MEHER BABA'S HELP TO HIS MAD-MASTS

 
"Differences in the spiritual value of emergent states of consciousness: During this process of transcending the mind, the make-up of the mind is subjected to so much disturbance that the person is unable to use his mind in the ordinary way and to all appearances is like a mad man. Very often common people actually take him to be insane; but the Masters who have direct and real insight into the working of the mind know the true genesis and the nature of his unusual mental state and they are in a position to understand his condition in terms of spiritual values and to help him towards the realization of the goal which he is seeking in his own way.

"When these persons receive the right sort of help from a Perfect Master they emerge into a supranormal state of perfect integration and harmony.

"The Mad-Masts are God-intoxicated souls who in the joy of their advancing sojourn through the inner planes often lose their balance of mind; but this lost balance is in the end fully and finally re-established when the obstructive factors in the journey are all overcome. As compared with the normal man, the Mad-Masts seem to have less balance; but it is important to remember that the normal man does not have true or lasting balance and has only an appearance of balance, because he can successfully strike a provisional compromise between the warring elements in his psyche and can bring his outward behavior into conformity with the established conventions of society.

"But in order that the mind should arrive at the true balance of understanding, the provisional balance of compromise has to be considerably disturbed; and this is what happens in the case of the Mad-Masts.

"However, in spite of the fact that many of the Mad-Masts do actually lose their balance while traversing the spiritual path of inner life, they are often capable of rendering effective service to other aspirants who are less advanced than themselves.

"Though oblivious of worldly considerations and values, they are sensitive to the spiritual needs of those who come in touch with them; and as some of them are consciously stationed on the higher planes, they can give just that type of occult help which is necessary. The Mad-Masts who are entirely absorbed in the 'beatific vision' are capable of being perfected through the divine help which they receive from the Master who knows all the stages of the journey with its traps and dangers; and after being perfected they become perfect vehicles of the expression of the divine will to carry on God's plan on earth."

[The following is Dr. C. D. Deshmukh's view]

Meher Baba's help to his Mad-Masts is unique. He lives on the plane of Unity and for Him there are no veils; and just as a child in its uttermost simplicity and unsophisticated outlook can come into perfect harmony with any surroundings, irrespective of the distinctions of convention, Meher Baba at once succeeds in establishing perfect understanding with the Mad-Masts.

His method of helping the Mad-Masts works wonders because He can go down to their level. He can thoroughly enter into their lives because of His selfless universality and outgoing love which does not falter at spontaneous service of the humblest type. He is found to cut their hair, bathe them, feed them, attend to their physical ailments and even clean up their latrines. While attending to the Mad-Masts He is so forgetful of Himself and identifies Himself with their real problems so completely that their souls immediately recognize the Master as the medium of divine intervention and dispensation and respond to Him.

Meher Baba appeals to the deeper layers of the inner being of the Mad-Masts and evokes responses which are sure signs of the activation of hitherto untapped resources and the release of the inner fund of spiritual energy which was so far inaccessible to them.