Just to Love Him

JUST TO LOVE HIM Talks & Essays about Meher Baba Adi K. Irani An Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook Copyright © August 2020 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Ahmednagar M.S. India Source: Second Printing 2007. Printed in the U.S.A. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Irani, Adi K. Just to Love Him Bibliography: p. 1. Title BP619.M432172 1985 299'.93 85-10709 ISBN 978-1880619339 (Previously ISBN 0-913078-56-5 (pbk.) eBooks at the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Web Site The Avatar Meher Baba Trust's eBooks aspire to be textually exact though non-facsimile reproductions of published books, journals and articles. With the consent of the copyright holders, these online editions are being made available through the Avatar Meher Baba Trust's web site, for the research needs of Meher Baba's lovers and the general public around the world. Again, the eBooks reproduce the text, though not the exact visual likeness, of the original publications. 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In the meantime, we hope it will serve the needs of those seeking to deepen and broaden their own familiarity with Avatar Meher Baba's life and message and to disseminate this good news throughout the world. JUST TO LOVE HIM Talks & Essays about Meher Baba Adi K. Irani Sheriar Foundation 2 0 0 7 Copyright ©1985 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar (M.S.) India. Second Printing 2007. AJJ rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper or broadcast. For information contact: Sheriar Foundation, 807 34 Ave S., North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582; or online at www.sheriarbooks.org Printed in the U.S.A. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Irani, Adi K. Just to Love Him Bibliography: p. 1. Title BP619.M432172 1985 299'.93 85-10709 ISBN 978-1880619339 (Previously ISBN 0-913078-56-5 (pbk.)) ADI'S PRAYER Call yourself a lover of Avatar Meher Baba, but you must be willing for your love of Baba to suffer labors and sorrows, vexations and anxieties and lack of necessities, sickness, injuries, reproof, disgrace, humiliations, shame, correction and contempt. "Jai Baba" will then be yours. —Adi K. Irani PRAYER Beloved Meher Baba! Bless us all, So that in the stress and strain of our daily life And the fluctuations of our mind, We learn to relax, wholly and wholeheartedly, And float on the Ocean of Your Love, And call for Your breath of joy, Your breeze of compassion, And Your wind of strength, To flood into Every fiber of our body, Every corner of our mind, And every space of our heart, To cleanse us of all our impurity And make us worthy, Of Your Love, Of Your obedience, Of Your service, And above all, Your pleasure. —Adi K. Irani July, 1979 INTRODUCTION This book is a collection of talks and writings by Adi K. Irani, one of Meher Baba's first mandali members, and His secretary from 1944 onward. Adi first met his Beloved Master in Ahmednagar, India in 1921 when he was only 18 years old. The rest of his life was given entirely in Avatar Meher Baba's service, and, in his capacity as Meher Baba's secretary, he corresponded widely with followers of Meher Baba all over the world. Adi accompanied Meher Baba on many of His journeys to the West, and after Meher Baba dropped His body on 31st January 1969, Adi made several speaking tours to the West and throughout India. He was a regular speaker at the Ahmednagar Meher Baba Center, continuing to fulfill the role Meher Baba designed for him as one of His most effective and inspiring speakers. In early 1970, upon Adi's return from his first trip to the West after Baba dropped His body, Khorshed Irani (Adi's cousin and one of Baba's earliest women mandali) was surprised to hear how well Adi's public talks had been received, and how in private interviews in which people would tell Adi their personal problems and ask for his advice, Adi was able to respond helpfully to many questions asked of him. Then she recalled an incident which took place in the early 1920s in the Manzil-e-Meern ashram in Bombay when Baba first planted in Adi the seeds of an ability to communicate His message to the public. One afternoon Baba called Adi and asked him, "Will you stay with Me for your whole life?" Adi answered, "Yes, Baba." Baba continued, "When I call you, will you come with Me for bhiksha (begging)?" Adi again answered, "Yes, Baba." Baba then asked, "Will you speak for Me as Vivekananda did for Ramakrishna? If so, I will give you My power to speak for Me just as Ramakrishna gave Vivekananda his power to speak for him. Will you do this for Me?" Adi again said, "Yes, Baba." Baba said, "Remember this." v When Khorshed reminded Adi of this incident, Adi at first couldn't recall it, but after a few moments the memory of it came to him. He exclaimed, "You were there? You remember all this?" Recalling this experience with Baba made Adi very happy and it made him even more enthusiastic to give talks about his Beloved. Adi felt fully confident that Baba had given him the ability to speak for Him and thereafter he began to give more and more talks about Baba. Adi, in fact, did carry out Baba's order. During the New Life he went begging with Baba and later he played a role like that of Vivekananda in bringing an understanding of Meher Baba's stature and message to the West. Although Baba foretold Adi's future, Adi's role as a speaker developed slowly and in stages. Adi began writing for Baba in the early years of his life with Him. Adi wrote articles for the Meher Baba Journal and other Baba periodicals including The Awakener and The Glow. Throughout Adi's early years with Baba, he was no doubt being prepared by Baba in many ways for his later work as a public speaker in His cause. Adi was one of the most adept among the mandali in reading Baba's alphabet board, and he was frequently called upon by Baba to read out what Baba was conveying through the board. In this way, Adi became intimately conversant with Baba's messages, explanations and discourses. Thereafter, even from the barest outline - just a few words or phrases - Adi was able to determine the entire thought that Baba wanted to communicate. We can all think of instances of knowing another person so well that it is no longer necessary to completely spell out what one wishes to communicate. If two people have been in constant, close and loving contact and communication with each other for many years, eventually each may be able to understand, from small expressions or gestures, what the other means to say. This is especially true of people in love. And this was Adi's relationship with Baba. But in spite of his ability to read the board, Adi did not feel able to speak extemporaneously about Baba and His message of Love and Truth. Baba would even encourage Adi to speak on His behalf, but Adi was reluctant. However, during Baba's visit to the West in 1956 (two years after Baba gave up the use vi of the alphabet board) a dramatic change took place. One day in New York City Baba told Adi to act as His representative at a press conference which had been arranged by some of Baba's American lovers.

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