Do you want to know more about how Gulshan discovered Meher Baba, or rather, how Meher Baba’s presence came to be manifested in Gulshan’s life?

Read on below, in Gulshan’s own words, how she discovered Meher Baba by divine accident, and how, He kept appearing in her life at various times and places to guide her to her destined path in life.

MY ASSOCIATION WITH MEHER BABA

As I look back upon how things turned out, I can’t believe that I had encountered Baba so long ago! I remember that day so clearly now…

I had moved to Pune to set up my private surgical practice. I guess it must be around 1991 or 1992.

On this day, I was returning home after a short, out of town trip with friends. We were driving on the Shree Gonda Highway, going towards Pune. About 25-30 km before the location of the Samadhi, a very strong and strange feeling came over me: “There is a Samadhi nearby. You have to go and bow at this Samadhi. You have to go there! You have to go there!”

I shared this desire with my co-passengers in the car. All eyes turned towards me when I insisted that I have to go there — so strong was that feeling! You see, I have a happy-go-lucky nature. Normally, I go along with the common consensus of a group and rarely do I give my personal inputs. This was probably the first time in my life that I absolutely insisted.

“Nothing doing,” I asserted, “I have to go to this place and pay my respects at this Samadhi.”

Of course, no one understood what I was talking about. In hindsight, I sometimes wonder if even I understood what had happened to me then! I was bombarded with all sorts of questions about the Samadhi. Obviously, I had no answers. Only the strong pull, the urge to go there.

Amidst all those questions and my ignorance of the answers, I also had to face the ire of my fellow passengers. I had created a disturbance in the otherwise smooth trip. And although I seemed to know nothing about what I wanted to do, I seemed more certain than they had ever seen me be. A lot of words were said in anger and irritation, but I stood firm on my desire to go to the Samadhi. Ultimately, I picked up my courage and suggested that we stop somewhere and ask someone for directions and guidance.

“At least, we’ll know if there is actually a Samadhi in this area,” I said. Suddenly the car swerved to the left of the road with a loud screech and there was one person standing right in front of the car. He was the only person on that completely isolated stretch of the road.

Tall and well built, this man was wearing a white dhoti and a turban — he looked every inch like one of the farmers from the nearby villages. Grabbing my chance, I rolled down the car window and asked him if there was a Samadhi nearby.

He replied in the affirmative and even gave directions. The drive wasn’t long, but we had a railway crossing in our path. Of course, that meant that if we encountered a train, we would be stuck for a while. As soon as those thoughts were expressed, the man in the dhoti pointed out the walking path.

“If you park your car here,” the man said, “it is a short walk.”

“Khoop jawal aahe (It is very close by),” he said in Marathi, the local language of the area.

Even now I get goosebumps. We were on the opposite side of the road from the place where the Dhuni is lit on the 12th of every month!

As soon as I saw the walking path, I jumped out of the car, feeling like I had escaped a prison of some sort. While the others were still summing up the situation, I had already started walking. The white colored stones on either side of the path guided me up, and I soon reached an old building with a multi-colored flag. Within minutes, I was inside the Samadhi.

It was quiet and peaceful. A gentle wind was blowing. And I was the only person there. I had no idea of what I was supposed to do. But I just went with what I felt like doing. I bowed at the tomb and folded my hands in prayer.

In my mind, I was having a conversation with Meher Baba.

“You must be someone great. You have a Samadhi. I don’t know who you are and I don’t know the protocol of the place. I don’t know what to ask of You and what to share with You. How do I pray to you?”

As I bowed and touched my forehead on the marble stone, I told Him, “Do one thing. I don’t understand anything. But You must be somebody great since You have such a peaceful Samadhi. You would know for sure what is good for me and what my needs are. Please do whatever You think is the best for my loved ones and me.”

I did not realise then that I was handing over a blank Power of Attorney to the Avatar of the Age.

When I stepped outside, a person standing there gave me Prasad. Again, I noticed how isolated and peaceful the place was. That was when I saw Baba’s picture with His finger on his lips saying: “THINGS THAT ARE REAL ARE GIVEN AND RECEIVED IN SILENCE”. I thought to myself: “What a lovely place to sit for meditation.”

And then, suddenly, I was jolted back to reality as I remembered the people back in the car. By now, I was sure that their tempers might have reached a boiling point. I quickly grabbed the small handbook from the Samadhi in the hopes of learning more.

Funnily, I was feeling so peaceful when I got back into the car that I completely ignored the angry moods of the people around me. I began reading the book.

The first page was ‘The Master’s Prayer’. When I reached the part that read, “You are God. You are Beyond God and the Beyond Beyond-God also” I thought that it was a bit too much. I felt that it sounded very strange. I could not connect with the words. So, I just shut the book. On reaching home, I kept the book with the other prayer books and forgot all about it.

The years that followed were extremely turbulent. Every aspect of my life was falling apart. The list of issues was endless. During this period in 1995, I went for my first course in Vipassana meditation, which in turn helped me hold on to my sanity.

One day in deep frustration I confided my difficulties to a close friend and wept profusely, as though the dam had burst. My friend heard me out and said, “Your case is very complex. Let me take you to Nan.”

On meeting Nanny aunty the next evening, I gave her a brief outline of my anxieties, fears, worries, insecurities and issues at hand. She said, “Okay I will ask Karl tomorrow morning and send the answers to you via email by the afternoon.” I wrote down the three most burning questions. I also picked up the book ‘Sounds of Silence’ written by Nanny aunty.

I was an avid reader of professional, non-professional, meditation, spiritual and non-fiction books on related topics. While handing the book to me, Nanny aunty asked, “Gulshan, have you been to Samadhi? ” When I replied in the negative she advised me to go and bow at the Master’s tomb, as that would help me.

As soon as we stepped out of the door I requested my friend to take me to the Samadhi the very next day. But she had a function to attend from midday onwards. So she asked if we could go the day after. To me, that seemed to be so far away! I insisted so much that she finally gave in, on the condition that we whould be back well in time for the function by noon.

When I had heard the name Meher Baba’s Samadhi, I’d had the most inexplicable urge to visit the place. Meanwhile, I read the book THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE by Nan Umrigar in a single sitting. It was way past midnight by the time I finished reading it. We left Pune at dawn for the Samadhi. After reading the book, the sense of urgency to visit the Samadhi had become even more intense.

Today, I recommend everyone to read the book ‘The Sounds of Silence’ by Nan Umrigar. She has written 2 more books since. Her books have brought many who are looking for peace to the fold of Meher Baba. As for me, it was life-changing.

It was only when we reached the Samadhi early next morning that I remembered about my previous visit. The picture of Meher Baba with a finger on his lips with the quote “THINGS THAT ARE REAL ARE GIVEN AND RECEIVED IN SILENCE” written on it was a reminder of my visit decades ago.

There was a deep sense of homecoming. I just wanted to spend time there and soak myself in the energy of the great peace that pervaded the place. However, we had to rush back as my friend had to be back in time for the function.

On my way back to Pune I was trying to remember where I had first heard the name of Meher Baba. Then it struck me that I had heard Baba’s name from one Greek lady who had come to my dental clinic decades ago with an agonizing toothache. This lady had been tall, graceful and gentle compared to her size and constitution. Once she got relief from her pain and relaxed a bit she confided in me that she had come to visit the Osho Ashram. She had come to India with her 6-year-old daughter looking for peace, as she was emotionally shattered. Her husband had left her for another woman after 16 years of marriage. Her emotional pain was so obviously written all over her and I could see that it was more intense than that toothache for which she come to see me.

As I was giving the appointment for the following day for a dressing she said, “ I cannot come tomorrow as I am going for a day trip to Meher Baba’s Samadhi.” As per her request, the appointment was fixed for the day after. Just before leaving the clinic she asked me with a smile, “Have you heard of Maher Baba? ” Without much thought, I replied in the negative and the thought that instantly came to my mind was, “Why would I know about any Baba?” little realizing that Meher Baba will be the One who will embrace and heal me when I would be as shattered as her emotionally, if not more.

I felt very compassionate for her, as this lady owned islands back home and in spite of all her material wealth she was so unhappy and emotionally an absolute pauper. Before leaving Pune, she left her address with me with a request to be her guest if I came to that part of the world. I did ask any questions about her about her visit to Meher Baba’s Samadhi and hence apart from the fact that His tomb shrine is in Ahmednagar I knew nothing.

Now I remember the conversation that I had with her mentioning the name of Meher Baba as vividly as though it happened just the other day. It was through her that I heard the name Meher Baba for the very first time.

I am extremely grateful to Nanny Aunty and my friend Nisha Ghosh as they helped me to reconnect with Meher Baba after decades.

After my second visit to the Samadhi, I was guided through so many sources regarding my true purpose of life. I had neither the trouble nor the slightest of hesitation in accepting that Baba is God, The Avatar of the Age, and now my beloved Lord and Master. Soon I firmly decided in my heart, “HIM I SHALL FOLLOW”. After that, there was no looking back.

Though Baba was in silence for 44 years (from 10th of July 1925 till He dropped His body) He has left enough of His words in original via His many books as to what He expects from His lovers. Today I try to apply His words in my day-to-day life to the best of my limited abilities keeping in mind that His wish is Law. I try not to make any compromises in my efforts and then leave the results to Baba.

The messages and guidelines received from Karl in the spirit world via Nanny auntie’s automatic writing helped me to find the way out of the scary maze that I was stuck in. It helped me to choose my path carefully and with more awareness. I also realised that there was nothing much that I had to do except leave it all in Baba’s hands. With Baba’s love and compassion gradually many things started to resolve or improve.

My anxieties, fears, insecurities, worries started to dissolve and life became meaningful. Today, after my personal experience and listening to the stories of so many Baba lovers I can say I can say with absolute confidence and boundless joy that there is nothing that my Lord and Master Meher Baba cannot make right. I learned later that the Samadhi of the Avatar is the spiritual centre of our planet. According to Meher Baba, people who come to Samadhi, at whatever level of consciousness they may be, will always be in contact with Him.

Over the years, I have visited the Samadhi innumerable times. Every time I set my foot on the hill at Meherabad I experience a deep sense of homecoming. My heart knows that this is where my heart belongs. It always did and always will. He is the reason for my being alive and vibrant. The acceptance, love and comfort that I have received from Him which I continue to receive till this moment are innumerable. Even if I said, “Thank You Baba” with every breath until the last breath, I would fall short of my expression of gratitude for our Eternal Beloved Avatar Meher Baba.

JAI BABA