A steady procession of the most amazing, evolved souls dance through our lives. Many of them are known and treasured locally while they live. Some attract the worship of people across the world. All of them come and go as they please and while they come to change the lives of as many people as they can, they care not about the numbers… If we are lucky, we see them in the flesh. If less lucky, we hear and read about their lives from their shishyas. And we see them through their miracles which linger like perfume in the air long after they have gone. Meher Baba is one such guru/avatar/divine personage/Krishna. It is only after his “recall” as I call it, that many, many more people have come to him. And that fame has spread through the writing and words of his disciples. Nan Umrigar is the ideal shishya. Through her books, written with the elegance of love and humility and a childlike wonderment, she makes Meher Baba seem attainable. Pain that seems unbearable, often leads one down a path that proves to be where we needed to go. Nan has suffered that kind of pain, and through her pain we have learnt about Meher Baba. Thousands of people have had miracles happen to them because of Nan’s son, Karl. Some of these miracles are funny and whimsicl – musical notes written on the frost of a window, butterflies that land at a predicted time, elephants that look at you in a strange way… All of them have one aim: to make you believe that you are not alone, you are cherished and appreciated and wanted by the universe, and if you want to access its power – it is there for you. There are universal laws, the most profound being what we call the law of Dharma – ‘Do unto others as you would do have them do unto you’. This is a surprisingly difficult commandment to follow, but were you to awaken to its power, you could become one of the enlightened souls that dance the Cosmic Dance. Listening to the Silence is a delicious little soufflé of a book. It is sweet and full of fun and grace – as the universe is. The only way it can be judged is by the yearning it awakens in you to find Meher Baba, and the Meher Baba within you. Smt. Maneka Gandhi, MP, Lok Sabha
