THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

THE HIGHEST OF THE HIGH 215by Baba about himself. It is the equivalent of what is said in the Upanishads 'Brahman is all, and Atman isBrahman. Atman the Self.... I am Atman, the Spirit himself.... ' To make such a declaration required thehighest degree of courage.He paid a visit to Andhra in January 1954 when he travelled north from Madras, staying there for twelvedays, giving darshan to many thousands of people (they said 150,000) and prasad to many (they said 50,000).Arrangements were made to celebrate his birthday there. He set out by rail, third class as usual, on 20February, and on the way stopped at a number of places, Guntur, Bezwada, Masulipatam and Elurn. At eachplace mass darshans were held. At all these places messages were given of which several collections havebeen printed, though not yet in permanent form. An account is to be found in Francis Brabazon's Journeywith God, but it is fragmentary. At Bezwada on 21 February he said:"I want you to feel that I am one of you and that is why I am now sitting on the ground with you all. I am onthe level of each one of you. Whether poor, rich, small, big, I am like each of you, but I am approachableonly to those who love me."At Eluru on 24 February he visited a boys' school in the early afternoon.The birthday was celebrated at Tadepalligudam on 25 February. An elaborate programme was got throughstarting at 5 a.m. and finishing at 9 p.m. He gave the following message:"I am never born. I never die. Yet every moment I take birth and undergo death. The countless illusorybirths and deaths are necessary in the progression of man's consciousness to Truth - a prelude to the RealDeath and Real Birth. The Real Death is when one dies to self; the Real Birth is when dying to self one isborn in God to live for ever his Eternal Life consciously."A discourse on modesty and humility was given in the afternoon, in which Baba said 'Modesty is weakness,humility is strength'. If, however, 'you feel you are humble it is 'egotism'; also 'to try to be humble ishumbug ... Be natural. If you are dishonest do not try to hide yourself under the curtain of honesty.'Baba left at midday the day after, and many other messages and darshans were given at other places. AtRajamundry a special meeting