His Universal Work Since 1969: The Awakening of Mankind Toward Divinity
by Bhau Kalchuri
Source: Meher Baba’s Next Wave: Ordinary People’s Encounters with God, edited by Carolyn M. Ball (Asheville, NC: Arti Books, 2001), pp. 234-37.
The following was adapted from the transcript of a talk given in February of 2000 by Bhau Kalchuri, Chairman of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust in Ahmednagar, India. It is an explanation of this next aspect of Meher Baba’s work, called his Manifestation. During the talk Bhau was asked to explain Baba’s “waves”; his answer focused on the five phases of Meher Baba’s work following his physical incarnation.
Meher Baba said that after he dropped his body, he would manifest over a hundred-year period. Meher Baba’s universal manifestation is now occurring. The manifestation is divided into five phases, with twenty years in each phase. Exactly twenty years after Baba dropped his body, Mehera also dropped her body and the first phase of his manifestation was over.
But what is his manifestation? It is the time when he gives a universal push, the awakening of mankind toward divinity. And what is a universal push? The universal push occurs because the Avatar, or Christ, comes to earth at a time of stagnation in consciousness, when the kingdoms of evolution cannot proceed further. When the Avatar or the Christ drops his body, creation is still there for him, and there is still work that he does. When the Avatar or Christ drops his body, he still remains active; He is the only one who can give a universal push.
And what does he do during this period? He cleans. He begins the cleaning work, which means wiping out the impressions — the sanskaras — which are obstructions to focus. He does this in five twenty-year phases over a hundred year period.
During the first phase he worked with those people who had contact with him while he was in form, persons physically touched by him. If you look at the progression of Baba’s life, up until 1952, he seldom met with anyone but the mandali. He primarily did inner work and made contact with the masts, the God-intoxicated souls. He was continuously very busy and was sometimes in seclusion, but he was doing his universal work. He did not give public darshans.
Then, in 1952, after his first car accident which occurred in America, he came down and started giving public darshans. Wherever these were held, thousands and thousands of people came to him. They did not know him, and still they came — fifty thousand, sixty thousand, eighty thousand came every place he went — and he was continuously going to different places. People would stand in a line for hours, and he would give them a piece of banana, and then they would be moved away so the next could come. That means that they did not have much time with him. But what was that banana? He was sowing the seeds of love in their hearts. When the lamp is there, you don’t invite the moths. The moths just fly toward the flame; they don’t need any invitation. Nothing has to be done to bring them. And the same thing happened at that time with Meher Baba.
So where are those people who received the banana from Meher Baba? They must be somewhere. Most who knew him are old, but now we see all these young ones coming to Baba, not only people from India, but also from elsewhere. Thus, there are many who in a past life saw him only for a moment, and perhaps received a banana, but did not really know who he was. But they had that physical connection with him. That is the first phase.
The second phase — those who come to him during the second twenty years — includes some who were touched by him physically, and the rest are connected with his circle members or connected with the first group. In the third phase there are still a few who were touched physically by him, and the rest, of course, are connected with the first group, second group, or the circle members. By the time of the fourth group, or the fourth phase, there will be none who were physically touched by him, but of course many of those who were in the first phase will come again, so they will have an influence on the fourth group, as will the previous groups.
The fifth group will come during the very difficult fifth phase, and it will consist of a very large group, many of whom still do not believe in God. At the culmination of the Avatar’s universal manifestation, because he has to give a universal push, three quarters of the sanskaras — he impressions of separation from God which are obstruction to progress — will be wiped out. So even those in the fifth group will be greatly benefited, and every kingdom of evolution of consciousness will get a push from their current stagnant state. Then natural progress will begin again.
That is why the Avatar or Christ comes to earth — to wipe out the impressions which are obstructions, so that natural progress begins again. That is why Meher Baba said that when he breaks his silence — when his manifestation takes place — even the stones will dance. Even those who do not follow him will receive this Divine push, because he exists for all. We may see someone and think he is a sinner. But to Meher Baba, He is those people, and He is all people. Therefore He has to do his work, because for Him there is no one else but Himself. He is the only One.
There will be total change in the world. Everyone, even those who are very distant from him, will do an about-face and turn toward him. Everyone will be flying toward the Divine, toward God. That is now in the process of happening. These births and deaths are an illusory phenomenon. But once you are fully awakened, then you know that you are the Eternal One. . . .