Gifts

For Meherjyoti, coming to the Center was Baba’s birthday gift— one that reminded her of another gift He gave long ago.

Meherjyoti had wanted to visit the Center for decades, but it was so far from her home in India that she didn’t know when she’d possibly get a chance. Then, this year, her husband Sandeep got a contract to work a job in Houston. When the contract was extended, Sandeep called to see if Meherjyoti wanted to join him. Magically, she was not only granted a visa, but one for 10 years. She knew that Baba had planned it all. She came to the United States and spent her birthday at Baba’s home in the West.

Meherjyoti and Sandeep appreciated the warm welcome of the Center staff and the pristine beauty of the grounds. But most of all, they were moved by the ever-present fragrance of God’s love. Speaking of Baba’s room, Meherjyoti says, “I felt as if I was in the Samadhi… the perfume of jasmine flowers, lilies on the Samadhi; the same I was feeling here … I cannot explain, it’s so beautiful. I felt Baba everywhere in Baba’s room.“

While I talked with Meherjyoti about her experience at the Center, she also related another story—the experience that her mother had with Meher Baba in His physical form.

Meherjyoti’s father, Shalikgram, had always been a staunch Baba lover, but her mother, Pushpa, was raised Hindu. She had never been very interested in Baba, and watched her husband’s devotion to Him from a distance.

After a few years of marriage, however, and not conceiving a child, a question came unbidden to Pushpa’s mind: what if Baba were actually God, and her not having the child she longed for was somehow connected with that? After a few days, she hesitantly asked Shalikgram if he would take her to Ahmednagar to meet Meher Baba.

Shalikgram was overjoyed. He brought her to Ahmednagar, and not only that, but Baba specifically asked a number of his Mandali—including Dr. Donkin and Eruch— to show her all of the best sights in the city. She was concerned, however, despite this care lavished upon her, that she wouldn’t be seeing Baba Himself, since He was in seclusion: internally, she felt that the sight of Him was the one thing that would help her.

Then, on Mehera’s birthday in December, Pushpa got her wish. To celebrate the day, Baba said He would appear in public for His lovers for just a few minutes. Pushpa excitedly went and sat amongst the women Mandali, not far from Mehera, who knew about her desire to see Baba and her questions about His divinity. When Baba came out on the platform, Mehera said to Baba, “Baba, Pushpa has many questions for you. She has many questions in her mind.”

Baba turned His loving gaze on Pushpa. “Oh yes?” He gestured. He called both Pushpa and Shalikgram in front of Him, and then gestured that He would let Pushpa ask any questions she wanted for five whole minutes.

But Pushpa was suddenly faced with Baba, who was shining with infinite love. In that moment, she knew from the bottom of her heart that He was divine. Tears began streaming down her face as she looked into His. She found that she couldn’t utter a word.

Baba just sat there, looking at her with love and also a little amusement. As she stood silent, flabbergasted and weeping with love, He smiled and gestured, “four more minutes!”

Unable to speak, Pushpa remained in mute awe and adoration as Baba continued to count down, “three minutes … two minutes …” Finally, her time was up— that infinite time, the immortal gift, her only moments with Baba in His physical form.

As she started to move away, Baba stopped her. “My nazar is on your family,” He gestured. “Don’t worry.” She left that day with rock-solid faith in Baba that never left her.

And, not long after, she discovered that she was pregnant with another gift, Meherjyoti— who told me this story at Baba’s home in the West a few days after her birthday, as birds sang, and sunlight danced through the leaves, and pilgrims greeted each other with love, everything attesting to God’s continued generosity.