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

Part II Chapter 3THE GOD-MAN'I am the Ancient One, the Highest of the High'(1)Meher Baba is not simply a Perfect Master, he declares himself to be Avatar, or God-Man.Let us note at once that Perfect Masters, as well as the Avatar, declare themselves not dependent upon beingrecognized. Indeed, there is no way in which divinity can be known except by revelation. It cannot bediscovered, for our natural eyes cannot perceive it. We are wholly dependent upon Man-Gods and God-Menannouncing themselves, and unless they choose to do so they remain undisclosed: we may brush by them inthe street or sit at the same table with them unknowingly. Therefore it is not arrogance or self-assertion upontheir part when they declare themselves, for if they wish to be known they must say so. Any such declarationis subject to scrutiny, of course, and is to be received with extreme caution, even scepticism.A Perfect Master is one who has gone through the process of cosmic evolution and involution and becomea Man-God. An Avatar, or God-Man, is one who does not pass through those processes but is born as a manwho knows himself to be God.An Avatar, therefore, is not simply a manifestation of God, but God manifested, God become incarnate.Meher Baba points out the difference, which is profound. None the less, both Perfect Master and Avatar areequal in having God's life and are on every level in the world:Both are simultaneously on the level of the lowest to the highest... the only difference is that the PerfectMaster acts on that level and the Avatar becomes on that level….For instance a Perfect Master cannot or will not fall ill but when he appears to have fallen ill, it is just his'acting' of illness.... when people