OFFERING OF THESE PRAYERS IS NOT A RITUAL

 
Earlier, I referred to the two prayers Baba has given us as buttons we can push to gain access to the divine satellite and receive His love and guidance. Some may wonder at the importance that has been ascribed to these prayers, since Baba has also stated that the only prayer God hears is the prayer of the heart. Doesn't the regular recitation of the prayers amount to precisely the kind of ritual Baba has come to do away with? Therefore, I wish to share a few thoughts and facts about these prayers.

Baba dictated the Repentance Prayer at Meherabad in November of 1952, and the Master's Prayer in Dehra Dun in August of 1953. The Master's Prayer was originally referred to as the Universal Prayer. By the time it was sent to the West, it was known as the Master's Prayer because of Baba's participation in offering it.

Let me admit that when I first read the Universal Prayer, I was not impressed by it. But since Baba had given it, naturally I had a deep respect for it. When Baba first gave the prayer, He made it clear that He wanted His followers to recite it daily for a certain period, and while I was happy to comply with this, the prayer did not appeal to my heart the way it should have. Unlike the prayer of Saint Francis or some of the prayers in the Upanishads, the Master's Prayer seemed rather remote, being neither moving nor poetic. It seemed, to my limited understanding, to read like a dry collection of divine attributes which did not have a great deal of significance for me.

I was also a little hesitant about the use of the word "we" in the Repentance Prayer. I wondered why I should share in other people's repentance when I hadn't participated in their sins! So, sometimes when I recited this prayer by myself, I would change "we" to "I," since it was "I" who was repenting. Baba had made me feel so natural in my relationship with Him that I did not feel the slightest guilt about doing this.

Then, in the '50s and '60s, Baba gave me more opportunities to spend time with Him and also to participate in these prayers in His presence. This gradually changed my perspective. Baba's attitude towards the prayers, I saw, clearly reflected the importance they had for Him in His universal work. Before reciting them, He would wash His hands and face and straighten His coat or sadra. Then, with great solemnity, Baba would join His palms and listen with closed eyes while the prayers were read aloud by Eruch.

The look of profound and reverent absorption on Baba's face at such times impressed me deeply. As He listened to all the attributes of God in the Master's Prayer, I could see that they were clearly not just a dry catalogue of terms to Him. One had the vivid impression that Baba was inwardly experiencing each of these attributes which, for me, had only been high-sounding phrases. I could not help but begin to develop an appreciation for these superlatives, as they were obviously charged with deep significance. When the Repentance Prayer was read out, a deeply penitent look would come over Baba's face and He would softly tap His cheeks with His palms.

Through the recitation of the prayers, I felt that Baba was bringing together the religions of the world "as beads on one string." His hands were joined in the fashion common to both the Hindu and Christian traditions, and yet the Master's Prayer begins, "O Parvardigar," a Sufi term used by the Muslims. As the prayer was read, He would sway from side to side in the manner of the Zoroastrians. Thus, the major religions were symbolically represented through Baba's external actions. He participated in these prayers hundreds of times.

My growing sense of the spiritual importance of the prayers was reinforced in later years when Baba's health was declining: He would still insist on standing while the prayers were read out. From 1966 onward, Baba was in seclusion, engaged in intense universal spiritual work on all planes of consciousness. In spite of the fact that this work seemed to leave Baba terribly drained, He wanted the prayers read almost every day when a particular part of His work was finished. After 1967, He usually needed one of His disciples to stand at His side to support Him.

On one such occasion, with Baba standing in spite of His pain and fatigue, He signaled to Eruch to read the prayer faster. Then, several moments later, He gestured again to read faster still. Eruch was reading briskly when Baba signaled once again to increase the pace. Now Eruch was reading at breakneck speed and the words were running together. Suddenly, he had the image in his mind of an express train barreling its way from Bombay to Pune, clattering through small by-stations without stopping or slowing down. Unexpectedly, contrary to Eruch's habitually poised and balanced nature, he involuntarily burst out laughing for a few moments; then collecting himself, he resumed reading as rapidly as he could. Afterwards Baba asked him why he had laughed, and Eruch apologetically described the image which had come to him.

Baba gestured, "You have no idea of the physical strain I was going through when I gestured for you to read faster. For you, reading the prayer fast may seem farcical, but for Me to participate in these prayers in My present state of health is no joke. I have given these prayers to humanity to recite. They are for all posterity. Whenever anyone recites these prayers, they will be helped spiritually because of My present personal participation.

It has nothing to do with how quickly you read the prayer or how much feeling you read it with or anything of that sort. All that matters is My having participated in the prayers. Any time anyone repeats these prayers, I am there with them, and they will be helped spiritually." This was the clear divine assurance from the Avatar Himself about the importance of reciting these prayers. They are a loving expression of His compassion, accomplished at the cost of His physical suffering.

On February 1, 1968, a Life Circular was issued in which Baba asked all His lovers to help Him in His work by reciting the prayers every day until March 20th. This was subsequently extended to July 9th. Thus, Baba showed that by reciting the prayers, His lovers are also given the privilege of participating in His Divine work.

I now feel that both these prayers subsume all the other prayers I have spoken and loved. I no longer have any need to say "I" when reciting the Prayer of Repentance. On the contrary, I feel the "we" is the most high "WE" because it includes Baba's participation. In a real sense, the Master's Prayer has become "The Universal Prayer" for one and all.

Meher Baba suffered willingly and consciously to participate in the prayers so that posterity might benefit from them. To me the offering of these prayers is not a ritual. That is why I liken them to special buttons we can use to intensify our contact with the Ancient One, functioning through the Samadhi during this Avataric period. And it is also true that any moment of sincere remembrance of the Eternal Awakener, wherever we may be, will awaken His love in our hearts and guide us in our journey to Him.