Avatar Meher Baba
INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED as the preeminent spiritual figure of this age, Meher Baba was born Merwan Sheriar Irani in Pune, India, on February 25, 1894. He was given the name Meher Baba (Compassionate Father) by his earliest devotees.
Meher Baba devoted himself to a wide range of humanitarian projects. These included model schools for children of all castes and creeds; hospitals and facilities for the poor, the mentally ill and the spiritually intoxicated (masts); and programs of spiritual training for men and women from the East and the West.
While his work was largely centered in India, he traveled widely in Asia, Europe, America, and Australia, giving his darshan (spiritual blessing) to thousands.
Meher Baba’s many discourses, messages and books articulate universal spiritual principles in clear, concise, modern language. However, he declared, “I have come not to teach, but to awaken”.
He described his primary work as internal, to stimulate and strengthen the central core of love within every human being.
Meher Baba affirmed that he is the Ancient One, the Avatar, whose charge is to lift all forces in Creation. Such a World Teacher appears at critical periods of history to revitalize the principles of divine life on earth. In the past, he has come as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. Meher Baba asserted that he was this same figure manifesting again in this age.
Since his physical passing in 1969, Meher Baba’s worldwide following has continued to increase and includes people from all walks of life and all spiritual traditions. His writings are studied widely in schools and universities, and his extraordinary life is regarded as a vivid demonstration of the spiritual possibilities of what Meher Baba called the “New Humanity”.