Meher Baba's Silence Started on July 10, 1925
Meher Mount
“In this present Avataric form, I observe silence.”
AVATAR MEHER BABA communicating with a series of hand gestures that are interpreted by His followers. (Photo: Los Angeles Times, 1956)
Meher Baba’s Silence Began on July 10, 1925
On July 10, 1925, Avatar Meher Baba began His silence that lasted for 44 years until He dropped His body on January 31, 1969.
After Meher Baba started His silence, He communicated by writing on a slate board. After that, He pointed to letters on an alphabet board to spell out words. Later, he used a series of hand gestures that were interpreted by His close disciples (mandali).
Meher Baba said that His silence was not undertaken as a spiritual exercise, but solely in connection with His universal work.
About His silence, Meher Baba said:
“Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence.
”Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence. You have asked for and been given enough words - it is now time to live them.”
AVATAR MEHER BABA came out of this jhopdi (hut) in Meherabad, India, at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 1925, marking the start of His silence. Asked how He would teach in silence, Meher Baba replied, "I have come not to teach, but to awaken." (Photo: Sam Ervin)
In 1937, Meher Baba said of His silence:
“Yet I am never silent. I speak eternally. The voice that is heard deep within the soul is my voice — the voice of inspiration, of intuition, of guidance.”
Followers of Meher Baba Observe Silence on July 10
Avatar Meher Baba asked His followers to keep silence from midnight July 9th to midnight July 10th. Eruch Jessawala - one of Meher Baba's close mandali - stated the following about Silence Day [3]:
"It was Baba's order for all His lovers and applies even to this day. One can say - it was one of His few orders for posterity. In fact, there are very few orders He has left for His lovers in the world...
"If someone accidentally speaks up -- it's okay, but on realizing his mistake, he should keep silence again and be more alert. Use gestures or write on a notepad...
"All those who consider themselves Baba lovers are expected to do this."
Sources
[1] Avatar Meher Baba, "The Universal Message", (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.
[2] Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1795, accessed July 9, 2020. (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.
[3] Rustom B. Falahati, "Observing Silence Day," The Real Treasure - V: Life of a Resident with Avatar Meher Babas Mandali, (India: Joy Meher, 2013). (c) Rustom B. Falahati.