Merwan Sheriar Irani , known as Meher Baba, was born in Poona, India, on February 25, 1894, of Persian parents. His father, Sheriar Irani, was of Zoroastrian faith and a true seeker of God. Merwan went to a Christian high school in Poona and later attended Deccan College. In 1913 while still in college, a momentous event occurred in his life… the meeting with Hazrat Babajan, an anciaent Mohammedan woman and one of the five Perfect Masters of the Age. Babajan gave him God-Realization and made him aware of his high spiritual destiny.
Eventually he was drawn to seek out another Perfect Master, Upasni Maharaj, a Hindu who lived in Sakori. During the next seven years Maharaj gave Merwan “Gnosis” or Divine Knowledge. Thus Merwan attained spiritual Perfection. His spiritual mission began in 1921 when he drew together his first close disciples. It was these early disciples who gave him the name Meher Baba, which means “Compassionate Father.”
After years of intensive training of his disciples, Meher Baba established a colony near Ahmednagar that is called Meherabad. After constructing living quarters for themselves, Meher Baba and his followers went on to build a free school, free hospital, medical dispensary, and dormitories for pilgrims. No distinctions were made between high castes and untouchables; all mingled in common fellowship per Baba’s wishes. To the inhabitants of Meherabad who spanned a range of nationalities, educational backgrounds, and religions, Baba imparted moral discipline, love for God, spiritual understanding, and selfless service.
Meher Baba told his disciples that from July 10, 1925 he would observe silence. He maintained this silence until the end of his life. He communicated at first by means of an alphabet board and later by hand gestures. Meher Baba said, “When I break my silence, the impact will jolt the world out of its spritual lethargy.” However Baba left his physical body without doing so, leading to much speculation. Some feel that the breaking of his silence has yet to manifest, while others feel that it is constantly happening on a personal level as God awakens in the hearts of individuals.
An important part of Meher Baba’s work through the years was to contact and personally serve hundreds of those known in India as “masts.” These are advanced souls who have lost their hold on the world and exist in a state of direct awareness of God. Over a span of decades Meher Baba traveled thousands of miles to remote places throughout India, on a mission to personally contact each living mast. Other vital work consisted of caring for the mentally ill and providing the necessities of life to villagers in the area around Meherabad, as well as in other parts of India.
On January 31, 1969, Avatar Meher Baba dropped his physical body. A celebration called Amartithi (deathless day) commemorates the anniversary in a major gathering at Meherabad attended by more than 10,000 visitors from January 30 to February 1 of each year. Likewise, centers like ours in New England celebrate Amartithi annually, and everyone is welcome to participate. Watch for upcoming programs like Amartithi, Baba’s Birthday, and Silence Day under Upcoming Events in the sidebar of this site.