During a darshan at Mandali Hall, a beautiful woman entered, distracting Eruch. Baba, noticing Eruch’s distraction, used the woman as an example to teach the crowd about true admiration. He emphasized that while physical beauty is fleeting, true admiration should include the Creator who bestowed it.

In 1954, Eruch read “Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai” from the board, initially without understanding its significance. Later, he realized it signified Baba’s self-revelation as the Avatar, a concept hinted at by Baba to close ones in the early 1920s.

Eruch discusses the nature of love, emphasizing that true love involves forgetting oneself and merging with the beloved. He uses a story to illustrate how expressing love through words can be a distraction from genuine love, which is about being attuned to the beloved’s pleasures and desires. Eruch also highlights the importance of obedience and following the beloved’s guidance as a path to cultivating love.

Eruch Jessawalla

Meher Baba emphasized the importance of individuals embracing their own religions, viewing them as paths to Him. He shared his transformation from Merwan Sheriar Irani to Meher Baba, a name signifying compassion. Although he initially wished to remain incognito, he revealed his identity as the Avatar in 1954, gaining recognition. Baba urged his followers to respect others’ religious devotion and promote sincere love for their faith instead of seeking to convert others. He humorously compared himself to "fresh stock" of Quaker oats, suggesting he embodies the same truths as past prophets, and advised against imposing views, assuring that he would reach people's hearts in his own time.

Eruch Jessawalla

In a discussion on obedience, a pilgrim shares his father's belief that one cannot obey Baba without clear orders, instead interpreting His will personally. Eruch argues there are standing orders, particularly the need to love others and Baba. Pilgrim aims to adhere to these principles as obedience. Eruch references Rumi, stating that serving Baba is also a valid devotion when love is absent. They conclude that true love for Baba requires giving up credit and blame, emphasizing love and service without seeking personal recognition.

Eruch explores the essence of love and devotion as taught by Baba, sharing a seeker’s journey from initial recognition to profound love. Baba teaches that true love transcends physical form, encouraging followers to remember Him through reminders and experiences. As seekers undertake pilgrimages and connect with others who have known Baba, they experience joy and sadness, evolving their love into glorification of Baba. This journey culminates in the realization that lover and Beloved become one, representing true union and God realization, grounded in childlike faith and obedience to Baba's teachings.

Eruch recounts the story of Baba's dogs, Peter and Mastan, illustrating the deep connections between beings. Baba adopted a puppy, Bhuti, during a hike, who later gave birth to Mastan, a favorite of Baba's. He assured that they would be reborn as humans in their next lives. In their future incarnations, Peter feels a strong bond with Mastan, communicating beyond words and recalling their past as dogs. This connection symbolizes a spiritual journey, showing how relationships formed in one life can transcend time and lead to liberation. Eruch stresses that these ties are rooted in past experiences, emphasizing the enduring nature of spiritual connections across lifetimes.

Eruch asks a pilgrim about his last ten years, and he reveals he has been in New York for the past five years after college in Ohio. Eruch humorously relates this to Irwin Luck, who, despite his father's disapproval, frequently visited Baba in India as a youth and was often removed from planes for being underage. Irwin cleverly followed Baba's instruction to write only when he changed his address by frequently moving, resulting in funny scenarios.

In a lively conversation, Eruch prompts Gary to share a story about love, focusing on a woman's rejection of a man's heartfelt poetry. Gary critiques her lack of empathy and narrates the tale of Leila and Majnun, showcasing the complexities of love and sacrifice. Majnun's offering of a needle symbolizes his suffering, but Leila's rejection raises questions about true love. The group debates the realism of their expectations, with Gary asserting that real love involves recognizing pain, while Eruch emphasizes the need to transcend suffering in love. The discussion reveals the tension between romantic ideals and human experiences, suggesting that love is a journey filled with contradictions and challenges.

Eruch tells a story of a handsome young man who loves a beautiful woman, but she continuously rejects him while enjoying the attention. Heartbroken, he writes about his feelings in journals. When she finally invites him to share his writings, she becomes frustrated, claiming he only describes his love rather than showing it. She wants genuine affection over mere words. Eruch highlights that true love is about being present and acting on feelings, not just expressing them.

In a captivating story, a pilgrim and Eruch discuss Dr. Meherwan Mistry, an obstetrician in New York, who rushes to the hospital for a delivery when his car breaks down. A state trooper helps him by offering a ride and mentions his nephew, Meherwan Mistry. After thanking the trooper, the doctor discovers that the trooper is not actually related to Meherwan, resulting in an intriguing twist of fate.

A pilgrim expresses concerns about misinterpretations of the Avatar's teachings leading to religious divisions, using examples like Mohammad's finality as a prophet and the acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God. Eruch agrees, stating that the Avatar's messages are context-specific and often misunderstood, leading to conflict. He discusses the Avatar's promise of return and the complexities of love in interpretations that can result in war, ultimately stressing Baba's message of love over understanding and the limitless nature of truth beyond copyright.

Davana shares Patty Thorne’s experience of working night shifts at a restaurant in Los Angeles, where she parked in a dark area to save money. After having a vivid dream of being attacked in which she calmly told her attackers, "Meher Baba loves you," causing them to flee. This scenario repeated in real life, and her instinctive response again made the attackers retreat. Patty believed that Baba had protected and prepared her through the dream.

A lady inquired about the norms for becoming a slave to God, and Eruch humorously stated that one must be a perfect dancer, ready to follow any orders under any circumstances. This idea highlights that striving to be a perfect dancer, adaptable to any situation, leads to becoming a perfect slave, underscoring the importance of learning to dance to any tune.

Eruch B. Jessawala discusses divine love, asserting that God seeks pure love rather than establishing a religion. He emphasizes a reciprocal relationship where humans return God's love, contrasting the Avatar as God incarnate with the human journey toward divinity through love and truth. Jessawala shares a realization from a seeker about God's love and knowledge existing before human efforts to understand Him, framing it as a divine game where God seeks Himself in humanity.

Gary shares a miraculous story about his friend Norm Don's son, who survived a life-threatening attack in Chicago after being shot in the mouth and back by a group. Miraculously, none of the bullets penetrated his body. During the incident, he had a profound experience where Meher Baba lifted him above the violence. Norm is grateful to Meher Baba for saving his son, who has since recovered. Gary's belief in the story grew, highlighting how personal connections can shift skepticism into faith.

Eruch Jessawalla

A student who was initially skeptical about Meher Baba's Discourses began to find meaning in them after persistent reading. After a week, she noted they were making sense, and soon experienced a profound moment feeling Baba's presence in her living room, which left her shaken. This encounter sparked a deeper interest in Baba.