O Parvardigar

O Parvardigar is the common name of a prayer composed by Meher Baba, sometimes called the Master's Prayer or the Universal Prayer. The prayer became notable in the west following a musical rendition by Pete Townshend in 1972 under the same name. It was released in an EP named O' Parvardigar in 2001.

Meher Baba wrote the prayer in Dehradun, India in August 1953 and made it public on September 13, 1953.[1] Near the end of January 1968, almost exactly one year before his death, Meher Baba dictated a circular to his followers to recite the O Parvardigar Prayer and the Prayer of Repentance each day until March 25, 1968. [2] On February 21 of that year he issued a second circular requesting that the prayers be continued until May 21, 1968.[3]

Contents

Use and meaning

The prayer has become a part of a canon of prayers regularly repeated by Avatar Meher Baba's followers, along with the Prayer of Repentance and the Beloved God Prayer. The three prayers are repeated morning and evening at Meher Baba's samadhi in Ahmednagar, India at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day, followed by devotional songs which compose Baba's arti.

The prayer is a prayer of praise, listing the attributes of God. It specifically uses names of God from various traditions including Sikhism (Parvardigar = "cherisher", also Hindi "preserver"), Hinduism (Prabhu, Parameshwar, Parabrahma), Islam (Allah), Judaism (Elahi), Zoroastrianism (Yezdan, Ahuramazda, Ezad), and Christianity (God the Beloved). The attributes praised are those of omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and infinite love.

O' Parvardigar
Studio album EP by Pete Townshend
Released 2001 (United Kingdom)
Genre rock
Label Eel Pie
Pete Townshend chronology
Jai Baba
(2000)		 O' Parvardigar
(2001)		 The Oceanic Concerts
(2000)

Pete Townshend's musical rendition

The prayer became well known after Pete Townshend, lead song writer for the rock band The Who and a follower of Meher Baba, wrote and recorded an interpretation of the prayer. While there are earlier recordings, the song reached a wide audience with the release of Who Came First in 1972. In 2001 Townshend released a solo EP, O' Parvardigar, with three versions of the song: his studio version, a live recording made in India at Meher Baba's third Amartithi in January 1972, and a German language version that Townshend recorded specifically for the opening of a European Baba Center. Other Townshend albums that contain the song include I Am (1972) and Jai Baba (2001).

Film version

A film by Ginny Katz featuring the prayer and footage of Meher Baba was released in 1976. A restored and extended version, O Parvardigar (Restored & Extended) was released on all-region DVD in 2003 and again in 2009.

Text of the prayer

While there is some uncertainty about the prayer's original form,[4] Meher Baba's main biography Meher Prabu, Lord Meher gives the prayer as follows.[5] See endnotes for meanings and background of terms.

O Parvardigar! The Preserver and Protector of All,
You are without beginning and without end.
Non-dual, beyond comparison,
and none can measure You.
You are without color, without expression,
without form and without attributes.
You are unlimited and unfathomable;
beyond imagination and conception;
eternal and imperishable.
You are indivisible;
and none can see you but with eyes divine.
You always were, You always are,
and You always will be.
You are everywhere, You are in everything, and
You are also beyond everywhere and beyond everything.
You are in the firmament and in the depths,
You are manifest and unmanifest;
on all planes and beyond all planes.
You are in the three worlds,
and also beyond the three worlds.
You are imperceptible and independent.
You are the Creator, the Lord of Lords,
the Knower of all minds and hearts.
You are Omnipotent and Omnipresent.
You are Knowledge Infinite, Power Infinite and Bliss Infinite.
You are the Ocean of Knowledge,
All-knowing, Infinitely-knowing;
the Knower of the past, the present and the future;
and You are Knowledge itself.
You are all-merciful and eternally benevolent.
You are the Soul of souls, the One with infinite attributes.
You are the Trinity of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss;
You are the Source of Truth, the Ocean of Love.
You are the Ancient One, the Highest of the High.
You are Prabhu and Parameshwar;
You are the Beyond God and the Beyond-Beyond God also;
You are Parabrahma; Paramatma; Allah; Elahi; Yezdan;
Ahuramazda, God Almighty, and God the Beloved.
You are named Ezad, the Only One Worthy of Worship.

Meanings of terms

Several of the names of God used in the prayer are explained here.

See also

References

  1. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 4209 [1]
  2. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 6560
  3. ^ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 6572
  4. ^ See J. S. Rathore, "Parvardigar Prayer and the Prayer of Repentance: A Review." As Rathore notes in this essay, the earliest known printed version of the "O Parvardigar" prayer can be found in "Life Circular No. 15, issued on 14-9-1953 [Sept. 14, 1953]," reproduced within The Life Circulars of Avatar Meher Baba: A compilation of the 67 Life Circulars. Meher Vihar English Publications Series: 2 (Hyderabad, India: The Meher Vihar Trust, 1968), pp. 33-34. The text as reproduced in circular 15 does not include "Paramatma" or "God Almighty" at the prayer's end.
  5. ^ p. 4209
  6. ^ 101 Names of the Lord "[[Ahura Mazda"]
  7. ^ Exodus 6:3
  8. ^ 99 Names of Allah

External links

Publications
Traditions
Organizations
Centers and retreats
Terms and concepts
Major figures
Contacted masters
Pete Townshend
Studio albums
Meher Baba tribute albums
(w/ Ronnie Lane et al.)
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
DVDs
Related articles