Mandali from the Sanskrit mandala meaning circle, connection, community,Sacred Sanskrit Words: For Yoga, Chant, And Meditation, by Leza Lowitz and Reema Datta, Stonebridge Press, Berkeley, Ca. 2005, p. 123 is a term that Meher Baba used for his closest disciples.
Inner circle Mandali are considered to include those close disciples that lived permanently or for extended periods with Meher Baba at his ashrams. However, not all of Meher Baba's mandali lived with him. According to Meher Baba the Avatar always has 10 concentric circles of 12 men and/or women each. The inner circle consists of 12 men plus two women, for a total of 122 mandali.Baba Words; The Master's Glossary, by Frank Davis (under the term "Circle") But Meher Baba also said, "Those who do my work are my mandali. If we were to list their names, it would fill a volume."Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, by Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 4753 At another time Baba said, "By mandali I mean those who have been with me for several years, but ask for nothing... In short, I would say that the mandali means those whose intimacy I feel."Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, by Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 4277
See also New Life (Meher Baba)
References
External links Mandali Members mandalihall.org (Audio recordings of Meher Baba's mandali members)