DISCOURSES & TALKS BY MEHER BABA

DYING IN ACCIDENTS

24 November 1929

On Sunday, 24 November 1929, Baba visited the Talati's home, where Padri had been instructed to stay. During this occasion, Naval described an automobile accident that had recently occurred in front of his house. He asked Baba, "What happens to those persons who die in this way, or by some other accident, before their natural death?"

In reply, Baba explained:

If a person dies by a sudden accident before his natural death, he immediately takes birth again and completes the remaining time of his past life, after which he dies. Some live for one, two, three, four or five years; and after finishing the remaining period of their past life, they take another body according to the sanskaras of the life which ended suddenly by accidental death. However, they cannot live longer than it takes to complete this remaining time. This is why some children die — some in a few days, some in a few months, and some after a few years.

Generally, children up to the age of seven do not incur sanskaras. Their life until seven years of age is passed through according to, and depending on, the "push" of the sanskaras in their previous life. They are happy or miserable in accordance with the push being smooth or violent.

The spiritual meaning behind the ceremonies of the Hindu munj and the Zoroastrian navjot is that after they are seven years old, children begin contracting sanskaras.  The underlying spiritual significance of these ceremonies is to signal the child's entrance into the seriousness of life and to make the child aware of his new responsibilities. But such ceremonies have become routine these days, and they are useless because no one understands the spiritual purpose. People attach great importance to these ceremonies which they perform on a grand scale with much pomp — that is, those who can afford it. But it is all purposeless — a tamasha [show]!

                  Faredoon "PADRI" Driver                                               Naval Talati