"I am never born, I never die."
Meher Mount
In 1954, Avatar Meher Baba celebrated His birthday in Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India.
At 4:45 a.m. on the morning of February 25th, Meher Baba went to the bungalow of Dr. Dhanapathy Rao in Tadepalligudem. He entered a hall where no one was allowed except the mandali (close disciples), K.D.R.M.[1} and Dhanapathy's family. The doors were closed and exactly at 5:00 A.M., the hour of Meher Baba's birth, Eruch Jessawala[2] read out the Prayer of Repentance[3] in English. Then, the prayer was read by Ramjoo Abdulla[4] in Urdu and by Dhakephalkar Ramchandra (Dhake)[5] in Marathi.
At 7:00 a.m., after a brief rest, Meher Baba was taken through the town in a long procession. His car was decorated with flowers, and a band led the way playing lively music. There were shouts of "Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!" and "Bhagwan [God] Meher Baba Ki Jai!" Men and women hurried out of their homes to garland Meher Baba.
AVATAR MEHER BABA
The procession returned to Dr. Rao’s residence, and Meher Baba took His seat in the pandal (temporary awning) that had been erected in front of Dhanapathy’s residence. At 9:30 a.m., Meher Baba had Ramjoo read the following message[6]:
“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 60 years ago and I will die when my Universal work is finished.
Your celebrating my 60th 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 all are one, that God alone is real and that all else is false.”
Footnotes
[1] K.D.R.M. represents the four members of a committee appointed by Meher Baba in 1953 who were responsible for His work in Andhra Pradesh. The members were: Kutumba Sastri, Dhanapathy Rao, Ranga Rao and Mallikarjuna.
[2] Eruch Behramsaw Jessawala (Eruch), was a primary interpreter of Meher Baba’s signs and gestures. As the “Tongue of God,” he was well known for his deep understanding of Meher Baba’s life and work. Hundreds of seekers came to hear him speak of Meher Baba.
[3] Prayer of Repentance was given by Meher Baba on November 8, 1952, and is one of three prayers recited twice a day at Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine in Meherabad, India, as part of the morning and evening arti.
[4] Abdul Karim Ramjoo Abdulla (Ramjoo) traveled widely with Meher Baba on His mast tours and during the New Life. Very often Meher Baba asked him to read His messages and prayers in darshan programs.
[5] Dhakephalkar Moreshwar Ramchandra (Dhake) was a teacher in the Hazrat Babajan School in Meherabad, India, organized by Meher Baba.
[6] Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pp. 3475-3477, accessed February 18, 2019. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.