Late Night Chat with Jeff Wolverton: Baba’s Gift of His Silence, July 6, 2025, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered!

Dear folks of Baba,

As we approach the 100th Anniversary of Baba’s silence which He began on July 10, 1925, I thought it would be valuable to focus in depth on something so central and integral to His work. Are there quotes, poems, songs or stories about His silence that have a special meaning for you? Is there some way that His silence has a significant place in the quiet of your inner life?

Here are two stories about Baba’s silence that made a powerful impact on me. Both come from what I heard Eruch share over the years in Mandali Hall. Fortunately, one of the stories is in print in Eruch’s own words, but the second story is only as I remember him relating it in Mandali Hall some forty or fifty years ago.

The first story, I believe, took place at Meherazad. Earlier, apparently, Eruch had criticized one of the servant boys in a loud voice. Later in Mandali Hall, Baba asked the men mandali seemingly out of the blue: "Why do people shout at one another when they are angry?" We said, "They shout because they are angry and they want to express their anger," and Baba responded, "Yes, they can express their anger that way, but even if someone is seated at their side they will shout at that person. Could they not speak softly?" We volunteered different explanations, saying different things which came to mind at the time, but our answers did not satisfy Baba. So, He gave us the answer:

"When a person is angry with another person," He said, "that person is far removed from his heart and distance is created between them. That's why the physical reaction is to shout, and the greater the distance, the greater is the shouting. Love disappears and one goes on shouting at the other who in turn barks back at him. Then he barks and so it goes on and on." But Baba did not stop there as He doubtlessly wanted us to see the same thing from a different angle. So, He continued, "Now take the other case of two people in love. When two individuals are in love with each other, how do they speak?"

"They speak softly," we answered. "Yes," Baba agreed, "they do speak softly and the greater the love between them, the softer is their tone of speech. And when they are still further in love, no words are needed and they just look at each other, and eventually there is not even the need to look — no need at all."

Eruch continued, “Well, that is the reason why Meher Baba observed silence. There was no need for an exchange of words. It was very good to hear that, to be reminded that He was so very close to us; as He has said, "I am closer to you than your very breath."

The second story may also have taken place in Mandali Hall. Sometimes Baba would put a question before the men to see what they would say. On this occasion, He asked them, (this is my paraphrase and not Baba’s actual words, but the gist of what He said), “People talk all day. Where do all the words go?” The men gave a variety of answers such as the words just disappear into thin air. The question went around the hall and each ventured a guess, but Baba was not satisfied. Eventually, He said, “All the words collect like clouds and hang over whole cities [like air pollution, my words]. All over the world, this happens. My silence is to absorb all that noise so that each one can hear the voice of their own soul.”

I took this to mean that Baba’s silence is definitely not a spiritual exercise for His own sake, but a monumental work of taking the all-pervasive noise of the world upon Himself and transmuting it into silence so that we can turn inward and hear the voice of our own soul. Bearing this out, Eruch quoted Baba referring to His silence," What a binding it is!" But Eruch added, “It was a binding with a purpose — for our sake.” This is as I remember from years ago the scene that Eruch described with Baba and the men that day. In 1941 in Baba’s last meeting with Upasani Maharaj, Upasani, with tears in his eyes, begged Baba to end His silence. To me this meant that Baba must be enduring unspeakable suffering in remaining silent for the sake of His work for the world.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about Baba’s silence.

HAPPY SILENCE DAY!

When asked when Baba is going to break His silence, Eruch once said, “When your heart cracks open and you begin to speak from your heart, then in you His silence has been broken.”

In His love, Jeff

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