Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master.

Merwan Sheriar Irani was born in 1894 in Pune, India, to Irani Zoroastrian parents. His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years. During this time he contacted five spiritual teachers before beginning his own mission and gathering his own disciples in early 1922, at the age of 27.

From 10 July 1925 to the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence, communicating by means of an alphabet board or by unique hand gestures. With his mandali (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings, and engaged in works of charity with lepers and the poor.

Meher Baba gave numerous teachings on the cause and purpose of life, including teaching reincarnation and that the phenomenal world is an illusion. He taught that the Universe is imagination, that God is what really exists, and that each soul is really God passing through imagination to realize individually his own divinity. In addition he gave practical advice for the aspirant who wishes to attain God-realization and thereby escape the wheel of births and deaths.  He also taught about the concept of Perfect Masters, the Avatar, and those on the various stages of the spiritual path that he called involution. His most important teachings are recorded in his principal books Discourses and God Speaks.

His legacy includes the Avatar Meher Baba Charitable Trust he established in India, a handful of centres for information and pilgrimage, as well as an influence on pop-culture artists and the introduction of common expressions such as “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”