Meher Baba Asked for "Begin the Beguine" to Be Played When He Dropped His Body
By Margaret Magnus
Avatar Meher Baba dropped His physical form on January 31, 1969, at 12:15 p.m. at His residence in Meherazad, near Pimpalgaon village, in India.
Several times prior to dropping His body, Meher Baba had issued the following instructions to His mandali (close disciples): “Whenever I may drop my body, bring it to Meherabad and place it in the Samadhi [tomb shrine].” [1]
He also told his followers to play a recording of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” as it was His favorite song. He said it has an eternal meaning. [2], [3]
Leslie ("Hutch") Hutchinson: “Begin the Beguine” (1939). This version was played on January 31, 1969, after Avatar Meher Baba dropped His physical form.
“Begin the Beguine” Is Played
The song was played a number of times on January 31, 1969, starting in Meherazad while the mandali were waiting for an ambulance from Booth Hospital to transport Meher Baba the 20 kilometers to His Samadhi in Meherabad.
After arriving in Meherabad, the ambulance stopped opposite Baba’s tin cabin next to the Samadhi while the crypt was being readied. The stretcher was placed inside the cabin just opposite the door. Meher Baba’s sister Mani S. Irani brought the record player and played “Begin the Beguine” inside the cabin. [4]
AVATAR MEHER BABA sitting on the threshold of the tin cabin next to His Tomb Shrine on Meherabad Hill, India, in 1937 or 1938. The stretcher carrying Meher Baba’s physical form was temporarily placed inside on January 31, 1969. The stretcher is now archived there, encased in glass, and the tin shed is open for pilgrims. (Photo: Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
Meher Baba Is Placed in the Tomb Shrine
Later when the crypt was ready, Meher Baba was placed in the Samadhi on a wooden board. A pillow was placed under His head. Baba's hair was gently brushed. The scarf that was wrapped around His head and over His ears and chin was rearranged. The bed sheets that were wrapped around Him were folded neatly, and then blocks of ice were put in the space between the wooden board and the crypt wall. [5]
The ice surrounded Baba on all sides, and yet did not touch His body. A garland was put around Baba's head. With His eyelids closed, He appeared, at first glance, to be sleeping peacefully. It was starting to get dark so a lantern was hung in the Tomb. Strains of “Begin the Beguine” wafted from inside His final resting place. [6]
THE SAMADHI (Tomb Shrine) of Avatar Meher Baba on Meherabad Hill, India, just months after Meher Baba dropped His physical form on January 31, 1969. Followers gather to pay their respect during the Great Darshan. (Photo: Sam Ervin, June 1969)
It was the Leslie (“Hutch”) Hutchinson version of “Begin the Beguine” that was played as Meher Baba was placed in His tomb.
Mani said that she played the song “…in Baba’s room [at Meherazad], in the hall, in the cabin [on Meherabad Hill], and sometimes in the Samadhi — all together at Least seven times [as per Baba’s instructions].” [7]
A version of the song by Chick Henderson that had originally been played for Meher Baba had worn out and been replaced the previous December with the Hutchinson rendition. [8] This is the version of “Begin the Beguine” by Chick Henderson.
The Splendor of God
“Begin the Beguine” was part of the musical Jubilee, which opened in New York City on October 12, 1935. Moss Hart and Cole Porter wrote the musical while on a voyage around the world. [9]
“The Beguine describes the splendour of God, who knows everything,” said Fred Marks, a follower of Meher Baba. [10]
“Beloved Baba knew we would forget Him, and He left His need in this song. He even allowed it to be played when He dropped His bodily form, because it stressed the importance of how He needs us to know He waits for someone to breathe His name and tell Him, ‘I love you,’ as a true lover would tell His Beloved. He needs us to need Him.” [11]
Fred Marks continued, “The message of the Beguine renews the hopes of aspirants and encourages them to further effort and struggle. We may not understand Baba’s way of working, but by effort and struggle and by loving Him more, we receive more of His grace and love.” [12]
Related Information
Thoughts on Begin the Beguine, A Talk by Fred Marks, November 10, 1984, The Awakener Magazine online, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1985, pp. 40-42.
I Know But Too Well What They Mean, by Max Reif, reprinted from To the Friends of Meher Baba newsletter, Summer 2010, published on Mischievous Peeps.
Interpretation of ‘Begin the Beguine,’ by Patricia Sargent, reprinted from Glow International, August 1974, published on Mischievous Peeps.
When They Begin the Beguine, by Bill Cliff. Source: Bal Natu, Showers of Grace, published on Mischievous Peeps.
Spanish ‘Beguine,’ by Kendra Crossen-Burroughs, Mischievous Peeps website.
"Begin The Beguine," by Billy Goodrum, "All (Baba) Things Considered" column, March 2018, Sheriar Books.
Artie Shaw — “Begin the Beguine” Artie Shaw’s instrumental version was a number one hit and made the song famous.
Footnotes
[1] Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 5404, accessed January 27, 2015. © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.
[2] Ibid., pg. 5404.
[3] Ibid., pg. 4385.
[4] Ibid., pg. 5406.
[5] Ibid., pg. 5406.
[6] Ibid., pg. 5407.
[7] David Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance, Volume III. (Hyderabad, India: Meher Mownavani Publications, 2003), pp. 488-489. © David Fenster.
[8] Ibid., pp. 488-489.
[9] William McBrien, Cole Porter: A Biography. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998), p. 178.
[10] Fred Marks, “Thoughts on Begin the Beguine,” in The Awakener Magazine, vol. 21, no. 2, (1985), p.40. © 1985 by the Universal Spiritual League in America, Inc.
[11] Ibid., p. 41.
[12] Ibid., p. 42.