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~ MY FIRST REAL BIRTHDAY ~
"God's blessings and my love to you all on this my first real birthday."
"O God! To-day being my first real birthday, my heart expresses that the declaration of the "Life" by me was entirely Yours and by Your Will, because nothing happens save by Your Will.
"All my Knowledge and my ignorance, all my Strength and my weakness, all my Freedom and my bondage are as you have desired and decreed.
"This Life Eternal will be lived by me in conformity with Your Will and every word of the declaration of the "Life" will come to pass by Your Grace."
-- Meher Baba
The Life Circular No. 3.
Meherazad February 12, 1952
THE LIFE CIRCULARS OF AVATAR MEHER BABA, p. 18
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from Meher Baba Books
(Los Angeles, California) Feb-26-2016
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Hello Dear Friends and Companions:
When thinking of the birthday of Meher Baba, one may call to mind the famous words of Lord Krishna, as presented in the poetical Bhagavad Gita
(Chapter 4).
One lovely English translation gives the verses in this form: I am the birthless, the deathless, Lord of all that breathes. I seem to be born: It is only seeming, Only my Maya. I am still master Of my Prakriti [nature], The power that makes me. When goodness grows weak, When evil increases, I make myself a body. In every age I come back To deliver the holy, To destroy the sin of the sinner, To establish righteousness. He who knows the nature Of my task and my holy birth Is not reborn When he leaves this body: He comes to me. Flying from fear, From lust and anger, He hides in me His refuge, his safety: Burnt clean in the blaze of my being, In me many find home.
(
The Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Swami Prabhavananda
and Christopher Isherwood (1944))
Meher Baba's birthday is an occasion on which to celebrate the birth of the Birthless and Deathless One. What more need we say?
We hope you enjoy these small occasions for reflecting on the power of beloved Baba's words. Wishing you a great weekend in His remembrance.
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~ Celebrating Meher Baba's 122nd Birthday ~
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Photo Shazneen Irani Daroowalla
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Happy 122nd Birthday Dearest Avatar Meher Baba
"On this anniversary of My Birthday I give you My blessings for the death day of your false selves and for the Birthday in Me of your One True Self."
~ Meher Baba
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THE SLAVE OF THOSE WHO REALLY LOVE ME
I am never born, I never die. Yet, every moment, I take birth and undergo death. The countless illusory births and deaths are necessary landmarks in the progression of man's consciousness to Truth - a prelude to the Real Death and Real Birth. Real Death is when one dies to self, and Real Birth is, when dying to self, one is born in God, to live forever His eternal life consciously.
Although I am present everywhere eternally, in my formless, infinite state, from time to time I take form, and the taking of the form and leaving it is termed my physical birth and death. In this sense, I was born sixty years ago and I will die when my universal work is finished.
Your celebrating my sixtieth birthday today with all your love, enthusiasm and zeal has deeply touched me and makes me give you my blessings for the ultimate understanding that we are all one, that God alone is real and that all else is false.
All these statements and messages can lead us nowhere in the spiritual path. Reasoning and mental conviction also lead us nowhere. Even actual experience falls short of the Highest State.
The more you try to understand God, you understand Him less and less. How can He, Who is beyond all explaining, be expressed? His being infinitely easy has rendered attaining Him infinitely difficult. The secret is that you have to become what you already are.
You can know me as one of you and one in you only when the veils of separateness are lifted, and this can be done if you love me honestly and wholeheartedly. Lose yourself in Baba and you will find that you eternally are Baba. There can be no compromise in love. It has either to be full or not at all.
I say with divine authority today that I am the Ancient One and the slave of those who really love me.
Meher Baba
LORD MEHER , Vol. 11 & 12, p. 4318
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BABA'S BIRTHDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1923
The much expected day at last arrived! One by one, the guests began to arrive, and the Manzil became full with merriment and animation. The tent has been beautifully decorated by Navroz; specially a corner of it has been turned into a fairyland, with buntings, plants and flower sheets ingeniously contrived into a conclave with a pretty little settee or sofa placed there for Baba.
After taking bath upstairs, Baba came down at about 9:30. It was decided or rather agreed by Baba that for 24 hours today, he will act up to the mandali's instructions and orders! But when all desired him to sit on the specially decorated sofa he refused and brought forth apparently lame excuses. In spite of repeated requests, Baba finally sat down in the tent, and to the disappointment of all, he was garlanded there.
A very big heap of beautiful garlands, bouquets and flower baskets was accumulated around Baba. Many presents were also forced upon Baba by friends, relatives and admirers which were all distributed amongst the mandali with his own hands soon after. Thereafter, all freely indulged in feasting and frivolity. When Munshi came in the evening, he was very confident of persuading Baba to sit on the special seat. Once again, all tried to induce Baba in changing his decision, but to no purpose. Munshi too had to content himself in garlanding Baba while sitting on the ground....
The most entertaining programme of the day, that of singing, then began after supper. Three ghazal singers where brought for the occasion in which Yassin held the field to the end, and pleased Baba and all. The singing lasted till 4:30 A.M.!
As soon as the singing came to an end, most of the guests departed. The remaining went to sleep, while the mandali retired for the morning prayers. After the prayers, the mandali were allowed to sleep up to 11 o'clock. Breakfast was omitted today and all took dinner after getting up. Thereafter, a sports and playing programme was indulged in. Almost all the guests having departed, the atmosphere was more free and comfortable. Baba, too, freely participated with the mandali in the games and plays. Laughing was the order of the day. Everyone was made to laugh and laugh by Baba because he said it promoted digestion!
Ramjoo Abdulla
Ramjoo's Diaries 1922-1929, Ira G. Deitrick, editor (1979), pp. 158-159
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MEHER BABA as a young boy in 1910 on the St. Vincent's school cricket team
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-- The Three Births of the Avatar --
The first birth is the same each time the Avatar comes.
This is the human birth.
This advent it occurred in Poona on the 25th February 1894
in David Sassoon Hospital.
The child was named Merwan Irani and His parents
were Sheriar Irani and Shireenmai.
Merwan was their second son.
This is the birth of the human form
out of the protective womb of its mother
into the world of gross consciousness.
This is the first birth.
The second birth is unique to the Avatar.
It is a long and painful birth in which five Perfect Masters
act as divine midwives.
This advent it began with a kiss from an old woman
who lived under a tree.
Her name was Hazarat Babajan, a Perfect Master,
she kissed Merwan
on the forehead in May 1913, in Poona.
This kiss made Merwan lose contact
with the world of gross consciousness
and He experienced in less than a millionth of a second
His Ancient super-conscious state.
For the next nine months this state continued:
a pregnancy of Infinite Bliss.
Then began His visit to the four other Perfect Masters of His time.
In April 1915 Merwan met Narayan Maharaj
as a result of a sudden impulse.
Later that same year He met the Perfect Master Tajuddin Baba,
and in December 1915 Sai Baba of Shirdi
and Upasani Maharaj.
All the time these Perfect Masters were slowly
bringing about Merwan's second birth.
The final moment of this birth occurred when Upasani Maharaj
threw a stone which struck Merwan
on the forehead where Babajan kissed Him.
This final act made Merwan regain His experience
of gross consciousness while at the same time
retaining His experience of His super-conscious state.
This is the second birth, the Avataric birth, the birth of God-Man,
the descent of God on earth.
Of this birth and the role of His divine midwives Meher Baba
has said:
Sai Baba made me assert what I am.
Babajan made me feel what I am.
Upasni Maharaj made me know what I am.
Babajan gave me Divine Bliss.
Sai Baba gave me Divine Power.
Upasani Maharaj gave me Divine Knowledge.
I am Infinite Power, Knowledge and Bliss.
I am the Ancient One, come to redeem the modern world.
The last birth is the most mysterious birth of all
for it is not bound by any time frame nor place.
It is the birth of the Ancient One, this time Meher Baba,
in our own hearts:
His awakening of Himself in each of us.
But how can we know this birth in us is taking place?
This time we only have to think of the mandali,
consider their qualities of love and compassion
which Meher Baba awoke in them.
They are our measure
of self-effacement,
of one-pointed dedication,
of selflessness,
of service,
of tolerance,
of openness to everyone.
In them we can see Meher Baba's third birth taking place
and our own potential humanness made manifest.
By: Ross Keating
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-- TO WASH HIS FEET --
On Baba's 31st birthday in February 1925 we were to get up at around 2 a.m., but at that hour I could not open my eyes. "What's happening, please?" I asked when awakened. "Hurry, Mehera, get up. It's Baba's birthday!" the girls told me. "Oh, yes, Baba's birthday," I remembered, and I jumped out of my bedding and quickly got ready.
It is our tradition to make pretty designs with powdered coloured chalk on the ground at the entrance of the house, and to hang freshly-made garlands over the doorway on special occasions. So in the early, early morning I helped with the chalk designs and made the garland for the doorway.
In 1925 Baba's birthday was celebrated down the Hill. As I have said, in those days the Hill was out-of-bounds, and no one was allowed to cross the railway line.
Baba had His bath quite early, and then my sister's husband, Rustom, picked Him up in his arms and carried Him to a chair. Baba looked so sweet with His beautiful hair loose, but it was cold at that hour of the day and He must have been feeling chilly after taking a bath and then sitting in the open with just a thin sadra on. Someone, realising this, put a shawl around Baba.
Handfuls of people from Ahmednagar, Arangaon, and Poona had gathered at Meherabad for Baba's birthday, and each one wanted to wash Baba's feet. A big basin was placed under His feet, and the men's turn was first. One by one they poured a little water on Baba's feet, and then touched them. Baba was gesturing, "Hurry, hurry." He did not want people to make a fuss about taking His darshan and kissing His feet. He always wanted everything to be fast. And Baba sat in the cold and allowed this, because His devotees wanted to wash His feet and to celebrate His birthday.
Then the women were called. So we girls, one by one, poured water on Baba's feet and lightly touched them. Some splashed the water that had touched Baba's feet on their faces and their eyes. For the first time Baba allowed us to wash His feet on His birthday.
-- Mehera J. Irani
1989 © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust
- MEHERA, pp. 79-80
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-- WHERE THERE IS LOVE THERE IS ONENESS --
The reason of my coming here all the way from one end of the country to the other [is] to participate personally in your celebrations
[Meher Baba's fortieth birthday, Saidapeth, Madras, February, 1934] is your Love that has irresistibly drawn me to you.
Love is a mighty force. It not only enables one to put the ideal of selfless service into practice, but would transform one into God. With Love one can follow any of the Yogas most suitable to his or her temperament. It will enable an aspirant to follow the rigid principles underlying the spiritual path, and where and when necessary makes him turn his back to the worldly pleasures for the sake of union with the Beloved.
Where there is Love there is Oneness, and there can be no question of any particular religion or caste or system, superiority or inferiority, and touchability or untouchability. That these distinctions are not real has been proved in a way by the recent earthquake tragedy. The earthquake in Bihar was simply a manifestation of one of the laws of nature. And that disaster spared none, rich or poor, high or low, belonging to this religion or that. It was not divine wrath. It is an eye-opener to the fact that where God and His laws are concerned there is no question of caste, creed or country.
But to realize this natural equality permanently one has to submit to the greatest law of God, which is Love. It holds the key to all problems in as much as under this law the Infinite is realized completely for all times in every walk of life, be it science, art, religion, or beauty. May the world realize this highest aspect of Divinity more and more.
-- MEHER BABA ON LOVE, pp. 79-80, ed. K. K. Ramakrishnan
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India : Arnavaz and Nariman. Courtesy of "Gift of God"
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-- BABA WAS DELIGHTED --
Nariman and I decided we would give Beloved Baba a car for His birthday in 1960. My brother Huma found a dark blue 1956 De Soto in excellent condition with only one previous owner, and he thought it was the ideal car for Baba, so we bought the De Soto and had Huma drive it to Meherazad on Baba's birthday.
On the way he stopped and bought flowers to decorate the car, then drove it right to the front of the bungalow at Meherazad. Mehera brought Baba from the dining table to the porch, pretending she wanted to show him something else. When He saw the car, Baba was delighted. Nariman had also written a poem for Baba, which he sent along with the car:
Two tiny creatures
have gathered courage
to offer,
To the Lord
of this universe
our Beloved Baba
On this day of days
His Birthday,
this insignificant gift -
and pray
He in His infinite mercy,
and grace
accepts it.
It being understood that,
the one who steers it
and the water that propels it
be borne by us,
till breath do us part.
a. n.
Although Baba was no longer traveling as extensively as He once had, He used the car until 1968 to go to and from Poona, where He had begun spending every summer, April through June. Shanta Devi, the Maharani of Baroda, had given Baba the use of Guruprasad, her summer palace, where He gave darshan to large and small groups until He began periodically going into seclusion in 1967.
-- Arnavaz Dadachanji
-- GIFT OF GOD, pp. 165-166
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-- Universal Toddy Shop --
Welcome to the Toddy Shop! -- where you can stop by each week to enjoy some amusing or charming anecdote from Beloved Baba's life.
The original toddy shop was run by Merwan Seth (later known as Meher Baba) during the period when His Consciousness was being perfected by Sadguru Upasni Maharaj, and in the early years of His universal spiritual work.
Kasba Peth bhajan room in Poona -- photo by Barbara Connors
courtesy of Meher Baba Travels website
~~ A GOOD LAUGH FOR BABA ~~
Sometimes people ask, "What was the most humorous event you can remember with Meher Baba?" There were many humorous incidents I can recall. And Baba's sense of humor was so perfect that even relatively minor things could become a source of great amusement for us all. But I happen to recall one time when Baba was greatly amused at something. Would you like to hear it? 
It so happened that we were on a mast tour. On this particular occasion we were traveling by car, and I was driving. Baba sat beside me on the front seat. We were driving through a town and we were just on the outskirts when the crowd on the road became very dense. There were so many people in front of us that we could barely move.
I was concentrating on inching the car forward, trying to find a path through the sea of humanity, impatient because Baba was always in a hurry when we traveled, and I thought He would not be pleased at this unexpected delay. But as I was driving I suddenly became aware of Baba's body shaking. I could feel the vibrations of the car seat, and I glanced over and saw that Baba was laughing heartily.
In fact, more heartily than I had ever seen Him laugh before. Of course, Baba made no sound when He laughed, but He would go red in the face and His body would shake with the laughter contained inside. When I saw Baba in such a mood, I was so surprised that I asked Him why He was laughing. Baba pointed to the side of the road.
Up ahead, where Baba was pointing, was a shrine of some saintly person. That was why there were so many people on the road. Apparently it was the anniversary of this saintly person's death and so many people were coming to bow down and pay their respects.
"Yes, Baba," I said, not able to see what was so funny. Baba pointed to someone in the crowd. There were so many people it was hard for me to know whom Baba was pointing to. Baba gestured that the man was wearing a hat and a coat but there were many who were. "That man?" I asked as I described the man I thought Baba meant.
Baba shook His head, "No," and pointed again, "Oh, that man who's just about to bow at the shrine?" Baba nodded, "Yes," and then gestured, "He is bowing down to himself."
From this I understood that in a previous life, that man had been the saintly person that all had come to honor. But see the fun. The saintly person, in a new incarnation, had also come and was now bowing down in reverence to his own tomb! This fun in illusion was a great joke for Baba.
Eruch Jessawala
THAT'S HOW IT WAS, pp. 271-272
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Open Up The Door Song
Sung by Buz Connor at Avatars Abode Anniversary 2005.
This song was written by Meher Babas sister Mani.
-- Not We But One --
Deborah Ash, Billy Goodrum and Reza Ebrahimzadeh
Meher Baba's 120th Birthday Celebration in
AMBCSC (Meherabode) on Feb 23, 2014
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The new Meherabode Gazette is out!
Autumn Issue No. 7:
Including contributions from Charles Haynes, Bill Le Page, Ward Parks, Tim Garvin, David Raphael Israel and more. The main theme of this issue is an exploration of Meher Baba's mystical utterance "I will turn the key." Check it out!
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The Life of Avatar Meher Baba's Sister, Mani
by Heather Nadel
2-Volume, Hardcover Set, 1,170 pages ($95)
This lovely biography of Mani is now available.
Manija S. Irani (1918-1996), Meher Baba's younger sister, and one of His closest disciples, was a vivacious personality, a gifted writer, a sensitive musician, and an integral participant in all phases of Meher Baba's spiritual work. Long awaited, Heather Nadel's detailed, two-volume biography of Mani has at last been published.
The Valiant Life of Charles B. Purdom,
by Bob Mossman
Paperback, 386 pages ($25)
Charles Purdom (1883-1965), a British author, drama critic, town planner, and economist, was Meher Baba's early biographer, having written The Perfect Master(1936), the first detailed biography of the Master published in English, followed by The God-Man: The Life, Journeys, and Work of Meher Baba (1964, 1971, 2010), which remains a valuable biography. Purdom also edited God to Man and Man to God(1955) an edition of Meher Baba's Discourses.
Size: 11 x 9" folded, 11 x 18" open ($13.50)
New CD by Jim Meyer ($15)
For nearly 50 years, Jim Meyer has been involved in singing and recording music dedicated to Meher Baba: he has performed at numerous Baba functions world wide. In December, 1968, Meher Baba designated Jim as one of His "chief young lover workers" in the USA and England.
Why Do We Suffer?
Intensive Seminar by Ward Parks
4 DVD Set ($30)
In July 2015 Beloved Archives hosted a two-day intensive in Hamilton, New Jersey, on Avatar Meher Baba's teachings on Suffering and the Conditions of Happiness. The Intensive titled, "Why Do We Suffer?" was conducted by Dr. Ward Parks. The 4-DVD set is approximately 9 hours long.
a novel by Tim Garvin
Paperback, 400 pages ($14)
When Bluey Macintosh adds a Bengal tiger named Bhajan to his mobile zoo, he is merely trying to change a few minds-maybe even a few hearts. But Bhajan, raised by an Indian mast, one of the so-called god-intoxicated, has a different plan. He intends to change the world. And does.
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Don't Miss This one.
New uploaded film with very rare footage of
Meher Baba in Guruprasad
Goodbye. See you in two weeks.
Keep well and Happy in Beloved Baba's remembrance.
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Meher Baba Books (Los Angeles)
www.meherbababooks.com
Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California
1214 S. Van Ness Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90019
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