archangels, the manifestations of the principle attributes of God, such as Brahma. 1Jishnu and Mahesh. The ef:fort to cause the big waves, the Archangels, has resulted in producing consciousness. but of rather an impotent nature. In order to remed·:r this deficienc·:r, and to develop and attain full and complete consciousness, as that of human form, even the Archangels ha-..re to incarnate as human beings..."

Meher Baba, AWAKENER 3&4 p62-63 "The Angels (unembodied souls) are mere automatons for the 'Will of God, and they do nothing which is not desired or prompted by God. These wishes happen to be mere expressions of divine po-wer and activity which are all-per-vading. In short, Angels are pure and not contaminated with physical embodiment... The Archangels are the mediums for the expression of God's principal divine attributes of creating, preserv'i.ng and destroying limited life on an unlim,ited scale, and of communicating unlimited knowledge on a limited scale. The Archangels are entities "W"ho always enjoy and ne·.;er suffer... An Archangel from the highest... sphere can never see God, ~othereas man in the sixth plane ... can and does see God face to face e-v""erywhere and in e~rerything ... In short, Angels must necessarily cease to be Angels and become man before they can reach the reality attainable to man. And when man ceases to be man and enters the I am God state, he realises that Angels and Archangels are, in fact his own attributes in one sense or another." from notes dictated by Meher Baba {GS p247-248) "The three attt•ibutes of God (Emanator.. Sustainer and Dissolver) are e:·:pressed through the three Ar·~hangels: Israfeel, the Angel "'ftho creates life, Mi.kaeel, the Angel who sustains life, and Izt·aeel, the Angel who destro·,."! life." from notes dictate1 by Meher Baba (GS p 178) "Herein (in the Subtle "W'Orld) the relationship bet"W-een God and his manifested attributes is of the sot•t that exists bet''1ileen fathet· ;:tlld children. Here God is kind, merdful and "~1igilent to"W"ards his ·~hil·jren, "W"ho are carefree, 'Iiiith no thoughts of punishment or t•e'?lard . no desire fat· kno'?lle·jge, aild no -::::raving for spiritual attainments. And st+eh entities are ·:::ommonly known as Angels... The entities of this w"'t•ld are exdusivel;r bwy 1-lith their appointed tasl-.: of t·ememt:·ering God." from notes dktated t:·:r Meher Baba (GS p2s:.:;r

-.

"E~.ren the e'~rolution of Angels and Archangels, with all of their hierarchy, is not to be regarded as an exdusive stream in adYancing life. They can incarnate among the human beings and become linked up vrith the human stream of life. They &'e also subject to the la-:rtS of ·::y·::le~, and ell that happens to them is subject to the control of Perfect Masters."

Me her Baba. BEM.·JS p24

Baba also mentioned the Archangel Gabriel (Jibraeel) who, he said, dictated the Koran to the Prophet Mohammad (BEAMS p74). For more about the Angels and Indra, see NE p77-81

THE HIGH ROi\DS TO <JOD "In an important sense, all '111-al.ks of' life and all paths ultimately lead but to one goal, God. All rivers enter into the ocean, in spite of the diverse directions in which they flow, and in spite of' the many meanderings -:rrhich characterise their paths. Ho'lii-ever, thet·e are certain high roads which take the pilgrim directly to his di'~Tine destination.

They are important because they a'~roid prolonged "iV8Jlderings in the wilderness of complicated byway-s in which the pilgrim is often unnecessarily caught up.'

"The rituals and ceremonies of organised religions can lead the see~:er only to the threshold of the true inner journey, which proceeds along certain high roa<Js. These t•emain distinct from each other for a ·rery consi<Jerable distance, though towards the end they all get merged in each other. In the earlier phases they remain distinct owing to the diversity of sanskaric contexts of individuals and the differences of their temperaments. In an)'· case, it should be clear from the "'rery beginning that though the roads maybe many, the goal is and always will be only one, attainment of union with God.' "The quickest of these high roads lies through the God-man, who is consciously one with the Truth. In the God-marl, God re.,reals himself in all his glory with his infinite po'l'frer, unfathomable knowledge, inexpressible bliss and eternal existence. The path through the God-man is a'~lailable only to those fortunate ones who approach him in complete surrenderance and tmswerving faith. Complete surrenderance to the God-man is, however, possible only to ·rery advanced aspirants. But when this is not possible, the other high roads which can eventually win the grace of God are: 1. Love for God, and intense longing to see him and .to be united with him.

2. Being in constant company 'With the saints and lo"~rers of God, and rendering them -w·holehearted service.

3. Avoiding lust, greed, anger, hatred and the temptations for power, fame and fault-finding.

4. Leaving everyone and everything in complete external renunciation, and in solitude, devoting oneself' to fasting, prayer and meditation.

5. Carrying on all worldly duties with equal acceptance of soccess or failure, with a pure heart and clean min<I, an<I remaining unatta·::hed in the mi-dst of intense activity.

6. Selftez:s service of hum&lity. without any thought of gain or rew'al'd."

Meher Baba, THE PATH OF LO'Y"E, p76-77

SAINTS "I am infinite consciousness, interpenetrating and transcending all states of limited consciousness. The most primal and the most final categories of consciousness- say a stone or a saint -are equidistant from me. So I am equ.'!llly approachable by ell. I e.m the way."

Meher Bs.ba (EN p70) "There are only 100,000 Satpurushas or Marden-e-Khuda in the 'N'hole of the universe. They are those on the spirituel path who have achie-ved control over their ego-life. and 'N'ho with utter disregar<J to life expose themselves to har<Jships in the name of, end for the sake of God. It is not because these men end women of God find their lh"es tote any less precious than that of the average man or woman. who as a rule is only too anxious to maintain a hold o-ver the fast-slipping human life. Their indifference is due to the fact that. to them. their love for God is far greater than their own limited existence. It is not just a question of giving up a life here in order to gain a better life there. To them nothing else remains worthwhile to be had or "lltished for, save their love for God." Meher Baba (PL p64-65) The master of the fif'th plane is called a Wali. The master of the sixth plane is called a Pir. These are real but limited masters; they can help a seeker advance up to their own level. For more about them, see the page of the section titled THE MA.'JTERS AND THE PATH that begins 'We find three types of Gurus .. .' For more about the experience of the soul on the 5th and 6th planes when one is not a Wali or Pir and has no Gt·oss or Subtle consciousness. see THE E~lERYTHnTG AND THE lTOT:tmTG. plOl-104.

Baba explained that. at any one time on earth, there are 56 people of the 5th plane. er.Ld 56 people of the sixth plane in the functioning spiritual hierarchy. There are other people on the fif'th and sixth plane who are not part of the hierarchy. The hierarchy consists of 7000 people on and between the higher planes (in Avataric perio<Js the· Avatar is the 700lst person in the hierarchy). For more about the functioning hierarchy, see GOD SPE.AKS p271-274. For more about imitation saints, see THE Al-TCIENT ONE p214-216 and BEAl'IIS p49-54. *In the .ADEPT PILGRniJS list are several people Meher Baba identified as saints. They mdr have been on the sixth plane.

Filis Frederick quoted Baba as having said, "My four favorite saints are St. Teresa St. Cathe1'ine, St.·Francis an<J St. Augustine." These are Teresa of Avila Catherine of Siena Francis of Assisi end Augustine of Hippo. Baba probably meant his favorites from among the well-lmown Christian 'saints'. Francis of Assisi was, Baba said. a Perfect 1•A:aster.

(A w 20:2 p42. HMW p 170) "A saint is one who sees me as I really am. And seeing me as I really a.m means seeing nothing else but my effulgence continuously. He alone is on the sixth plane who sees my light without pause or break. He who sees me as I really am is also my true lover, who is on the sixth plane of involution of consciousness."

Meher Baba {AO p217) "When one is on the sixth plene, one sees God face to face and experiences bliss. One on the Gross plane car.L also see God eYerY"Ilthere, by the grace of the Avatar or a Perfect Master. Such a one experiences bliss. But there is a wrld of difference between his experience and the sublime bliss of the one on the sixth plane of ·~onsciousness ....On the Gross plane one hes desires and the mind to contend with. The one who is on the sixth plane longs only to becc•me one "'i'tith beloved God." Me her Baba (AO p21 7)

"I ha"\o"e lately teen laying stress on honesty. If we love Go(j honestly, "11/e become one with him. Never before have dishonesty ar.Ld h;.rp•xrisy prevailed in this ;:\l(rrld ;:J$ to,1a.y. If the leo:tst hypo(:risy (~reeps into our thcn.:.ghts . ii··ords and deeds, God, iirllc is the innermost self in us all.. keeps himself hidden. H;.rpo<::!'isy is a. million-hea.ded '~obra. There ~re today so mt:~ny so-·:::alled saints 1:-'ho, even though they tell people to be honest ;:tnd not to be hypo(:t'ites, are yet themselves deep in dishonesty. I s;;.~,r \'tith .:jivine authority that I a.m in you all, ;:tnd if ·lou honestly love Gc·l you will find him ever;.rwhet·e. And remember . if 17ou co.nnot love God ar.Ld c8r.Lnot leer.d s8.ipt1y lives . then ;:;,_t lee.st do not make a sho,;r of it. be(:t:~.use the ,;.·orst scoundrels ;:.re better than hvr:.oo:::ritio:::;:t1 saints ."

1•. Ieher B;:t.b;:t.. T8.tlu.:t.rv27 . 19"i·::. Eluru. Andhra (LC o27)

"I have to come again and again in t1esh and blood to bear the sufferings of humanity. .. I -w-ant to tell you one importantthing which each of you must remember well. It is a fact that I am the Lord ofthe uni~rerse. I am omnipresent ... I have ';ome to mal~e the 'lilhole world mad after love and truth. Onlv the A,ratar, whene·v er he li~res amidst mankind, has to undergo humiliation. When there are l'hre Pet•fect Mastet·s who are God personified 8Ild who control and look after the affairs of the uni.,erse, "''hat need is there for them to precipitate the incarnation of God on earth? The·r bring him do-wn to shoulder the sufferings of humanity. The five Perfect Masters are nat as much Yilified or humiliated as the Avatar is. I ha~re been made to take this human form by the fio;re Perfect Masters of this age to bear the cross and to undergo h umiliatian .. ·. · I will start with the topic of saints ... To say whether a saint is real or an imitation one is my right alone and not yours."

Q. "Baba.. we go to saints because we ha'-e a feeling that you are in e,reryone."

am also in a thief and a murderer. Then what is it that prevents you from respecting and worshipping them? If you were really to see me e~r·;l"W·here as I am, there would not arise any need for you to go to saints, or e,ren to come to me to pay your respects. I have been saying all the time, age after age, that when I. the Ancient One, assume this human form, there are many false prophets who claim themset~res as A~.ratars. For instance, a week ago I recei~red a letter from Uttar Pradesh, from a devotee who writes that there are t"W'' persons in his town, and each proclaims himself as the A~.ratar of the age. This created a great deal of confusion in his mind.

Also, in one of the towns of northern India, there is one social worker who claims, and has a genuine feeling for his claim, that he is the Avatar. I am telling you these things in detail for it is my right alone to say so, as all of them are my children.'

:SABA: "I

".As far as you are concerned, you should neither criticise nor indulge in backbiting.

If you speak ill of a real saint, it will be harmful to you. You will create dreadful (sanskaric) blunders. You should avoid Yilifying even the so-called 'mahatmas' who call themsel'o:res saints, because it is not possible for you to be certain whether they are real or not. T;he presumptuous saints outwardly act like real saints. You will not be able to differentiate bet'lf/'een them, just in the same way as you would not be able to differentiate between the masts and mad persons. Yet what a "W'Orld of difference lies in their inner states!'

".. .I wuld like you to know that to become a saint is not child's play. The ·very 'W"Ord saint, "9i'hen commonly used or made applicable . to anyone, creates a lot of misunderstanding. I will tell you something that will clarif":t the misunderstandings regarding saints. There are two types of saints: real saints, and imitation saints. just as an ordinary person cannot distinguish between a real and an imitation pearl, you cannot distinguish between a real saint and an imitation saint. I alone, like a jeweller, can make out the difference.'

"Particula:rl:r in India we find a lot of imitation saints, and this is due to the superficial study of Yedanta. By studying Yedanta, one can say 'I am God.' Sadgurus also say 'I am God.' Imitation saints sa:r the same thing, but Tvith the help of Vedanta.

Real saints need no such help; they say what they· experience. There are also some "1/lho, after t•eading Vedanta,. t•ealise that they have no such experience, but the·r ~till sa·r "I am God.' This is hypocrisy. Also there are some imitation saints "1/tho, after reading \ledanta ha-:re a genuine feeling and sa·l 'I am God,' though in t·eality they do not ha~,-e any ·:onscious experience.'

"If an;mne ·:;onfers greatness on you and begins to "W'Orship you, you lmo"1/l ;ro,Jr:.elf that ·;.rou .jo not dese!'ve it. At the outset you are tempted to accept this gt·eatness, "1/thich m;:\l::es you feel h;3.pp;r. But your ·:.:onscien·:;e -:rtill t,e ·:om:tantly priddng ;;oou_. ;3.nd you "1/till be al1-:ra~n in ;3. state of" anxiety ;3.tli)Ut future developments. You -:rtill t;.e frequently in a fix -w·hether to a.c·:ept or rej e·:.:t the greatness w·hi·:h is thrust on you.·

"Once you accept this: conferi·ed gi·eatnes:s:, it becomes: very difficult for you to get out of the situation. After a time, e""~ren the pricks of conscience cease troubling you, for you get wed to them. Then it becomes an addiction, and you cannot do without it. You then pose as a real saint. This posing will cause you to take innumerable additional births. So why pose as a saint without inner experience?'

"As for myself, I say I am the highest of the high. Had I not been the ancient one, I would ha,"'e encouraged you to visit the so-called saints. I would have e"ren praised them, and they too would have praised me in return. Thus a clique would be formed that would promote mutual praise to dupe the public. If any one of you meets an imitation saint or an imitation A"ratar, what would he say to you? He would say the same thing as I. If you tell him that Baba is the A""~retar, he may e,ren say, ·I am the real one, and that Baba is a fraud!' When anyone approaches an imitation saint and is attracted by the outward atmosphere which he creates around him, and if, owing to his faith in the imitation saint, he gets experiences, he is likely to attribute them to that imitation saint. This creates conf1..1sion .. .'

"What is the remedy for this? I will tell it now. It will be ,rery useful only if you grasp it thoroughly. If all of you are convinced that Baba is the A"~ratar, God incarnate, the question of conf'1..1sion does not arise at all. In this case, just hold fast to my damaan (the hem of the Master's robe) and close all doors for conf"usion and cont1ict to enter your minds. If you are not convinced, leave me. Seek someone else. But if you try to stick to me with a "Wa.vering mind, without being convinced of my divinity, you will be jmt like a nut caught in the crmher .. .'

"I do not mean that there are no real sain~s in India. (Baba mentioned a few well-kno'IN'n saints) There are also some real saints unkna'IN'n to the masses. Compared to the known saints, these hidden saints are far more advanced. In this respect, however, I want to tell you with authority that both the hidden and the known saints have not realised the Self.. .'

"The sum and substance of this long talk is that you either hold fast to my damaan only, or leave me altogether. Do not make any compromise. However, you are free to ""~risit and pay homage to the shrines of my five Perfect Masters: Sai Baba. Upasani Maharaj, Babajan, Tajuddin Baba and Narayan Maharaj ... Do not visit other places or saints, as you cannot distinguish between a real saint and an imitation one. I also want you not to criticise or vilify an-.,.-one. If you happen to meet saints, real or imitation, by chance, you may pay respects to them, but do not run after them. If you have full faith in me, stick to me. Otherwise leave me now altogether. Who will hold on to my damaan wholeheartedly to the end?" (all those present raised their hands) Q. "Baba. I tell others that you are the Avatar, but to be honest, I have no such con""~riction, though I crave it very much."

BABA:

"Have you come across anyone greater than myself?'

Q. "No.

"Then why worry? Try to love me more and more. But remember one thing: never tell others 'lfrhat you do not feel yourself. Tell others only what you honestly take me to be. I am anything and everything that one can honestly believe ... It is a fact that I am God. I am the highest of the high. I wish that those who raised their hands should hold fast to my damaan for good. There is no need for m·y lovers to •yisit saints. Stick to me even during the phase of humiliation. Spread my message of lo""~re to all, and become like dust in Baba's work."

Meher Baba May 19 and june 7, 1957, Gtu-uprasad . Poona (A'Ifr5:4 p22-32) BABA:

THEOSOPHY HELENA BLAVATSKY (18'31-1891) founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875 'With Henry Olcott and William Judge. Theosophy means 'the 'Wisdom of God.' from the Greek theos, god, and sophie.. wisdom.

Madame Blavatsky, e.s she bece.me known, we.s famous for her occult powers and for her extensive writings. She wrote tw enormous books. ISIS UNVEILED and THE SECRETDOCTRINEJ with the help oftwo Indian teachers,MORYAandKOOTHOOMI. These books include spiritual and occult teachings. an explanation of the process of creation, and a history of ancient humanity. Blavatsky encountered great oppositon in America and in England. where a branch of the society was begun. She 't'SS denounced as a fraud, particularly by Spiritualists, who felt threatened by her teaching reincarnation. Blavatsky was accused of faking occult phenomena and of inventing her spiritual teacher and his associates. She exercised great influence on the intellectuals of her time, among them William Butler Yeats. George Russell (A!) and MehatmaGandhi. Albert Einstein kept a copy of the Secret Doctrine on his desk. A good detailed account of Bla,ratsky's life and teachings is the book H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston. Her own writings are aU still in print.

Madame Blavatsky 'l1SS a student of the spiritual teacher MORYA. Morya visited England in 1851 'With a group of Indian princes for an international exhibition.

Blavatsky met him there, and he invited her to study with him in India She wnt to India in 1852. 1856 and 1879. and also lived and studied in Tibet. Morya and Koot Hoomi were Indians living in North India and Tibet disciples of a Master known e.s THE MAHACHOHAN. Their group, known as the Himalayan Brotherhoo<i. lived and wrked in seclusion, and were trained in the use of occult powers. !Coot Hoomi Lal Singh (Nisi Kanta Chattopadhyaya) grew up in Indie.. "&'83 educated in Europe and spent a year in Leipzig. Germany in the 1870s. He and Morya helped Blavatsky and Olcott organise the American. English, European and Indian Theosophists. Alfred Sinnett an Englishman who corresponded with root Hoomi and Morya. published a large collection of their letters to him. 'IHE ~IAHATIIIA LETI'ERS. A detailed account of this correspondence is 'IHE MAHATMAS AND THEIR LETTERSJ

by Geoffrey Babourka. The letters of Morya and !Coot Hoomi explain some of the teachings of their brotherhood or order in English. · Theosophy spread to England. Europe. India and Austre1ie.. and eventually split into three different organisations. The Theosophists believed in and taught universal brotherhood, reincarnation and karma. and the existence of higher planes and worlds. The Mahatme.s (like Morya. Koot Hoomi and the Mahachohan) were believed to be advanced spiritual teachers who trained disciples and tried to uplift the spiritual condition of the world. Among the Mahatmas {also called Adepts) wereCHAKSHUSHA M.A.NUJ DJWAL KHULJ HILARIONJ JESUSJ JUPITERJ MAITREYAJ RAKOCZYJ SAl-lAT KUMARAJ SERAPIS J V/JJ.VASVATA MANU J THE VENETIAN CHOHAN and 1HE WORLD-MOTHER (also known as Mary. jagat Amba and Kuan Yin). Some were said to live in seclusion in the Himalalye.s, others in other parts of the world. A few wet'e believed to be discarnate, wrking from higher planes of consciousness.

The Perfect Master Ramakrishna (18'36-1886) was asked about Theosophy in 1884 and 1885: Q. The Theosophists believe in the existence of Mahatmas. They also speak of the lunar. solar. stellar and other planes. A Theosophist can go in his astral body to t~ll these planes ... Well. sir, what do you think of Theosoph yl RAMP.KRISHNA: "The one essential thing is bhakti. loving de"\rotion to God. Do the Theosophists seek bhakti? They are good if they do. One cannot seek Go-3 if one constantly busies oneself 'With the Mahatmas and the luner. solar and stellar planes. A man should pre.ctise sadhana and pray to God with a longing heart fot· love of his lotus feet. He should ,jirect his mind to God alone. withdre.~ring it from the ·v·arious objects •)f the world."

(October 11 1884)

Q. Sir, what do you think of Theosophy? :RAIYIAK:RISHNA: "The long and the short of the matter is that those vho go about making disciples belong to a very inferior le~rel. So also do those who want occult powers, to walk over the Ganges, and to report what a person says in a far-off country, and so on. It is ~rery hard for such people to ha·ve lo~re for God." Q. The Theosophists beHe~re in the existence of Mahatmas. Do you belie·ve in them,

sir?

R.a.MAKRISHNA: "If ·;10u believe in my wrds, I say yes. But no,-, please lea~re these (October 26 1885) matters alone ... " THE GOSPEL OF SHRI RAM.A.KRISHNA, by M. (Mahendranath Gupta) translated by Swami Nikhilananda. p607, 90"3) Madame Blavatsky died in 1891. ANNIE BESANT became president of the Theosophical Society in 1907. She and CHARLES LEADBEATER, a minister and Theosophical lecturer, adopted an Indian boy named JIDDU KRISHN.Po.MU:RTI. Krishnamurti vas trained to become the human .,rehicle for the Master Maitreya, the World Teacher (vho, they believed, had previously appeared as jesus Christ). Krishnamurti brietly assumed, and then renounced, the role of World Teacher. He broke his ties 'With the Theosophical Society and continued to lecture on his o"Wn for fifty years. He discouraged spiritual preconceptions and beliefs, including belief in the Mahatmas.

Krishnamurti vas a charismatic speaker, had many inner experiences, and would occasionally heal people physically. Even in his last years he wndered whether he vas the expected World Teacher. He felt deeply frustrated at his inability to awaken others spiritually. A good three volume biography of Krishnamurti by Mary Lutyens chronicles his life.

Leadbeater, vho had 'discovered' Krishnamurti, said that Krishnamurti had proved an unsuitable ~rehicle for the World Teacher. Annie Besant continued to believe that Krishnamurti was the Vorld Teacher. Meher Baba said that Krishnamurti was on the fifth plane (A w 20:2 p 17). He also commented (before Irishnamurti left Theosophy): "Krishnamurti a new wrld teacher? God forbid. You cannot compare the Sadguru Ramakrishna of Calcutta 'lflith Krishnamurti. Ramakrishna vas Rama and Krishna personified. Krishnamurti is living in all majesty and splendor, pomp and power, and moving about Ertgland in aristocratic, fashionable circles, playing tennis and golf, leading a most comfortable life. He does not have the slightest idea. not even a visp, of the real Truth. So it is also 'lflith these t"unny, showy Theosophists. Their greatness lies only in editorship, writing and speaking vith high-sounding wrds about planes, powers, colors, secret doctrine, society and caste. Truth is far, far beyond this. If you desire to aspire for Realisation, you should hold ·;10ur very life in the palm of your hand, ready to give it up at any moment. Then alone 'If/ill you be deemed worthy, and be able to experience Truth."

(June 26 1926, Meherabad, LM'3 p816-817) Paul Brunton* met Meher Baba in November 1929 in India. He wrote that he asked Baba "There are other claimants to messiahship?" and that Baba answered: "Yes. There is Irishnamurti, Mrs. Besant's protege. The Theosophists decei~re themsel ..res.

Their chief 'If/ire-pullers are supposed to be somewhere on the Himalayas in Tibet. You vill find nothing but dust and stones in their supposed abodes. Besides, no real teacher e,rer required someone else's body to be prepared and trained for his use ."

Paul Brunton, A SEARCH nl SECRET niDIA, 19'35, p60 *Paul '9runton (Raphael Hurst) ?/l'ote several accounts of his meetings -w'ith Bat·a. apparently with the intent to defame him. Brunton ha<l come under the intluence of K.J. Dastur, a disciple of Meher Bal>a ?/ho had left and denounced him. Brunton's quotations of Baba (including the quote abo"~re) are at best untrustworthy. Babasaid of him: "He is creating opposition against me in London. The poor chap is to be pitied.

We should pity him rather than blame him. Unknowingly, he has been made an instrument of K.J. Dastur's in India. He is una'l-rare of the real situation, inner details and aim ... That ignorant man, Paul Brunton, has been made a fool and a tool b"~!

Dastur ... He has commenced spreading lies at·out me het·e."

(May 19'32, LMS p1610 )

In 1931 Charles Norwood asked Baba: "What is your opinion of the Theosophists .Annie Be.:::c:n t :md Charles Leadbeater?"

B~.BA: "They have done some good work, but there is still much to be done. They are somewhat advanced souls. But at a certain stage of advancement, without the guidance . and hP..1p of a Master, hostile forces are created, resulting in delusion. It all becomes a jw.u1>1e, and there is confusion."

(November 24 19"31, New York, LM4 p1488) Q. Have you met .Annie Besant?

BABA: No, but I know her. She "Was an advanced soul.

Q. I know her since I was a child. They all started it (Theosophy) with good ideas, but too much schism and personality spoiled it . .And there are so many dh1isions now.

BABA: That's the trouble. In spirituality, it is the heart that counts, and not the head.

Too much of intellectual discourses undermine the object 'With which these (movements and institutions) are started...

(19"34, Zurich, Switzerland ? .A p41)

Baba said of spiritual organisations in general, "Organisations are like the foam, which brings unwanted things up to the surface of the sea. letting the real substance lie beneath, submerged in the depths." ("31 March 19"38, Panchgani, LM7 p2270) Meher Baba had many contacts with individual Theosophists, and several times visited Theosophical groups. In December 19'37 he visited a branch of the Theosophical Society in Nagpur. He told those gathered, "I give my blessings to you, so that you may long more and more to finally realise the Truth through experience." (LM6 p2256) Baba visited the same group again in November 1944, and told them, "True love is very different from an evanescent outburst of indulgent emotionalism or the ener·.,rating stupor of a slumbering heart. It can never come to those vhose hearts are darkened by selfish cravings, or 'W'e8kened by constant reliance on the . lures and stimulations of the p~ing objects of sense. But to those whose hearts are pure and simple. true love comes as a gift through the activising grace of a Master.

Such love is energising and life-giving. It breaks asunder the narrowness and the prejudices which separate man from man. It inspires man for selfless and creative action which contributes to the well-being of all, 'Without distinction of caste, color, race, nationality, creed or sex. It lifts hiin from the slavishness of sanskaric attachments to the unhampered freedom of the ·divinely conscious soul . .And it initiates him into the dynamic harmony of life in eternity.' ".Affirmation of the separative ego is the chief veil between man and his own divine self. But the doors of the heart have to be thrown open by the surrenderance of ego-affirmation. if God as the supreme beloved is to make his entry in the heart. No one can realise God except through the grace and help of a God-realised Master, who is Truth incarnate. Only a God-realised Master can a~en this true love in the human heart, by consuming t~rough the fire of his grace all the dross that pre~rents its release. Those who have got the courage and the wisdom to surrender themselves to a Perfect Master are the recipients of his grace. The grace of the Master does come to those who deserve it. .And when it comes, it enkindles in the human heart a love dhrine, which not only enables the aspirant to become one 'With God, but also to be of infinite help to others who are also struggling with their own limitations. There is no power greater than love."

(Messages of Meher Baba. ed. A~i K. Irani. 1945, p73) The teaching of universal brotherhood was central to Theosophy, and helped counteract the superior attitude of the colonial English in India Annie Besant and other Theosophists wrked for India's independence from Britain. One who recognised Meher Baba as the expected World Teacher was Mildred Kyle, who led a Theosophical group in Seattle for fifty years. She met Bat>a in 1952, and worked to spread his message in the United States. Her ashes are 'buried at Mehera'bad.

Among the most interesting nitings 'by Theosophists are those b·:r Geoffrey Hodson, ~·Lo from childhood was able to see and ot>ser-:re nature spirits. He note in great detail about his experiences with fairies, el,res, undines, salamanders, goblins. gnomes and different kinds of angels. His t·ooks {and Bla..,rat:ky':) ar.e a··Tai\ab\e from. the Theosophical Publishing House, "306 West Geneva Road, Wheaton . Illinois 60187 .

Q. Is there reall•t the place known as Sham bala,. the astral centre where the Masters dwell in disembodied form?

Baba: It is presumed that you already know that planes are not places. The state and connoting Shambala exists. There is difference of terminology only. This is also known as Vidnyan.

~tage

Q. Are there se,ren rays as told about in the occult books, and are there Masters who fUnction on these respective rays, such as jesus, who stands on what is called the sixth ray of devotion, or abstract realism; the Master Djwal Khul on the second ray of love /·wisdom; the Master Hilarion on the fifth ray of concrete knowledge or science, the incarnation of Paul of Tarsus, this time in a Cretan body and spending much time in Egypt?

Baba: The se"~ren rays 'With their peculiar characteristi~ are a symbolic expression of the seven stages of the return journey of a Realised soul to normal consciousness.

Those Realised beings who ha"~re a duty to perform and a mission to fulfill, have to come down to normal consciousness and take their stand at one of the se"if'en stages of the return journey best suited for the fulfillment of their task. These se·ren stages of the return journey have their peculiar features and characteristi~, and reflect the out~tard circumstances of a Master. !'or instance, one Master lives on earth like a prince, another lives in all austerity. One is in the midst of the busy world, another in seclusion. The po'IN"ers are peculiar to diffe·rent stages. !'or instance, healing of diseases and bringing of the dead to life is characteristic of the fourth stage.

Q. Where is the Hall of Learning of which I have read, where those on the path are ·

taken as they progress to take the first few initiations? Books allegedly dictated by Hilarion describe it impressi"'l!ely, telling of the great host of souls who stand withm it, "i!'eiled, thinking themselves alone until their veils are raised with various initiations. Here take place the ceremonies of the soul that begin in December and last until Easter. Is all this true, or just told as symbolism?

Baba: Hall of Learning is pure symbolism. It is analogous to Islamic belief and picture of Darbare Muhammadi, i.e. the court of Muhammad. The inner court presided o"if'er by Muhammad in person, and the outer court presided o"if'er by deputies, and the outermost court consisting of those prepared souls clamoring for entry, is similar to the picture drawn by Hilarion, as you say.

Q. Will I ha"~re to wait until I have received Realisation to carry on work on the astral plane, as I asked when I first met you? Do I work now without being able to bring anything through? How long will it be before I am able to direct my consciousness deliberately to leave my body and establish contact 'With those whom I love, or would like to help, regardless of time and place?

Baba: Yes, you are working on the astral plane, but unconsciously. In order to do so consciously, you are to attain illumination (6th plane) which is a prelude to Realisation. I have assured you of the experience one day.

Q. Is it impertinent to ask why you are focussing our attention on such a high goal,

ralher than sho'Wing us the lowr planes and giving us understanding of their properties and functions? The high ideal is so remo~red from our understanding that it lea,res us empty, unsatisfied, still as blind as e.,,l"'er, like a class of children listening to the nebular theory. Without this more elementary knowledge, how can w go back into the world and answr the questions of those who only need and can understand just a little to help solve those p:t·ot:·lems? YJle ~rould seem to be then like hundreds of spiritual teachers whose "!)"lOrds go over the heads of the humble seekers. Most of them are too til'ed or too blind to deal with higher concepts. They need the simple remedies first.

There is no higher or lower goal. There is anl y one goal, Self-realisation. The journey of the planes, from one to the other, is like changing ·one prison cell for another, or amounts to exchanging iran fetters far golden ones. In neither case is one free, and it is perfect freedom from the bindings of the physical and the spiritual planes that I aim at. The advancement on the planes may connate progress and beautitude, tempting to the wayfarer. But the allurements of a plane once entered are difficult to shake off. In fact, the bindings (sanskaras) of the physical plane are much easier to destroy than the bindings of the astral planes. I "'Vish you to be free once and for ever.

(The Answer p26-28)

Baba:

HOW TO ATT~-\IN THE HIGHEST CONSCIOUSNESS "So much has been said and written about the highest consciousness and God-realisation that people are bewildered as to the right process and immediate possibility of attainment. The philosophical mind. ~IS.ding laboriously through such literature, only ends by learning a few intellectual gymnastics. The highest state of consciousness is latent in all. The Son of God is in every man. but requires to be manifested. The method of.attaining this great consciousness must be very practical, and must be adapted to the existing mental and materiel conditions of the world .. .'

"In the evolutionary ascent from the mineral. vegetable and animal life. the latent mind gradually expands and develops till full consciousness is reached in the human form. To create this very consciousness. the universe emanated from the infinite •:::~cean of knowledge and bliss, God the absolute. In the human form, however. a difficulty is confronted. to remove which prophets and spiritual Masters have periodically visited this earthly plane. Besides full consciousness in the human form. as a result of previous conditions of life. the ego. the I is evolved. The ego is composed of fulfilled and unfulfilled desires, and creates the illusion of feeling finite, weak and unhappy. Henceforth the soul can only p:ogress through the gradual supression of this finite ego, and its transformation into the divine ego, the one infinite self, but retaining in full the consciousness of the human form. When man realises this state of divine consciousness, he finds himself in everyone, and sees all phenomena as forms of his own real self.'

"The best and also the easiest process of overcoming the ego and attaining the divine consdousness is to develop love and render selfless service to humanity in whatever circumstances -we are placed. All ethics and religious practices ultimately lead to this.

The more we live for others and less for ourselves, the more the low desires are eliminated. and this. in turn. reacts upon the ego. supressing and transforming it proportionately. The ego persists till the last. Not till all six out of the seven principa1 stages on the Path. culminating in the God-conscious state. are traversed. is the ego completely eliminated, to reappear on the seventh plane as the divine I, the state of Christ-consciousness. to which jesus referred when he said 'I and my Father are one.· and which corresponds to the state of living in the infinite and the finite at one and the same time.'

"The above is the normal procedure for one who works on his own initiative without having come across a living Master. With the help of a Perfect Me.ster, the whole affair. ho"Wever. is greatly simplified. Complete surrender to the divine will of the Perfect one, and unflinching readiness to carry out his orders, rapidly achieve a result not possible even by rigidly practising all the ethics of the world for a thousand years. The extraordinary results achieved by a Perfect Mester are due to the fe.ct that. being one with the Universal Mind. he is present .in the mind of e-.rery human being, and can therefore give just the partic1.dar help needed to awaken the highest cons<:iousness latent in every individual. Perfection. ho"'!"te"~.rer. in order t.o achieve the greatest result on the material plar.Le, must possess a human touch 8.nd a keen sense of humor ... The highest is latent in e'reryone. but has to be manifeste<l."

Meher Babe¥ 29 May 19'32. Holl)~··ood, California.

Messages of Meher Baba (1945) p90-93

THETHRESHOLDOFTHEABODEOFGOD

The fourth plone i~ the ;unction bet~'?n the Subtle ond Me~to! _wor1~3. It _i~ o.

peu·ticularly dangerous stage on the spiritual path because egoism iS at its height while one has access to incredible powers.

"The fourth plane is celled the threshold of the abode of God. If a man on the fourth plane tries to harass one on the fifth plane (a waH) with his powers. then the wali on the fifth plane seeks the help of the Avatar (Rasool.). but not of a Qutub (Perfect Master). Thus he is protected directly by the Avatar from the pranks of the fourth pleu1e man, a1'".Ld the latter's powers are curbed. ~lery rarely one of the fourth plane becomes arrogant to a Qutub. If at all there is any mischief or arrogance displayed, the Qutub sternly deals with such a person, and he eventually surrenders to the Qutub. The Qutub then raises him to the fifth plane of consciousness at once ... .'

"If a man on the fourth plane misuses his po,;"et's. and if the Qutub is a jemalL he does not bring the fourth-planer to the stone consciousness, but brings him do""m only to a gross-conscious human being. But if the Qutub is of a jalali trait then he will bring a.bout his fall right to the stone-consciousness. The Avatar·never contacts the man on the fourth plane, for in that case the fourth-planer will automatically lose all his po-wers. But if the one on the fourth plane approaches a Qutub, he accepts him and raises him to the fif'th plane of consciousness."

Meher Baba 5 june 1963, HMW p445-446 The spiritual teacher and miracle-worker SATYA SAI B.ABA is believed by his followers to be an Avatar, as well as the reincarnation of the Perfect Master Sai Baba of Shirdi.

According to Adi K. Irani. Meher Baba said that Sa.tya Sai Baba is a soul on the fourth plane who is being watched over by a Perfect Master (see also HMW p683). For more about the fourth plane, see NE p84-89 and GS p76-78, 125-128.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE PLANES "It is natural for the human mind to desire to know the general strocture of the unive1·se. It is also helpful to have a sort of chart of the unive1·se in which one fin<Js

oneself. The fabric of the universe includes the spheres and the planes, and the different bodies with which a human soul is en do "Wed.' "The Gross, Subtle and Mental spheres are interpenetrating globes, and have an existence in space. They can be regarded as places since they ha~re an expansion in space. The planes, on the other hand, are both places and states, though the state of a particular plane cannot be experienced unless one's consciousness first gets raised to it and begins to function from there.'

"There are fol·ty-nine steps in the ascent through the planes. The human mind delights in perceiving and creating symmetry and proportion e~rerywhere, but this tendency should not be ca.n ied into the realm of facts. The forty-nine steps in the Path are not e""~renly distributed "iii thin the se~ren planes. They are distinguished from each other because of theit· distinguishing psychic characte1'istics, although they ha""~re also structural equivilents in the subdivisions of the seven planes." "just as a change of place in the physical Y"IC•~·ld is linked ':)"lith <:hanges in the ment8l state and gathe~·ed expel'ien·:~es, an ascent to a plane e1so tt·ings about d1anges in states and experiences. An ascent to a plane me•:u"ls a <:h8nge in t11e standing groun·:j of consciousness. It is a d1ange of place. It therefore brings w·ith it the changes in states and experiences."

Meher Bat:··~- BEAlviS p 11-12, 34

"This present state is Gross-conscious state, and Gross senses are used to experience all the Gross experiences of seeing, smelling, etc. This is the Gross vorld. The consciousness you have nov is Gross. Manzil means destination. Mukam means place of stay. These terms must be distinguished. Nov you ere in the Gross manzil, and in the Gross manzil there are innumerable places of stay. For example, 'With all of you here in Meherabad, your manzil is one and the same. You experience in Meherabad with the Gross senses all the Gross things. When you are in ameri¢8. or australia. man~l is the same, Gross, but mukam is different, and according to mukam you have different experiences of the Gross world itself. a man in Arangaon village, one vho seldom goes even: to ahmednagar, if he were to be blindfolded, made to sit in an airplane, and put on Broad178.y, eyes open, at night, his experiences would be wonderful, yet it is of the same Gross vorl<!. Therefore the innumerable experiences of the different mul<:ams in different circumstances are due to one and the same manzil.'

"Now, even in the Gross manzil, i.e. the Gross-conscious state, glimpses of the first manzil of the Subtle plane are possible. just try to grasp nov, even in the Gross manzil it is possible to get glimpses of the Subtle. The Subtle p18lle has three m8llzi1s.

Nov vhat happens: this human being with Gross senses experiences the first manzil of the Subtle in his own 178.y, be¢ause the senses are Gross. But experience of the Subtle cannot be fully gained except through the Subtle senses. So this human being sees color, circles of all kinds, smells, hears music, becomes inspired, but all vanish, disappear. Nov we must understand that all manzils, mul<:ams are illusorv, and onlv God is real.'

"When one, through his hercule8ll efforts and by the grace of his guru, gets into the first plane, it does not mean that he enters another world or sphere. No, that is not the thing. His consciousness is raised, and he can use his Subtle senses directlv, fully, so what he smelled, heard, etc., temporarily before, nov he sees, smells, hears continuously. He is nov in the first manzil of the Subtle vorld. And just as the Gross world has innumerable mukams, the Subtle world has also mukams. The first manzil has mukams where through Subtle senses one sees, smells, hears music, etc., just as in the Gross world one hears music, etc. So in the Subtle world the first manzil has innumerable mul<:ams where one sees different things and one feels different. :For example, you see and feel differentlv at Meherabad than at your home. So in Subtle manzil, one sees vonderful sights, and if one gets entr8llced, then one loses Gross consciousness.· "But if one is wise through fortune and past sanskaras, and if the guru is capable, then one leaves the first and enters the second manzil in the Subtle wrld. This manzil is more intense, and one sees, hears all through the Subtle senses, but more intenselv. The same mukams of the Subtle vorl<! nov appear more real. The second manzil is a talisman, and one becomes overpo'ti'ered bv what one sees. But all this rebounds upon him, and he cannot get free of it. The light that he sees is a billion times more brilliant than the sun, and a million times cooler than the moon. He gets enveloped in this light, and so he feels he is light. But it is delusion. In the same wy, he feels a voice so intenselv it overpo1rers him, and he gets into it from head to foot.

He has no Gross consciousness, and if the body is not capable, and if pest impressions do not allow, he remains in that state and drops his body. When he is reborn, he returns to that same state.'

"But if he has sense -spiritual talisman -or if the guru is adept in this spiritual line, he advances from this state, and the third manzil is reached. Consciousness is still Subtle, and again there are innumerable mukams. The Subtle senses are used in this manzil to the maximum. Nov what he sees a1·e the innumerable sights of the innumerable mukams, but what he sees does not overpo"''Ji"er him. He now controls the senses, and experiences all this with fUll control, not only over the senses, but also with full control in the Gross manzil and the tw previous Subtle manzils. He is now energy personified.' ·

"He still has Gross body, is still in the Gross wrld, but also simultaneously jn the Subtle wrld- i.e. he uses his Gross and Subtle senses simultaneously. If Francis were in the third man2il of the Subtle wrld, you wuld see him sitting, but at the same time he "WWuld be experiencing the third manzil of the Subtle wrld. He nov has infinite energy in his hands, and he can use this energy for the Gross wrld. But this is still illusion, it is not the Truth.'

"No-:r,¡ the pilgrim goes to the fourth plane of consciousness. This plane is kno'Wn as the tunction between the Subtle and Mental planes. It is also called astana.. meaning threshold, and there is no manzil and no mukams. It is just a junction vhere all the infinite energy and the desires, emotions and feelings of the Mental plane influence directly. The soul is now neither in the Subtle nor in the Mental planes, but all powers of the Subtle and all influences of the Mental are continually 'With him in this fourth plane. Remember, this plane has no manzil and no mukams. Here one is overpowered 'With desires, and one is so powerful that one can accomplish whatever he desires. And so in this plane the soul is said to be in the greatest danger of falling down. If the desires control him, he falls down. He can do anything: raise the dead, create new forms, etc. Desires are influencing him, and if he succumbs, he falls down. If he does not succumb to desires to use his infinite energy for selfish ends, then he is pushed to the fifth plane, the fifth manzil.'

"Summary: In the Gross wrld, there is the first manzil and innumerable mukams. In the first plane of the Subtle wrld, there is the second manzil and innumerable mukams. In the second plane of the Subtle "WWrld, there is the third manzil and innumerable mukams. In the third plane of the Subtle wrld, there is the fourth manzil and innumerable mukams. In the fourth plane of the Subtle 'WOrld, there is no manzil or mukams. In the fifth plane, there is the fifth manzil and mukams.'

"In the fifth state of Mental consciousness (fifth plane, which is in the Mental sphere) the soul is "W''rldng directly from the Mentel plane. So nov he is master of mind. The vhole mental plane is nov governed by him. He knovs the thoughts of all, and kno"VS the desires. And yet he is nov said to be safe, to haYe passed the dark spiritual night of the fourth plane, and he cannot nov fall. But vith vhat section of the mind does he control? He kno"VS thoughts and desires, but he cannot amtrol desires. In this fifth plane, vhen he controls thoughts and knovs thoughts, he cannot have that intense longing for God that lovers vho do not care for the planes have.'

"Vhen he is pushed on to the sixth plane, meaning the second section of the mind, he is now feelings and desires personified. And as 811 infinite feelings come out of God, vho is in the seventh state, this man of the sixth directly sees God in everything and everyone. Yet he feels himself aloof from the wrld. Nov there is the great abyss vhere the lover sees the belaYed, but in between there is a great valley. The beloved says, 'Come to me,' and the lover replies, 'I cannot. You come to me.' This glorious state is described as a length of hair between the beloved and the lover, one end in the lover's hand and the other in the hand of the beloved, 'With each pulling. This tussle goes on and on for years and years. If millions of stl(:h lovers were to long for union, one out of these can reach the beloved. And on the sixth plane, very, very few lovers are found.'

"Vhen one crosses the ¡.ratley and unites with God, he finds that it vas himself that he loved and was seeking. He nov declares, 'I am God.' It is said that out of thousands united with God, only one comes down to normal consciousness. Such a one is called Qutub. So the se¡venth plane has manzil but no mukam, vhile the sixth plane has manzil and one mukam, God.' "Summary: There are seven manzils in all, and there are mukams in si:r. of the manzils."

Meher Baba. September 1954, Meherabad, TK pJ37-341

"...The Gross, Subtle, Mental and God are all 'Within you in human form. Don't try to find Subtle, Mental and God in some other wrld. It is in you in human form. It is just the change in the vision of consciousness which gives the change of experiencing different planes and wrlds. Nov in the Gross wrld there is human consciousness, and here on this earth, and in the whole universe, also in the Subtle wrld and Mental wrld, there are innumerable experiences. But the experienees that you have in this Gross world, these experienees are quite different from the experienees of the Subtle wrld, absolutely different from the Subtle wrld. But it is all in you. You don't go anywhere. You do not rise to higher geographical or geometrieallevels. It is all here. But as the angle of vision changes through experiencing different things, in the end you begin to experienee yourself as God. After having an infinite number of experienees, you eventually, ultimately experienee yourself as God. That is the end.

That one ultimate experience is the real experienee. All other experienees of the Gross wrld, the Subtle, the Mental, all these experienees are illusory. So all states, even hell, limbo, worlds, planes, are all in you in human form. Don't ask in other plaees, ask "'TTithin you. But to eventually become your ovn self, you have to love me.

No other remedy, no other solution but to love me.u Meher Babe. May 26 1958, Myrtle Beach, HMV p312 (also GM p330)

REINCARNATING ON THE PLANES "Vhen one dies in a certain plane of consciousness. he takes his next birth in that same plane of consciousness. But the respeetive consciousness eomes very gradually, the same as vhen a person of Gross consciousness dies. and is reborn with consciousness of the Gross wrld. The child gradually becomes a"''8re as it grows older of the same Gross wrld. The child born in a certain plane is not at onee eonsc~ous of that plane. It becomes a'fl8!'e gradually. As a man, the child l>eeomes a'f/8!'e of his plane of consciousness. A Gross-conscious child becomes aware of the Gross world gradually, and a person in a eertain plane of consciousness gradually becomes awre of his plane of consciousness. He may or may not go further in that life. It depends on the help of a spiritual guide, or help of one's O"Wn efforts, or help of a Perfect Master, vhether or not his eonsciousness expands: Meher Babe.. May261958, Myrtle Beach, HMV p311-312 (also GM p329)

MORALITY AND SPIRITUALITY Vith me, none can live vhat the wor11 considers a morel life. Here f t are eoneerned with spirituality, not morals. A spiritual life is not ruled nor bound by any principles.

The sanskaras of each one are different, and so the behavior and temperament of everyone are different.

In a virtuous life. evil is supressed and good surfaces. but the evil is still there. The bad sanskaras remain and have to be wrked out if not in this life, then in the next, or the one after.

In the spiritual life. both good and bad sanskaras express themselves, and both get nullified. A spiritual life leads one to'fl8!'d naturalness, vhereas a virtuous life, in the guise of humility, inflates the ego and perpetuates it. A spiritual life. though. is only led under the guidance and orders of the Avatar or Perfect Master, who knows the pulse of everyone. and treats everyone according to his ovn particular malady...

People of the wrld act according to moral standards and socially acceptable behavior.

But the Avatar or Sadguru deals with everyone according to his or her sanskaras.

Thus spiritual life is totally different, and cannot be judged on the basis of morality. ethics, or any principle.

Meher Baba 1955. Meherabad. unpublished

COMPANIONS OF THE AVATAR SHIVA is also known as _MAHADEVA, MAHESH, SHANKARA, GANGADHARA, NILAK.ANTiiA, NATARAJA and RUDRA, and is represented in the Bible and Koran as ADAM. He lived on Mount Keilesh. SHIV A'S first "'-fe, SATI, the daughter ofDAKSHA PRAJAPATI, committed suicide. His second wife. PARVATI (also known as UMA, GAUR!, BHAVANI, BHAGAVATI, AMBIKA, DURGA and KALI), the daughter of HIMALAYA and MENA, was said to be Sati's reincarnation. Shiva and Parvati had tw sons, GANESH (also known as GANAPATI and VINAYAKA) and SKANDA (also known as SUBRAMANYA, KARTIKEYA and SVAMIKARTIKEYA). Shiva rode the bull NANDI. It's hard to tell which, if any, of the stories of Shiva are historical- some are clearly allegorical.

ZARATiiUSTRA's father was POURUSHASPA of the clan of Spitama. His mother was DUGHDHOVA (also known as DOGDO). He was the third of five. sons. As a child he was taken care of by the spiritual teacher BURJIN-KURUS. He is said to have had three wives. His second "'-fe was HUOVI (Havovi?). He had three sons and three daughters.

Tw of his sons were AUVARTAD-NAR and KHURSED-CHIHAR His daughter by his first "'-fe was POURUCISTA. Among his disciples were MAIDHYNIMAONHA (MEDHYOMAH}. VISHTASPA (GUSTASP}. HUTAOS ZAIN ISPENDIR (ASPA}lDIAR), LOHRASP, ZARIR, CHANGRANGANCH and JAMASP. I

I

RAMA's was also known as RAMA CHANDRA. His father was DASARA1HA, the king of Kosala. the capital of which was Ayodhya His mother vas KAUSALYA. His halfbrothers were LAKSHMAN, BHARATA, and SA'ffiUGHNA. His Mester was VASHISHTiiA. He married SITA (also called JANAK!, SH:RI, LAK.SHMI and VIDEHAK.UMARI), daughter of the Perfect Master JANAK, the king ofVideha. and his wife SUNAYANA. Rama and Sita had tw sons, LAVA and KUSHA, vho grev up in the hermite.ge of the Mester VALMIKI. Another se.ge connected "'-th Rama was VISVAMITRA. Among Rama's disciples were HANUMAN, SUGRIVA, JAMBAVAN, NALA, NILA, and PINGALA (a former prostitute). Rama's greatest enemy was RAV ANA, king of Lanka (Ceylon). who kidnapped Sita and died in battle with Rama KRISHNA'S fat11er "i'8S VASUDEV. His mother was DEVAKI. He was raised by a foster father, NANDA and foster mother, YASHODA. His elder brother '1t'8S BALARAMA. He killed the evil king KAMSA and defeated JARASANDHA. Krishna grew up in Gokula and later lived in Dweraka. His lover RADHA became God-realised. He had many vives. the chief being RUKMINI, who bore their son PRADYUMNA. Krishna had many sons and daughters. Among his disciples were ARJUNA, NARADA and UDDHAVA. ABRAHAM was also known as ABRAM. He came from Ur in southern Mesopotamia {Sumer. Babylonia. Chaldea). and later lived in Haran. Egypt and Canaan {Palestine).

His father was TERAH, and his brothers were NAHOR and HARAN. His nephew LOT was Haran's son. Abraham fought a battle to free Lot and his family. who had been taken captive by the army of CHEDORLAOMER. Abraham had children by three wmen: HAGAR (HAJAR), who bore ISHMAEL, SARAH (SARAI) who bore YI'IZCHAK (ISAAC), and KETURAH who bore ZIMRAN, JOKSHAN, MEDAN, MIDIAN, ISHBAK and SHUAH. Abraham's Mester may have been MALKI-TSEDEK (!YIELCHIZEDEK), believed by some to have been the king of Salem or jerusalem.

GAUTAMA BUDDHA's name vas Siddhartha Gautama. Buddha means 'awakened one.'

He is also known as SHP..K.YAMUNI and as LORD SANG-GYAS His father was SUDDHODHANA GAUTAMA, and his mother was MAYA. Gautama married YASODHARA and had one son. RAHULA. His Mester was an old woman. Among his men disciples were ASSAJI, ANANDA, SARIPUTRA and MAUDGALYAY.~IA. DEV ADAITA was a renegade disciple40- tried to kill Gautama.

wJ.u

JESUS E a Greek version of the Hebrew/.Aram.aic name YEHESHUA (or Yeshua).

CHRIST is Greek for MASHIACH (Messiah). He "WaS the son of YOSAYF (Joseph) and ~-iiRY .AM (Mary). It is believed he did not marry, but accot·<Hng to a Tibetan account he was married as a youth to a woman named Mary, "Vlho died shortly af''ter their marriage. His Master was YOHANNJ:..N (John the Baptist). Amon~ his disciples were his mother MI:RYP..M (Mary), ANDREW, BARTiiOLEIYIEW, YAKOB (James, son of Zebedee), YAKOB (James) of Alphaew, YEHUDAH YAKOB (Judas of james)_ YEHUDJ:..H ISH K.ERIOTii (Judas Iscariot), NATiiAN.AEL, PETER, PHILLIP, SIMON, TiiADD.AEUS, DIDYMUS (Thomas), MIRYA.M (Mary Magdalene), MIRY AM (Mary) of Bethany, and MARTiiA. After the crucifixion jesus travelled "'ffith some of his disciples to India, Burma and Kashmir, where he liYed for many years. Meher Babas:aid Jesus' body-was 'buried by Bartholemew and Thaddeus on a hill near Har'V8%l, Kashmir.

The Prophet IYIUHP..MMAD'S f\111 name was Muhammad ibn Abdullah. His father was

A.BDULLAH, his mother AMINAH. He was brought up first by his grandfathet· J:..BD AL·IYIU'ITALIB and later 'by his uncleP..BU TJ:.~IB. Muhammad married KHADIJA . and after her death marl'ied SAUDAH BINT ZAMJ:..H, AYESHA, H.G.FSA, ZJ:.JNJ:..B BINT KHUZAli'-iAH, ZAINAB BINT JAHSH, UNM SALIIYIAH, MAIMUNAH, JUWAQIRYP.Ji , and UIYI~-i HJ:..BIBAH. His concubines were S.G.FIYYAH, RAIHANJ:..H, and rllARIY P..H TiiE COPT. His daughters were ZAINP..B, RUQAYY AH, UttiM KUL1HUM, and FA'TIMA. Hi~ sons were QASIM, TAHIR, 8lld IBRP..HIM. ALI and P..BU BAKR were disciples.

MEHER B.A.BA's gi~ren name 'IJi"8S Merwan Sheriar Irani. His father was SHERIAR IYIUNDEGAR IRANI; his mother was SHIREEN IRANI, also kno~ as SHIRIN~-1P.J. His brothers were JAM SHED, ft..DI, Jft.~, BEHRA.M, and JEHANGIR. His sisters were FRENY and IYIANIJA (MANI). Meher Baba's Masters were HAZRAT BABAJAN and UPASANI M:.t.HARAJ. He also met and ws connected "'ffith the Perfect Masters SAl BABA of Shirdi, TAJUDDIN BABA and NARAYAN MAHARAJ. Another Perfect Master, DHUNIWALA DADA of !tarsi, probably met Baba in the 1920s. Meher Baba's closest woman disciple was MEHEP.A JEHANOIR IRANI. Other women disciples were OULiviAI, KHORSHED, NAJA, his sister M/l..NIJA, DAULATMAI, SOONAMASI, V.Al.U, GAIMP.J, ~-1ANU, MEHERU JESSAWALA, KAKU, HEDI MERTENS, HELEN DAHivi, IRENE BILLO, NADINE TOLSTOY, NORINA MATCHABELLI, ELIZP..BE'IH PA'ITERSON, K.I'ITY DAVY, NONNY and RANO OAYLEY, GOHER, KATIE, MAN SARI DESAI, MEHERU and AP.NAVAZ DADACHANJI. Among his men disciples were his brothers JAMSHED, ADI, JAL, and BEHRAM, as well as BUASAHEB (BEHRAMJI), GUSTADJI SHILST, BP.JLEY IRANI, RUSTO~II and ADI K. IRANI, MASA.n, PENDU (ASPANDIAR RUSTOM IRANI), PADRI (F/l..REDOON DRIVER), SIDHU K.AMBLE, BAIDUL, PLEADER, CHANJI (FRAMROZ DADACHANJI), PAPA, ERUCH and MERWP..N JESSAWALA, lULU, 'WILLIAM DONK.IN, NARU-1AN DADACHANJI, .P~OBA (ALI AKB.A.R SHAPUP.Z.AJviP.l-r), MAI.COM SCHLOSS, KAIKOBAD DASTUR, BHAtT K.~~CHURI and FRANCIS BRABAZON. K.J. DASTUR, MEREDITii STARR and HERBERT DAVY were di~ciple~ who left Baba and denounced him. COLONEL MERWAN SOHRAB IRANI, Mehera Irani's uncle, never met Baba but wote and lectured against him.

LOVERS OF GOD "There 6!'e three types of lovers of Go<:l. The first is the mest who loves en<:l knows only God. He loses all consciousness of self. of body and the world. Whether it rains ot· shines. whether it is winter or summer. it is all the same to him. Only Gc•d exists for him. He is dead to himself. The second type of lover is the one who lives in the world, attends to all worldly duties t'IJlly, yet ell the time in his heart he lmon that this is temporary, that only God exists. and he loves God internally, without anyone knowing it. The third type, which is the highest. is very rare. Here the lover surrenders completely to Christ to the Avatar. to the God-marL He lives, not ft)r himself. but fot· the Mester. This is the highest type of lover. Unless you have such love, merelv to criticise and to judge others will take you nowhere." · Meher Babe,. 14 September 1954. Meherabad. GM p230

KRISHNA All

quot~s

in this section are of Meher Bata

"Krishna was an A"~retar, and he realised and l>i'ot;gh~ down 17 people who were outside his circle. These 17 wre extra God-realised Saliks."

9 December 1927. Meheratad, LMJ p1002 (Bata said Arjuna "'1//aS the 'beloved' of Krishna.)

"The A"~retar descends on ea1·th fot• his beloveds, his real lovers, and he works for them side by side with his working for the entire uni"~Terse. But it is not necessary the.t all A"~retars must have a beloved."

7 August 1929, Meherabad, LM4 p1196 (Bal>a said Kdshna. like all in·~arnations •)f the A"~re.tar, had "a charming personality, with a beautiful. symmetri<:al face and body") 15 December 1929, Dhulia LM4 p1259 "If you read the life of Krishna you "~Nill find that he often said, did and ordered things which seemed to go contrary to common sense. He used to tell one thing to one person, and contradictory things to other persons, and used to give different orders to different people at the same time ... He "\V'8S Perfect and one with God, and so found himself in everything andeveryone . .And so he had to use different methods for different things. and people ... Krishna made the two armies fight, an-d ordered Arjuna to kill the enemy. Arju.na said, 'I can't kill my own brothers,· and Krishna replied. 'Do as I tell ·;rou.' But .Arjuna would not listen. Then Krishna said, 'Look into my face,· and Krishna opened his mouth, and Arjunasaw in it all his brothers and relatives whom he had not wanted to kill. So then he took up his bow and started killing them . But Krishna said, 'If you had full faith in me, you would never have doubted or a.sked questions.' And then he delivered the lecture which is now known as the Bhegavad Gita."

18 july 1933, Portofino, Italy, TK p'381-382 "~!hen Krishna ordered .Arjuna to kill the Kauravas, .Arjuna hesitated and then refused, asking Krishna. 'How can I slaughter my own brothers?' Kt'ishnaopened his mouth, and asked .Arjuna to look inside . .Arjuna saw that Krishna's mouth contained the whole univet·se, including millions of Kauraves. who looke-d like clouds, but then ·-ronished from sight. This then cmwinced .Arjuna of Kt•ishna·s mighty powers, an<! he plunged into battle, killing many. This event made At'juna have f'ull faith in Kt'ishna.

Then Krishna sho-w·ed him his Unio:rersal t,ody, which contained all living and inert fot·ms. To see this is calle<j Vit·at DaJ•shall, giga11tic sight.Thisis not t'eal ,jal·sha.n, it is c•nly the da.rshan of the Mester's Universal bod·:r. The Ao:retru· also has a Universal mind, to which all the indiYidual minds itl the universe h;:\Ye a <~onnection. Ft•om this incident yc•u -w·ill '::ome to kno~r that e"ten the o:::lc1sest .:ji:\~o:::it,les of a Master misundet·staJ1d his \Y'Ot'k. To convince a11d create faith in them, M;3.stet·s have to resort to perfot•ming mir;: tdes. That is why Krishna <ji<j '11/hat he <jid."

18 July 193'3. Pot·tofino . !te1y, u . .J::, p1797-1798

".At the time of Krishna. the Hindus were fighting each other. En..,,, and greed were predominant. The real conception of spiritual life and lo·ve ~ ·unlmovm to .them.

Krishna based his teachings on the laws of love and pure and mnocent merrtment.

Human beings wre directed i oyfu11 y to'WSI'ds a disinterested ideal of 1o~re."

29 June 19'34, London, HMV p44'3 (also MBJ 2:6 p354-'355, LM6 p1881) "When I see these places, I remember my old habitats. They are like my old, wll-remembered haunts. Here was where I used to play with the gopis and steal milk and curds. Here I played my flute . .And here myRadha would come running to me."

27 january 1939, Mathura/Gokul/Vrindavan, LM? p2374 ·~Perfection

includes all perfections, but there is no need to express them. Krishna

vc:SS Perfect spiritually. That means he was perfect in everything. But he never

sho"'TTed his perfection materially, because the material manifestation of perfection has no meaning, and is in the realm of illusion. He could ha~re shown himself a perfect drunkard, a perfect sinner, a perfect rogue. But that 1i'Ould ha'~re shocked the wrld. So he did not express that. He was.a perfect drunkard, perfect sinner.. perfect rogue, perfect in everything. He must have been, because he was, abo,re all, Perfect God." · May? 19'39, Jabalpur, LM? p2419 "The Perfect man is not bound by any rule or limited ideal. He is beyond good and bad.

But his law for those who are good gives good re'WSI'd. And for those who are bad, it responds in their own coin. Krishna proved to Arjuna. who "''N"8S his devotee, that his apparently bringing about the physical and mental annihilation of the Kauravas, who wre vicious, "''N"8S for their spiritual sal'Q'ation. Perfection might manifest itself through :killing or sa,ing according to the spiritual demands of the situation. The heart of the Perfect One is at once soft like butter and hard like steel."

19'39? Di 1 p75-76 (3rd edition, 194'3) (also Di 1987 ed. p80-81)· "I as Krishna ordered Arjuna to kill. As Christ I told Peter to gi;-e his other cheek to be slapped. But the truth underlying both is the ~ame. Haven't people changed since then? People are not advanced, but changed. The world is now going back to its barbarous attitude, and so over and over again it is life's changes. But what Krishna teaches in the Gita is di,rine, goes deep down. It sa)"'S you can become God if you love me, follow me, surrender to me. There is no ather way. Disciples must do as the Master orders, not imitate. Arjuna took up his bow willingly and obeyed, knowing 'With perfect knoWledge that he "''N"8S not killing. Detached, he had to do this for their spiritual good. No lust for killing, nor duty, but pure detachment to do Krishna's work." june? 19'39, Meherabad, LAP p276-277 (also LM7 p24'34) "...The strife between the Kauravas and the Panda·o!SS, and the consequent bloodshed, not only due to the di·ofine sense of humor in Krishna. but its height was reached when Krishna himself died through an arrow that accidently struck one of his legs from the bow of an ordinary hunter who ne"~rer had any intention of harming the ranglila (playful) Avatar in anyway."

4 November 1952, Meherabad, GGM3 p156 "''N"8S

"In the distant past, as Krishna. I died physically when I was accidently shot 'With an arrow."

November 1955? Meherabad, LH p258 "Virat Swaroop darshan which Arjuna had was not the real darshan. It was just darshan of Uni.,rersal body. Also, in Virat Swaroop darshan, there is fear. That is why .Arjuna felt afraid ... In real -1arshan there is e,rer-renewing bliss. There is no fear.

The only '7'118.Y to have such darshan lies tht·ough loYe." 1960, Poona Da pS-6

JESUS CHRIST Some of the things Meher Babe. said about Jesus Chl'ist ,-;an be found in the collection THE GOSPEL OF .JESUS GHRI:)T ACCORDING TO NEHER Bt-l.B.~. These 81'e the pl'inted sources of' a few of' the quotes collected there: GI. .I p2~·4, 262, LH p68, HM p444, 662-66'3.

LM2 p714, LM) p7~'2, 1034-1035, 11'31, LM4 p1231, LMS p1599, 1705, LM6 p1881, 1917, PS p44. 1'36, Aw 8:2 plO, 16:2 p29-'30, PM p250, GG:l\0 p)S-39, TK p'342, 345.

FURTHER READING Hinduism 1HE BHAGAV.A..D GITA, translated byJlJ.an1·1e$caro, 1962 1HE SONG OF GOD: BH.A.GAVAD GITA, translated 'by Siirami PraMla~r..mda and Christopher Isherwood, 1944, 1951 1HE BHAGAVAD GITA FOP. DP.JLY LIVING, by Eknath Easwaran SONGS OF K~..B IR, tran3lated by P.abindranath T~ore, 1915 'J:HE ~0 ~P~L OF SP.I :RP..JYIAKP.I SHNA, 'by r1' (Nahendra.nath Gupta) translated by ~vanu Nikhilananda, 1942 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI, byParaJnahansa Yogananda, 1946 1HE INCREDIBLE SAl BABA, by Arthur Osborne SHIVAJI AND HIS TIMES, by Jad unath SarJr..ar, 1973 I

J

Buddhisn1 PADiviASAMBHAVAAND BUDDHISM IN TIBET (CRYSTAL MIRROR 4), by Tarthartg Tulku, et. al.

1HE LIFE AND LIBERATION OF PADMASAMBHAVA (PADiviA 'IHANG-YIG), byYe-shes mTsho-rgyal, translated by Kenneth Douglas and Gwendol:y"TL Bs.y ILLUSION'S GAME: 'IHE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF NAROPA, byChogya:rll Tnmgpa TIBET'S GREAT YOGI MILAREPA, by W. Y. E"l3l\S-Wen12 ZEN BUDDHISM: SELECTED YYRITINGS OF D.T. SUZUKI, edited by William Barrett, 1956 THE WAY OF ZEN, by Alan WatJS !fiE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING, by Sogyal Rimpoche

Judaism UNDERSTANDING JEWISH MYSTICISM, by David Blumenthal, 1978 JEWISH SPIRITUALITY, 'by Arthur Green, 1986 THE JEWISH MYSTICS, by Louis Jacob3 HASIDISM AND MODERN MAN, 'by Martin Buber JEWISH MYSTICISM AND 'IHE LEGEND OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV, by Martin Buber TP.l.ES OF THE HASIDIM, byMartinBuber, 2 volumes IN PRAISE OF TilE BP...A.L SHEM TOY (Shivhei ha- Besht), translated by Daniel Ben Amos and Jerome Mintz MAJOR TRENDS IN JEWISH MYSTICISM, byGershom Scholem, 1955 KAB P.l.LAH, by Gershom Scholem, 1974

Cluistianity 1HE DESERT FA1HERS, by Helen Waddell 1HE WISDOM OF 1HE DESERT: SAYINGS FROM TifE DESERTFATifERS OF TifE FOU:R'IH CENTURY, t.can3lated by Thome.s Meron, 1960 WRITINGS FROM TilE PHILOKALIAON PRAYER OF TilE HEART, translated 'by E. Kadloubovsky and G .E.H. Palrner LIFE AND IviiRACLES OF SAINT BENEDICT (Book 2 of the Dialogu.es of Pope Saint Gregory the Great}, trar~Slated by Odo Zimmennan and Benedict A'rery AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO: A BIOGRAPHY, byPeterBrownl 1967 1HE CONFESSIONS OF StUNT AUGUSTINE, 1"!8mlat.ed 'by Henry Cha.dwick, 1991 WESTERN IviYSTICISivl: TiiE TEACHINGS OF SAINT8 AUGUSTINE . GREGORY .~J,m BERNARD ON CONTENPLATION ~.ND 'IHE CONTEiviPLATIVE LIFE,

by Dom Cuthbert Butler, 1927 1HE HOLY FIRE: THE STORY OF THE FATHERS OF THE E.4l.STERN CHURCH , t•y Robert Payne 1957 THE Ll'ITLE FLO~iVERS OF S~JNT FR~J'I"CIS , edited by P.&.I.:Ile.el Bro"'1m TiiE LITI1.E FLOWERS OF 1HE GLORIOUS IviESSER Si~JNT FRANCIS ..:.\ND OF HIS FRIARS , 'dc•rLe il"Lf.o English b:,.1 V·l. He;l"!rood' . 1982 IviEISTER ECKH.b..RT: An Intro•iu.ction to the Study of His Wor}~ with ;m .h-.ntholc•~7 of His SerrAons by .J. C. Cktrk, 1957 I

I

.• NEISTE:R ECK.HP..RT A New Translation, by R.B. Blakeney, 1957 IviEISTER ECKHART; THE ESSENTI~l. SERiviONS, COiviNENTARIES., TREATISES AND DEFENCE, translated and edited by Edmund Coledg7 and Bernard NcGinn, 1981 THE IMITATION OF CHRIST, by Thomas a Kemp13 .

REVELATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE, by Julian of Norvich, trax13lated by Clifton Woltel-s, 1981 VISIONS OF GOD: POUR MEDIEVAL ftiYSTICS AND THEIR WRITINGS, by KarenAimstrong TiiE ENGLISH MYSTICS OF THE POURTEENTii CENTURY, by KarenAnmtrong COLLECTED WOP.KS OF SP.JNT TERESA OF AVILA, trax13lated by Kieran Ka~!aiiaugh and Otilio Rodriguez, 1976 TiiE LIFE OF ST. JOHN OF TiiE CROSS, by Crisogono de Jesus, translated by Kathleen Pond . 1958 TiiE POEMS OF ST. JOHN OF TiiE CROSS, translated by Willis Bar.nstone, 1968 ENDURING GRACE: LIVING PORTR~JTS OF SEVEN WOiviEN MYSTICS, by Carol Lee Flindel'3 TiiE CROSS IN MY HE~.RT: TiiE LIFE OF ST. GEivil'iAGALGANI,

by Sister Marie Grace, 1990 THE LIFE OF GEMMAGALGANI, .A.N ITP.l.IAN Ivi~JDEN OF LUCCA, byPatherGennanus, translated by A.lvi. 0' SulliV'3J.1.,~ 1913 · MYSTICISM, by Evelyn Underhill, 1911 A HISTOP.Y OF CHRISTIANITY, by Paul Johnson, 1976 THE CHRISTIANS, by Bamber Gascoigne, 1977 A HJ:..NDBOOK OF CATiiOLIC SACRAMENTJ:.J..S, by Ann Ball, 1991 GOD Cft.J..LING, edited by A.J. Rt'ISsell GOD AT EVENTIDE, edited by A.J. Russell TiiE PURSUIT OF GOD, byA.W. Tozer, 1948 TiiE LOST YEARS OF JESUS REVEALED, by Charles Francis Potter, 1962 TiiE APPARITIONS OF GP..RABANDP.J.., by F. Sanchez-VentumyPascual, translated by A. de Bertodano, 1966 ACTS OF THE FIRST CONGRESS OF STUDIES ON PADRE PIO' S SPIRITUALITY, edited

by Geramo Di Flumeri, 1972 IS THE VIRGIN MP..RY APPEARING AT MED.n.JGORJE? by Rene Laurentin and Ljudevit Rupcic, translated by Francis Martin, 1984 MESSAGES AND TEACHINGS OF MARY ATNED.n.JGORJE, by Rene Laurentinand Rene Lejeune, 1988 I AM YOUR JESUS OF MERCY, The Riehle PotUldation, 3 ~rolumes, 1989-1991 OUR L.b.DY COMES TO SCOTTSDP.J..E: IS IT AUTiiENTIC? byRobertFaracyand Lucy Rooney, 1991 OUR LORD AND OUR LJ:..DY IN SCOTTSDALE: FRUITFUL CHARISftiS IN A TRADITIONft.J.. AMERICAN Pft..RISH, by Rene Laurentin, 1992 Yv"HY YOU CAN DISAGREE AND REfllJ:.JN A FJ:.JTHFUL CATHOLIC, by Philip Kaufman, 1989 OPEN MIND, OPEN HEART: TiiE CONTEMPLATIVE DINENSION OF TiiE GO~:PEL,

by Thomas Keating, 1992 TiiE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MEHER BJ!..BA, 1995

Islam

MUHAMMAD: A BIOGRAPHY OF TiiE PROPHET, by Karen .A.rJr.L3tror~g, 1991 MUHAMMAD: HIS LIFE BASED ON TiiE EARLIEST SOURCES, oy !Ylartin Lings, 1983 MUHArtiiYIAD ATMECCA, byVr. Non~omeryVvatt, 1953 IviUHAiviivJ.P.D AT IviEDINA, by W. I\·Iontgomery 'Natt, 1956 TiiE PASSION OF AL-H.~~L.PJ, by Lo1.1is Ner.ssigr10n, t.ronslat.eti by Herbert Nerson, 4 volumes, 1982 H~~L.A.J: IYIYSTIC AND NART~~R, by Lo1Ji:! Ntt~signon . t.ra:c~lated o:trid o:t.bridged by HIQIYJ.a.T-AL-ISHR.A.Q (The Wisdom of IllurfJ.ination) by Yahya S11hraW1:1!di SUFISN: t-l.N AGGOUNT()F TilE NYSTICS OF ISLAN, byA.J..a..rt,er~J, 1950 THE IvlYSTICS OF ISL.IlJ·1I, by Reynold A. NictJDlson, 1963 TiiE SUFIS, by ldlies St1erh SPIF~I11J.Il~ BODY ~J·ID GELE;)TI.Il~ EARTH: FROIYI Ivi ..:l2DEtlJ·i I:R.A.H TO SHIITE m.A.H.

by Herlli Cor'bin . t.ra:ctSlat.ed 'by H~;~rLcy Pearson, 1990

. .j

CREATIVE IMAGINATION IN 'IHE SUFISM OF IBN A:RABI, by Henri Corbin . tran3lated by Ralph Manheim, 19?0 QUESTFO~ niH ~ED

SULPHU~:

niE LIFE OF IBN

~ABI,

.

by Claude .AAdag, ~lated by

Pe1er King~ley FUTIJHAT AL-MAK.KIY A-.H (The Meccan P.e~.relation) by Ibn Arabi THE DP.ilifA..N: INTERPRET.ll..TION OF ARDENT DE SIP.E S1 by Ibn .P.rabi ISL.a.MIC SPIRITIJP~ITY: FOUNDATION {volwne 11 1987) and MANIFESTATIONS (volume 21 1992) 1 edi1ed by Sayyed Ho:53ein Nasr 'IHIS LONGING: TEACHING STORIES Pl~D SELECTED LETTERS OF P.Ul'tii, tran3lated and edi~d by Coleman Barrl!S and John Mo}'lle I 1988 SAY I PJvi YOU: POETRY INTERSPERSED WITH STORIES OF P.U~J!I A-~D SHA-~J!S 1 transla~d by Coleman Barks and John Mo;me BIRDSONG 1 by Jelaluddin P.umi, ~tersioii3 by Coleman Barks ONE-HANDED BASKET 'WEAVING I by Jelaluddin P.umi, versioii3 by Coleman Barr.s DELICIOUS LAUGHTER, by Jelaluddin Rumi, versioii3 by Coleman Barks LIKE THIS 1 by Jelaluddin P.umi, versioii3 by Coleman BarJ~ WE ARE THREE 1 by Jelaluddin Rumi 1 versioii3 by Coleman Barks SIGNS OF THE UNSEEN: DISCOURSES OF JELP~UDDIN P.Uivii 1 transla1ed by W. M. Thackston Jr. P.ABIA THE IviYSTIC, AND HER FELT..OW SAINTS IN ISLA.M, by Margaret Smith, 1928 :READINGS FROM 'IHE MYSTICS OF ISLMI!, by Margaret Smith MUSLIM SPJNTS P~D IviYSTICS . by Fariduddin Attar, translated by A.J. Arben:y 1HE SUFI MESSAGE OF HAZP.ATINAYATKHP.~, 14 ~rolwnes THE HAND OF POETRY: FIVE IviYSTIC POETS OF PERSIA, lectures by Inayat Khan and · translatioi13 by Coleman Barks.

IviASTEP.Y 'IH:ROUGH ACCOMPLISHiviENT, by Inayat Khan THE ART OF BEING AND BECOMING, by Inayat Khan THE AWAKENING OF 'IHE HUIYIAN SPIRIT, by Inayat Khan THE MUSIC OF LIFE, byin.ayatKhan TALES, by Inayat Khan SPI:RITIJAL DIMENSIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY, by In.ayat Khan THE COI·IJPLETE SAYINGS, bylnayatKhan 'IHE SOUL: WHENCE AND 'WHI'IHER? by Inayat Khan EDUCATION: FP.OM BEFORE BIP.TH TO IviATIJP.ITY, byinayatKhan 'IHE DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITIJP~ HEALING, by In.ayat Khan THE GUIDEBOOK TO 'IHE TP.UE SECRET OF THE HEART, by M.:R. Bava Muhaiyaddeen, 2 volumes GOD, HIS PROPHETS AND HIS CHILDREN, by M.P.. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Other BOYHOOD 'WITH GU:RDJIEFF, by Fii12 Peters GURDJIEFF REiviEMB ERED 1 by Fii12 PeteIS 1 1965 VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD: EJ..P.LY TALKS OF GURDJIEFF, 1973 IviEETING s WITH P.EMJ..P.KAB LE MEN I by G. I. Gl.mljieff BEELZEBUB'S TALES TO HIS GRANDSON, byG.I. Gurdjieff LIFE IS REAL ONLY TiiEN, WHEN I AM, 'by G.I Gurdjieff A HISTORY OF GOD: THE 4000-YEAR QUEST OF JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY AND I SLAivi, 'by Karen Artru!tror~g 1993 THE FL~.IviE OF ATTENTION 'by J. Kris:t.IIL8.TJltl.I1i, 1984 GOD IviAKES TilE :RIYERS TO FLQW: PASSAGES FOR IYIEDITATIOH, by E}maf.h Easwaran~ 1982 IviAN: TiiE GRAND SYMBOL OF TiiE IviYSTERIES: ESSAYS IN OCCULT ANATOY..'I'Y, try !Ylanly Hall, 1932 TilE :~EGRET DOCTRINE: TiiE SYNTHESIS OF SCIENCE, RELIGION ,ll.ND PHILOSOPHY, 'by Helena Bla~tl}.t.SkY . 2 'v"'lumes . 1:388 TP.AN~~.~.GTIONS OF TilE BL.~.V.u.TSKY LODGE OF TilE 1HEOSOPHIG.u~ ;~~OGIETY, (no s.111.:tlor) 1891 TiiE OGE.~J·i OF 1HEOSOPH·:t, 'by V?illi~rr.1 Quan J1JJige, li393 H.P.B.: THE EXTP.AORDINARY LIFE .~J·lD INFLUENCE OF HELEH.:)..BL.:)..VATSK.Y .

FOUl·iDER OF TIIE MODERN 1HEO:)C,PHIC.u~ MOVENENT, by Syh'ia C~r~r~t.on I

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:CVIEHER BABA Meher Babe. W63 born in Februery, 1894, the second child of Persian parents lhring in Poona India. His father. Sheriar Irani. had wandered as a dervish for many )rears in search of the experience of God or Truth. It is said he quit his journeys and settled do-wn after hearing an inner voice that told him he was destined to realise God through his yet unborn son.

Meher Babe. grew up in Poona while India vas a colony of Great Britain. His family were Zoroastrian by religion, and his father owned and ran toddy shops. He attended elementary and high schools and studied two years at Deccan College in Poona. His schooling was interrupted when. at nineteen. he became consciously one with God. Babe. explained that this realisation came about through Hazrat Babajan. an elderly woman spiritual Master who lived outdoors under a tree in Poona It took seven years for Baba to regain normal consciousness (without losing his realisation of divinity).

This 'coming do-wn' vas brought about by another Mester, Upaseni Meharaj ofSe.kori.

Upasani Maharaj advised anum ber of his own followers to follow Meher Baba.

Meher Baba became a spiritual Master at the age of 26. Like other Perfect Masters. his main work vas on the higher planes of consciousness. He lived and taught for awhile in Poona and in Bombay. Eventually he settled with some of his devotees outside the city of Ahmednagar, in a desert place he named Meherabad. Beginning in 1925 he observed silence. communicating without speech through writing. gestures. and an alphabet board. A few years later he gave up wrUing as well. Babe.'s silence continued until January 1969. He said that the breaking of his silence would begin a spiritl.lal a'WSkening that would affect the entire world.

Meher Babe. trained a circle of disciples, had hundreds of followers, dictated several books on spiritual subjects. and travelled all over the wrld. He set up free clinics. hospitals, schools, ashrams and spiritual retreats. Though respected as a holy man in India Meher Baba declared himself to be an Avatar. a conscious incarnation of divinity.

"In this form of flesh and blood, I am that same ancient one who alone is eternally worshipped and ignored. ever remembered and forgotten ... I am that ancient one whose past is -worshipped and remembered, whose present is ignored and forgotten, and whose future (advent) is anticipated with great fervor and longing."

Meher Baba

SOURCES FOR QUOTES

NOT OTiiERWISE CREDITED Being the AYatar ... Life Circulars of" Avatar Meher Baba: 20 July 1957, Lif"e Circular "36 In this form...

The Everything and the Nothing, p77 There are many... Wayfarers, p19, from a1etter to Ramjoo Abdulla, January 1926 to EmmaSirany, Mark Palmer, .Jim Wrobel, Phillip Creager and Petunia P. Twink1eberry

1H~.NKS

WHO'S WHO <)tJ THE HIGHER PL..MtES ©1995 Marl~ Muray. All rights reserYe<l . 'tlithout limiting the rights under ~opyright reserved abo'~re, no pe.rt c•f this publication may be reproduced. stored in. or introduced into a retrieve1 system. or trensmitted in any form .:•r by eny mee.ns, (electronic.. mech.e.nkel, photo(:opying. recording or other~!ise) ow·ithout the prior ii•Titten permission of the <~opyright hc•lder. All pre'~.riously published materiel remains copyright t.he origine.l <~opyright holders. Printed in the United States of America. Send additions and o:~orre<~tions ~o M:::trk&·, 1807 Havens DriYe #4, North Myrtle Bea~h, S•;uth Carolina 29582 U.S.A.

IviEHER BABA Meher Babe. was born in Februory, 1894, the second <::hil<l of Pet·sien porents living in Poona India. His father. Sheriar Irani, had wandered as a dervish for many years in search of the experien<::e of God or Truth. It is s&d he quit his journe~rs and settled down after hearing an inner voice that told him he was destined to re~dise God through his yet unborn son.

Meher Babe. grew up in Poona while India ws a <::olony of Great Brit&n. His fe.mily were Zoroastrian by religion, and his father owned and ran toddy shops. He attended elementary and high schools and studied two years a.t Deccan College in Poona. His schooling was interrupted when. at nineteen. he became consciowly one with God .

Baba explained that this realisation came about through Hazrat Babajan, an elderly woman spiritual Master who lived outdoors under a tree in Poona. It took se"len yeors for Baba to regain normal consciowness (without losing his realisation of divinity).

This 'coming down· we:; brought e.bout by another Moster, Upe.sa.ni Mahoraj of Se.kc•ri.

Upasani Maharaj advised a number of his own followers to follow Meher Baba.

Meher Baba became a spiritual Master at the age of 26. Like other Perfect Masters, his main work ws on the higher planes of consciowness. He lived and taught for awhile in Poona and in Bombay. Eventually he settled with some of his devotees outside the dty of Ahmednegar, in a desert place he named Meherabad. Beginning in 1925 he observed silence. communicating without speech through writing. gestures. and an alphabet board. A few yeors later he gave up 'Writing os well. Baba's silence continued until January 1969. He said that the breaking of his silence would begin a spiritual a-wakening that would affect the entire world.

Meher Baba tr&ned a circle of disdples, had hundreds of followers. dictated several books on spiritual subjects. and travelled all over the world. He set up free clinics. hospitals, schools, ashrams and spiritual retreats. Though respected as a holy man in India Meher Baba declared himself to be an Avatar. a conscious incarnation of divinity.

"In this form of flesh and blood, I am that same ancient one who alone is eternally worshipped and ignored. ever remembered and forgotten ... I am that ancient one whose post is worshipped and remembered, whose present is ignored and fc1rgotten. and whose future (advent) is anticipated with great fervor and longing."

Meher Baba

SOURCES FOR QUOTES NOT OTHERWISE CREDITED Being the A~ratar ... Life Circulars of A,ratar Meher Baba: 20 July 1957, Life Circular '36 In this form...

The E-:rerything and the Nothing, p77 There are many... Wayfarers, p19, from a letter to Ramjoo Abdulla, January 1926

THANKS to Emma. Sirany, Mark Palmer, Jim ~lt·obel, Phillip Creager and Petunia P. Twinkleberry WHO'S WHO ()HTHE HIGHER PLANES .:91995 Mark 1vluray. All rights reserYed. V.Vithout limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no p~;~rt of this publication may be rept·oduced. stored in. or intro·1uced into a retriev81 system. or transmitted in e.ny form or by any meer1s, (electronic. me<::he.nka1.. photo(:opying. recording or othet·-.rtise) without the prior 'ii·Titten permission of the (~opyright holder. All previously published m8.teri81 reme.ins co~'Yt'ight the ot'igin81 <~op:rright hol<.lers. Printed in the United States of America. Send additions ;:tnd corre<:tions ~o M;:trka.t•, 1807 Havens Drive #4, North Myrtle Be&;h, South Cru·olina 295i32 U.S.A.

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THERE ARE MA.NY who are on the way, many who have experience, many who are yogis, but few who are Perfect ... Never speak ill of saints.

They are the sign of Truth and help to the world.

My salutations to all those who love God, who are saints, yogis, bhaktas, and my nama.skar to SadgunJS. All these are me in different forms.

Meher Baba