Kaikobad Feram Dastur was a member of the Zoroastrian priestly class whose spiritual journey led him to become one of Meher Baba's most extraordinary mandali—a man who could see glimpses of Baba's divine reality and whose name repetition became, in Baba's words, 'his very breath.'

When he met Baba in 1927, Kaikobad was a practicing Parsi priest in Navsari; by 1944 he was working in Bombay as head cashier of the Sun Life of Canada Insurance Company. His family's path to Baba was directed by Upasani Maharaj himself, who pointed to them and declared: 'You all do not belong to me, but to Merwan. Go now.' On May 14, 1927, at age 36, Kaikobad came to Meherabad for his first darshan of Baba, urged by Sorabji Desai. That same year, he brought Mansari (Mani Beheram Desai) for her first meeting with Baba.

In 1944, Kaikobad made a complete surrender. He sold all his possessions and on July 31 moved permanently to Meherabad with his wife Jerbai and their three daughters. His wife and daughters lived with the women on Meherabad Hill, while Kaikobad stayed in a small cottage built for him in lower Meherabad and dedicated himself entirely to Baba's work.

Kaikobad's spiritual practice was remarkable in its intensity. For over twelve years, he repeated Baba's name 100,000 times every day, using various names of God: Ya Yezdan, Beloved God, Paramatma, Ahuramazda, Parabrahma, Allah, God Almighty, and Khuda. Baba said of this practice: 'My name has become his very breath.'

In 1946, at Meherabad, Kaikobad had his first glimpse of Baba's divinity. Baba later said of such experiences that though they were no delusion, they were not Union, which is much higher. That first glimpse was just the beginning. On August 31, 1953, at Dehra Dun, he had an even more profound experience—he saw an inexpressibly bright light with Baba in the midst and 'worlds' emerging from that light. The experience was so intense he almost dropped his body.

Kaikobad described his inner experiences to Saint Kirpal Singh: 'The light of the sun is very bright to you. But I see also the light in my heart. It is so bright that the light of hundreds of suns are nothing before this light which I see within. I lose my consciousness, and I fall down.' He also told Irwin Luck, at Baba's request, that he could see planets, solar systems, and worlds revolving within his own being. Kirpal Singh was highly impressed, saying such experiences could only be had with Baba's blessing.

Baba worked with Kaikobad in seclusion for what He called His 'Universal work.' The method was unusual: Kaikobad would stand on a stool repeating the seven names of God, and each time he did so, Baba would bow, touching Kaikobad's foot with His forehead—thousands of times, for hours on end. In 1959 Baba remarked, 'Only Kaikobad can help Me in that work.' Even Kaikobad himself had no notion of what work Baba was actually accomplishing through this practice.

Baba's estimation of Kaikobad was extraordinary. He declared: 'Every day I bow down to Kaikobad because he sees Baba as Baba ought to be seen. He takes My darshan as much as it can be taken. Therefore, I put My head on his feet.' Before going on mast tours or to congregations, Baba would ask Kaikobad to put his hand on His head and bless Him. When Kaikobad protested, Baba told him to continue to obey, even to the point of kicking Him should He ask.

In 1966, Kaikobad's daughter Meheru died from burns in a cooking fire accident. The family's response revealed the depth of their surrender. Kaikobad's wife Jerbai was elated that he hadn't left Baba's work to come, saying: 'Why should we worry when Meheru has gone to Baba?' Baba said Meheru was freed from the cycle of births.

In September 1967, Kaikobad broke his thigh bone after an ant bite incident. Baba wept—not for Kaikobad's pain, but for the setback to His Universal work. He said: 'I am not crying about Kaikobad, but I feel sorry for My work.' Kaikobad was among the fourteen closest ones with Baba at the end at Meherazad.

In October 1959 Baba stated: 'Kaikobad, after leaving this body, will be released from the cycle of births. Therefore, he will not require another form.' He added that, as a member of his mandali, Kaikobad would have even more: union with God. Kaikobad passed away on January 20, 1976, at Meherabad, and is interred at the Men's Cemetery at Lower Meherabad—a man who saw glimpses of the Divine and served as an instrument for Baba's cosmic work.