"...a fresh dimension of Baba's spiritual work has commenced."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Amartithi - January 31st - the day Avatar Meher Baba dropped His physical form...

Why do followers of Meher Baba celebrate this day? See what Bal Natu (1919-2003), a close disciple of Meher Baba, has to say about this important event.

The photo is from the first Amartithi on January 31, 1970 on Meherabad Hill, India, near Meher Baba's Samadhi (Tomb Shrine). Close disciples Mehera J. Irani (Meher Baba's closest woman disciple) (right) and Mani S. Irani (Meher Baba's sister) (left) are shown remembering Meher Baba.

“My personal feeling is that... a fresh dimension of Baba’s spiritual work has commenced. The veiling of Meher Baba’s body heralded the beginning of a new adventure in love.

It was as if Baba had decided that the time had come to hide His physical form from our sight so that His divine presence could blossom all the more in our hearts.

The Ancient One, in each of His Advents, veils His form at an appointed time, so that humanity may be able to experience His formlessness in a multitude of beguiling ways...”

— Avatar Meher Bal Natu, The Samadhi: Star of Infinity

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Note - Avatar

"When God manifests on earth in the form of man and reveals His Divinity to mankind, He is recognized as the Avatar - the Messiah - the Prophet. Thus, God becomes man," Meher Baba explained.

Meher Baba declares He is the same Ancient One known in the past as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed.

“Nothing is real but God. Nothing matters but love for God,” says Meher Baba, affirming the timeless message delivered by the Avatar, age after age.

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Sources

• Quote: Bal Natu, The Samadhi: Star of Infinity. (North Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Press), pg. 76. ©1997 by Sheriar Foundation.

• Photo: Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India. Photographed by Meelan. Used with permission. Painting of Avatar Meher Baba by Srimati Sarala Devi.

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"Your treasure is the envy of kings."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the December 22nd celebration of the birthday of Mehera J. Irani (1907-1989), Avatar Meher Baba’s divine female counterpart…

In each Avataric advent, when God manifests on earth as man, He has a female disciple who personifies absolute purity and one-pointed love for Him. She sets the example for all mankind on how to love God as He ought to be loved.

In this photo, Mehera J. Irani is garlanding a bust of Avatar Meher Baba in Meherabad, India.

Bhau Kalchuri, a close disciple of Meher Baba, wrote this ghazal to Mehera for her birthday in 1967.

“What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.”

— Bhau Kalchuri, Song for Mehera's Birthday, 1967

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Song for Mehera’s Birthday, 1967
By Bhau Kalchuri

[Chorus:]
What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.

Love, sacrifice, devotion, and prayer –
One should learn their true meaning from you.

To dance to every tune of the Beloved
Is your sole desire in life.

How fortunate you are, O Goddess
To be that which makes the Beloved yours.

[Chorus]

You are the beautiful, smiling bud of his garden;
Bhaunra buzzes nearby, serenading you.

He composes couplets & sings them for you.
Your every breath draws him near.

Your life is blessed to be bound by love;
Such a life is better than liberation.

[Chorus]

Your goal is to see that the Beloved is pleased;
You breathe for this purpose alone.

You are filled by the pain of separation,
But within it lies the smile of Union.

Though you bear the infinite agony of longing,
Springtime blossoms wherever you step.

What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.

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Notes

• Bhaunra: a large black bee, thought to be enamored with the lotus flower; symbolic of marriage.

• Springtime denotes bliss, which is present in the pain of longing for the Beloved.

• “Song for Mehera’s Birthday, 1967” written by and translated from Hindi by Bhau Kalchuri; edited by David Fenster.

• A ghazal (or gazal) is a poetic form originating in 6th-century Arabia, and later adapted by Persian, Urdu and Indian cultures. The ghazal is characterized by rhyming couplets that are thematically linked and often self-contained. The poetry explores themes of love (both divine and earthly), loss, longing, and mysticism, and are often set to music.

• Meher Irani's birthday is celebrated on December 22nd, although she was born on January 7, 1907. In 1968, Meher Baba directed that her birthday be celebrated on December 22nd, which aligned with the Zoroastrian calendar that year.

Sources

• Poem: David Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance, E-Book Edition: April 2016, Vol. III, Appendix, pg. 601. (Ahilyanager, India: Meher Nazar Publications) ©David Fenster 2007.

• Photo: Mehera J. Irani garlanding a bust of Avatar Meher Baba. ©Meher Nazar Publications. Used with permission. Photographer: David Fenster, 1977.

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