Simple stories narrated by Behram Irani, Meher Baba's
first disciple, to Dr. Hoshang Bharucha

In the early years of Meher Baba's ministry He, along with a few friends, formed a small club which was open to members of all communities without any distinction of caste or creed. Each one had to contribute a few annas per month. One day Merwan (as He was then known) decided to close the club. As there was surplus money a decision had to be taken as to what should be done with the money. Merwan suggested that the money be given to the poor, but other members decided that it should be used for betting on horse races so that they could earn more money and then distribute the amount. Merwan said, "No," but they insisted. So they went to the races and lost all the money.

Behram Irani was Meher Baba's first disciple. He was born 40 days after Merwan in the same hospital and in the same bed. The same nurses attended to his mother's delivery also. Both of them went to school together. Merwan was clever in studies, but Behram failed twice in the same class and was about to be thrown out of school. The Headmaster thought that he should be given another chance. Merwan sat with him the previous evening and made him learn a certain poem. The next day Behram was asked that very poem and he was delighted to pass the examination.

Merwan asked Behram to read one book by Sexton Blake in English. Merwan insisted on his reading the book though he did not understand a word. The result was that as time passed on, Behram became a writer in English as well as in Gujarati.

Merwan performing arti at the Kasbapeth temple
room dedicated to Sadguru Upasni Maharaj

One day Merwan asked Behram to accompany Him to Tower of Silence, where the Zoroastrians place their dead to be consumed by vultures. It was past midnight. They walked through the outskirts of the town in pitch darkness. Baba walked in front and Behram followed Him. Baba asked Behram to silently repeat the name of God. As they reached the Tower of Silence Baba opened the iron gates and started climbing over the well where the bodies were placed. When they arrived at the Tower, they suddenly saw the form of a priest, dressed in white flowing garments, coming from the well. As Behram saw the form of the priest coming up, it was too much for him to bear and he ran away from there in fear. When Merwan returned to the house, He asked him, "Why did you run away? I was there with you." Behram admitted that he was scared by the apparition.

After Babajan kissed Merwan He was not in a proper frame of mind for nearly seven years. During that period, Merwan's father tried to place Him in a number of jobs. At first, he engaged Merwan in his toddy shop in Poona. Baba served toddy to the customers, but at the same time He Would tell them: "It is not good for you to drink this, you should give up this habit." When His father heard this, he stopped Merwan from serving in the toddy shop.

After Baba was removed from the toddy shop, His father arranged to get Him employed as a clerk in a construction company. One day Baba was traveling in His employer's car, sitting beside that driver. The car knocked down an old woman and the contractor (Baba's employer), who was sitting in the rear seat asked the driver to drive on. A number of pedestrians saw the accident, recognised the owner of the car, and the contractor was summoned to Court the next day. Merwan too had to go to the Court. The contractor instructed Merwan that He should deny the incident ever happened However, when Merwan took the stand in the witness box, He told the Judge the true story. The contractor was very upset. Eventually, the Judge did not find the contractor responsible for the accident and fined him Rs. 200.

Again Merwan was asked to prepare a number of invoices by the same contractor. He was told that they were false bills, yet He was asked to go to the clients and collect the amounts. Merwan immediately tore the bills and informed the contractor that He would not work for him and left the job.

There was a friend of Merwan named Bua Saheb. He had a toddy shop. One day he came to Merwan on his new motorcycle. On seeing him, Merwan told His friend: "Sell it off, even at half price If you cannot sell it, give it away as a gift. If you cannot do so, throw it away." Bua Saheb was disheartened. Merwan explained that the motorcycle would be the cause of his death, but Bua Saheb could not accept. Two days later, while he was going on his motorcycle to buy toddy from a nearby village, he met with an accident and died on the spot.

Merwan sits outside the jhopdi in Poona and plays the
ektara.  Mehera described
His voice as 'mellifluous'

Why did Merwan ask someone to sit all night with the lights on? He explained that all over the world there were a number of people committing suicide. As they are unable to get another body, they have to suffer in that state. They gravitate to Meher Baba as He is the Avatar. If the lights are kept on and somebody is keeping vigil, they cannot approach Meher Baba and disturb Him.

How is it that Meher Baba's body disappears from the room? Baba explained that a Sadguru can be in different places at the same time. The Avatar has the power to be seen with His physical form at the same time in a 1000 different places. Usually there is no necessity for Him to take His physical body to go to different places; however, in certain special cases it has to be done with His physical body. During the night time Baba often disappeared from the room.

While Merwan was in Poona, visitors came to see Him at about 10 a.m. Before that, in the morning, Merwan would tell the mandali everything that was to happen during the day. One day in the morning Merwan asked Behram as to who would come that day. Behram mentioned their names. Merwan said: "These three people will not come today. So and so will come today – one from Bombay, another from Poona and yet another from some other place, etc." It so happened that the three regular visitors did not come. Miraculously, those that were mentioned by Merwan arrived.

One day a wealthy Parsi lady came for Merwan's darshan. She asked Merwan to accept her as a disciple. Merwan said: "If I accept you, will you do whatever I tell you?" She replied, "I will give, if necessary, even my life." Merwan then said: "Don't give your life, just clean this hut." At once it was clear that, as she came from a very rich family her ego was hurt. Merwan then said, "Alright, you can clean this any time within the next 24 hours." The idea was that she could come at any time when others were not in the room. But she never came and we never heard from her.

To eliminate the ego, Merwan would put everyone through a test. There was a girl who was studying in a Medical College. Merwan would tell her: "Pass quickly. I want you to serve in the Ashram as a doctor." Finally when she passed and joined the Ashram, she was given 24 chickens and asked to take care of them and not to do any other work, even though she was qualified as a doctor.

There was a young man called Latif who loved Merwan very much. One day he purchased a new cycle and brought it to show it to Merwan. He brought a garland for Merwan and a garland to place over the new cycle. Merwan was very pleased with the cycle and accepted the garland. Latif used to come daily on this cycle for Merwan's darshan. Seven days later, when Latif came to Merwan, He asked him : "Will you obey Me willingly and happily and not with a castor oil face?" He was willing to obey Merwan. Merwan then asked him to get a rock and smash the cycle to pieces. Even the Mandali felt disheartened to hear this. But Latif did as Merwan told him and was very happy, because he had obeyed Merwan's orders. Merwan then said : "Tie the pieces of the cycle and the rock together and throw them into the well." Latif did this also and he was very happy. Merwan too was happy; for Latif had obeyed Him 100%. Merwan later explained that if Latif had not done that on that day, Behram Irani would have got drowned in that well.

Merwan with Gustadji in the twenties

One day Merwan was invited for an evening Bhajan (songs sung in praise of God) programme. He asked Behram Irani not to leave the hut under any circumstances, while He was away. As the night wore on, Behram heard strange sounds and was very afraid. Merwan had instructed him to take a stick with him whenever he went out at night. So he took a stick and began to run to the place where the programme was being held. But this was in disobedience to Merwan's orders. While he was running he found himself surrounded by nearly 50 dogs poised to attack him. He cried aloud for Merwan's help. Merwan knew that Behram was in trouble. He asked them to stop the singing and left the place. People doing 'Bhajans' also came outside and followed Merwan. As soon as the dogs saw Merwan and heard His words from a distance, they ran away.

While in Manzil-e-Meem, one day Merwan decided to go to the Samadhi of Haji Malang. He asked every one to accompany Him except Behram and another person called 'Dhobi', who used to wash clothes. Merwan ordered that no food should be cooked that day at the Manzil and gave two rupees to the 'Dhobi' and asked him to have his food outside. Just as Merwan was to leave the place, a man came with four boxes of sweets. Merwan distributed one box of sweets amongst the Mandali and said to Behram: "For the whole day, you have to eat nothing but the rest of the sweets in the other three boxes." So saying, Merwan left Bombay. When He returned, and even as He stepped out of the car, He was very angry. He called Behram and 'Dhobi' and asked them to confess as to the incident that took place in the Manzil, and warned that if they did not confess, both of them would suffer. Behram informed Merwan that he never left the house. 'Dhobi' said that he went to have his food and never left again. Merwan again questioned, but they said: "We do not know anything. We are innocent." Merwan finally said: "Something has happened. You must confess. I give you one hour to confess." After an hour Merwan called every one in the Manzil and said to Behram and 'Dhobi': "Confess in the name of God. I will forgive you. I am the Highest of the High. I know what has happened. You must confess. Otherwise you will suffer." Behram Irani frankly said: "I have only one God and it is You. I have not done anything wrong. I have not disobeyed You." Baba then called 'Dhobi', who said: "I did not do anything . I am saying the truth." Then Merwan became very angry. He said: "I will tell you what happened. The scavenger-woman came to clean the lavatory in the Manzil and this 'Dhobi' instead of spending Rs. 2 I gave him for food, tipped the woman and had sexual relations with her. Let him go from here. He should never return to Manzil-e-Meem. He will become a leper and suffer all his life." The 'Dhobi' was thrown out and for three years nobody saw him. When Meher Baba was in Meherabad, one day a leper came to ask for forgiveness. The Mandali was surprised to see that this leper was the same 'Dhobi'. Meher Baba, the Compassionate Father accepted him. He used to sit near Baba's cabin in Meherabad and the Mandali give him food, everyday.

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