The Avatar 2

THE AVATAR

Book Two

"When I was with him at Poona in 1954, he said to me quite unexpectedly,

'You are bothered about the idea of Avatar. There is no need to be, for we are all Avatars.'

"This was an instance of his knowing what was in one's mind before one had given expression to it, or even thought of doing so."

Charles Purdom, GM p391

"I once asked Meher Baba, 'Baba, why do you call yourself the Avatar? If you would only say that you are a saint, you would have a very large following today. This is something which comes in the way of man's belief, so why do you call yourself the Avatar?'

"Baba said, What else shall I call myself? Do you want me to be dishonest to myself and say that I am not the Avatar? I am the Avatar. I do not mind if I have a following or not."

Adi K. Irani, JT p132
(From a public talk by Adi; Baba's words are approximate,
as Adi remembered them.)

"Baba once told us, he gave us this figure: He said that life was like an unending procession marching along. The people at the back have no idea what is happening at the front, or even where they are going, for that matter.

"In this unending procession of humanity, every now and then the God-man, the Ancient one, the Avatar appears. His appearance is such that those in the front of the ranks stop and stare at him. Those just behind crane their heads forward to see what is happening. Those behind them start asking each other, 'What is going on? Why have we stopped?' And those even further back don't even realise that the procession has stopped.

"You know how it is, you have seen a long procession. Even after the front stops, it is quite some time before the back rows have to halt. And this procession is unending, so the back rows never stop moving. They don't even realise that anything has happened at the front of the procession.

"Baba said this is what it is like for all of us. Only those in the front are aware of his advent, and only those in the very front get to actually see him and be with him. But once they have seen him and been with him, the procession ends for them. And then those who were behind them become the front ranks. So the next time the Ancient one returns, they are the ones who see him and get to be with him."

Eruch Jessawala, DH p57-58

'MINOR' INCARNATIONS

"When we got back, I asked Baba how reincarnations on a low level fit in. Baba answered, an Avatar is always on the seventh plane, and always the same one. But just as Harun al Raschid* was the king and always on the throne, even though he often disguised himself as a beggar, craftsperson, or even as a thief on account of his work, so an Avatar might sometimes take an outwardly lower form, though he is always consciously behind that form on account of his work."

Walter Mertens,
3 December 1938,
Aw 21:2 p25

*Harun al Raschid of Baghdad (764-809) was Caliph of the Muslim Abbasid empire from 786-809, the time of its greatest power and prosperity, and is a legendary hero of the 'Arabian Nights.'

"Every time the Avatar comes, he has long hair."

Mehera Irani, M p114

For some past incarnations of the Avatar, see sections on KRISHNA, JESUS CHRIST.

The Avatar is also a Perfect Master. For more about his inner state and powers, see the chapter PERFECTION.

For more about the Avatar,
see Di (7th ed.) p266-270, 291-297 and LM7 p2270-2273

The Avatar Book One

Index - Book Two