Editing Meher Baba (section)

===Early life===
[[File:Meherwan irani.jpg|thumb|upright|Meher Baba (as Merwan Irani) at 16 years old in 1910]]
Meher Baba was born to [[Irani (India)|Irani]] [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] parents in 1894 in [[Pune]], India (formerly Poona).<ref>In an Indian context, an Irani is a member of one of two groups of [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrians]] of that subcontinent, the other being the [[Parsi people|Parsis]]. They are called Iranis by other Indians because they spoke an [[Iranian languages|Iranian language]]. "Those who left Iran soon after the advent of Islam to escape persecution, reached the shores of Gujarat 1,373 years ago. Their descendants are the Parsis. While the Zoroastrians who migrated to India from Iran relatively recently -- 19th century onwards -- are called Irani Zoroastrians." (Quote from Padmaja Shastri, TNN, [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/What-sets-Zoroastrian-Iranis-apart/articleshow/572604.cms "What sets Zoroastrian Iranis apart"], ''The Times of India'', 21 March 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2008.)</ref><ref name="Sutcliffe">Sutcliffe (2002); p. 38.</ref> He was named Merwan Sheriar Irani, the second son of Sheriar Irani and Shireen Irani. Sheriar Irani was a Persian Zoroastrian from [[Khorramshahr]] who had spent years wandering in search of spiritual experiences before settling in [[Pune]].<ref>Purdom (1964), pp. 15–17</ref>

As a boy, Baba formed the Cosmopolitan Club, which was dedicated to remaining informed on world affairs and donating money to charity.<ref>Kalchuri (1986) pp. 186–188</ref> He was a multi-instrumentalist and poet. Fluent in several languages, he was fond of the poetry of [[Hafez]], [[William Shakespeare]], and [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]].<ref>Kalchuri (1986) pp. 190–192</ref><ref>Purdom (1964), p. 20</ref><ref>Haynes (1989), p. 37</ref>

His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years.<ref>Hopkinson, Tom & Dorothy: ''Much Silence'', Meher Baba Foundation Australia, 1974, p. 24</ref><ref>Purdom (1964) p. 20</ref> At 19, he met [[Hazrat Babajan]], an elderly Muslim saint. He was cycling past a tree that she had made her abode, when she called to him. When he approached her, she kissed him on the forehead, causing him to enter a nine month-long trance which he described as "divine bliss", with a lack of consciousness of his body.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sovatsky|first=Stuart|date=2004|title=Clinical forms of love inspired by Meher Baba's mast work and the awe of infinite consciousness|url=http://www.atpweb.org/jtparchive/trps-36-02-134.pdf|journal=The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology|volume=36|issue=2|pages=134–149|quote=At 19 years of age, Meher Baba (nee Merwan Sheriar Irani, 1894–1969) received a kiss on his forehead from the highly venerated Muslim, Hazrat Babajan (alleged to be 122 years old at the time), and then kissed her hands. That evening, he entered an altered state of blissful, ''electrified'' consciousness wherein he did not sleep or eat for nine months.|via=|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=3 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903154624/https://www.atpweb.org/jtparchive/trps-36-02-134.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Landau|first=Rom |title=God Is My Adventure: A Book on Modern Mystics, Masters, and Teachers |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|year=1935|isbn=|location=New York|pages=105–118|oclc=525882}}</ref> Babajan predicted that he would become a spiritual leader.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|title=Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc.|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8108-6194-7|location=United States of America|pages=213|quote=As a youth, he became acquainted with Hazrat Babajan, a Muslim who was said to be one of the five "Perfect Masters", and she predicted that he would become a spiritual leader.}}</ref> He then encountered [[Upasni Maharaj]], who he later said helped him to integrate his mystical experiences with ordinary consciousness, thus enabling him to function in the world without diminishing his experience of God-realisation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|title=Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc.|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8108-6194-7|location=United States of America|pages=213}}</ref><ref>''Listen Humanity'', ed. D. E. Stevens, 1982. pp. 247–250</ref>

Over the next several years, he encountered other spiritual figures, namely [[Tajuddin Muhammad Badruddin|Tajuddin Baba]], [[Narayan Maharaj]], and [[Sai Baba of Shirdi]], who, along with Babajan and Upasni Maharaj, Baba later said were the five "Perfect Masters" of the age.<ref>Purdom (1964) p. 270</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Encyclopedia of World Religions|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica, Incorporated.|year=2006|isbn=978-1-59339-491-2|location=|pages=706}}</ref> By early 1922, at the age of 27, Baba began gathering his own disciples.<ref>Haynes (1989) pp. 38–39</ref> They gave him the name ''Meher Baba'', which means "compassionate father".<ref>Haynes (1989) p. 40</ref>

In 1922, Meher Baba and his followers established Manzil-e-Meem (House of the Master) in [[Mumbai]]. There, Baba commenced his practice of demanding strict discipline and obedience from his disciples.<ref>Purdom (1964), pp. 29-30</ref> A year later, Baba and his [[Mandali (Meher Baba)|mandali]] moved to an area a few miles outside [[Ahmednagar]] that he named [[Meherabad]] (Garden of Blessing).<ref>Kalchuri (1986) p. 501</ref> This [[ashram]] would become the center for his work. During the 1920s, Meher Baba opened a school, hospital, and dispensary at Meherabad, all of which were free and open to all [[Caste system in India|castes]] and faiths.<ref>Purdom (1964), pp. 49–50</ref>

From 10 July 1925 until the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence.<ref name="Religion, Macmillan Publishing Company 1995, p. 346">''Encyclopedia of Religion'', Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995, vol. 9, p. 346</ref><ref name="Haynes 1989 p. 2">Haynes (1989) p. 2</ref><ref>Baba (2007) p. 3</ref> He now communicated first through chalk and slate, then by an alphabet board, and later via a repertoire of gestures unique to him.<ref>Haynes (1989) p. 41</ref> On 1 December 1926, he wrote his last message, and began relying on an alphabet board.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dowling |first1=Elizabeth |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412952477 |title=Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development |last2=Scarlett |first2=W. |date=2006 |publisher=Sage Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7619-2883-6 |location=California |pages=285–286 |doi=10.4135/9781412952477}}</ref><ref>Purdom (1964) p. 66</ref> With his ''[[Mandali (Meher Baba)|mandali]]'' (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings, and engaged in works of charity with [[Leprosy|lepers]] and the poor.<ref>Haynes (1989) p. 70</ref>