Darshan Hours (Clothbound)

Conversations with Avatar Meher Baba at Guruprasad Bungalow, Poona

“Darshan” means “sight” of the Master. It refers to being in His presence, and in the East, where spirituality has a history in countless traditions that stretches into the ancient, hoary past, it implies the blessing that comes from being in the presence of a spiritually advanced person.

The “Darshan Hours” recounted here refer to conversations that occurred between Avatar Meher Baba and some of His lovers and visitors during the summer of 1960. Meher Baba was in residence at Guruprasad Bungalow in Poona at the time — it was an impressive “palace” that belonged to the Maharani of Baroda, who had given it over to Meher Baba for His use during the scorchingly hot Indian months of April, May and June, and from time to time visitors were allowed to come there to have Baba’s “darshan.”

It is common knowledge in the East that “a moment in the presence of a saint is worth a hundred years of penance and prayers.” A saint, however, remains just a saint, not fully enlightened however elevated. The Avatar of the Age is God Himself, the Infinite Consciousness of the Infinite and Only One manifest in a human body: He was Zoroaster, Ram and Krishna; He was Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed; and now, in this most recent Advent, He was Meher Baba.

To be in the presence of the Avatar — to have His “darshan” — is a blessing of indescribable value, beyond measure, beyond conception. One might reasonably expand upon the adage cited above, “and to be in the presence of the Avatar is worth one hundred billion years of discipleship to all the other spiritual masters in the world!” There are no words to explain how unique and how enduring the benefit of being in His presence is — for once that acquaintance is made with The Friend, He is your friend forever.

Yet these conversations attest to how informal life was around the Avatar, and how freely He interacted with those who came to Him. In these simple exchanges between God Incarnate and His visitors, we see the unique aspect of the Avatar: He alone is on all levels, one with each and all and imparting Divine Wisdom to each one fortunate enough to come into His presence. With Darshan Hours, we all have that chance, to eavesdrop on the Avatar as He so freely distributed the pearls, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds of perfect counsel from the Most Perfect One.

84 pages, ISBN: 978-0-940700-16-1