Tag: Meher Baba

Meher Baba

Submitted by lilian on Fri, 12/28/2007 - 23:27.
Tags:

Fast Facts

Other Names and Nicknames:

Merwan Sheriar Irani

Function:

Avatar

Traditions:

Persian, Sufism

Main Countries of Activity:

India, USA, Australia

Date of Birth:

February 25, 1894

Place of Birth:

Pune, India

In His/Her Body ("alive"):

No

Date Left His/Her Body:

January 31, 1969

Ancestor Gurus:

Other Related Gurus:

The 5 Sadgurus (perfect masters) of Meher Baba - Shirdi Sai Baba, Upasni Maharaj, Hazrat Babajan, Hazarat Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj

Biography

Meher Baba was a Persian born in India who became a spiritual Master, and late in his life (1954 at age 60) publicly declared that he is the Avatar of this Age.

Educated at St. Vincent's High School in Pune, India, as well as at Deccan College, he led a normal school life, showing no particular inclination toward spiritual matters. At the age of 19, during his first year of college, a short contact with an old Muslim holy woman Hazrat Babajan marked what he said was the beginning of his spiritual awakening. In 1915, at the age of 22, he was hailed as "Parvardigar" (Sufi for 'God as the Almighty Sustainer') by the Indian fakir Sai Baba of Shirdi. He received help from three more spiritual masters, including Upasni Maharaj, who he said revealed to him his spiritual identity as "The Ancient One" in 1921.

Meher Baba lived and traveled in company with a circle of close disciples whom he termed his "mandali" (Sanskrit for 'circle'), both men and women from whom he demanded absolute obedience. He and his mandali voluntarily assumed a life of extreme simplicity. From 1925 to the end of his life, Meher Baba remained silent, communicating by means of an alphabet board or by gesture. Meher Baba spent long periods in seclusion, often fasting, but he would intersperse these periods with wide-ranging travels, public gatherings, and works of charity, including working with lepers, the poor, and the mad. He gave many discourses, which have been collected by his followers.

In 1931 he made the first of many visits to the West. During these travels, a number of western mandali joined him. In the 1940s, along with selected mandali, he traveled incognito about India in what he called "The New Life." On February 10, 1954, Meher Baba declared that he was the Avatar (an incarnation of God).

After two automobile accidents, one in the United States in 1952 and one in India in 1956, his capacity to walk became seriously limited. In 1962 many western followers were invited to meet his Indian mandali in a series of meetings called The East-West Gathering. In 1966, Meher Baba addressed the spreading problem of drug misuse in the West, discrediting its alleged spiritual benefits. After a year of being completely confined to a wheelchair, Meher Baba died on January 31, 1969. His samadhi (tomb-shrine) in Meherabad, India has since become a place of international pilgrimage.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Teachings

Meher Baba's metaphysical views are most notably described in two books by him, Discourses and God Speaks. Meher Baba upheld the concept of nonduality, the view that diverse creation, or duality, is an illusion and that the goal of life is conscious realization of the absolute Oneness of God inherent in all animate and inanimate beings and things.

Meher Baba compares God's original state to an infinite, shoreless ocean which has only unconscious divinity — unaware of itself even though there is nothing but itself. From this state, God had the "whim" to know Himself and asked "Who am I?" In response to this question, creation came into existence. In this analogy, what was previously a still, shoreless Ocean now stirred, forming innumerable "drops" of itself or souls.

Each soul, being formed by God's whim to know Himself, contains within itself the same desire for self-knowledge. In pursuit of the answer to that question (to gain conscious divinity) each soul evolves consciousness through experience of each form in seven kingdoms of evolution, i.e. stone, vegetable, worm, fish, bird, animal, and human. The impressions gathered through experience of these forms in turn seek expression. This need for expression of accumulated impressions gained through the medium of a particular form eventually cannot be accommodated by the form the soul identifies with, necessitating that the soul abandon that form and associate with the next most complex form through which the impressions can be expressed. By this process increasing consciousness is gained.

In this way, the soul experiences (by associating with) and discards (by dissociating from) forms in all the evolutionary kingdoms. According to Meher Baba the final form of the soul's evolution of consciousness is the human form, through which medium full consciousness is attained. Only human consciousness, which is full consciousness, is capable of achieving awareness of its own divinity.

However, although consciousness is full upon the attainment of the first human form, the soul's ages-long accumulation of impressions gathered through evolution prevent it from identifying itself as God, its true being. Instead, human consciousness is preoccupied with expressing its impressions by seeking sensual experiences. Ultimately, however, through the soul's travail through numerous human incarnations encompassing the whole range of opposite human experience (e.g. man/woman, rich/poor, powerful/weak, heterosexual/homosexual etc.), the impressions accumulated through its evolution, as well as those gathered in its human lives, begin to thin and the soul's awareness of a reality beyond its own immediate desires is stirred. This is the beginning of the end of the soul's separate existence. The soul then begins to traverse an inner spiritual path, or involution, through which it gradually eliminates all impressions which cause the appearance of separateness from God.

Once all impressions are gone, the goal of knowing itself as conscious divinity is attained. The drop (soul) once again becomes merged in the Ocean (Over-soul). That is, it realizes its true divine indivisible and eternal nature. It has now answered the question of “Who am I?” with “I am God.”

Sources:

Wikipedia

Photos

A gallery of photos of the guru and/or that are related to the guru

Locations

Meherabad and Meherazad

Type:

Pilgrimage Center

Details:

Meher Baba’s Tomb (Samhadi) in Meherabad, his residence in Meherazad, Meher Pilgrim Retreat, Upper & Lower Meherabad.

The Tomb is the heart of Meherabad, and morning and evening arti are the main activities that take place there.

Phone:

+91-241-254-8733

Address:

Meher Baba Trust Offices
King’s Road, Post Bag 31,
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra 414001, India

Location Website:

http://www.ambppct.org/pilgrimage/index.php

Directions:

Meherabad is located on Daund Road six kilometers outside the city of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra State, India.

Travel by air - The nearest airports are at Pune and Aurangabad, both approximately three hours from Ahmednagar by road. The nearest international airport is Mumbai, approximately six hours by road to Ahmednagar.

Travel by rail - Located on the Daund/Manmad railway line, Ahmednagar is accessible by rail from many Indian cities, both to the north and south, including Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Local rail service to/from Pune and Mumbai is not generally convenient as the trains are slow.

Travel by road -Buses and taxis reach Ahmednagar from Pune, Aurangabad, Sholapur, and Nasik. A direct road from Mumbai, which bypasses Pune, takes about six hours in light traffic.

Etiquette:

No dressing codes except in Samhadi - No entry in shorts or sleeveless shirts. People great each other instead of with "hello" with "Jai Baba" ( = "kudos to Baba") but it is not mandatory so you can still use "hello" if you like. Ceremonies, events and meetings are usually ended with everybody saying loudly together "Avatar Meher Baba Kijey" 3 times.

Special Events:

The Dhuni - The sacred fire or dhuni is lit at Lower Meherabad on the twelfth of every month, in accordance with Meher Baba’s instructions. Participants in the ceremony are allowed to throw mental things they wish to get rid of. Very powerful ritual. The first dhuni was lit by Meher Baba himself on 10 November 1925.

Amartithi - commemorates Avatar Meher Baba’s dropping his physical form on 31 January 1969. It is the major event of the year at Meherabad. More than 10,000 overnight and 30,000 daytime visitors from all over the world participate in this major gathering from 30 January to 1 February of each year. During this 48-hour period a program of song, dance, and film continues all day and through much of the night on the stage near Meher Baba’s Tomb. The climax of the event takes place on Amartithi day itself when, for fifteen minutes, the assembled crowd keeps silence for fifteen minutes in honor of the physical passing of the Avatar of the Age at 12:15 p.m. on 31st January 1969.

Meher Baba’s Birthday - At five in the morning on 25 February, pilgrims gather at Meher Baba’s Samadhi on Meherabad Hill for prayers and song in celebration of the birth of the Ancient One. Later in the day an original drama, complete with full cast, sets, and music is staged in the Music and Arts Centre.

Daily Schedule & Opening Hours:

There is no mandatory daily schedule. On the contrary, visitors are encourage to follow their own path, what more important is that they are now in the presence of Meher Baba.

Daily activities include: Arti (Prayers and devotional songs at Meher Baba’s Tomb twice daily at 7 am and 7 pm), visits to Meherazad (Meher Baba’s residence, three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday), films, informal talks, guided walking tour and more

See more on activities at http://www.ambppct.org/pilgrimage/while_details.php

When to Go:

The Pilgrim Center and Pilgrim Retreat are closed during the hot Indian summer from March 15 to June 15 of each year.

See Weather in India according to regions and seasons.

Registration:

All overnight visitors must make reservations in advance.

Prices and Fees:

No entrance fees. Modest fees for superb accommodation and meals.

Services in Location:

The new impressive, recently built, Meher Pilgrim Retreat center provides all the facilities needed by a visitor, including laundry, medical and meals for very modest fees. There are grocery shops, kiosk, restaurant and internet place in lower Meherabad. Other things can be obtained in Ahmednagar (half an hour drive).

Accomodation:

Accomodation facilities include the new impressive, recently built, Meher Pilgrim Retreat, and the Dharmshala Hostel D and Hostel C.

The facilities are primarily dormitory style, with the Meher Pilgrim Retreat affording the most choice in types of rooms. Men and women are housed in separate sections.

Three meals a day plus tea twice a day are provided at fixed times. All food is vegetarian. A kitchen is available for those Indian visitors who prefer to cook their own food.

Maps and Pictures of Location:

Links

Avatar Meher Baba Trust

AvatarMeherBaba.org

View Video

Links to Videos:

Video of Avatar Meher Baba Trust

Books & Media

Recommended Books:

God Speaks

by Meher Baba

(Hardcover)

God Speaks is Meher Baba\'s most complete statement of the process of Creation and its purpose. This recent reprinting maintains the contents of the 1973 revised edition while presenting the material in a new style. A contemporary format makes the work attractive and easier to read for today\'s audiences.

God Speaks incorporates all of life into a spiritual saga. The only protagonist is God, and his story encompasses all individual biographies. It is God himself who becomes the three basic processes for the growth and transformation of consciousness: evolution, reincarnation and involution (the spiritual path of return to Himself).

The first phase of God\'s journey is evolution. It is initiated from a totally unconscious God as if an infinite Ocean were in a state likened to deep sleep. This unconscious God speaks the First Word \"Who am I?\". This question disrupts the limitless, undivided, absolute vacuum, and its reverberations create individualized souls, compared to drops or bubbles within the Ocean. By speaking the First Word, God establishes the process of Creation, in which he assumes evolving forms to gain increasing consciousness.

Individuality is the vehicle of this quest. Evolution marks a series of temporary answers to \"Who am I?\" The soul traverses a multitude of forms, beginning with simples gases and proceeding slowly through inanimate stone and mineral forms. These early evolutionary stages obviously have only the most rudimentary consciousness and cannot provide a satisfactory answer to God\'s original question.

The original query thus provides a continuing momentum for the drop soul to develop new forms each with greater consciousness, including the many plant and animal beings. Every evolutionary kingdom reveals new dimensions of consciousness and experience. Each also offers opportunities to gain different kinds of awareness. For example, when the soul identifies itself with varied species of fish, it experiences the world as a creature living in waterconversely, as a bird, it enriches its consciousness by flying through air.

When the drop soul finally evolves to human form, consciousness is fully developed, but an individual is still not aware of the potential of his or her consciousness.

So the original \"Who am I?\" imperative persists and inaugurates the second phase: reincarnation. Since consciousness is fully developed, there is no longer a need for evolving new forms. The individual\'s experience, gathered in early stages of evolution, is now humanized and expressed in countless lifetimes. The impulses gained in sub-human forms can play themselves out in the broader context of intelligence, emotions, choices, diverse setting and interactions with people.

But obviously no single lifetime can bear the burden of \"humanizing\" the entire evolutionary inheritance randomly or simultaneously. There must be a method for re-experiencing the pre-human legacy in manageable segments. The soul thus experiences alternately a series of opposites, organized according to themes. Accordingly, in different lives, the soul becomes male and female, rich and poor, vigorous and weak, beautiful and ugly. Through exploring the potential of these many opposites, one eventually exhausts all possible human identities and, therefore, has fully learned the entire range of human experience.

Here begins the third phase: involution, the process by which the soul returns to the full awareness of the Divine Force, which created him. As Meher Baba puts it, \"When the consciousness of the soul is ripe for disentanglement from the gross world (the everyday world of matter and forms(, it enters the spiritual path and turns inward.\"

Like evolution, involution has certain states and stages, consisting of \"planes\" and \"realms.\" But individuality continues along this spiritual path. In fact, the book quotes the Sufi saying \"There are as many ways to God as there are souls....\"

Each new plane denotes a state of being that differs from the states that proceeded it. The first three planes are within the subtle world or domain of energy, \"pran.\" There follows the fourth plane, the threshold of the mental world, where misuse of great power for personal desire can lead to disintegration of consciousness.

The fifth and sixth planes represent true sainthood, which is understood to be increasing intimacy with God as the Beloved. On the sixth plane, the mind itself becomes the inner eye that sees God everywhere and in everything. \"The loving of God and the longing for His union,\" says Meher Baba \"is fully demonstrated in the sixth plane of consciousness.\"

The seventh plane marks true and lasting freedom. Impressions go. Duality goes. The drops burst and again become the Ocean. God answers his question of \"Who am I?\" with \"I am God.\" The Infinite has returned to the original starting point. He now knows, however, with full consciousness and full awareness that he was, is and always will be infinite. And he realizes that the entire journey has been an illusory dream, the purpose of which is the full awakening of his soul.

Yet the saga is not necessarily over. Meher Baba indicates that even among God-realized souls responsibilities within Creation may differ. Most play no further active part in Creation. But a rare few make the journey back to human consciousness. Of these, five become Perfect Masters, blending divine consciousness with awareness of all beings in evolution, reincarnation and involution. These five administer the affairs of the universe. And they use their \"infinite knowledge, power and bliss for the progressive emancipation of all in the field of illusion.\"

Meher Baba differentiates these Perfect Masters, who are always on earth, from the Avatar, who is the \"that highest status of God, where God directly becomes man and lives on earth as God-man.\" He further comments that the \"Avatar is always One and the same, the eternal, indivisible, infinite One who manifests Himself in the form of man as the Avatar, as the Messiah, as the Prophet, as the Buddha, as the Ancient Onethe Highest of the High.\"

A little over a year before the first publication of God Speaks, Meher Baba officially declared himself to be that Avatara claim that amplifies the meaning of the title. To the one who accepts Meher Baba\'s position, God\'s plan is revealed vividly through these pages.

The Everything and the Nothing

by Meher Baba

(Paperback)

Discourses

by Meher Baba

(Paperback)

Recommended DVD & Video:

The East West Gathering November 1967

(VHS Tape)

This was..an event unique in history: yet it is an event for which men have long prayed and worked- the coming together of people from many parts of the world in the Name Of Love and Truth.\nMeher Baba, who, knowing everything of the East & West & North & South, brought together the East and the West in His love.

Offering Our Imperfections

(VHS Tape)

A 1994 interview with Eruch Jessawala about giving all our imperfections to Meher Baba, and a range of other topics including the necessity of befriending the mind. For a short biography of Eruch click on the underlined name above.

Bhau Kalchuri: Meher Baba's Lion

(DVD)

Meher Baba House - New York presents A Bananawallas Production Bhau Kalchuri: Meher Baba\'s Lion Conversations with an intimate disciple of the Avatar of the Age To Remember Him Three-Quarters of the World With original music videos \"Meher\'s Triangle (Dancing with the Divine)\" \"Wake Up, O People, You Wake Up\" featuring newly restored film footage of Meher Baba Plus a bonus Q&A with Bhau and audience Among the topics covered in these wide-ranging interviews: * The dream of Illusion * Meher Baba and His Manifestation * The peril of suicide English subtitles

Login or register to post Pro/Con opinion
Login or register to edit/add content to Guru profile

Narayan Maharaj

Submitted by csaibaba on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 14:13.
Tags:

Fast Facts

Other Names and Nicknames:

Narayan Maharaj of Kedgaon

Function:

Satguru

Traditions:

Guru Parampara

Main Countries of Activity:

India

Date of Birth:

20th May 1885

Place of Birth:

Bagalkot, Karnataka, India

In His/Her Body ("alive"):

No

Date Left His/Her Body:

3rd September 1945

Descendant Gurus:

Meher Baba

Biography

Narayan Maharaj was born on 20th May 1885, at Bagalkot in Karnataka. His early childhood was full of calamities. He lost his father, when he was hardly 14 months old and lost his mother when he was four. As a worldly duty his grandmother looked after him. His sacred thread ceremony was performed at the age of nine. His grandmother was planning to appoint Narayan as her heir, but it created problems with the other relations and he was also not interested in any material acquisition. He left his grandmother's place and all his relations, as he was keen on establishing the only relationship with Lord Dattatreya. After leaving home he took rest for the night in Shiva's temple, but no one came to enquire about him. This proved to be an important event to break all the worldly ties for him. Whatever is destined to take place must take place. Suffering is a great blessing in disguise, it has the ultimate objective to bring sufferer on the path of love and realisation. His life was full of hardships, trials and traumas but he had the absolute and unflinching faith and devotion for Lord Dattatreya, hence he had no fear of any kind.

There are many incidences which prove that the unseen divine hand was constantly guarding him in many ways. When he was just 12 years of age, he was residing in Lord Shiva's temple. Everyday for more than a week a tiger was coming to the temple, bowing to the Lord and touching Narayan's feet, who used to be meditating in the corner. Once when he was deep into meditation, the roof of temple collapsed. He protectively covered over the Shivalinga. The Shivlinga (Lord Shiva’s Idol) and Narayan, both were saved. Once while meditating in the riverbed seated on a big rock, the river got flooded all of a sudden, water level was increasing menacingly, however instead of flowing over the rock, water currents took the detour leaving Narayan safe and untouched.

He was going through a dense forest, where leave aside human beings even animals were hesitant to stir out. Narayan was extremely thirsty. Suddenly a horse rider came from nowhere showed him the spring water and disappeared. Once he was sleeping under the tree and a large snake encircled his legs. Fear did not enter Narayan's mind. After a while it started raining incessantly and the snake loosened its grip from his legs and went away.

Hundreds of incidents like these happened in Narayan Maharaj's life, which gave a glimpse of the Divine power standing behind him. He was asked by a Saint to go to Gangapur and serve Lord Dattatreya. He was in Gangapur for about 10 months and Lord Dattatreya showed him the definite and fearless path to achieve his cherished goal. At Gangapur he completely and earnestly surrendered to the Lord and the Lord made His abode in his heart.

While moving from place to place, he came to Bet and heard the conversation of a pair of Pingla birds, "This place was sanctified by the brief stay of Lord Ram. This is a Holy Land, where thousands will get food and true satisfaction". So the 4 hectares of land was taken by Maharaj to create the place for his divine service rendered to humanity.

He created a magnificent township in 4 hectares of land at New Bet, which was known as Narayan Nagri, adorned by the majestic temple of Lord Dattatreya. The place was abound with spiritual bliss. Lord Shiva's temple, Sadhana (Practice) place for Maharaj, a large Dharamshala (Rest house) for devotees and many small cottages were built by the devotees, who wanted to live near the Master. Distribution of free food everyday to thousands of people and chanting the Lord's name made the whole place pristine and divine.

Maharaj had all the ‘siddhis’ or spiritual powers at his command, but he never used them for himself but there are many instances where these spiritual powers came into use on their own as result of his spiritual perfection.

The voice of Smt. Anjanabai who was a singer of reputed fame was miraculously restored, a ship and its owner were rescued from the cyclone storms with his divine intervention. A famous doctor was pulled back from jaws of death by a mere glance from him. Limited food was prepared for few, when covered by Maharaj with a cloth was more than sufficient to feed thousands of people and still remained in the utensils. Drunkards were inspired to leave the alcohol forever by the mere glance. He saved a devotee and his car from falling into river by physically appearing in front of the car. He cured many incurable diseases and helped thousands of families by giving food, clothes, medicines and education.

He organised many religious ceremonies at New Bet between 1928 to 1935, when communication and transport facilities were non-existent in this remote place. He had outstanding organizational skills. The ceremonies were so flawless, perfect and divinely inspired. The scale, grandeur, serenity and purity was so profound on all these occasions that everyone felt, that God Himself was present there.

His message was very simple and practical, "Treat every being as God." Chanting of Lord’s name was so dear to his heart that his basic advice to his devotees was "Chant God’s name and experience the bliss".

His devotees were renowned Doctors, Advocates, Professors, Artists, Kings of erstwhile Indian States and Nepal and a number of foreigners. But he was a Saint for the under privileged, weaker and poor people.

He was a Perfect Master and was known far and wide. He traveled to religious places - Varanasi, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Nepal, Omkareshwar, Mahakaleswar, Rameshwar, Madurai, Chidambaram, Shiv Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi, Tirupathi, Ramakrishna Ashram, Calcutta, Banglore, Mysore, Dwarka, Somnath, Dakornath, Shri Gokarna Mabaleshwar and host of other places.

From 1942 his health started falling, for a change of weather he decided to go to Ottacmond. Whenever he used to leave on earlier occasions his parting words used to be "I will be back soon”; but this time while leaving his words were, "I am going”. But no one could grasp the meaning at that moment.

Ottacmond did not suit him. He came to Banglore and in spite of failing health he decided to organize 'Ati Rudra Swahakar' to Lord Mallickarjun (a form of Shiva). State of Mysore made outstanding arrangements. He performed the Maha Pooja (grand worship) and gave Mantra for chanting to the large gathering of the devotees and returned to his chamber without visiting 'Yajnashala' (a place for fire sacrifice) due to complete exhaustion. The whole ceremony was conducted in an exquisite style, without any slackness in the presence of around 1,00,000 devotees. After the completion of all Poojas (worships), Maharaj was given the message. He was in Padmasan (Lotus posture in Yoga). Before anyone could realise, he took a long breath and finished his mortal journey on 3rd September 1945.

Though Mysore State arranged an aircraft for carrying the body to Bet, devotees of Banglore were not ready to part with the body and wanted to have his Samadhi Mandir at Banglore. Mysore State gave two acres of beautiful land near the lake, where his mortal remains were buried and now a beautiful Samadhi, where the Sadguru is resting, came into existence.

Even today at Bet, the vibrations can be felt of the presence of this Master and He is still helping scores of devotees, who ardently call on him.

Narayan Maharaj was one of the perfect masters of Meher baba.

Photos

A gallery of photos of the guru and/or that are related to the guru

Locations

Sri Bet Narayan Maharaj ashram and Brindavan

Type:

Samadhi

Details:

This is the place in Banglore where the samdhi of Narayan Maharaj is located.

Address:

Sri Bet Narayan Maharaj ashram and Brindavan
No 70, Gavi gangadhareshwara circle ,
Banglore, Karnataka , India
Gavipura, Kempe gowda nagar

Directions:

It is opposite to Gavigangadhareshwara cave temple (1 kms from Bull temple) and near a lake called Kempambudhi tank

Maps and Pictures of Location:

Links

About Narayan Maharaj