Meher Baba, a religious leader in India, claimed to be the Avatar and founded the Master’s House and Prem Ashram. He fell silent in 1925 until his death in 1969, and his teachings emphasized realizing God’s singularity. Meher Baba remains a cultural icon and is observed on July 10 as the “Day of Silence.”
Meher Baba, which means “Compassionate Father” to his followers, was born as Merwan Sheriar Irani on February 25, 1894 in Pune, India. He was a religious leader for many in India and around the world and claimed to be the Avatar, which is a reincarnation of the Supreme Being, or God, here on earth.
Raised as a Zoroastrian, Meher Baba lived the first 19 years of his life as a typical Indian boy. He was however a special boy, very popular, intelligent, gifted with tongues and well versed in literature and religion. He loved music and cricket and just a chance encounter with an old Muslim spiritual “teacher” who, with a kiss on the forehead, awakened Meher Baba’s spiritual side.
Over the next few years Meher Baba would meet with other Indian spiritual leaders who would begin to shape his spiritual philosophy. He continued what was said to be a nine-month fast, and so consumed in his meditations of him, he had to hit his head with a stone to stay grounded in the physical world. Meher Baba steadily gained followers over the next few years and subsequently established the Master’s House, or Manzil-e-Meem in Bombay in 1922. Here, Meher Baba and his followers meditated, fasted and practiced obedience to God’s words. Two years later , established a free school which he called Prem Ashram, which was open to all, irrespective of caste.
Meher Baba fell silent on 10th July 1925 and remained so until his death on 31st July 1969. He decided that since man would not listen to God’s words, he would remain silent. His silence hasn’t slowed his growing base of followers, nor has it slowed down his spread of the “gospel.” Meher Baba traveled extensively in the United States and Europe in the 1930s, attracting celebrities and the like. His disciples produced a monthly publication called Meher Baba Journal which included his discourses, carefully transcribed through careful communication with him. Talks of Meher Baba, was printed in five volumes, covering talks by him from 1939 to 1954. The latest edition, called the sixth edition, is considered the most complete, and was edited by Meher Baba himself.
In 1949, Meher Baba embarked on what he called “The New Life”, which was a life of misery. He and a few followers traveled throughout India begging for food and shelter. This was his statement that people should avoid material possessions and anything that might get in the way of spiritual enlightenment. Meher Baba fluctuated between public appearances and travels with periods of profound seclusion throughout his life.
Its main teachings cited that the purpose of life was to realize the absoluteness and singularity of God, who is inherent in everything. Souls, which are constantly evolving, reach human form where only then can they attain full spiritual consciousness.
Meher Baba lived the last decades of his life crippled by two serious road accidents and died in 1969. To this day, he remains a spiritual leader and cultural icon for many around the world. While there is no organized religion that Meher Baba created or advocated, it does influence the worship that many engage in on a daily basis. Every year, followers observe July 10 as the “Day of Silence” when they take the day to meditate on their spirituality and Meher Baba’s teachings.
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