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Now is the time to lay down your cloaks
and your daggers,
Don't you see that we're under one banner.
Now is the time to play out the part that was written
Who will care if it's hero or villain.
The stage is empty, the lights are dimmed,
And the silence is deafening,
Don't forsake me,
Cos' there ain't a wall dividing us,
There ain't a sea that's wide enough.
I believe that we're under the same banner,
I believe it's later than we think it is,
The time has come and change is in the wind.
And if you're given the easy lines,
And I was struggling to get it right,
Don't forsake me,
Cos' it may have gone the other way
And you may have found it hard to say...
I believe that we're under the same banner
I believe the stage is set,
The lights have dimmed
You're standing right in front of him.
I believe that we're under the same banner...
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You mean to say you want to walk along that path?
You mean to say you want to choose that life,
Leaving your comforts at the door like a pair of shoes?
I tell you it has all been done for you.
Read the stories, read between the lines and think again.
Helplessness for example,
Can you do helplessness without anger?
Can you do hopelessness without despair?
Humiliation without resentment,
Or humility without being aware?
Could you live as one with all the rest in total harmony
Without feeling separate?
Or be homeless for years without feeling “no one cares”?
Or know loneliness without feeling abandoned,
Darkness without feeling fear?
Hunger without yearning;
Thirst without thought;
Cold without seeking comfort,
And all day in the heat of the sun
Without feeling distraught?
Could you know suffering without feeling self-pity?
Be hurt without feeling sore?
Incapacitated without desperation?
Sharing what little there is without wanting more?
Hard done by without blaming another,
Tired without stopping to rest;
Hard up without feeling envy,
Worthless without the slightest expectation
Of ever being acknowledged?
Just know it has been done;
The immense task accomplished By those steadfast companions
And completed to His satisfaction.
So when they said to you,
“Welcome!” “Welcome home!”
“Sit here with us. Stretch out your legs and be comfortable!”
Remember what they said we could do –
Because all the hard labour has been done for us,
The path cleared, steps hacked out in the steep places,
Guide ropes set along the dangerous ledges.
“Keep your eyes on Him!” they said,
“Keep His name in your heart,”
Meaning the One who is the most steadfast of the companions,
The elder brother,
The One who is there for each of us every step of the way.
But the path we must take is internal,
And the inner work my dear
Is up to you.
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3. |
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This is the Real thing, Beloved -
This is the Real thing.
This is the Real thing, Baba,
You are the Real One.
Your tender look has drawn my soul
And set my heart aflame with love
For you always, Beloved,
You are the Real One.
This is the Real thing, Beloved -
This is the Real thing.
This is the Real thing, Baba -
You are the Real One.
You have bestowed so much on me
Unworthy me, my prayer shall be
To do Your Will, Beloved -
You are the Real One.
To do Your Will and more and more
To love You still until at last
I cease to be, and merge within
Your Love so still.
This is the Real thing, this is the Real thing.
This is the Real thing, Beloved -
You are the Real One.
You have bestowed so much on me
Unworthy me, my prayer shall be
To do Your Will, Beloved -
Your are the Real One.
To do Your Will and more and more
To love You still until at last
I cease to be, and merge within
Your Love so still.
This is the Real thing, this is the Real thing.
This is the Real thing, Baba -
You are the Real One.
Your tender look has drawn my soul
And set my heart aflame with love
For You always, Beloved,
You are the Real One.
This is the Real thing, Beloved -
This is the Real thing.
This is the Real thing, Baba
You are the Real One.
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We are unable to reproduce Cole Porter's immortal lyrics here due to copyright and licensing issues, but this recording of Meher Baba's favourite song is licensed.
From Bhau Kalchuri's biography of Meher Baba, LORD MEHER, we read the following:
"Baba's favorite song "Begin The Beguine" was played on a phonograph. Baba remarked the song had an eternal meaning. He beat the rhythm with his fingers on the arm of his chair."
- LORD MEHER, Online Edition, p. 4385
Used with permission of Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable
Trust, Ahmednagar, India.
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5. |
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Let me remember you, dear Mehera, in your great beauty.
Show me what purity looks like.
Let me know from you that sweetness
which owes nothing to sugar cane or roses.
Let me learn from you the discipline which gives up
everything without a second thought.
Let me stand with you again, side by side,
as if we were family.
Let us sit together and weave brooches
from His hair.
Let us make paper flowers
to garland His photograph
and wash His clothes in water
from the highest mountain.
Let me never forget my good fortune in knowing Him
more closely through knowing you.
Let me not forget your laughter,
or your tears.
Dearest Mehera, let me learn from you
the love He cannot resist,
the love this world cannot imagine,
the love even God cannot do without.
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6. |
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No one can see you but with eyes divine,
You’re my love, my lord, my life.
No one can see you but with eyes divine,
You’re my love, my lord, my life.
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
You always were, you always are, you always will be
My love,
my lord,
my life
My love, my lord,
my life
My love,
my lord,
my life
You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the High
My love,
my lord,
my life.
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!
No one can see you but with eyes divine,
You’re my love, my lord, my life,
No one can see you but with eyes divine,
You’re my love, my lord, my life.
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7. |
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Yes it must be love
Yes it must be love
One, then two
Indivisible You, You, You
Yes it must be love, now
When will You be mine?
When will my love become divine?
Night and day
Near and far
Oh Beloved the Avatar
When will You be mine?
How can I be free?
How can I be really me?
I and me
Me and my
Oh let me live, Lord
So I can die
Yes it must be love, now
I give You my day
You show me Your lovely way
How to be
What to see
Think of You, Lord and none of me
Showing me my way
Home
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8. |
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Take me
Take me towards the edge of your waterfall.
Hold my heart.
Teach me to float
weightless
towards a sea of no time.
Dear Beloved,
broken and weary,
blinded by light,
melted by a wave of soundless measure,
taken by wind -
place me with gentle care
in this boat of New Life.
There is no father mother sister brother,
no male female boy girl,
no this or that,
only friend,
companion,
equal without measure.
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9. |
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Show me Your eyes
Show me Your eyes, I want to see.
All that You see.
All You hear and all You feel.
I wanna be, with You
With You, with You, with You.
Finding myself
Within Your eyes, died and I’m alive.
Here is my heart, You are my home
All I will ever know.
I wanna be with You.
With You, with You, with You.
So show me Your eyes.
Show me Your eyes I want to see.
All that You see
All You hear and all You feel.
I wanna be, with You.
With You, with You, with You.
With You, with You with You.
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10. |
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I
MY EVERYTHING
For fifty years I have been living with Meher Baba as my intimate companion;
He has been my total source of meaning and inspiration;
I have struggled to live my life according to His Wish;
I have tried to remember Him constantly;
His beauty His suffering His Love His humour;
I have read just about everything written
by Him, about Him, for Him,
and I have been touched by what they reveal;
I have held on tight to His Damaan when Life got difficult;
I have organised many a group
so that we may be together in His fragrant Presence;
I have made many a Pilgrimage to His Tomb/Shrine at Meherabad,
and to His Home in the West at Myrtle Beach;
I have sat at the feet of His beloved Mandali,
listening to tales of love and devotion;
and I have travelled the world with my poems and songs,
giving performances to entertain His Lovers;
In short
for fifty years
MEHER BABA
has been
my Lord
my Master
my Beloved,
my everything
I cannot say that this has been easy;
it has involved
conscious effort
every step of the way;
not for liberation or realisation,
but as an opportunity to live my life
in ways that may please Him
and make Him smile.
II
FALLING AND DISSOLVING
on the 4th January, 2018
on my way to Meherabad
I fell down some steps,
cracked a rib or two,
and had to return home.
over the weeks that followed,
as I was recovering from the fall,
I gradually became aware
that something profound was happening;
I was losing my focus on Baba!!
my resolve to keep Him at the heart
of all that I think and say and do
seemed to be
...dissolving...
as if a file was being quietly deleted,
by an unseen hand,
while I was merely a detached witness,
unable - or even unwilling -
to prevent it happening.
And so
it happened...
all my Baba ways,
my constant efforts,
the studying of His life and His work,
the meetings and earnest discussions,
the prayers, the pilgrimages, the songs...
...everything...
Slipped silently into the past,
and were gone.
It felt as if Baba was saying:-
your efforts have brought you this far,
now it is time for change;
it had become too habitual,
almost religious,
a hindrance to progress,
so you had to fall;
then with a smile
He gently blew them all away.
and I knew
with a quiet certainty
there could be no returning
to how things were.
III
MY NOTHING
now my everything had become my nothing,
leaving me naked in the presence of the Lord,
helpless and lost,
crying out
well what do I do now?
how will I ever find my way home?
and from out of the heart of my nothing
came this silent response...
all you have to do now
is surrender
surrender yourself wholeheartedly to My Will
accept without question everything that
IS
And
Trust Me
Completely
I will never ever let you down.
IV
MY NEW LIFE
so here I am
going about my usual daily business,
and in spite of a stubborn ego
which does not surrender gladly,
and a questioning mind
which does not easily accept or trust,
I am finding myself unexpectedly at peace,
content to remain under the veil,
happy to follow wherever He may lead,
facing whatever may come,
as I live each eternal moment
in the glow of His Grace...
in the glory of His Love...
and so I wait...
listening...
with an ear to the wind...
God is speaking
I do not wish to miss a whisper
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11. |
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SEASONS
Maria Radoje
Seasons, how they come and go,
Seasons, I have come to know
The reason why you kept me near,
The reason why I held you dear...
Freedom, now the seeds are sown,
Freedom, when they’re fully grown
The sun will rise to greet the dawn,
To shine upon a life transformed
Praises, how they softly sing,
Praises, to Meher the King,
I long for you eternally,
So just one glimpse, please grant to me
Seasons, how they come and go,
Seasons, I have come to know
The reason why you kept me near,
The reason why I held you dear...
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12. |
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God is Love
and love must love.
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13. |
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OUT OF YOUR LOVE FOR US
Marlais Pritchard
What is this pact You’ve made with Him, sweet one,
out of Your love for us,
that lets You in again and again?
To always come back this way,
to quicken our hearts
with joy and love and lift us back into You.
Sweet one, I had thought He’d asked it of You,
but now, now I’m not too sure,
that it wasn’t You who pleaded with Him out of Your love for us...
Beloved Meher Baba, Compassionate Father,
not for nothing You have been named.
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14. |
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THE PATH OF LOVE
Biddu / Susie Biddu
Baba You were always near us,
You can always hear us on our Path of Love.
Baba though we stumble and fall,
help us always recall Your Loving Name.
Even in our moments of deep despair, You’re still there
Holding us with hands Divine, You’re there
to help us every time, To have and hold, the truth that You told,
Only with Your Grace, do we ever see Your Face.
Baba though the journey is long
You undo so much wrong
On our Path of Love.
Baba the world has many distractions,
but the only attraction is being with You
You had come here not to teach but to awaken each and every one,
Though Your form has gone, the power of that love still lingers on.
To live My words, unspoken yet heard,
Baba we pray help us love You more each day.
Baba You are always near us,
You can always hear us on our Path of Love.
Oh Baba though we stumble and fall
Help us always recall Your loving name...
Baba... Baba...
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15. |
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16. |
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THE 101 NAMES OF GOD
Traditional Zoroastrian prayer
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.
Prajatarah 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-fareftah 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-garTransmuter of Air into Earth
66.
Bad-gred-tum Supreme Transmuter of Air into Dust
67.
Adar-kibritum Supreme Transmuter of Fire into Divine Sparks
68.
Bad-gar-jae Spreading Air Everywhere
69.
Ab-tum Creator of Life-giving 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 Humanity 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.
Vaaspar Giver of All Things
92.
Khawar Infinitely Patient
93.
Ahu Lord of Existence
94.
Avakshidar Forgiver of Sins
95.
Dadar Divine Creator
96.
Raiyomand Rayed in Glory
97.
Khorehmand Haloed in Light
98.
Davar Lord of Justice
99.
Kerfaigar Lord of Just Rewards
100.
Bokhtar Liberator
101.
Farsho-gar Awakener of Eternal Spring
Ashem Vohu Vahishtem Ashti Ushta Ashti
Ushta Ahemaye
Yaa Dashai Vahishtai Ashem
“Righteousness is the best good
and it is happiness. Happiness is to him/her who is righteous for the
sake of the best righteousness.”
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An offering of Love in Words and Music to mark the 50th Anniversary of Beloved Avatar Meher Baba dropping His physical form.
"BELOVED" was conceived when a group of Baba's lovers, some of whom had attended the 1969 Great Darshan, wanted to honour that momentous event, and also mark the midpoint of the Beloved's Manifestation period.
A collection of original songs and poetry (except for Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine"), offered to Meher Baba and His lovers, as well as to any and all who sincerely love God, or who would do so, and anyone interested in Meher Baba.