Vl. V, Rcsi/wOk-cA-e^Kwcft.

SADiiUllU sm MENEI! '—(UAITAnyAJI MAUAM

(A PROFILE)

By

M. S. V. SuhbaramayyaM. A., M. Ed., Dip. T. E.

AVATAI! MENEI! BABA SPIBITUAl (ENTIIE(AJAUMUNDBy.

Afie K ttie (Li6.emt(x(Livkitktt of, UihlUi^iicat Ladt^ tUe^ AuataK ai/itf, ^iaept^eKUd, ein^teu the liea,Kt6> alt kumauu

ktiiA.^6. wLtk His ^^iUtual &ad^. Butfieofile iu tkeU Uufia^ will uat te aliue

ta the uuicj^ue eueut. }' u6t ai a wakefulu ueeded ta ^et ui/i ike bleef/iiug,

^le^ile, mauUiud Ltiu^ lo^t iu ike Uu\(io.k0^ ig^MKauce iudi6j/ieu6aUff. med^ tke kel^i

au euligkteued aue ta walce tkem uf/i.

Tkat a wkif. ike AuataK Kemaiui wakefuliu tke ckaseu (ew wkcy a^e (>KdaLued to.

awakeu maulcLud, Tke cko6eu f.ew aKecalled tke Sadg.uKuh\

SADGURU SRI MERER CHAITANYAJI MAHARAJ

SADGURU SRI MEHER

CHAITANVAJI MAHARAJ(A PROFILE )

By i

M. S. V. Subbaramayya jiM. A., M. Ed., Dip. T. Ei

AVATAR MEHER BABA SPIRITUAL CENTRE

RAJAHMUNDRY.

J Tiaae 10SS

Published hy : ■ ■ -

Avatah Meheh Baba Smbituai (entbeBAJAUMUHDH.

Printed at:

LALITHA PRINTING WORKS

STADIUM ROAD

RAJAHMUNDflY.533 101.

For further information please mrite to :

SRI MEHER CHAITANIYA MIKETANMEHER- MANDAPETA

TAPESWARAM (P. 0.)

E. G. Dt., A. P.. INDIA

- !.*S

Sadguzu Sri Mebez Chaitanyaji Maharaj

SADGURU SRI MEHER

CHAITANYAJi MAHARAJ

(a Profile)

Introduction:

Certain terms like 'Sadguru' and'Jagadguru' have been very iiberaliyused as formal appellatives before namesof philosophers, preachers, religiousheads, saints and sadhus without holdingany reference to their spiritual attainment

or to the significant connotation of the

terms. Such indiscriminate prefixing of

spiritual nomenclature before nameswould seldom help our understanding ofthe differences in the spiritual ranks andstatus of the countless saints. Irrespec*tive of any loss or benefit to the saint

concerned, surely the multitude, in theirconfusion, will run after every sadhu,

worship every saint, sing their praise,try to please every one of them whom

they think spiritually perfect. By suchworship they do not gain substantiallyanything. On the contrary, the commonality is likely to ignore a really God-realised perfect- one (a sadguru or aPerfect Master) who alone is competent to give the inward enlightenmentand help to people at their levels of"Sadhana". The wise say that a spirjotualiy perfect one can alone help theadvancement of the multitude as well

as the advanced pilgrims on the path.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa averred

that " Only those who have attained

spirituality can communicate it to others,

can be great teachers of mankind It

follows therefore, that others howevergreat they may be, do not possess thepower for inward spiritual communica-lion or oral spiritual teaching, that wouldreally benefit devotees. It does not mean

that the teachings of sadhus and saints,philosophers and heads of religiousdisciplines merit no room in the socialfabric of human institutions. They havetheir own value in upholding the morallaw and reminding the society of the disasters that follow the transgression ofthe moral law. But such discourses

cannot be substitutes for the work of a

'God-realised One' who, having experienced truth, can communicate divinityinto the hearts of the people, and internally illumine them in the light of Truth.

Sri Meher Baba used the word"Sadguru"or Perfect Master, exclusively

to God-reaiised Perfect Ones. He addedthat there will be fifty six God-reaiised

Souls in all periods and only five of them

are "Sadgurus"' in charge of the entireUniverse or divine sport and capable of

effecting God's descent into the worldat the approprjate time. Furthermore,declaring himself as " The Avatar'' hedisclosed the names of the five Sadgurusof that period, who were responsible forfis momentous descent into illusion,fhey were Sri Sai Baba, Upasani Maharaj,Jabajan, Tajuddin Baba and NarayanMaharaj Baba used the word "Man-God'' as synonym for Sadguru so thatwe can distinguish him from others whoassume the title of "Sadguru" not because of their concern with the affairs

of creation but because of being formalteachers of different schools of philosophy or the heads of " Asrams Inspite

of their pious "Asram-life" and philosophical teachings of very high order,they do not possess "functioning competence '' and are not at ail concerned

with the "Mankind's Destiny" whichis inevitably shaped in the hands ofspiritual hierarchy consisting of seventhousand persons stationed at different

levels of consciousness while the five

Sadgurus remain at the apex inwardlydirecting and perfecting the DivineScheme. The five Sadgurus, as Babarevealed, will not only be ever enjoyinginfinite power, infinite knowledge, and

infinite bliss, but have the power and

authority to utilise them for the spiritualprogress of mankind. These divine secrets

remained undisclosed till Meher Baba

revealed them in order to assert clearlyhis own Avatarhood, and the spiritual

6

status of Sai Baba and the other four,

who declared to the World that " Meher

Baba is God that came in human body

in the light of Meher Baba's clarifications, it is to be inferred that a Sadgurualone recognises the Avatar (as Yohanrecognised Jesus) or an other Sadgurujust as the Avatar identifies the PerfectMasters. Ordinary philosophers and saintscan never identify a Perfect Master.

The Declaration of

Sri Meher Chaitani/aji,

Once, Dr. Paul Brunton, a renownec]biographer of Indian saints, asked Meher 'Baba, who would continue his Avataricwork after dropping of His body. Tohim, Baba replied " My circle of twelve

selected disciples, of whom one will become a Master at the appointed timeThe indication of the future occurence

in the words of Meher Baba should not

be overlooked especially by those who

profess faith in His Avatarhood. When

the time is ripe for the fulfilment of hisassurance. His followers need not beperplexed into a state of confusingambivalence which makes them seek grati

fication, through their denial of the 'already fulfilled occurance. On the contrary they may fully prepare their mindsto welcome the event and share thetremendous work that follows, glorifyingthe name of their Beloved Avatar.

When Sadguru Ramananda Sagarannounced "here is 'Sri MeherChaitanya ', a Sadguru '' it sounded tosome as fulfilment of Baba's word to

8

Paul Brunton, though it might havebewildered some others. Sri Rama-

nanda Sagar's announcement clarifiesthree points namely, he is a member him

self of Baba's inner circle and secondlya Perfect Master too. Thirdly he isintroducing another Perfect Master to theworld- By calling him "Sri Meher Chai-tanya Sri Ramananda Sagar obviouslyshifted the mantle of Baba's work which

he has been covertly shouldering as themember of the Avatar's inner circle, on

to the former who, will overtly take itup thereafter as the very title 'Sri MeherChaitanya ' clearly implies that he is one

with Meher Consciousness. The presentgeneration has to be, in large numbersfrom different religions, drawn intoAvataric Consciousness, prepared to

receive His love and glorify His name by

living strictly upto His standards which

'ultimately transform the world of selfish

ness and strife into a heaven of love and

sacrifice. It is no accident that Sri

Ramananda Sagar chose Sri MeherChaitanyaji for the urgent task, for Sri

Meher Chaitanyaji says, that it is Baba'swill that he should take up the Avatar's

work. His entire life is ordained to bear

Baba's 'love' into the hearts of peopledemolishing the barriers of ritualised

worship and blind beliefs. Thousands of

people who approached him, confess thatthey had been the beneficiaries of suchinner illumination and firmly entrenchedin " Meher. faith". Herein lies thesupreme beauty of the Master's work.Perhaps in this inner enlightenment lies

his miracle and service to .the presentgeneration.

10

Earlij Life.

; A brief account of the importantevents that not only turned him awayfrom the usual course, but acceleratedin him, an insatiable longing for experiencing Reality, perhaps demonstratesto some extent, the basis for thedifferent phases of his present work

which is of the highest spiritual order

in depth and breadth.

Sri Puchakayala Veerraju, was bornon 22 nd July 1934, in a middle classagriculturist family of Mandapeta in EastGodavari District of Andhra Pradesh.Being very pious, his parents NarayanaMurthy and Mangayamma brought uptheir son, in an atmosphere of tendernessand compassion. Though he did notprove to be a precocious student in

11

college, he was liked as a gentle and shyyoung man with no inclination towards

pleasures that usually entice the youth.He used to be honest in all his dealings.His contemporaries envied him for his

flawless character which endeared him

to elders. On 1 st April 1952, his

marriage was solemnised and he had

attended to the duties of married life

with the same honesty and gentleness.

He was moved to see people in distress

and never hesitated to help them in cashand kind. Varieties and pleasures henaver sought; possessions and powernever lured him; by his very nature hewas averse to pride; and he could notforbear the use of even harsh words. A

number of instances were narrated bypeople, that would stand testimony tothe delicate nature of his heart, in this

12

context one thing appears to be of considerable importance, which paved the

path for his spiritual search. Right fromthe childhood he had been in close

association with a saintly person who

remained naked except for a piece of

cloth to cover his secret parts. Peopleof the village respectfully called him"Vemana Yogi". The Yogi used tofondle the shy child, Veerraju, and

allowed him to sit in his company fo,.long hours.

It was said that on the 13 th ofJanuary, 1955, he had an unusual experience that brought about a remarkablechange in his attitude towards the acceptedvalues of life. It was the day of " BhogiFestival After the customary oilbath

he reclined in an arm-chair and was

13

relaxing. Quite unexpectedly he'felt thathis sou! with ail its awareness, separated

itself from his body and travelled acrossworlds never seen through his physicaleyes. He could see the wailing of hiskith and kin who gathered about hismoveless body. As the soul reenteredthe body, it had gained normal movements that surprised the people abouthim. Of course, he did not disclose hisexperiences to others, but was stronglydetermined to search for a Master whocould help him with a better knowledgeof "death As he had the simultaneousexperience of living while remaining dead

to others, he was thoroughly convincedthat he was not his body which seemeddead for some time at least. He met

many sadhus, and visited " Asrams " in

search of a master.

14

It was on 1 St April 1962, thatVeerraju had the contact of Swamy Siva-nanda Saraswathi of Rishikesh in a vision,and the contact was further confirmed,sanctified, and continued through corres*pondence, letters of enquiries andclarifications. The Swamy, he said, laterhad initiated him by giving him a"Mantra" and prescribing certain instructions for his scrupulous adherence,

About this period he chanced to seathe photo of Meher Baba and was instantaneously attracted towardsHe felt as if he were searching forsame person for ages through countlesslives and that his intuition was awakenedto the propinquity of the goal whichseemed far away till then. He gatheredas many details about the Avatar as hecould from devotees and was informed

15

about the proposed East - West gatheringat Poona on 1st November 1962. He

Participated in the momentous fourdaySathering and realised that his pilgrimagehad been significant for more than oneteason. First he had the rare opportu-"'ty of seeing the God-man (The Avatar)

flesh and blood and had his share of'^'^'ine love. Secondly he felt certainthat he had received a tramendous innerPWakening at his own level of prepara-!!^'on. Thirdly a vague conviction hadgrown upon his mind that he had beenassigned an important role to play in the^'vine scheme of perfecting human•^.^stiny. After returning from Poona heWas fully absorbed in spreading Baba's"lessage of love in the neighbouring^'"ages and actively participated in many^""^grammes of Baba centres.

16

Sri Veerraju made a visit to Mehera-17

nasi accompanied by a local pundit to

jiI ̂3% dear brother Eruch,

^ndLy spare few minute to checlc un £: find if •n this - As far I remember and from our records Bedoved

Mehera^ad practically all the montio of

In Be3^ved~^^ba's Love & serv^c^/ '\^ -ci ̂ A

K.K. Ropakrishnan

sa0re3"~waTeris or trre-uanges a Varanast^-Exactly a month after her death ie,, on f16th November, Veerraju left for Vara-

Mahavatar Babaji; Arrangements forVeerraju's stay In the asram were made.He had to live on milk and plain water

16

Sri Veerraju made a visit to Mehera-

Ify dear brother Eruch,

Kindly spare few minute to checkin this - jJs far I remeraber and fjx)Meherazad practically all the month

In BeiKpved

/"\K.K.

sacred vvaters of The Ganges at VaranasT>^Exactly a month after her death ie., on16th November, Veerraju left for Vara-

17

>-5

n3si accompanied by a local pundit to

up find if -there is any truth ici our records BeO-O-ved Baba was inof Januaiy ? Thanks.

ba *s Lo-ye & servdjCt^

Cuute.

krishnan

f.

ivianavat^ Babajn AlTahgements forVeerraju's stay in the asram were made.He had to live on milk and plain water

16

Sri Veerraju made a visit to Mehera-bad on 2nd January 1969 and had beenalone with Baba for fifteen minutes On

31st of the same month Baba droppedHis body which shocked his lovers allover the world. From all corners of the

country, peopfe began to stream in, tohave the last darshan of their Beloved

and pay their homage of love to himj^vyhom they believed to be the Avatar or.the Messiah of this age. Along with

her Baba lovers of Mandapeta Veerrajufiad paid homage of love to the God-manon 2nd February.

Veerraju lost his mother on 16thOctober, 1972. It was decided by eldersthat her ashes should be immersed In thesacred waters of the Ganges at Varanasl.

Exactly a month after her death le., on16th November, Veerraju left for Vara-

17

Tssi'st^him^^n^pe®? ^ Ming to Hindu CMl?'''"'"^!*'^®''^®®®®cord-felt intultivelv V6®"8ju somehowof a journey of an"!;® Jro,,!r.« ♦« ' ®n Over-exhausted soultacing towaras the goal. The 'ash-.mmeraion- a,|„game o alcutta, where he was myste

riously seoerated from the pundit by aBaba lover of Madras, called Raj Narayan.Mr. Raj Narayan took him to Mussori ina train, and they walked two miles inthe sharp cold winds of the Himalayasbefore they reached the Asram of Sad-guru Ramananda Sagar. The eighty yearold Sadguru hails from the illustriouslineage of Masters that followed SriOattatreya, Sri Samvarta Muni and SriMahavatar Babaji. Arrangements forVeerraju's stay in the asram were made.He had to live on milk and plain water

18

for 105 days under the close supervisionof the Master who had elevated the lastphases of his sadhana to complete perfection. Sri Veerraju revealed later thathe was made to experience the ultimateReality of becoming one with God, becoming one with infinite power, knowledge and bliss, which is a mere imagination, and an unbelievable dream toordinary people. Sri Ramananda Sagar,he added, was a member of Baba's innercircle and had been fully associated withthe God - man's universal work, thoughthe world could never see or believe it.In obedience to the instructions of hisMaster, Sri Veerraju proceeded to Rishi-kesh where he stayed for some days inSwamy Sivananda's Asram. During thisperiod a number of saints and yogiscame into his contact for their own

spiritual benefit. He visited Mataji, a

19

fortyfive year old German lady who hadreceived initiation from Swamy Siva-nanda. She has been living a secludedlife in a Himalayan cave and observingpenance from her thirteenth year. SriVeerraju says that she had given him theessential techniques of 'Srividyopasana',a process of spiritual exercise for theadvancement of an aspirant through'solar plexus.' or spiritual centers inhuman body.

On the way back, he met an oldMuslim saint in a mosque at Old Delhi.The saint was known as the 'Pir Sahibof Ajmir who had revealed to him theessentials of Sufi Tradition and presentedhim a volume of Upanishads commentedby Sri Sankaracharya. From thence hereturned to his native state and proceeded

to Chintalapudi, a Village in the West

20

Godavari District. For two weeks he

stayed in Sri Viswanadha Asram ofSwamy Bodhanandapuri whom he met a

few times before he left for Varanasi.

He left the Asram and came to Kovvur,another small town in the same district

and visited Mehersthan. After prayersand giving 'Arati' to Baba, he left toMandapeta.

On 23 rd of may, 1973, Sri Veerrajustepped into the thatched hut raised inthe family-farm which is situated abouta mile and half away from Mandapetaand had gradually turned into a tabernacle of love attracting thousands ofpeople from the neighbouring as well asfar off places. According to his Master'sinstructions, he observed silence for fortydays remaining alone in his thatchedabode surrounded by an indescribabletranquility of the fields, refreshing

21

serenity of the vast sky above arid the'variegated beauty of Nature all around.

ttis Work.

Though the final phase of a Master's'work will never fall short of fulfilment

of the Divine-plan, the early part of it

can be clearly seen in the spiritual drive

that the Master gives to hundreds ofpeople coming into his contact. The news

of the return of Sri Veerraju had spreadfar and wide in no time, and hundredsof people started to meet him seekingclarifications on spiritual matters. Incourse of enlightenment they weregradually acquainted with life and workof Meher Baba, and entrenched in thefaith that Sri Meher Baba is an Avatarlike Rama, Krishna, Jesus and Mohammed.The Master, they say, had radically

22

changed their earlier conceptions of Godand religion, by constantly reinforcingthe spirit of Meher-consciousness in them.

They feel that their hearts had now been

filled with a "New love" that they hadnever tasted before. They would unhesitatingly admit that that was the realsecret behind their regular presence at

the Niketan, seeking the company of theMaster. He would replenish them with

a fresh vigour of spirit by holding weekly

gatherings on Sundays, and organisingSahavas Programmes at different places

extending from three to five days. His

discourses are of such a profound spiritual import as to make the listeners feel

that a new light is kindled in them,

gradually piercing through the pall of

darkness.

23

Publication of Periodicals.

Summaries of the Master's discourseshave been available to the reading publicthrough " Meher Yuga " a Telugu monthly,and "The Avatar a fortnightlybulletin in English, both published byMeher Chaitanya Niketan Trust. TheTrust has been doing excellent servicdby publishing translations of books onAvatar Meher Baba, and some originalworks on spirituality by learned writers.

\/edantism Reoriented.

Taking the cue from "Sufism reoriented " an organisation founded byMEHER BABA, " Vedantism * Reoriented *'sprang to life with the blessings of theMaster. The entire mankind has toinevitably receive the awakening of the

24

God - man, ofccurse through familiar

channels. " Vedantism - Reoriented the

Master says, serves as one such channelwhich presents to millions of Hindus

that the " Vedapurusha " or the "Sana-thanapurusha " who has been ever sought

by Rishies and sages is no other thanAvatar A/leher Baba. The institution, the

Master says, combines in it all the pastglory of Vedic knowledge and the strenuous search of the present restlessgeneration, and the ultimate fulfilment

of realising one God or Brahman for theentire human race. Special gatheringshave been conducted, and valuable books

have been published under the Patronage

of " Vedantism - Reoriented

Kanqasram,

The Master personally supervises the

activities of the "Kanyasram'' which

28

imparts the girls necessary training ofspirit to prove that women havie as muchclaim to spiritual leadership as men do.Besides studying Meher Baba's literature,they are trained to master. the nucleusof Vedic Philosophy and Hindu scripturesto acquaint themselves adequately tobear the torch of " Mastery in Servitude"wherein lies the ideal womanhood.

Meher Vrdqa Niketan.

The Master gave his blessings to"Meher Vidya Niketan" a free .primarySchool started at Mandapeta by the"Trust''. In addition to forrnal educa'tion, the boys are taught to recite differrent prayers of Meher Baba, and read 'the lives and teachings of the spiritual 'leaders of the world. They are not onlytrained to receive whatever their teachers

26

give them by way of instruction, butalso receive it with love and faith whichare conspicuously absent between theteacher and taught in the present systemof education.

The International MeherSpiritual Academi|.

With the inspiration and guidanceof Sri Meher Chaitanyaji, the InternationalMeher Spiritual Academy is under construction at Nidadavole in West GodavariDistrict. The academy provides amplescope to philosophers and scholars ofdifferent religions to undertake researchstudies on the life and work of MeherBaba who declared that he was "Godin human body '' that he came to redeem

tnankind by awakening them to His love.The International Spiritual Academy, the

(

27

Sadguru says, will be a unique confluenceof diverse spiritual currents, ravines andrivulets, all merging into the one Ocean

of Divinity chanting the One name ofGod,

Conclusion.

The spiritual work of a Perfect Master

does not bear the attractions of outward

embellishments of political propaganda.A spiritual master does not bear the

charisma of a leader around whom peoplethrong for material benefits The Sadgurucan be compared to a goldmine. Seekersought to dig deep into the earth andpatiently bear with the stress andstrain of the labour. If they do not relentbut withstand the inevitable stress andstrain, they will become the fortunateinheritors of His infinite wealth. Similarlythe work of Sadguru Sri Meher Chaita-

28

nyaji, may not attract the miilMt ^ u .gi surely involves the few fortn ^a I who are able to put up wiar labou, like that of a ol-m """

take some more years 7nr 'appreciate the full import of thp^A?*^'^work. Master s

He says that he is open tn =i. tkdoors of his abode as weil as th h ^of his heart are always open to ^all kinds of seekers after God ''T'caught in the mage of doubl JnHg'vings, seekers groping andatoveata o, n,e-s Lio„a .f"'"''seekers purely after light andnation-who not, everyone of thetap the doot of hie abode, o,of his heart, according to his need Wemust not forget that he is for !open to all. all and

"JAI BABA".

l^lo-ie, <LUe.ufl.lei. SkL T/tlekeK BaJLct.

will Le aLle to- UAKKate mattifl cLetaili.

kis lif.e. But tke cloAc aii<uiiatei

a{. Liu SflULt will Le oLle t& Keueul tke

g.lo\ff ef. LUi. ViuLnitifl uM.te tke weKld.

SADGURU SRI MERER GHAITANYAJI MAHARAJ

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l2.£ol2t& of 6.ans^aia± axs. Uzsxt^LLcatfCjjsniangkJ.

jJ Istt you a ant ills, ^PCvot to tvHialli^z vj^zzC of ̂iziHi, and dzaiHz is. /tinyzci,

^'Vl^ Ho £(7 £% nzoo&^ cdo±£z to mZf ^a6.6.u*L£ cviLH niy divinz aulfioziiy, cviCC Hz[iHzzaizd f%oni il6. yzindiny zzcoCuiCon^, 6.0ifiai tH^y niay zos-ntuaCCy [ioz iHz HzaiifiaCifz of ziEznily,

SADGURU SRI MERER CHAITANYAJI MAHARAJ22-7_76