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

THE PREPARATION 21of consciousness his friend Khodadad Shirzad Irani brought to him a poor young man of Persianparentage named Behramji Ferdoonji Irani, who immediately became attached to him, andafterwards was one of his most intimate disciples. Meher offered to teach Behramji Persian, whichwas the first sign of his having regained consciousness. His parents were delighted and urged him toget regular work with the object of aiding his recovery, and when he refused they got additionalpupils for him, but he declined to accept them. But he taught Behramji, who made rapid progress,though Meher himself was said to possess no more than a tenth of his normal consciousness. Hetaught automatically, not as a conscious teacher.SECOND SPIRITUAL MASTERAt last there came a further development. During April 1915 Meher had the impulse tolead an itinerant life. He wandered only in the suburbs of Poona at first, but as the impulse grew hewent further afield. One day he informed Behramji that he would shortly go to a distant place, andthere lead the life of a monk under the guidance of a Sadguru. He told Behramji that after settlingthere he would invite him to join him, and that he (Behramji) would do well to accept the invitation.On the same day he left Poona by train; but to everybody's surprise returned the next day. He hadintended to go to Raichur, but at Kedgaon, thirty-four miles from Poona, he decided to get out.About seven miles from Kedgaon station there lived Sadguru Narayan Maharaj, whom Meher hadthe impulse to meet. Meher called upon him, and this contact seems to have had importance, butMeher did not stay and returned to his home at Poona.THIRD SPIRITUAL MASTERThen Meher, with Behramji, went to Nagpur, where both of them paid a visit to Tajuddin Baba,about whom Babajan used to say, 'Taj is Khalifa' (meaning Taj is head of the Caliphs). TajuddinBaba was a Muslim Hazrat. He had been a soldier in the service of the British Government, when hebecame God-realized and gave up the military calling and went to Nagpur. As soon as it was knownthat Tajuddin had become spiritually perfect, persons of all castes and creeds called upon him with aview to getting his blessing. When people troubled him by asking silly questions and by entreatinghim to fulfil their desires, he was much annoyed, and the requests became so unbearable that hedetermined to end them. What he did, in a most unusual way,