PRAYER
Meherwan Rinpoche



Meherwan Rinpoche


Meherwan Rinpoche (1894-1969) would from time to time


explain a little about prayer to his companions. 


He composed a number of prayers for them, a 


few of which have been collected here. Sometimes 


he would arrange a prayer meeting and join them


in prayer. The Master, who is also known as 


Meher Baba, explained that, being one with Truth, 


he did not pray for himself, but on behalf 


of others who were in need.




                            


      




                 For a Key to Abbreviations, scroll 


                   down to the bottom of the page. 







Padri:  God is omnipresent and omniscient, so why 
pray for his blessing?



Meher Baba:  God is omnipresent, but he plays with 
closed eyes. He is inattentive, so 

he needs to be awakened by prayer.



             26 December 1951, Meherabad


             LM10 p3754







"I am the one who listens to your prayers."



             Meher Baba 


             GG6 p52










                           SEVEN NAMES OF GOD



"Meher Baba had given the following one line prayer 
to be recited by the Mandali 

every afternoon for an hour and a half:



                   Khuda


                   Paramatma


                   Allah


                   Ahuramazd


                   Ram


                   Yezdan


                   Hu



"This was to be preceeded and followed by the 
singing of the Arti which he had 

composed at the toddy shop in Kasba Peth years 
before."



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM2 p607 (April 1924, 
Meherabad)





A second version was given later:



                  Hari


                  Paramatama


                  Allah 


                  Ahuramazd 


                  God 


                  Yezdan


                  Hu









"The following couplet was composed by Baba to be 
jointly recited by the ashram boys 

daily at the appointed hours: 



'Hari, Paramatma, Allah, 


Ahuramazd, God, Yezdan, Hu.'"



  G. L. Pawar, RD p518 (16 June 1927, 
Meherabad)







"On June 16th this simple prayer of seven names of 
God, representing the world's 

religions, was composed by Baba for the ashram 
boys to recite every day:



'Hari, Paramatma, Allah, 


Ahuramazd, God, Yezdan, Hu.'



"In the morning, one boy would first recite the names 
of God alone, and then all the 

boys would join in together, chanting the prayer for 
fifteen minutes or half an hour. 



"The prayer would be recited for five minutes before 
and after classes, all the boys 

standing with folded hands and facing the sun."



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM3 p948 


 (16 June 1927, Meherabad)







Part of the boys' schedule:



"5 a.m.: Rise from bed. After washing, they were to 
chant the Seven Names of God 

prayer (This prayer was also sung before each meal 
in the dining hall)."



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM3 p960




More than 170 boys were enrolled in the school in 
1927 (LM3 p960)







"... Baba had instructed his lovers to chant the prayer 
of the different names of God, 



'Hari, Paramatma, Allah, Ahuramazd, God, Yezdan, 
Hu,' 



for a certain period every day. Baba had given the 
melody for this prayer, and it held 

great significance."



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM8 p2759 


 (December 1941?)








                                       BUJAVE NAAR



An Arti is a devotional song sung to a Perfect Master. 
Meher Baba's Mandali wanted 

an Arti in Gujerati that they could sing before Baba. 
Baba told them to write one. 

Several were attempted, but none of the songs 
satisfied Baba. Finally Baba wrote a 

Gujerati arti on January  11, 1926, entitled Bujave 
Naar. These is an English 

translation:




O God, command that the fire of our ignorance be 
extinguished.



Your lovers yearn for you to bestow upon them the 
light of faith.



O Murshid Meher Baba, we lay our heads at your 
feet.



O Meher Baba, you have made yourself perfectly 
aware of your Godhood.



You are the lord of Truth, you are the beloved and 
lover in one.



Being the torrent of infinite knowledge, you are the 
ocean of oneness.



O Master, bestow upon us, the wayfarers, the 
knowledge of Ezad


(the only one worthy of worship)



For you, O Paramatma, are omniscient, and are 
divine knowledge itself.



Give us to drink of the cup of God's love that we 
become intoxicated.



O Saki, we offer our lives in sacrifice to you - give us 
this draught.



Only if you steer our ship while in mid-ocean can we 
remain afloat.



O Meher Baba, the captain of our ship, you are our 
protector.



O Meher Baba, the captain of our ship, you are our 
protector.



 translated by Adi K. Irani


 From a booklet, 'Avatar Meher Baba's 


 Arties with Translations'





Another English translation:



O God, command that the fire of ignorance be 
extinguished.


Bestow upon your lovers the light of faith for which 
they long.



O Master Meher Baba, we lay our heads at your feet.


O Meher Baba, you are the one who knows the 
original state of God.



You are the lord of truth,


You are the lover and beloved in one.


You are the torrent of infinite knowledge


and the ocean of oneness.



O beloved, bestow upon us seekers the knowledge 
of Ezad.


For you, Paramatma, are omniscient, divine 
knowledge itself.



Intoxicate us by making us drink from the cup of love 
divine.


O Saki, promise us a cup of wine -  


We offer our lives in sacrifice to you.



Our ship founders in mid-ocean - 


Only if you steer can we remain afloat.


O Meher Baba, you are our captain and protector.



 translated by Bhau Kalchuri? 


 LM3 p773-774









                             TUKARAM, TUKARAM



"On April 30th, a group of Hindu pilgrims passed by 
Meherabad chanting loudly, 

'Tukaram... Tukaram... Tukaram.' They were on 
pilgrimage to Pandharpur. Hearing 

their chant, Baba remarked,



"Even if those people were to dance and sing 
bhajans for a hundred years, it would 

have no value. What is essential is deep devotion, 
without which all else is worthless. 

'Tukaram' comes out of their mouths, but he is not in 
their hearts."



"Baba nevertheless directed the Mandali to feed the 
pilgrims."



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM3 p790 


 (30 April 1927, Meherabad)



  






                                I AM EVERYTHING



I am the worshipper


I am the worship


and I am the one


worthy of adoration.



I am the fire


I am the spark


and I am the smoke.



I am everything.




"I repeat this prayer every night. I pray to myself and 
bow down to myself. Why? For 

worldly people, so that God may make them worthy 
of emancipation. And who is God? 

I myself.



 Meher Baba, 4 December 1927, Meherabad, 
LM3 p991









                         PEOPLE DON'T WANT GOD



"During this period, Padri once brought a qawaal 
singer to the P. W. D. bungalow to 

entertain Baba. Baba met with him for awhile, and 
the man said, 



'How good is my luck that I have met you today. I 
wish someday to compose ghazals 

and sing them before you, Hazrat.' 



Baba replied, 'If you want to sing, sing now, as I am in 
the mood to listen to music.'



But the man said, 'Hazrat, forgive me. Now is the time 
for my namaz (prayers). I must 

leave or I'll be late.'



Baba motioned, 'Then go and offer your prayers.'



The qawaal left to go to the mosque, and Baba 
caustically remarked, 



'People don't want God, they want namaz. What can 
poor God do? God wants to give 

them God, but they want to pray.'"



 Bhau Kalchuri, LM7 p 2307 


 (August? 1938, Ahmednagar?)







              YOU ARE FORMLESS, PARVARDIGAR



Baba gave a chant to be sung daily 


by his women Mandali:



You are formless, Parvardigar, Ahuramazd, Allah, Hu


You are Yezdan, you are God, Ahuramazd, Allah, Hu


You are Paramatma, Parabrahma, 


You are almighty God, Ishwar,


You are Parameshwar, Ezad, Ahuramazd, Allah, Hu.



 Meher Baba, October? 1940


 Meherabad, LM7 p2622





Referring to this prayer-song, Baba explained:



"Ezad means the one who is the first - God the 
omnipotent, omniscient and 

omnipresent. There are millions of names of God, But 
those that have a sound effect 

are few. Every sound you make, every thought you 
think, good or bad, stays. But that 

sound which results in feeling has force behind it 
which helps or hurts others.



"All this noise of guns, bombs and airplanes, etc., of 
war, will be utilised for the spiritual 

life of the world in the future. Yes, it all stays. It cannot 
go. Where can it go? It is like 

water which evaporates, forms into clouds, and then 
comes down again as rain. But 

you all must sing the song of God's names together 
with rhythm and timing to produce 

an effect.



"When the name of God is sung with feeling and 
rhythm, it even has the effect of 

temporarily bringing down the Majzoobs from their 
superconscious state. Abdul Baba 

of Bombay was a known Majzoob. He was always 
unconscious, did not eat or drink 

anything, simply lay unconscious. But when one 
singer would come to his door every 

day singing 'Allah Hu, Allah Hu' in rhythm, within half 
an hour Abdul Baba would come 

down to consciousness, begin to look about, talk, eat, 
and then again merge into his 

former state."



 Meher Baba, ll October 1940 


 Meherabad, LM7 p2622









  I AM THE ONE WHO LISTENS TO YOUR PRAYERS



"Kohiyar's father was a very devout Zoroastrian who 
habitually spent long hours in 

prayers. He had heard of Baba as far back as the 
1930s, and though not devoted to 

Baba, he did regard him as a saint. It was another 
fifteen years, however, before he or 

any of his family saw Baba in person. 



"This good fortune finally befell them in August 1947, 
when Baba was giving darshan 

in a villa in the cantonment area of Satara... By the 
time they reached the villa in the 

early afternoon, a good-sized crowd had gathered in 
the hall where Baba was seated. 

Singers were entertaining Baba with bhajans as the 
darshanites lined up to great 

him... 



"Baba called Kohiyar's father to him. As he 
approached, Baba raised his right arm and 

put his thumb to his index finger, (a gesture) meaning 
'a good person.' Baba gave him 

an orange as prasad. Then, without using the 
alphabet board, but relying on gestures, 

Baba conveyed to him, 



'I am the real one. I am the one who listens to your 
prayers. I am very happy to see 

you. Remember me.'



"In this way Baba responded to the old man's long 
years of devotion."



 Bal Natu, GG6 p51-52



(The man's last name was Satarawalla, and his son 
Kohiyar became a close devotee 

of Meher Baba.)









                       GREAT SECLUSION PRAYER



May God, 


whom the Muslims call Allah, 


whom the Zoroastrians call Ahurmazd, 


whom the Hindus call Ishwar Paramatma, 


and whom many others call by many other names, 



may he whose union the lovers seek in self-
annihilation, 


whom the seers see as the only reality, 


and whom the knowers know as their own real self, 



may this supreme conscious being, 


this conscious soul of souls, 


who eternally manifests as Avatar and Perfect 
Masters,



may he through his all-merciful act bestow on us his 
grace, 


and may he solve all our difficulties by the end of this 
year, 


and may he decide everything for us by the end of 
this year, 


and may he, according to Baba's circular of 1949, 


finish everything by the end of this year, 


to enable Baba to break his silence in the beginning 
of next year, 


to speak the one and the last word of all-embracing 
divinity.



Amen


Aamin


Tathastu




 Meher Baba, July 1949, Meherazad


 'Meher Baba in the Great Seclusion' 


 by Ramjoo Abdulla, p17


 Also GG2 p45



* Amen, Aamin, Tathastu = So be it.





This prayer was read out in Baba's presence before 
a gathering at Meherazad on 

August 1, 1949 in English, Marathi, Gujerati and 
Urdu. A number of people who had 

observed silence and a partial fast during the month 
of July had been invited. After the 

reading of the last translation, all those present 
ended their individual silence with 

Amen, Aamin or Tathastu. Baba distributed rava, a 
sweet dish, to all, thus ending their 

fasts.








                           TOMORROW BE DAMNED



"For saying good night before retiring, Baba has 
asked Dr. Ghani to repeat in a sing-

song voice the following words in Urdu language:



"Old life has passed in different ways.


Today also has passed somehow.


Tomorrow be damned - who cares?"


 


 Abdul Ghani, November 1949  


    'Diary of the New Life of 


 Meher Baba and His Companions'


 by Abdul Ghani Munsiff, p85-86





Another version:



Yesterday passed somehow.


Today passes by this way.


To hell with tomorrow!



 Aw 19:2 p9









                         PRAYER OF SURRENDER



              "O God, I leave my fate in your hands."




Jamnadas, the mahant (headman) of the village of 
Manjri Mafi, had been sentenced to 

prison for shooting and killing two villagers in a 
dispute. He was released temporarily 

because he was sick with tuberculosis. He was to 
report back to prison on June 17, 

1950, to continue serving his sentence.



On April 20, 1950, Baba asked Jamnadas, "Would 
you sincerely and faithfully carry out 

two instructions I give you?"



Jamnadas said he would. Baba continued, 



"Then don't worry in the least about your permanent 
release from prison until the very 

last minute of your going back to prison on June 
17th. And every night, before going to 

bed, offer this heartfelt prayer:



              O God, I leave my fate in your hands."



Jamnadas agreed to follow the two instructions. 
Baba told him, 



"I feel inwardly that if you obey these instructions 
faithfully, God will not fail you."



On June 14th a government order was received that 
Jamnadas had been permanently 

released from prison. Baba was the one to tell him 
the news. Baba left for Kalyan and 

Satara the same day.



 Manjri Mafi (now Meher Mafi) 


 near Dehra Dun, LM10 p3596








                      A PRAYER BEFORE SPEAKING



"Baba sent me and Pendu on a tour of six months to 
India and Pakistan for Baba work, 

beginning from the 1st April 1953, at Meherazad. 
Baba told me to repeat the following 

prayer before addressing the people each day:



"O God


Baba is sending us 


both in your name and Baba's, 


and we ask that your will be done in this work."



 Eruch Jessawala, Aw 19:2 p12








                                     TO ALL AVATARS



To all Avatars


all God's Messengers


all Perfect Masters


all Sadgurus


all Qutubs


all Walis


all friends of God


all Saints


all lovers of God


I bow down



 


 Meher Baba 


 1953, Dehra Dun


 Aw 19:2 p12








      OBEISANCE TO THE FIVE PERFECT MASTERS



Baba had one of the Mandali read out the following, 
and then he would bow down:



"O Ahura Mazda, please accept the obeisance that is 
from Baba to his five Perfect 

Masters: Sai Baba, Babajan, Upasani Maharaj, 
Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan 

Maharaj."



 Meher Baba, 1953








                                       SALUTATIONS



"My salutations to all the past, present and future 
Perfect Masters, Qutubs, Majzoobs, 

masts, lovers and seekers of God. I today remember 
with my love, in accordance with 

their love and faith, the following physically departed 
lovers of mine..."



 Meher Baba, 19 June 1953, Dehra Dun




Eruch Jessawala explained that after this statement 
was read, "a complete list of 

departed Baba lovers was read out while Baba stood 
silently with the other Mandali." 

(Aw 19:2 p12) For the list of names read out, see 
Book Three: Followers.







                              PRAYER FOR THE ROAD



"As for some of the different prayers he gave us, here 
is one written in Gujerati. Its a 

'Prayer for the Road During Manonash Wandering,' 
given to us in November 1951. 

Who will now translate this into English? It would 
take a lot of time... but it's so 

beautiful... It shows us how he became a simple 
human being aspiring for God. Do you 

know what Manonash means? It means the 
annihilation of the mind. Who annihilates 

the mind? A person who has a mind, who is striving 
to seek God, who is a seeker and 

is imploring the Lord to help him. So you see, Baba 
becomes all that. He is all, 

everything, on all planes. He's here, and he as a 
seeker now dictates the following 

prayer.



So there was a period of four months when we were 
traveling when Baba began the 

Manonash phase and came here. We had to recite 
the prayer here in the Manonash 

Cabin. So now you see the conditions for such 
prayers. See how Baba became a 

seeker, see how he implores the Lord to help him."



 Eruch Jessawala, 1980, Meherazad, Aw 19:2 
p8-9



    




                           PRAYER FOR THE ROAD 


              DURING MANONASH WANDERING



O Parvardigar


O ocean of infinite mercy


Baba, with great humility, implores you


that you bestow upon him courage and help him 


so that he would not retrace his steps


during the phase of Manonash.



Forgive him for his trespasses


due to weakness of his mind


and give him such courage 


that he will never tell a lie


never hurt the feelings of anyone


will not do any injustice to anybody


and that he will not harass his companions


who are serving him faithfully and wholeheartedly.



And bestow upon him such grace


that while abiding by all the conditions and fulfilling 
them


he brings about the end of the endless New Life


in four months through the Manonash phase.



 Meher Baba, November 1951


 original in Gujerati, Aw 19:2 p8










                        PRAYER OF REPENTANCE



We repent


O God most merciful


for all our sins.



For every thought that was false


or unjust or unclean



For every word spoken 


that ought not to have been spoken



For every deed done


that ought not to have been done.



We repent for every deed and word and thought


inspired by selfishness


and for every deed and word and thought 


inspired by hatred.



We repent most specially 


for every lustful thought


and every lustful action


for every lie


for all hypocrisy


for every promise given but not fulfilled


and for all slander and backbiting.



Most specially also, we repent 


for every action that has brought ruin to others


for every word and deed that has given others pain


and for every wish that pain should befall others.



In your unbounded mercy


we ask you to forgive us, O God


for all these sins committed by us


and to forgive us for our constant failures


to think and speak and act


according to your wish.



 


 Meher Baba


 November 1951, Khuldabad 


 LA p703, also LM10 p3738




"The last word, 'wish,' was changed at one point, 
because a devotee printed 

thousands of copies of the prayer but accidently 
changed or misprinted the word 'wish' 

to 'will,' which became the accepted norm."



 LM10 p3738fn





In one early version of this prayer, the word 'harm' 
appears instead of 'ruin' in line 22. 


  


                                                        Editor








     PREFACE TO THE PRAYER OF REPENTANCE



When Baba had the Prayer of Repentance recited in 
his presence, he had this preface 

read out:




"O eternally merciful Paramatma,


Allah, 


Most merciful benevolent God,


Most merciful God almighty,


Yezdan, the bestower,


you are absolutely independent.



O infinitely merciful Paramatma,


knowing that you are so absolutely independent


I have taken hold of your independence


and I am approaching you.


I, Baba, with absolute humility,


on my behalf and on behalf of all who love me,


and on behalf of all worthy penitents,


I wish to express my repentance.


Please accept what I now say on behalf of all:"



(Then the Prayer of Repentance was read out)



 Meher Baba


 2 May 1953, Aw 19:2 p12




Eruch Jessawala commented: "So at that moment we 
thought and felt that we all were 

absolutely absolved from all our sins." (Aw 19:2 p12)









                               THE MASTER'S PRAYER



O Parvardigar


the preserver


and protector 


of all:



You are


without beginning


and without end



non-dual


beyond comparison


and none 


can measure you.



You are without color


without expression


without form


and without attributes.



You are unlimited


and unfathomable


beyond imagination


and conception


eternal


and imperishable.



You are indivisible


and none can see you


but with eyes divine.



You always were


you always are


and you always will be.



You are everywhere


you are in everything


and you are also


beyond everywhere


and beyond everything.



You are in the firmament


and in the depths,


You are manifest


and unmanifest,


on all planes 


and beyond all planes.



You are in the three worlds


and also beyond 


the three worlds.



You are imperceptible


and independent.


You are the Creator,


the lord of lords,


the knower of 


all minds and hearts.



You are omnipotent 


and omnipresent.



You are knowledge infinite


power infinite


and bliss infinite.



You are the ocean 


of knowledge,


all-knowing,


infinitely knowing,


the knower of the past,


the present,


and the future,


and you are 


knowledge itself.



You are all-merciful


and eternally benevolent.



You are the soul of souls,


the one with infinite attributes.



You are the trinity


of truth, knowledge, and bliss.



You are the source of truth


the ocean of love.



You are the Ancient One


the highest of the high.



You are Prabhu


and Parameshwar.



You are the Beyond God


and the Beyond Beyond God also.



You are Parabrahma


Allah


Elahi


Yezdan


Ahuramazda


and God the Beloved.



You are named Ezad,


the only one worthy of worship.




 Meher Baba, 20? August 1953 


 Dehra Dun (original in Gujerati) LC p33-34








                SAT-CHIT-ANAND  PARAMANAND



Keshav Nigam asked Baba to send one of his 
Mandali to the laying of the cornerstone 

of a temple to be built at Nauranga, Hamipur. The 
temple was called Meher Mandir; 

later the name was changed to Meher Dham, which 
means 'Meher's abode.' Baba 

sent Bhau Kalchuri, and gave him a 'message' for 
Baba's lovers:



Sat-Chit-Anand 


Paramanand


Meher Baba


Vidnyanand



R. S. Singh Baghel of Ichhaura put the words of the 
'message' to music, and it has 

been sung ever since.



 January 1955, GG6 p218








                       PRAYER FOR THE MANDALI



I am not the body.


I am not the mind.


I am not this.


I am not that.


I am nothing but a living lie


of that truth that is me


and unless the lie is dead


the truth cannot be.



 Meher Baba





Q. What about the Mandali's prayer? Was it given by 
Baba?



Eruch Jessawala: Yes. He gave it. But we didn't 
recite this out loud in his presence. It 

was given to the Mandali as their personal prayer.



 1980, Meherazad, Aw 19:2 p8-9







                            PRAYER FOR BABA'S 


                        LOVERS AND MANDALI



Beloved God


help us all to love you


more and more


and more and more


and still yet more


until we become worthy of union with you


and help us all


to hold fast to Baba's daaman 


till the very end.



 Meher Baba


 25 August 1959, Meherazad


 Aw 19:2 p12






I have been told that the original version of this 
prayer read, 



Beloved God


help us all to love you


more and more


and more and more


and still yet more


until we are no more


and help us all


to hold fast to Baba's daaman 


till the very end.



The story was that one of the Mandali had suggested 
that some of Baba's followers 

would not be happy with the words, 'until we are no 
more.' So Baba substituted the 

words 'until we become worthy of union with you.' 
Anyone who knows if this is true, 

please communicate with me.   


                                                 The Editor







           ANOTHER PRAYER FOR THE MANDALI



"Each of the Mandali was asked by Baba to repeat 
the following prayer whilst he 

bowed down to the feet of each of us:



'Almighty God


help Baba to finish his work by December end


and help us all to hold on to Baba's daaman to the 
very end


and to share both his humiliation and glorification.'



 Eruch Jessawala, Aw 19:2 p13


 (22 November 1959, Meherazad)








            YOU ARE THE BELOVED OF EVERYONE



O Meher


you are the beloved of everyone.



You are the life and heart 


of every soul.



You are the guide,


you are the follower.



You are the path,


you are the abode.



You are the winegiver


and the wineshop,



You are wine;


you are the lover.



You are Majnun 


and Leyla.



You are the caravan


and the palanquin.



You are worship


and the worshipper.



You are sadhana


and sanyasi.



You are Tulsidas 


and Mira.



You are Surdas 


and Ajamil.



You are the desert


and a grain of sand.



You are the Moon


and the Sun.



You are a drop 


and you are the sea.



You are the ocean


and the shore.



You are 


because you are being itself.



If you sleep


the universes will disappear.



You are the cup


and the bottle.



You are the guests


and the host.



Bhau says you are everything.



You are God infinitely conscious


and God infinitely unconscious.



You are butter


and you are stone.



You are innocent


and you are most knowing.



 


 Meher Baba, 1968, Meherazad


 dictated to Bhau Kalchuri in Hindi


 'Meher Sarod' ghazal 72




Note: In ghazals the poet 'signs' his name in one of 
the last verses. In this case Baba 

dictated Bhau's name, though Baba wrote the ghazal 
himself.









                              CHRISTIAN PRAYER



This prayer seems to have been assembled from 
several Christian prayers at Meher 

BabaÕs direction. Parts of it appear to have been 
dictated by Baba.




In the name of the Father 


and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost


O Lord, hear my prayer 


and let my cry come unto thee


Thou who are the God of the God


the Father almighty 


art the Father everlasting.



O God


almighty Father


the Lord of lords


the king of kings



All the earth doth worship thee


To thee all Angels 


to thee the heavens and all powers


to thee all saints and all beings


with unceasing voice do cry


'The holy, the holy of holies'



Full are the heavens and the earth 


of the majesty of thy glory



Thou the glorious


Thou the exalted effulgence


Thou the praiseworthy 


in the assemblage of the Prophets


Thou the celestial beauty


art the eternal song of thy lovers



Thou who art acknowledged, praised 


and worshipped throughout the world


in all churches, synagogues, 


mosques, temples and pagodas:


to thee I most humbly bow down



Thou of unbounded majesty 


art the Father of the creation



Thy true adorable 


and only-begotten son, 


the Christ


art the king of glory


the saviour of mankind


the Ancient one


the highest of the high



O Christ 


the Messiah


Thou of the Father everlasting 


art the Son everlasting.


Thou most merciful Lord


has taken upon thee 


to deliver man


from bondage to eternal glory



O the Ancient one


the redeemer


Thou, having first overcome 


the sting of ignorance


didst open to all the kingdom 


of bliss, knowledge and power



I most humbly praise thee


O my God.


I most firmly acknowledge thee


O my God.



O my soul of souls


I believe in thee 


because thou art Truth itself.



I worship thee


O highest of the high


because thou art the only one


worthy of adoration.



I love thee


above all things and beings


because thou art love divine itself.



I beseech thee


because thou art mercy itself.



I offer thee 


all my thoughts, words and actions,


my sufferings and my joys


because thou art the only beloved.



I therefore beseech thee


my God


my Lord of lords


the highest of the high


the Ancient one


to have mercy on me


according to thy unbounded mercy


and let my cry come unto thee:



O my beloved


suffer me not 


to be separated from thee


for ever and ever



Amen



 Aw 19:2 p11







          PRAYER TO THE FIVE PERFECT MASTERS



"This is the poem read out at 6.45 pm, 7th October 
1954. It is the occasion when he 

gave up the alphabet board. It is the last thing he 
dictated on the board"




O Sai Baba


O Upasani Maharaj


O Babajan


O Tajuddin Baba


O Narayan Maharaj



You, the five in one


and the one in five,


the divine beings representing the absolute one,


I bow down to you in perfect homage.



It is due to you five Men-Gods 


that I am what I am,


the Ancient one,


the everlasting one. 



May the beloved God


with whom you five are one,


for whom you five are working universally,


give me in your names


the strength, the power and the wisdom


to fulfill all that I have taken this form for,


and see that all I have declared 


at the last Meherabad gathering 


comes to pass.



I am now giving up using the board,


it being my gesture before God 


for breaking my silence soon.




 Meher Baba, 7 October 1954, Meherabad


 commentary by Eruch Jessawala, Aw 19:2 
p10-11








                                YOU ALONE EXIST



O priceless treasure of knowledge


you are within and without


and you are the ocean of mercy.



You are in all the worlds


you are the ocean of attributes


O Meher, God incarnate, you alone exist.



You are Yezdan, you are Ezad, 


you are Allah and Ishwar.



You are Ram and you are Buddha, 


you are beloved Lord Krishna, 


who with one finger lifted the mountain.


You alone exist.



You are the Beyond God


and the Beyond Beyond God also.


O ocean of kindness, 


you alone exist.



You are Muhammad, 


you are Perfection personified, 


you are knowledge itself, 


and you alone exist.



You live in everyone


and you are everyone.


O beloved, you are the enlightened one


and you alone exist.



You are with attributes 


and without attributes. 


You are the sole player


in the divine game.


You alone exist...



You are man,


you are birds, 


you are fish and animals,


for you alone exist.



You are bugs and gnats,


you are snakes and scorpions, 


you are ants and mosquitoes,


for you alone exist.



You are insects. 


You are lice.


You are dogs, asses and pigs. 


You alone exist.



You are deer and elephants.


You are cats and monkeys.


You alone exist.


You are the Moon and the stars,


the dawn and the night,


and the Sun,


and also the light.


You alone exist.



You are wind and water


and the animals of the water. 


You alone exist.



You are silver and gold.


You are copper and iron.


You are brass and stone.


You alone exist.



You are tea and coffee


and the sugar also.


You alone exist.



You are paper and the book. 


You are the school and office. 


You alone exist.



You are pen and ink,


and you are the gifted writer.


You alone exist.



You are the door and window.


You are the marble floor.


You alone exist.



You are the medicine and the disease,


and the doctor also.


You alone exist...



You are the soldier, the army,


and the supreme General. 


You alone exist.



You are the sailor, the ship,


the wide ocean. 


You alone exist...



You are mother and father.


You are master, brother and friend.


You are family and relatives.


You alone exist.



There is no one besides you.


Eternally you are, 


for you alone exist.



You are pran* and you are heart.


You are also the beloved of the heart. 


You alone exist.



You are the beloved and the lover,


and you are the nectar of love, 


as you alone exist...



You are Khwaja. 


You are Qutub.


You are Pir and Qalandar.


 You alone exist.



You are Hafez.


You are Sanai.


You are Dara and Alexander.


You alone exist.



You are Jesus Christ.


You are Elahi.


You are the ocean, infinite and pure.


You alone exist.



You are the Koran


and the one who prays.


You are Vali


and you are the Messenger.


You alone exist.



You are the beginning


and you are the end.


You are also beyond the beginning


and beyond the end.


You alone exist.



You are infinitely beautiful


and infinitely close.


O Meher, God incarnate,


you alone exist.



You are Brahma and you are Vishnu.


You are the guileless Shankar.


You alone exist.



Bhau says,


'O beloved Meher,


you are the word


and you are the letter.


You alone exist.'




        Meher Baba





pran = energy.



source: 'While the World Slept' by Bhau Kalchuri, 
p70-72





'You Alone Exist' was dictated in Hindi in 1959 and 
1962 in India. Later it was 

translated into English (not by Baba?). It was written 
to be sung in Hindi. Bhau Kalchuri 

also wrote eleven couplets for this prayer which are 
not printed here. For the complete 

prayer including Bhau's verses, see 'While the World 
Slept p70-72, or NE p xii-xix. 

Bhau's couplets were in the places marked with '...'



Bhau was criticised for putting such things as snakes, 
scorpions, mosquitoes, bugs 

and gnats in the prayer. Actually it was Baba who put 
them in. Bhau told Baba,



"Baba, we should change that prayer. It is not so 
good. We should use other words to 

describe God's attributes. It offends some people, 
and they do not like it. People are 

laughing at this prayer, Baba!"



Baba replied, gesturing,



"No, do not change a single word. The prayer is from 
me... It is all right. You have no 

idea of the importance of this prayer. In the future, this 
prayer of mine will be sung in 

every house throughout the world."



Later Baba gestured,



"It is important, very important, that people find God in 
disagreeable things, that they 

find me in disagreeable things. I am there in 
everything, and in every creature. I am 

there in the dirt, the scorpion, the snake, the elephant 
and the mosquito, everything.



"Do not pay heed to what people think. I like this 
prayer because it tells people who I 

am, what I am. People do not know who or what I am, 
and so they need this prayer to 

know me, to understand me. I gave this prayer to 
them, not you. You wrote what I 

ordered you to write. A day will come when they will 
know this."



 1962, Guruprasad, NE p xii-xiii





For more about the background of this prayer, see 
NE p xii-xiii









       ONE HUNDRED AND ONE NAMES OF GOD



An ancient Zoroastrian prayer, translated by Meher 
Baba



"If you repeat this prayer with love, no other prayer 
remains to be said... 



"Anyone can repeat these names with love, 
irrespective of the religion he belongs to. 



 Meher Baba, 2 April? 1963, Poona 


 from a printed prayer-card






1. Yazad Worthy of Worship


2. Harvesp-tawan All Powerful


3. Harvesp-Agah All Knowing


4. Harvesp-Khoda Lord of All


5. Abadeh Without Beginning


6. Abi-Anjam Without End


7. Bun-e-stiha Root of Creation


8. Frakhtan-taih Endless Bliss


9. Jamaga Primal Cause


10. Prajtarah Exalted One


11. Tum-afik Purest of the Pure


12. Abaravand Detached from All


13. Paravandeh In Touch with All


14. An-ayafeh Unattainable


15. Hama-Ayafeh Attainer of All


16. Adro Most Righteous


17. Gira Upholder of All


18. A-chem Beyond Reason


19. Chamana Sovereign Reason


20. Safana Bountiful One


21. Afza Ever Prolific


22. Nasha Reaching Equally to All


23. Parwara Nourisher


24. Ianaha Protector of the World


25. Ain-aenah Never-changing


26. An-aenah Formless


27. Kharoshid-tum Most Steadfast Among the 
Steadfast


28. Mino-tum Lord Invisible


29. Vasna All-pervading


30. Harvastum All-in-All


31. Hu-sepas Worthy of Our Profound Thanks


32. Har-Hamid All-embracing Goodness 


33. Har-naik-faraih All-embracing Holy Light


34. Baish-tarana Remover of Affliction


35. Taronish Beyond Affliction


36. Anah-aoshaka Immortal


37. Farasaka Fulfiller of Holy Desires


38. Pajohdehad Creator of Holy Attributes


39. Khwafar Compassionate Judge


40. Avakhshiaea Merciful Giver


41. Abaraja Bountiful Giver


42. A-satoha Unconquerable


43. Rakhoha Freest of the Free


44. Varun Deliverer from Evil


45. A-farefah Never Deceiving


46. Be-farerftah Never Deceived


47. A-dui One Without a Second


48. Kam-rad Lord of Desire


49. Farman-kam Decreer of Sovereign Desire


50. Aekh Tan Soul Supreme


51. A-faremosh Never forgetting


52. Hamarna Just Accountant


53. Sanaea Knowing All Things


54. A-tars Fearless


55. A-bish Devoid of Pain


56. A-frajdum Most Exalted One


57. Ham-chun Ever the Same


58. Mino-satihgar Invisible Creator of the 
Universe


59. A-minogar Creator of the Profoundly 
Spiritual


60. Mino-nahab Hidden Within the Spirit


61. Adar-bad-gar Transmuter of Fire into Air


62. Adar-nam-gar Transmuter of Fire into 
Dew


63. Bad-adar-gar Transmuter of Air into Fire


64. Bad-nam-gar Transmuter of Air into Dew


65. Bad-gail-gar Transmuter of Air into Earth


66. Bad-gerd-tum Supreme Transmuter of 
Air into Dust


67. Adar-kibritatum Supreme Transmuter of 
Fire into Divine Sparks


68. Bad-gar-jae Spreading Air Everywhere


69. Ah-tum Creator of Lifegiving Water


70. Gail-adar-gar Transmuter of Dust into 
Fire


71. Gail-vad-gar Transmuter of Dust into Air


72. Gail-nam-gar Transmuter of Dust into 
Water


73. Gar-gar Master Craftsman


74. Garo-gar Rewarder of Sincere Desires


75. Gar-a-gar Creator of All Humanity and its 
Actions


76. Gar-a-gar-gar Creator of All Human and 
Animal Life


77. A-gar-agar Creator of All the Four Elements


78. A-gar-a-gar-gar  Creator of All the Planets 
and All Other Worlds


79. A-guman Never in Doubt


80. A-jaman Ageless


81. A-Khuan Eternally Awake


82. Amast Ever-Alert


83. Fashutana Ever-Protecting


84. Padmani Recorder of Man's Actions


85. Firozgar Victorious


86. Khudawand Lord of the Universe


87. Ahuramazd Lord of Life and Wisdom


88. Abarin-kuhan-tawan Preserver of 
Creation


89. Abarin-nao-tawan Renewer of Creation


90. Vaspan Embracing All Creation


91. Vaspar Giver of All Things


92. Khawar Infinitely Patient


93. Ahu Lord of Existence


94. Avakhshidar Forgiver of Sins


95. Dadar Divine Creator


96. Raiyomand Rayed in Glory


97. Khorehmand Haloed in Light


98. Davar Lord of Justice


99. Karfaigar Lord of Just Rewards


100. Bokhtar Liberator


101. Farsho-gar Awakener of Eternal Spring



"One of the prayers is so intriguing, so beautiful. The 
prayers were given to us, but he 

(Baba) would also participate while we recited them. 
Why he wanted us to recite them 

we did not know. They were not just for writing down. 
They required active and sincere 

participation on our parts.



"We were asked to recite the '101 Names of God' 
according to the Zoroastrian prayer 

book. We used to recite them without knowing the 
meaning behind them, for they are 

in a dead language of ten thousand years ago. 



"Baba translated each one of the 101 names of God, 
what each name meant. For 

example, Ezad means the one worthy of worship."



 Eruch Jessawala, 1980, Meherazad, Aw 19:2 
p8








                      A ZOROASTRIAN PRAYER


         translated from Gujerati (?) by Meher Baba




In the name of God almighty


I praise and utter


almighty God


full of glory


full of radiance


all-knowing


preserver of all


God of gods


king of kings


protector of all


creator of all things created


bestower of bounties


and giver of food to all


Lord of nature


almighty God


the Ancient one


forgive us


bestower of grace


O merciful


O omnipotent


O omniscient


O Lord of all


O nourisher of purity



 Aw 19:2 p13





"This prayer is from the Avesta, the Zoroastrian book 
of prayer. Meher Baba said it is 

the heart of that book, that it came from Zoroaster 
himself. He also said that when he 

was Zoroaster he sang this song."



 Elaine Cox, from the liner notes of 


 the recording 'Song of Huma 2'








                           MAY THY WILL BE DONE




May thy will be done, O Perfect one, 


my will not prevail.



It's of no avail


where union with thee is concerned.



I will toil and I will strive


while I am alive



to love and obey


all night and all day



till union with thee I have earned.




 Meher Baba


 4 October 1959, Meherazad


 AO p174








                               PRAYING WITH BABA



"When we were in Poona last summer, in 
Guruprasad, the Parvardigar Prayer and the 

Prayer of Repentance had to be recited. The men 
would be on one side, and the 

women on the other. 



"Baba would come to the men, and then Eruch would 
recite the prayers. All the men 

stood up, and Baba stood up every time with joined 
hands. 



"And then he would come to the women Mandali. 
They would all stand up, I would 

recite the prayers, and again Baba would stand with 
hands joined. 



"Even then it didn't strike us, because this was the 
first time he did that. And Baba said 

that such a prayer had never been seen before, and 
never will be, and that his 

'reciting,' his participating in the prayer while we said 
it (he stood only because he 

would not utter the words; it was him praying, really), 
his joining in the prayer with us 

would mean benefit for each one who recited this 
prayer. And after he dropped his 

body, the benefit would be great for them."



 Mani Irani, Poona, 14 April 1969, HM p 609-
610







"When a prayer was given by him... some words 
were in Gujerati, Urdu, some in Hindi 

or Persian, most in English. Then we'd do a little 
dressing-up in English, and read it 

out to Baba, and he'd approve what he'd dictated. He 
also inspired the ones who were 

doing the dressing-up. The whole thing was 'rattled 
out' in the first place, given quite 

spontaneously... 



"Then there were the traditional 'orthodox' prayers 
Baba wanted us to recite. I still 

remember them: a Christian prayer, a Zoroastrian 
prayer, a Sikh prayer. These were 

sorted out for special occasions. A Christian woud be 
asked to read a Christian prayer, 

a Hindu a Hindu prayer, a Muslim a Muslim prayer, a 
Buddhist a Buddhist prayer. 

Followers of Guru Nanak would be asked to read a 
Sikh prayer...



"We were asked to recite the '101 Names of God' 
according to the Zoroastrian prayer 

book. We used to recite them without knowing the 
meaning behind them, for they are 

in a dead language of ten thousand years ago. Baba 
translated each one of the 101 

names of God, what each name meant. For example, 
Ezad means 'the one worthy of 

worship.' 



"... Whenever Baba expressed his desire, his 
pleasure that we should collect 

ourselves and gather for prayers, it was a serious 
and solemn affair. It was not as we 

now are, in good humor, talking in a lighter vein 
about this solemn and serious matter. 



"We still have that water pot and that blue basin here 
in Mandali Hall which he used to 

wash his hands and face before the prayers. He 
would not only participate with us in 

the prayers, but prepare himself for such prayers. He 
didnÕt say anything to us, that we 

should keep prepared for prayers. But knowing his 
ways, and how he would want us to 

keep clean and tidy for prayers, we also remained 
prepared, not knowing when he 

would ask us to recite the prayers. We would keep 
our feet ready, washed and clean, 

for who knows when he would want us to put our foot 
forward for him to bow down to. 

With the God-man putting his head on our feet, we 
couldnÕt stand around dirty or with 

wet feet. We had to keep ourselves clean and 
prepared for all such occasions. But 

many times we were caught unawares. Then he 
would say, 'It's all right, it doesn't 

matter.' 



"He would be the first one who kept himself prepared 
for the prayers. After having 

washed his hands and splashed water on his face, 
and after properly drying his face 

and hands with a napkin, he would call the rest of the 
Mandali in his presence. He 

wouldn't want anybody to miss the occasion. He 
wanted all his Mandali around him at 

the time of prayers. Then he'd start. He would stand 
up and gesture, 'Say the prayer.'



"Naturally, in the beginning, we had to read it out, the 
Master's Prayer. It came to my lot 

to read the prayer aloud while all would remain 
silent. All present had to be silent, 

while any one person would recite or read the prayer. 
Baba would stand up, and 

remain standing, during the whole prayer, and all of 
us would be standing around him 

in a circle. He remained the central figure, either here 
or at Guruprasad or anywhere in 

the country, wherever he chose to pray.



"At the time of reading aloud the Master's Prayer, I 
once felt that Baba would want me 

to recite it instead of reading it out. So I tried to learn 
it by heart. Also just in case no 

prayer book was available. I felt confident that I could 
now do away with the book. 

When Baba called as usual for the prayer book 
printed by Warren Healy. Remember 

him? A beautiful soul. He lived a dedicated life 
printing so many Baba booklets. 



"I replied, 'Baba, I have learnt it by heart.'



'So you learned the prayer?'



'Yes, Baba.'



'Good. Recite.'



'O Parvardigar, the preserver and protector of...'



"I couldn't even remember a word beyond this. So 
Baba waited for awhile, and I tried 

again³ Eventually he gestured 'Go get the book.'



"Never again did I attempt to recite it by heart. I 
always read the prayer in front of him. 

To this day, I don't know any of the prayers by heart. 



"So I had to read them out from the prayer book 
every time he asked for the prayers. 

All would be there. Baba would join his hands and 
stand as one of us in our midst, and 

his look and his gaze woudl be of one deep in the act 
of adoration, totally absorbed, 

participating in the prayers... After the prayer ended 
with 'You are named Ezad - the 

only one worthy of worship,' he would bow down, like 
this, in the act of worship. After a 

minute of this, Baba would want the prayer to be 
followed by the Prayer of 

Repentance. Everyone would be in readiness as I 
would begin to read out 'We repent, 

O God most merciful...'



His gesture for the Repentance Prayer was that he 
would begin to softly slap his 

cheeks with both hands. Now this is the gesture 
denoting repentance (Eruch slapped 

his cheeks). It's not just this... patting your cheeks. 
Among the worshippers, may they 

be Muslims, Hindus, Zoroastrians, while they pray for 
repentance, it is customary for 

the one to slap one's cheeks with both hands while 
saying, 'I repent, I repent.' 



"The Mandali were there with Baba for the prayer, but 
he didn't want the Mandali to 

slap their cheeks as a mark of repentance, because it 
was he who did it on our behalf. 

We could hear him constantly slapping his cheeks 
during the entire prayer, but this 

was not at all disturbing, as he slapped softly but 
audibly.



"Once Baba guided me to say at the end of this 
prayer, 'Amen.' So I do it every time I 

end the prayer..."



"The sequel to the Prayer of Repentance in presence 
of Baba was very thought-

provoking. This is how it was: he would sit down in 
Mandali Hall after the prayer on his 

sofa chair, and some sort of high footstool would be 
improvised in front of Baba, so that 

he could easily bend down while sitting and place 
his forehead on the foot of the 

Mandali. He would gesture, 



'Put your right foot here. At the moment of contact, 
when my forehead touches you, you 

call aloud one name of God that's dear to you, as 
many times as my forehead touches 

your foot.'



"So Zoroastrians used to call out 'Ahuramazda' at the 
moment of contact... 

'Ahuramazda' would be heard by the rest of the 
Mandali each time Baba made 

contact. It might be six or seven times - we wouldn't 
know the number of times he'd 

want to do it. The Muslims say 'Allah' at the moment 
of contact. Christians called out 

'God the Beyond.' And some called out 'Parvardigar.' 
The Iranis called out 'Yezdan.' 

The Sikhs were heard saying 'Wahi-Guru,' which 
means God in the Beyond Beyond 

state.



"We were a cosmopolitan group around Baba. It 
would not be a crowd, but just a few 

Mandali, about ten, eleven or twelve of us around 
him, that's all, but we were a 

cosmopolitan group.



"So this would happen day after day. Sometimes for 
months together, there would not 

be such prayers, and sometimes it would be a daily 
affair. There was no set schedule, 

no such thing as a daily repetition. Yet, if it was his 
pleasure, you had to present 

yourself at the time of the prayer call, when you had 
to leave everything and be in 

attendance....



"But in later years, in 1968, when his health was 
visibly deteriorating, going from bad 

to worse, he ordered for the prayers to be read out 
daily... At the time of the prayer, 

Baba would ask someone to help him stand up, 
because one must stand up for 

prayers, and he said he had to participate in the 
prayers. So he started with one 

person helping him stand up. Then I would begin to 
read the prayers. Often he would 

gesture, 'Let's finish it off soon.'



"Now the prayer he had dictated for humanity is 
meant for human beings to say with all 

their heart and soul, so you can't rush through any 
prayer, much less the Master's 

Prayer. Yet the author, while he participates as one of 
humanity, says 'Finish it off 

soon.' So naturally I say it out a little bit more rapidly, 
knowing that his health condition 

does not permit him to stand up for a longer time. 



"Then, with the passage of time, as months passed 
by, it wasn't possible for him to 

stand alone; someone had to hold him. And all the 
time he remained standing with 

hands folded and joined like this (Eruch 
demonstrated). The time did come when each 

day he gestured, 'Read it faster.' So I read the prayer 
faster and more rapidly each day.



"Then a time came when two people had to hold him, 
and he looked as if he wasn't 

there with us - far away, somewhere else...  but he 
continued to participate solemnly as 

ever before. Then he'd say, snap-snapping his 
fingers, 'Hurry up, hurry up, read it 

faster.'  Later on, at the very end of this period, I'd 
read it very, very rapidly, skipping 

periods, commas, and so on.One day it came to such 
a pitch, when he gestured 'Do it 

(snap) - fast! I can't stand up longer.'



"I rattled off the prayer at such high speed that it 
echoed in my mind as if I were an 

express train going through a station without any 
stops. I'm in the midst of reading like 

this, and all of a sudden I burst out laughing, 
because it was so ridiculous to me to pray 

like that. I could hear my own voice echoing as if I 
were rattling through all the stations. 

The picture came to me of a speeding express train, 
and I laughed loudly halfway 

through the prayer. Then I controlled myself and 
resumed my reading of the prayer.



"Baba didn't say anything. He just stood there. 
Everyone around me was serious. After 

the prayer ended, he sat down in his chair. 
Everything was finished and we settled 

down. After awhile, he asked, 'What made you 
laugh? What made you do that in that 

prayer? 



"So I said, 'It happened uncontrollably, because I 
could hear my own voice rushing 

through the whole prayer. It appeared to me I'm a 
railroad train rattling through all the 

stations without stopping, without caring for 
passengers. Something happened in my 

mind and gave me that picture. The situation was so 
ridiculous that I burst out 

laughing.



"He gestured, 'You're mad. You have no idea what is 
happening here. To you it seems 

ridiculous. For me it is no joke, in this state of my 
health, to participate in this prayer. I 

have given it to humanity, to posterity, to say it. And 
whenever anyone recites it after I 

pass away, because of my participation now, it will 
help the one who repeats this 

prayer. 



"'So that's why I want the prayer said. It has nothing 
to do with your speed or how you 

read it out, or anything of this sort. All that matters is 
my having participated in the 

prayer. So every time anybody repeats the prayer, I 
am there with him. My presence is 

there."



 Eruch Jessawala, 1980, Meherazad, Aw 19:2 
p8, 13-17


 Another version of part of this talk is in IT p84-
85







"We had a wonderful talk with Eruch yesterday on the 
other side of the garden wall 

(mandali quarters), and he told us many things. One 
was that at a certain time Baba 

would have him read the Master's Prayer and the 
Prayer of Repentance to the 

mandali.



"Each day Baba would say, 'Read them faster and 
faster,' until Eruch realised that 

Baba would always stand for the prayers, and that 
his hip must be paining him to 

stand. 



"Eruch said, 'Baba, why don't you sit? After all, they 
are your prayers, and there is no 

need to stand.'



"Baba replied, 'I must stand. I want to put life into 
these prayers so they will go on 

forever.'



 Elizabeth Patterson, in a letter to 


 Jane Haynes, 11 February 1970


 LL p463-464





An interesting story told by Eruch about Dr. 
Deshmukh and his reaction to Baba's 

prayers can be found in Aw 19:2 p14-16, and 
another version in IT p85-87









                         PRAYING TO MEHER BABA



"Baba said that we should pray to him without any 
expectation of material or spiritual 

reward. 



"Prayer is just to remember him wholeheartedly with 
deep love for him. And if you 

happen to ask him anything after praying, you can do 
so with love for him and faith in 

him; but do not expect any answer from him to your 
asking. Just leave it to his sweet 

will and compassion. That is what beloved Baba told 
us about prayers."



 Mani Irani, 23 October 1980, LF2 p84








Eruch Jessawala remembered some of the things 
Meher Baba had mentioned about 

praying to him. These are not direct quotes, but a 
paraphrase:



'About prayers, Baba has always said, pray. It is good 
to pray. But the prayer that 

reaches me is not a long list of your wants.That will 
never reach me. But just say my 

name. Even if it be just my name, it will reach me.



'But then, man's heart is such, when it pours out, it 
pours out in many words. So let 

those words help you to glorify me. And even if there 
is a long, long list of all the 

glories that you attribute to me, that will reach me.



'But when you pray asking me for something, that 
prayer does not reach me. But if you 

ask me and don't expect an answer, then that 
reaches me too.



'Sometimes we follow him the way he wants us to, 
and sometimes we make him follow 

us, and that's where the trap is... Religions crop up, 
dogmas form, churches, temples 

and mosques are built, trying to edify him. But we 
forget him and adore the mansion of 

the Lord.



'As Baba himself has put it, very humorously, you 
pray, you pray with great devotion, 

but you pour your devotion into the prayer, and you 
forget the Lord to whom you pray. 

You remember the prayer and forget the Lord.'



from a tape recording, 


November 7, 1977


The Love Street Lamppost, 


January-March 1998, p.8













                                   OTHER PRAYERS





                                          MONAJAT



"... One day Baba said to Naja, big Khorshed and 
myself, 'Come, girls, bring a pad and 

pencil and sit down.'



"We sat in front of Baba with our pads and pencils, 
and Baba asked, 'What prayers do 

you say?'



"We told him, 'Our sacred thread prayers, Baba.' 
Baba knew this prayer only took five 

minutes to say.



"What,' Baba said, 'you only give five minutes to 
God? All day long you are eating and 

talking and washing and sweeping and enjoying 
yourselves. All day you're tending to 

yourselves, and you can spare just five minutes to 
remember God and to praise him? 

That's not enough. I'm going to dictate a prayer to 
you, and you write it down.'



'I had had my schooling at a convent where we had 
learned to write in English, not in 

Gujerati. And while I spoke Gujerati fluently, I wrote it 
very slowly. However, I started 

writing. It took Baba about five minutes to dictate the 
prayer. 



"When he had finished, Baba took big Khorshed's 
pad to see if she had taken the 

prayer down properly. He corrected it, and gave it 
back to her. He then took Naja's pad, 

corrected that, and gave it back to her. It was my turn, 
and I was still struggling with the 

first line. 



"Baba looked at my pad and said, 'You've written 
only one line. Why is that?'



"I replied, 'Baba, I have had very little practice in 
writing Gujerati. I went to a convent, 

and not a Parsi school, and before that I studied 
Gujerati for a very short time. All these 

years I've had no practice writing it.'



"Baba was all smiles, and he said, 'All right, give me 
your pencil.' He took my pencil 

and wrote down the whole prayer for me. I was very 
glad that I did not know how to 

write Gujerati, because now I had the prayer in 
Baba's own handwriting. 



"The prayer is a very beautiful one called 'Monajat.' 
When Baba was a young boy at 

his parents' house, he would get up early every 
morning, and with his beautiful voice 

sing this prayer with his parents. It must have been 
so lovely to hear Baba's voice 

singing this beautiful prayer."



 Mehera Irani, M p50-51 (1924, Quetta)








                          SAINT FRANCIS' PRAYER



'Why were the saints saints?



Because they were cheerful


when it was difficult to be cheerful,



patient when it was difficult to be patient, 



because they pushed on


when they wanted to stand still, 



kept silent when they wanted to talk, 



and were agreeable 


when they wanted to be disagreeable.'






"Then he'd* say, this is Saint Francis' prayer... That 
was all. It was quite simple. I don't 

remember why it was written."



 Eruch Jessawala, Aw 19:2 p10



 (It's not clear who wrote this prayer)



*Baba








                               MAY WE BE WORTHY



Beloved Avatar Meher Baba ki jai



May we be worthy


of your most beautiful, precious love,


Baba darling.



May we keep loving you


more and more


through good thoughts,


good words, 


and good deeds, 


and may we please you


by remembering you always.




 Mehera Irani


 1960s?


 


KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS

A........ The Answer, edited by Naosherwan Anzar
AA....... Avatar of the Age Meher Baba Manifesting, by Bhau Kalchuri
AD....... The Andhra Diary, by Kishan Singh, unpublished
AL....... A Love So Amazing, by Bili Eaton
AM....... Avatar Meher BabaÕs Final Declaration, Clarification, etc. (booklet)
AO....... The Ancient One (by Eruch Jessawalla), ed. Naosherwan Anzar, 1985
Av....... Avatar, by Jean Adriel
Aw....... The Awakener, magazine, ed. Filis Frederick
B........ The Beloved: The Life and Work of Meher Baba, by Naosherwan Anzar
Be....... Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama, ed. Ivy Duce
BG....... The Best of the Glow, ed. Naosherwan Anzar
BL....... Because of Love, by Rano Gayley
CC....... Civilisation or Chaos, by Irene Conybeare (2nd edition, 1959)
CF....... Meher Baba the Compassionate Father, ed. Hoshang Bharucha
Da....... Darshan Hours, by Meher Baba, ed. Jessawalla and Chapman
DH....... Determined to be His, (by Eruch Jessawalla) ed. Steve Klein
Di....... Discourses, by Meher Baba, 5 volumes (1940s)
DL....... The Dance of Love, by Margaret Craske
DV....... Divya Vani, magazine, ed. Swami Satya Prakash Udaseen
EN....... The Everything and the Nothing, by Meher Baba, ed. Francis Brabazon
FF....... Filis Frederick
FL....... 82 Family Letters, by Mani Irani
fn....... footnote
GG....... Glimpses of the God-Man Meher Baba, by Bal Natu, 6 volumes
Gl....... Glow International, magazine, ed. Naosherwan Anzar
GM....... The God-Man, by Charles Purdom
GO....... Gift of God, by Arnavaz Dadachanji, 1996
GS....... God Speaks, by Meher Baba (2nd edition)
GT....... God to Man and Man to God, by Meher Baba (1st edition) ed. C. B. Purdom
HC....... How to Choose a Guru, by Rick Chapman
HM....... How a Master Works, by Ivy Duce
IL....... Meher Baba on Inner Life, ed. K.K. Ramakrishnan?
IS....... It So Happened, ed. William Le Page
IT....... Is That So? (by Eruch Jessawalla)
JH....... Joseph Harb
JT....... Just to Love Him, by Adi K. Irani, ed. Stephen Berry, 1985
LA....... Love Alone Prevails, by Kitty Davy
LB....... Life at its Best, by Meher Baba, ed. Ivy Duce, 1957
LC....... The Life Circulars of Avatar Meher Baba, ed. Swami S. P. Udaseen
LF....... Letters from the Mandali of Avatar Meher Baba, ed. Jim Mistry
LF2...... Letters from the Mandali of Avatar Meher Baba v.2, ed. Jim Mistry
LH....... Listen Humanity, by Meher Baba, ed. Don Stevens.
LJ....... Life is a Jest, published by R.P. Pankhraj, 1969 ed.
LL....... Letters of Love for Meher Baba, the Ancient One, ed. Jane Haynes, 1997
LM....... Lord Meher, by Bhau Kalchuri (14 volumes)
M....... Mehera, (by Mehera Jehangir Irani) ed. Janet Judson, 1989
MB....... Meher Baba, by his Eastern and Western Disciples: article 5
MD....... Meher Baba: Messages Delivered During Andhra Tour, 1954 (booklet)
Me....... Messages of Meher Baba, East and West, ed. Adi K. Irani
MF....... The Moving Finger Writes, part 2, ed. A.K. Arjani
MG....... Meher Gazette, magazine
MJ....... Meher Baba Journal, magazine, ed. Elizabeth Patterson
ML....... My Life With Meher Baba, by W.D. Kain
MM....... Meher Baba and his Mandali, by Naosherwan Anzar
Ms....... Meher Message, magazine, ed. K.J. Dastur
Mu....... Much Love, by T.K. Ramanujam, 1994
N........ refer to notes for the chapter
NE....... The Nothing and the Everything, by Bhau Kalchuri
NG....... Norina's Gift: Messages from Meher Baba received
...........through Norina Matchabelli, ed. Wilson/Haynes, 1997
NW....... Not We But One, ed. William Le Page
OL....... oral, unpublished or lost written source
PL....... The Path of Love, by Meher Baba, ed. Filis Frederick
PM....... The Perfect Master, by Charles Purdom
PS....... Practical Spirituality With Meher Baba, by John Alister Grant, 1985
Pu....... Meher Baba to Pukar (Parameshwari Dayal Nigam)
Q........ questionable
QA....... Shri Meher Baba the Perfect Master, Questions and Answers
QM....... Questions Meher Baba Answered, part I, ed. K.K. Ramakrishnan (?) 1975
RD....... Ramjoo's Diaries, by Ramjoo Abdulla, ed. Ira Dietrich
S........ Sai Baba, The Perfect Master
Sa....... The Sayings of Shri Meher Baba, 1933
Si....... Silent Teachings of Meher Baba, by Ramjoo Abdulla
Sp....... Sparks from Meher Baba, ed. Delia deLeon
SS....... Sufism Speaks Out, ed. Ira Deitrick? 1981
ST....... Sparks of the Truth, ed. C.D. Deshmukh (1967 edition)
SW....... The Silent Word, by Francis Brabazon
SG....... Stay With God, by Francis Brabazon
T........ Treasures from the Meher Baba Journals, ed. Patterson/Haynes
TH....... That's How It Was, by Eruch Jessawala
TK....... The Turning of the Key, by William Le Page
TY....... Twenty Years with Meher Baba, by Dr. Abdul Ghani Munsiff
U........ The Talks of Sadguru Upasani Baba Maharaja (6 volumes)
W........ The Wayfarers, by William Donkin
Wo-a..... The Work of Meher Baba with Advanced Souls, by William Donkin, 1948
Wo-b..... The Work of Meher Baba with Advanced Souls, by William Donkin, 1949
WD....... What Am I Doing Here, by Ivy Duce



Page references are for the particular edition listed above only. Some of these books have been published in several different editions. For instance there are three versions of 'God Speaks.' Quotes used here are all from the second edition. The same quotes in the first and third editions have different page numbers.

In the case of 'Discourses,' all references are to the 5 volume edition above, except when marked Di (7th ed.), in which case the one volume 1987 version edited by Eruch Jessawala, Flagg Kriss and Bal Natu is indicated.

To reproduce a quote, you need permission from the holder of the copyright. Generally quotes of Meher Baba are copyright the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Kings Road, Ahmednagar, M.S. 414001, India. Quotes from 'God Speaks,' 'Life At Its Best,' 'Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama,' 'What Am I Doing Here,' and 'How a Master Works' are copyright Sufism Reoriented, 3500 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek, California 94595.

This web page is copyright The Eastern School of Broad Buddhism, 12 June 2000, all rights reserved. All previously published material remains copyright the original copyright holders. Feel free to download and print out one copy of this page for your individual use. Other than that, it may not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. Address: Aerna O. at aernadrome@aol.com