Avatar Meher Baba's Samadhi

The Divine Heartbeat

By Laurent Weichberger I was traveling with Don Stevens from England to Meherabad, during February 2005 as Don’s assistant. I knew we would be at Meherabad for Baba’s birthday, however we also had a tremendous amount of Babab work which Don wanted to complete while we were together. I mustered my courage and told him that I wanted to take Baba’s birthday as a holiday from our work, that I just needed a day off. He seemed a bit surprised, but agreed. I would be free for a whole day, to do whatever I wanted.

On Baba’s birthday, before sunrise, I walked in the dark towards Beloved Baba’s samadhi with Cynthia Barrientos, and Clea and David Mcneely to arrive at 5:00am for Baba’s arti, (the time he was born). We sang to Baba as hundreds of people started to show up from all over the world.

Eventually it was time for breakfast.

After breakfast, all I wanted to do was return to the Samadhi, so I did. As I approached I observed a tremendous queue of international pilgrims waiting for their moment with Baba. I was going to get on the line, when Janaki, the tomb keeper of the day, saw me and said loudly, “Laurent, You have been coming here too long, come and help me!” I knew what she meant, as she had seen me coming as a pilgrim since 1988 and now, over fifteen years later, she wasn’t going to treat me as a pilgrim any longer. I had no idea what she had in mind.

She explained to me what she wanted me to do. She said there were so many pilgrims on this day, there was no way they could all have time with Baba inside the Samadhi, bowing down with him, unless we facilitated this time. I probably scrunched up my nose and forehead as she continued, saying, “So we will have to allow people in, one at a time, and if they linger too long, tell them their time is up, and …” then she took me to the door of the Samadhi, and showed me.

One person was at the threshold, as a sort of gatekeeper, allowing people to go inside one at a time, and one was already inside, and they would tap the pilgrim on their back if they got lost in their love for Baba and lingered too long, and one was outside by the entrance to darling Mehera’s grave, and that person was to not allow the pilgrim back through the entrance, because it would cause a traffic jam. It all needed to flow and keep flowing in one direction. I was amazed, and I hated this idea. Yes, hate. And I hate almost nothing, but simply the idea of interrupting someone while they are praying inside the Samadhi was repulsive to me. And yet, I understood why she wanted to do all this -- to keep the line flowing, and allow everyone to have their moment with Baba on his birthday. Hmmm. I wanted to run away.

Then, I remembered Baba had said, “Greater than love is obedience. Greater than obedience is surrender. All three arise out of, and remain contained in, the Ocean of divine Love.” [endnote: The Everything and the Nothing​, by Meher Baba, p. 5.]

I felt like Baba was there with us, and He was asking me to move from my love for Him, to my obedience, and ultimately surrender. But I wasn’t there yet, I just stared at Janaki.

She took me by the hand into the Samadhi, gestured for me to bow at Baba’s feet, and then posted me inside the Samadhi. My new job was not to let anyone linger too long, before I tap them on the shoulder and motion it is time for them to depart, for the next soul to arrive. I tried to settle into this new role, and to be obedient in a happy non-resistant way. I tried to surrender to what I felt Baba was asking from me.

This went on all day, except Janaki would change up our roles. After a while, I was posted at the door of the Samadhi, and would allow people in one at a time, to stand inside on the mat on the left side, before their turn with Baba. Later I was posted on the Samadhi porch, at the entrance to Mehera’s grave. After someone went to Mehera, if they tried to return to the porch, I had to stop them and gesture them to go around to the entrance to the Samadhi, not back the way they came.

So, I played all these roles.

Once, I was gesturing for an Indian man who was with Mehera to go around, and not come back through the way he came, and the man was visibly confused and upset. A friend of mine, Flint Mednick, who had more experience in India than me, was there at that moment. Watching me perform this role, he approached me and scolded me. I said, “No, Janaki told me to do this.” He said, “Yes, I know that, but do it with more love.” I knew exactly what he meant. So, from that point onwards, I would gesture, and stop people with a big smile, and a Jai Baba, and redirect them with as much love as I could. It was a profound lesson and not easy, however it shifted the energy. At some point, I had a realization, or mini-vision, of this whole experience and it went like this: Avatar Meher Baba’s samadhi at Meherabad is the heart of the universe, with each new pilgrim crossing the threshold causing a new Divine heartbeat. Our roles were just the heart valves, allowing the blood to flow -- into one chamber and out another, and so on. We are Baba’s divine blood flowing, in healthy ways, all day long with Him. Now I know that Baba’s love for His Creation, for each one of us, and our loving Baba is truly all that matters. Thank you Baba.

Copyright © 2020 by Laurent Weichberger