How Silence Day Began

Meher Baba’s silence has been a subject of great fascination. It is a part of His life that evokes awe, whether it has to do with its elusive significance, or its much awaited breaking and how that would come about, or simply an admiration of the possibility of someone being able to live a life as full as He did in complete silence for 44 years.

So how did it all begin? Meher Baba was an established spiritual Master by 1925.
Before then He had observed periods of silence occasionally. Baba’s silence was never a practice, a discipline or an ascetic means to an end. It had a higher, incomprehensible spiritual significance.

In early June of 1925, Baba intimated to the Mandali that He would begin a period of silence for one year. In late June, He gave July 10th of that year as the date for it to begin. On July 8th, Baba convened a meeting with His men Mandali and assigned everyone their duties during the upcoming period of silence. On July 9th, final decisions were made and Baba informed the parents of the children in the Hazarat Babajan school about His Silence. Baba’s general verbal advice to the Mandali was, “You have to live for others and use your bodies for the benefit of others.”

The teacher Pandoba then pleaded with Baba that if he became silent, people would no longer have the opportunity of hearing what He had to declare, and the world would be deprived of His teachings. Meher Baba replied, “I have come not to teach, but to awaken!”

During the evening of July 9th, Meher Baba walked to the women’s quarters at the Post Office Building to convey his final instructions: “Now listen to my last words, because from tomorrow I will keep silence for one year. Attend to your duties with love and fulfill them with all your heart. Cook for the children at the school as if they were your own.”

“I have much work to do for the world. When my work is done, I shall speak.” Meher Baba left them at eight o’clock in the evening and, accompanied by Masaji, went to visit the men Mandali’s quarters.

It is interesting to note that Baba’s last instructions to His Mandali were thorough orders on mundane matters. He instructed them to always carry a lantern in the dark for the snakes in Meherabad. And that very night Padri saw a cobra and the men Mandali killed it. Baba heard the commotion and came out to inquire. He was still talking. That way the Mandali had another chance to hear His beautiful voice.

At five o’clock on the morning of July 10th, Baba came out of the Jhopdi. The Mandali did not know what to expect, would He still communicate with them or would he observe a stoic silence? But Baba made all his inquiries, he was completely himself: loving, caring and curious- but all in writing.

On January 1, 1927, Baba gave up all writing and started using an alphabet board to communicate. On October 7th, 1954, Baba gave up the alphabet board and continued to communicate with His unique sign language of gestures. Baba encouraged His followers to observe silence on that one day. “It’s not anybody’s silence, but it’s My Silence; so it’s best you also observe silence for a day,” He said.

During his talks in Mandali hall, Eruch explained, “Thus He started giving us a gift – His sanction to participate in the day of His Silence.”