Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba (born Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23 1926, or later than 1927 — with the family name of "Ratnakara") is a controversial South Indian guru, religious leader, and orator, often described as a godman and a miracle worker. According to the Sathya Sai Organization, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries world-wide. The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated sometimes as around 6 million, and followers cite "50 to 100 million".

Life

Sathya Sai Baba was born Sathyanarayana Raju to Peddavenkappa Raju and Easwaramma, a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. Since he was born after the Template:IAST, he was named after that deity. It was said that instruments played on their own accord in his household when he was born. An official four-volume biography, called a hagiography by the Daily Telegraph, was written by professor Narayana Kasturi.Kasturi wrote in his book about Sathya Sai Baba's mother that she found out she was pregnant after dreaming of the Hindu god Sathyanarayana. Easwaramma claimed that she found out she was pregnant after dreaming of the Hindu God Sathyanarayana and after a huge sphere of blue light rolled towards her, merged into her and made her faint.According to Kasturi a cobra was found in the bedclothes of the baby shortly after Sathya Sai Baba was born. Some of his followers identify Sai Baba as the Lord of Serpents, Sheshiasa.The Hollywood screenwriter Arnold Schulman wrote in his 1971 book that Kasturi's story was denied by Sathya Sai Baba's sister who, according to Schulman, asserted that "the cobra was not found under the blanket, but several hours after Baba was born a cobra was seen outside the house." Schulman further stated that "for any episode of Baba's childhood, there are countless contrasting versions and, at this point, the author discovered that it was no longer possible to separate the facts from the legend". According to Schulman, contrasting versions about Baba's childhood may be due to the fact that he needed interpreters to interpret other interpreters (as in the case of his interview with Baba's sister). Schulman concluded that what the translators said may well have been quite different from what was actually said.

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A younger Sathya Sai Baba.

The Australian journalist and follower Howard Murphet wrote in his 1971 book that Sathya Sai Baba attended the Higher Elementary School at a nearby village, called Bukkapatnam during his 8th year. He had special talents for drama, music, poetry and acting, wrote songs for the village opera at the age of eight. After that Sai Baba joined the high school at Uravakonda, according to Kasturi's biography. Kasturi further wrote in his biography that on March 8, 1940 in Uravakonda around evening, Sathya Sai Baba started behaving as if a black scorpion had stung his foot. Uravakonda means "serpent-hill" and the place was known for serpents and scorpions. However, nobody found the scorpion, according to Kasturi. One night, Kasturi continues, after this strange event Sai Baba entered a state similar to coma, which his devotees call the state of "leaving his body". Kasturi further wrote that after he got out of this state he started behaving in a way that worried his parents - he didn't want to eat, he would often keep silent for a long time, recited ancient shlokas or elaborated on holy Hindu scriptures. In 1940 he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of the fakir and saint Shirdi Sai Baba (circa 1838-1918) and subsequently took the fakir's name.According to Kasturi, on October 20 1940, in his 14th year Sai Baba threw away his books, and announced that he was leaving. His words were "My devotees are calling me. I have my work." He then spent the next three days mostly under a tree in the garden of an excise inspector and many people gathered around him, Kasturi continues. He taught them Hindu devotional songs, called bhajans. Sathya Sai Baba is listed in the 1942 school record of Bukkapatnam.In 1944 a mandir for followers of Sathya Sai Baba was built near the village which is now called the "old mandir".The construction of, Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram was started in 1948.

Howard Murphet writes in his 1971 book that the young Sathya was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly. According to Kasturi and to Sathya Sai Baba himself, the young Sathya composed bhajans spontaneously (even as young as 8 years of age) and was talented in drama, dance, music and poetry.

In a discourse in 1963 he claimed to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti. In the same discourse Sathya Sai Baba said that Shirdi Sai Baba was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation Prema Sai Baba would be a reincarnation of Shakti and repeated this claim in 1976. In contrast, Kasturi’s biography or hagiography of Sathya Sai Baba stated that Shirdi Sai Baba was Shakti incarnated and that Prema Sai Baba was to be an incarnation of Shiva. The biography further states that Prema Sai Baba will be born in Mysore state According to Donald Taylor in a 1987 article titled "Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement”, Sathya Sai Baba's 1963 declaration that he would be reincarnated as Prema Sai Baba was Sathya Sai Baba's strategy to defuse the problem about his succession and thus continue to have all the authority in his hand.

In 1958 Sanathana Sarathi, the official magazine for the followers of Sathya Sai Baba, was first published. In the late 1960s he attracted Western spiritual seekers and became increasingly popular. As of 2007, he left India only once for a visit to North East Africa in 1968.

Sathya Sai Baba had two sisters, one older brother, the late Seshama Raju, and one younger brother, the late R. V. Janaki Ramaiah.

In 2003 Sathya Sai Baba had an accident that injured his hip, according to the official of the Sathya Sai Organization, Michael Goldstein. As of 2005, Sathya Sai Baba sometimes uses a wheelchair.

In 1960 Sathya Sai Baba said that he would be in this mortal human form for 59 years more. In contrast, he told the American follower John S. Hislop, according to Hislop's 1978 book, that "This body will live to age 96, and will remain young." According to a 1984 book, Sathya Sai Baba said that "In this body I will not become old or infirm as in my old body."

Beliefs and practices

Main article: Sathya Sai Baba movement

Ashrams and mandirs

Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and still lives, was originally a small village where one can now find an extensive University complex, Chaitanya Jyoti (a World-Religions Museum that has won several international awards for design), a spiritual museum, a Planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more. High ranking Indian politicians, like the current President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Former Prime minister) have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi. On Sathya Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebrations it was reported that well over a million people attended, as well as 13,000 delegates from India and 180 countries abroad.

Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of highest peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer Baba leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Kadugodi, Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. Occasionally, he visits his Sai Shruti ashram in Kodaikanal.

Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs in India. The first center, established in Mumbai, is referred to as either "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam". The second center, established in Hyderabad, is referred to as "Shivam". The third center, established in Chennai, is referred to as "Sundaram".

The daily program at Sathya Sai Baba's ashrams usually begins with the chanting of om and a morning prayer. This is followed by Veda Parayan (chanting of the Vedas), nagasankirtan (morning devotional songs) and twice daily bhajans and darshan(a vision of Sai Baba). Particularly significant are the darshans during October (the Dasara holidays and November (the month of Sai Baba's birth).During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walks among his followers and may interact with people, accept letters, materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Interviews are chosen solely by the guru's discretion. Followers consider it a great privilege to get an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family will be invited for a private interview. People who receive such interviews may be startled by the materializations and the disclosures that Sathya Sai Baba as a clairvoyant reveals of their own lives.Sathya Sai Baba claims that his darshan has spiritual benefits, which is a common belief among Hindus regarding saints and gurus.

Reported Miracles

In some books, magazines, filmed interviews and articles, Sathya Sai Baba's followers report incredible miracles and healings of various kinds that they attribute to him. Sathya Sai Baba is said to sometimes take on the illnesses of devotees on himself. Daily, he is observed to allegedly manifest vibuthi (holy ash), and sometimes food and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches.

In devotees' houses all around the world, there are claims from observers, journalists and devotees that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, siva lingams, statues of deities (brass and gold), sugar candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems, colored string, writings in ash and various other substances spontaneously manifest and materialize on the walls, furniture, pictures and altars of Sathya Sai Baba.

Frank Baranowski, who specialized in Kirlian_photography and seeing auras, reportedly analyzed Sathya Sai Baba's aura and concluded that Baba was not a human being but a divine personality because his aura was unlike anyone he had seen before. Baranowski claimed that Sathya Sai Baba's aura was so extensive, it appeared to extend beyond the horizon and contained silver and gold bands that he had not observed before.

The retired Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that he did not get Sathya Sai Baba's permission to study him under controlled circumstances. Nevertheless, he wrote, he investigated and documented the guru's alleged miracles and manifestations through first-hand interviews with devotees and ex-devotees. Haraldsson's research yielded many extraordinary testimonies of reported miracles. Some of the reported miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba included levitation (both indoors and outdoors), bilocation, physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing objects on demand, changing the color of his gown into a different color while wearing it, multiplying food, healings, visions, dreams, making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems, controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities and physically emitting brilliant light.

These devotees and ex-devotees also claimed that they witnessed Sathya Sai Baba materialize many substances from his hand such as vibuthi, lost objects, statues, photographs, Indian pastries (both hot and cold), food (hot, cold, solid and fluid), out of season fruits, new banknotes, pendants, necklaces, watches and rings. Haraldsson wrote that the largest allegedly materialized object that he saw was a mangalsutra necklace, 32 inches long, 16 inches long on each side. Haraldsson wrote that some miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba resemble the ones described in the New Testament, but also with some differences. According to Haraldsson, although healings certainly figure into Sai Baba's reputation, his impression is that healings do not play a prominent role in Sathya Sai Baba's activities as in those of Jesus.

Sathya Sai Baba has explained the phenomenon of manifestation as being an act of divine creation, but refused to have his materializations investigated under experimental conditions. Critics claim that these materializations are done by sleight of hand and question his claims to perform miracles and other paranormal feats. In April 1976, Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, a physicist, rationalist and then vice chancellor of Bangalore University, founded and chaired a committee "to rationally and scientifically investigate miracles and other verifiable superstitions". Haraldsson stated that Narasimhaiah wrote Sathya Sai Baba a polite letter and two subsequent letters that were widely publicized in which he publicly challenged Baba to perform his miracles under controlled conditions. Sathya Sai Baba said that he ignored Narasimhaiah's challenge because he felt his approach was improper. Sathya Sai Baba further said about the Narasimhaiah committee that "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses. If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science. What science has been able to unravel is merely a fraction of the cosmic phenomena [...]"

According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the formal challenge from the committee came to a dead end because the negative attitude of the committee was obvious and perhaps because of all the fanfare involved. Narasimhaiah stated that he considered the fact that Sathya Sai Baba ignored his letters as one among several indications that his miracles are fraudulent. As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers. Narasimhaiah's committee was dissolved in August of 1977.

According to a 1994 article written by Alexandra Nagel, a critic of the guru, the 1992 work of the Canadian skeptic, Dale Beyerstein convincingly negated supernatural stories of all kinds circulating about Sathya Sai Baba. In the 1995 TV documentary "Guru Busters", by UK's Channel 4, Sathya Sai Baba was accused of faking his materializations and a videotape was supplied alleging fraud. The same videotape was mentioned in the Deccan Chronicle, on November 23 1992, on a front page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic". Erlendur Haraldsson stated that he and his associates carried out a careful analysis of the videotape shown in the "Guru Busters" documentary and mentioned by the Deccan Chronicle. Haraldsson stated that the videotape's quality and resolution left much to be desired and limited the inferences that could be drawn from it. Haraldsson claimed that Dr. Wiseman took the video to a company that specialized in corporate fraud, and which possessed some of the world's best equipment designed to enhance poor quality videotapes. According to Haraldsson, after the videotape was enhanced using a threefold process, the resulting tape contained no firm evidence of fraud. The same company analyzed several still frames from the videotape, enhanced and enlarged them and the images still did not reveal any further information. The "Guru Busters" documentary also reported that Sathya Sai Baba's followers include some of India's intellectual elite, including T.N. Seshan and that professors from national research institutions who are experts in engineering, aeronautics and geology gather to worship a man they believe has supernatural powers.

The magazine India Today published in December 2000 a cover story about the Baba and the allegations of fake miracles quoting the magician P. C. Sorcar, Jr. who considered the Baba a fraud. Basava Premanand, a skeptic and amateur magician, asserted that he has been investigating Sathya Sai Baba since 1968 and believes the guru to be a cheater and charlatan. Premanand sued Sathya Sai Baba in 1986 for violation of the Gold Control Act for Sathya Sai Baba's materializations of gold objects. The case was dismissed, but Premanand appealed on the ground that spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law.Premanand also displayed, in the 2004 BBC documentary Secret Swami, that he could duplicate some of the same acts that Sathya Sai Baba presents as miracles; such as materializations by sleight of hand and the production of a lingam from his mouth. The BBC documentary reported that even some of Sathya Sai Baba's critics believe that he has genuine paranormal powers.

The British journalist Mick Brown discussed in his 1998 book that Sathya Sai Baba's claim of resurrecting the American Walter Cowan in 1971 was probably untrue. His opinion was based on the letters from attending doctors, provided in the Indian Skeptic magazine (published by Premanand). In this same book, Mick Brown also related his experiences with manifestations of vibuthi, from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, and felt that these miraculous manifestations were not fraudulent or the result of trickery. Brown wrote with regards to Sathya Sai Baba's claims of omniscience, that "skeptics have produced documentation clearly showing discrepancies between Baba's reading of historical events and biblical prophecies and the established accounts."

Teachings

Sathya Sai Baba is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language Telugu, and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker. He asserted that he is an avatar of God in whom all names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest. He also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others have yet to realize it.

He further claims that he is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and able to create matter from mere thought. He also stresses he and humans should always be free from desires and states that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger, jealousy etc).

Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all world religions and asserts that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion. His followers view his teachings as syncretic (uniting all religions), but one scholar has said that his message remains fundamentally Hindu.[2] He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas (Vedasamrakshana). Several books and discourses by him, such as the book Ramakatha Rasavahini teach the literal interpretation of Hindu mythology and advocate the practice of Hindu Dharma (Sthapana).

Apart from teaching the unity and equality of all the religions Sathya Sai Baba places particular emphasis on the role of women (especially mothers) in society. He has stated that mothers build society. That is why he teaches respect for parents, especially for the mother. He also said that the level of a nation depends on their respect for women.

Across the globe local Sathya Sai Baba groups assemble to sing bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, do collective community service (called seva), and teach Education in Human Values (Sai Sunday School). Baba's movement is not missionary and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968. Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting with the names of the traditional Hindu deities as well as saints and prophets of other religions occasionally replaced by Baba's name.

Based on Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, his organization advocates the five basic human values. These values are sathya (truth), dharma (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), ahimsa (non-violence), prema (love for God and all his creatures) and shantih (peace).

Other primary teachings are:

• Service and charity (seva) to others.
• Love for all creatures and objects.
• Putting a ceiling (limit) on one's desires Sadhana (Spiritual discipline).
• Celibacy after age of fifty.
• Everything that has been created is maya (illusion), only God is real.
• Every creature and object is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
• Vegetarianism, moderate and sattvik diet.
• Abstinence from drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and taking drugs.
• Detachment from the material world.
• Meditation, preferably at 3:00 or 4:00 A.M.
• Meditation (dhyan) - Baba teaches four techniques, repetition of the name of God, visualizing the form of God, sitting in silence and jyoti (Flame/Light meditation).
• Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
• Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God.
• Developing virtues (prashanti)and eschewing vices of character.
• Japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
• Reverence for parents, teachers and elders.
• Sense control
• Highly committed devotees use the phrase sai ram as a salutation.
• Women should strive to realize stri-dharma, the inherent virtues of womanhood.

Sathya Sai Baba's teachings are saidTemplate:Fact to be realized by observing the following four principlesTemplate:Fact:

• There is only one Caste, the Caste of Humanity;
• There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love;
• There is only one Language, the Language of the Heart;
• There is only One God and He is Omnipresent

Prominent Indian newspapers regularly cite Sathya Sai Baba's teachings and publish segments to his discourses.

Organizations

Template:Merge Sathya Sai Baba is the figurehead to a number of free educational institutions, charitable organizations and service projects that are spread over 10,000 centers in 166 countries around the world.

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in Prashanti Nilayam is the only college in India to have received an "A++" rating by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission). Besides this institute, there is also an Institute of Music and an Institute of Higher Learning in Anantapur, which is a women's college.

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi (also known as the Super Specialty Hospital) is a 220 bed facility providing advanced surgical and medical care free of cost to the public. It is situated 6 kilometers from the guru's ashram and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on November 22 1991 and was designed by the Prince of Wales's architectural adviser, Keith Critchlow The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333 bed facility with advanced operation theatres, ICUs and CCUs meant to benefit the poor. The hospital was inaugurated on January 19 2001 by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Other eminent participants were Abdul Kalam, Michael Nobel (son of Alfred Nobel), Noah Samara and Anji Reddy. The hospital has served 250,000 patients, free of cost, from January 2001 to April 2004.

The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 by Sathya Sai Baba to provide free care to poor local villagers. Since that time, the general hospital has grown to a 35,000 sq ft building that provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has, since its inception, treated over 2 million cases.

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two super specialty hospitals, dispensaries, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.It was in the year 2000-2001 the largest recipient of foreign donations. The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. The first drinking water project, completed in 1996, supplies water to 1.2 million people in 730-800 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai (formerly known as Madras) through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal". The Chennai water drinking project was praised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi. Karunanidhi said that although he is an atheist, he differentiated between good spiritual leaders like Sathya Sai Baba and fake godmen. The third drinking water project, expected to be completed in April 2006, would supply water from the Godavari River to half a million people living in five hundred villages in East and West Godavari Districts. Other completed water projects include the Medak District Project benefiting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar District Project benefitting 350,000 people in 141 villages. In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust revealed that it would undertake another drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.

His Educare (formerly called Education in Human Values) program seeks to found schools in all countries with the explicit goal to educate children in the five human values and spirituality. According to the Sai Educare site (authorized by the Sathya Sai Organization), schools have been founded in 33 countries world-wide.

All the local Sai Samithis (Sathya Sai Baba groups) are part of a hierarchical structure called the Sathya Sai Organization. The chairman of the organization is Michael Goldstein of the U.S. The logo of the Sathya Sai organization is a stylized lotus flower with the text of the five human values, highly influenced by not only Hinduism but also Jainism and Buddhism, in its petals. This text version has replaced the old logo with the symbols of the 5 or 6 world religions in the petals.

The Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust is the official publisher of the Sathya Sai Organization. It publishes the international monthly magazine called Sanathana Sarathi in English and Telugu. According to their website, they shelve over a thousand books and provide Sai-related literature in 40 languages. The book trust also supplies CDs, DVDs and audio tapes. In various nations, similar publication trusts are maintained in their own native language.

On November 23 2001, the digital radio network "Radio Sai Global Harmony" was launched through the World Space Organization, USA. Dr. Michael Nobel (son of Alfred Nobel and one of the patrons for the radio network) said that the radio network would spread Sathya Sai Baba's message of global harmony and peace.

In January 2007 the Baba was given a big felicitation in Chennai Nehru stadium organised by the Chennai Citizens Conclave for thanking him for the 200 crore water project which brought water from the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function. The notable news about this event was that Sai Baba was sharing the same dias with Karunanidhi(Chief Minister of Chennai) who is a very well known hardcore atheist against Hindu gurus / godman and that Karunanidhi was felicitating Sai Baba. This was covered in all newspapers.

Criticism and replies

Template:NPOV-sect On June 6, 1993 four people who were armed with knives were killed after they had intruded in Sai Baba's bedroom. The intruders had killed two aides of Sai Baba. The incident was widely published in the Indian press. Sathya Sai Baba claimed in his 1993 Guru Poornima discourse on July 3 that jealousy among his followers was behind the incident, without giving a detailed explanation of the events. The former Secretary of the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, V.P.B. Nair who came from of a police background expressed in the BBC documentary his opinion that the four assailants in 1993 had unnecessarily and illegally been shot by the police. There are other opinions from the eye witnesses who were present in the Mandir premises on that night that police did the right thing to protect the life of several others, as the four people were armed and had already stabbed two people to death. The debates about Sathya Sai Baba were fueled by a document published in 2000 called "The Findings", written by David and Faye Bailey (former followers who together wrote three books on Sathya Sai Baba ), in which they described their disillusionment with the guru. According to an article in Salon.com (a magazine that refers to itself as a 'smart tabloid') in the year 2001, a great part of the Findings contains testimonies of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. The Findings contain allegations of fakery, claims that Sai Baba does not heal sick people and allegations of financial irregularities with charity projects, such as the Super Specialty Hospital and water project. David Bailey previously wrote, in his two books about Sathya Sai Baba, that he personally witnessed manifestations, healings, miracles and was saved from a car accident by Sathya Sai Baba. The Daily Telegraph stated that Sathya Sai Baba rubbed oil on the genitals of a young male devotee. The testimonies of sexual abuse of young men were shown in TV documentaries, including "Seduced by Sai Baba" by Denmark's national television, and documentary film "Secret Swami" by BBC. The TV documentary "Seduced By Sai Baba", produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcaster Danish radio aired in Denmark, Australia and Norway.

Al Rahm, a father of one of the young men who claimed to have been sexually abused by Sathya Sai Baba, said in 2004 that he had spoken with the Dr. Michael Goldstein, the highest leader in the USA about the alleged sexual abuse. According to Rahm, Dr. Goldstein responded by saying that he hated the idea of having wasted 25 years of his life and that he accepted Sri Sathya Sai Baba's statement "Swami is pure" as the truth. Dr. Goldstein further stated that he did not support an investigation of the sexual abuse allegations, although he felt that Sathya Sai Baba was not above the law. He said that it was against his "heart and conscience" to believe the allegations because he had personally observed Baba interact with students very frequently, in very informal circumstances, and he had never seen anything inappropriate, ominous or anything indicative of fear or apprehension. Isaac Tigrett, a prominent follower and co-founder of the Hard Rock Café, stated in the BBC documentary that his admiration for the Baba will not change even if the charges of pedophilia and murder were proved beyond all doubt. In this same documentary, Khushwant Singh stated that Sathya Sai Baba's popularity could not be ascribed to any type of publicity campaign. Singh compared Sathya Sai Baba to Mahatma Gandhi, in that Gandhi never had any publicity but became nationally known through word of mouth According to the BBC reporter Tanya Datta, a lot of sexual abuse victims have undergone a genital oiling by Sathya Sai Baba that they believe is part of Hinduism. Singh reacted to this by saying that this genital oiling is not part of Indian tradition.

According to the journalist Michelle Goldberg of Salon.com the fact that the Baba has high ranking Indian politicians as his supporters and the charity works done by the various organizations associated with the Baba help to explain why he has not been brought into a court of law in India. The Indian consulate website states that crime victims must file charges with the police. In an article that was published in the India Today magazine in December 2000, it was stated that no complaints had been filed against Sathya Sai Baba by any alleged victim, in India. The magazine stated they are in possession of an affidavit signed by Jens Sethi (an ex-devotee) and reported that he filed a complaint with the police in Munich.

The Times further reported in August 2001 that three men had died after placing hope in Sathya Sai Baba. According to the Times articles, Michael Pender, an HIV infected man who overdosed on drugs more than once, complained to a friend that he had been repeatedly sexually molested by the guru. Pender apparently committed suicide in a hostel for the homeless in North London. Aran Edwards, a British national, was described as "quite an ill person, mentally unstable and needed orthodox help", by David Bailey. Edwards was encouraged to write letters to the guru to help solve his "psychological problems". Edwards had never traveled to see the guru firsthand. David Bailey said that he eventually told Edwards, "Wake up. He doesn't even read these letters." Edwards was so distraught about the situation, he decided to commit suicide. Edwards was found hanging from a staircase in his home in Cardiff, London. Andrew Richardson, another British national, hurled himself off a bank building in Bangalore, India. Two letters were found on his body in which he said he was in a deep depression. He expressed a desire to see Sai Baba and Mother Teresa.

Sathya Sai Baba did not give a detailed public rebuttal to the accusations of sexual abuse. In his Christmas 2000 discourse Sai Baba said that people disseminate false negative stories about him because they have been bribed. Koert van der Velde, a reporter for Dutch newspaper Trouw, claimed in a critical article that Sathya Sai Baba forbade people to look at the internet. In the years 1999 and 2000 Sri Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly belittled the internet and discouraged its use.

The Guardian and DNA stated that, although Sathya Sai Baba has not been charged over old allegations of sexual abuse, a travel warning was issued by the US State Department about reports of "unconfirmed inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader", which officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba. The Guardian further expressed concerns over a contingent of 200 youths travelling to the Baba's ashram in order to gain their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

According to The Telegraph, Glen Meloy (an ex-devotee) organized a campaign that concentrated on "e-bombing" allegations against Sathya Sai Baba to various agencies and officials. The Telegraph stated that the most conspicuous success of Meloy's campaign came when, in September 2000, UNESCO withdrew its participation in an educational conference at Puttaparthi, expressing "deep concern" about the allegations of sexual abuse. The Telegraph also stated that despite all the allegations made against Sathya Sai Baba over the years, he has never been charged with any crime, sexual or otherwise.

Responses to Criticism

In an official letter released to the general public, in December 2001, A.B. Vajpayee (then Prime Minister of India), P.N. Bhagawati (Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Ranganath Mishra (Chair Person, National Human Rights Commissioner of India and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Najma Heptulla (President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished Human Development Ambassador) and Shivraj V. Patil (Member of Parliament, India; Formerly of the Lok Sabha & Union Minister) all signed a letter that called the allegations against Sathya Sai Baba "wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests" and that they "unequivocally condemned" the allegations as "baseless and malicious".

Bill Aitken (a Sai Devotee, described in his own words in an article in The Week as an expert in comparative religion and author of the book "Sri Sathya Sai Baba: A life") stated that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation has only increased despite negative stories being published against the Guru, by rationalists, critics and skeptics, for at least a generation. Aitken contended that critics are so distemperate in their dislike that their vituperation comes across as near comical. Aitken also expressed the opinion that the BBC is ultimately governed by the Anglican establishment and does not criticize public icons like the Queen, who happens to be the head of the Anglican church. Aitken felt that the Church of England can have no objection to programs that weaken perceived threats, such as the Sai Movement. Aitken also expressed the opinion that the more detractors rail against Sathya Sai Baba, it seems even greater numbers of people flock to see him.

In an interview with an Asian Voice correspondent, Mr Ashok Bhagani, a trustee of the Sai Organization in the UK, said that he believed the allegations in the Secret Swami BBC documentary were completely without facts, baseless and have never been proved. Mr Bhagani also stated that when devotees are selected by Baba for a private interview, there is always someone else present in the room, and this is especially the case when women and children meet him. Navin Patel, a biochemistry student at the Sathya Sai Arts College in Bangalore during the 1970s, told Asian Voice that he visited Baba's ashram many times and studied at Baba's college long enough to know the allegations are untrue. Patel claimed the Secret Swami BBC documentary was very misleading and was based on only two westerners who had their own monetary agendas. Patel expressed the opinion that western journalists were bashing Baba collectively.

The secretary of the Puttaparthi ashram, K. Chakravarthi, refused to comment on the accusations. Anil Kumar, Sathya Sai Baba's principal translator, believes that the controversy is part of Baba's divine plan and said that every great religious teacher has had to face criticism in his/her lifetime. Kumar said that allegations have been leveled at Sai Baba since childhood, but with every criticism Baba becomes more and more triumphant.

Thorbjørn Meyer, in a letter to the DR, called the allegations undocumented and untrue. In the Seduced documentary, Peter Pruzan stated that he believed Sathya Sai Baba is not a pedophile nor does he perform conjuring tricks. Pruzan claimed that he personally experienced Sathya Sai Baba's "wholly extraordinary powers" both in Baba's presence as well as in Denmark.

Political row

Template:Wikinews In January 2007, the Baba found himself embroiled in a political row after his remarks opposing the proposed partition of Andhra Pradesh as a "great sin", claiming that there was no demand from the people to bifurcate the state into Telangana and Andhra states. The comments caused an outcry among pro-Telangana activists who angrily voiced their protests in street marches and attacks on the Sivam building, the Baba's temple in Hyderabad, which was staffed by a few followers. Shouting anti-Sai Baba slogans, the protestors pulled down a large picture of the holy man and trampled on it before taking it outside and setting it on fire. An effigy of the Baba was also reported to have been burnt, and twenty protestors were arrested following several police complaints.

A number of political figures criticised the Baba including K. Chandrasekhar Rao, leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and former Union Minister, who suggested that the Baba should restrict himself to religious functions and not involve himself in politics. Sai Baba's followers responded by calling a 'bandh' in which shops and business establishments were shut down to protest against the remarks of the Telangana leaders, and effigies of the critics were set alight. K. Kesava Rao, President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, maintained that the Baba's comments had been "misinterpreted" and that the remark was not political. Digvijay Singh, Congress secretary-general, disagreed with suggestions that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy could have instigated the Baba to make his statement, and confirmed that his party approved plans for the creation of a separate Telangana state. "With due respect to Sai Baba we can say that the work for setting up the second state reorganisation commission will go on," he said.

Sathya Sai Baba in popular culture

Sathya Sai Baba's name is mentioned on a popular fragrance brand made by Shrinivas Sugandhalaya Co. The Satya Sai Baba Nag Champa fragrance has been used in agarbatti incense, soap, oils, candles, sachets and perfumes.

See also

• Backward-caste Hindu Saints

References

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• Aitken, Bill. Miracle of Welfare The Week (27 November 2005) Available online
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• Babb, Lawrence Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. Berkeley University of California Press, 1986 (also published by Waveland press, 2000 ISBN 1577661532 )
• Bailey, David. A Journey To Love Book 2: Love and Marriage, 1988 ISBN 81-86822-60-7
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• Template:Verify credibility Bakshi, Rekha . India Express, "Sai Baba in a DDA flat?" Available online
• Bowen, David (1988) The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its origins and development, religious beliefs and practices. Leeds: University Press.
• Brooke, Tal. Avatar of the night, ISBN 1-930045-00-X
• Brown Mick. The Spiritual Tourist Bloomsbury Publishing 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X
• Brown, Mick. Divine Downfall, The Daily Telegraph, 28 October 2000, Available online
• Chandaraju, Aruna. in the Deccan Herald: "Where service comes first " January 17, 2006 Available online
• Datta,Tanya Sai Baba: God-man or con man? published by BBC News on 17 June, 2004 available online (retrieved 24 February 2007)
• Draft Report of the Peer Team on Institutional Accreditation of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed University) Vidyagiri, Prashanthi Nilayam – 515 134 (A.P) Visit Dates: December 2 – 4, 2002 Available online: DOC File.
• Eijk, Piet van der. Dutch original under the title "De Wonderdoener"/"The Miracle Monger" in the magazine HP/De Tijd, dated 31 January 1992, pages. 46-50
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• Haraldsson, Erlendur. Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prashanti Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
• Hislop, John S. Conversations with Sathya Sai Baba San Diego Birth Day Publishing 1978, ISBN 0-9600958-5-3
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• India Today, "A God Accused", December 04, 2000 cover story Available online
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• Kasturi, Narayana Easwaramma - The Chosen Mother of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. 1984 Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publication Trust, 1984 ISBN 81-7208-066-2
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• Kasturi, Narayana. “Sathyam Sivam Sundaram” Volume I 1961 “Chapter “Moves in His Game”
• Kasturi, Narayana. M.A., B.L. Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part II: The Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1973:88-89 Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, ISBN 81-7208-127-8
• Kennedy, Dominic. The Times (England), 27 August 2001 ”Suicide, sex and the guru” Available online Available online
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• Kent, Alexandra Divinity and Diversity: a Hindu revitalization movement in Malaysia, Copenhagen Nias Press, first published in 2005, ISBN 8791114403,
• Kester, Sacha. "Ticket naar Nirvana"/"Ticket to Nirvana", article in the Dutch Newspaper De Volkskrant 7 January 2003
• Knott, Kim Dr. South Asian Religions in Britain page 766, Table 22.1 Principal Sectarian movements in Britain and their primary characteristics in the Handbook of Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0-14-051480-5
• Krishnamoorthy, M. The Star, "Enlightening experience in India", Available online
• Lewis, Paul. The Guardian, The Indian living god, the paedophilia claims and the Duke of Edinburgh awards, November 4 2006, page 3, Available online
• Lochtefeld, James G., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. I ISBN 0-8239-3179-X, New York Rosen 2002, entry “Godman”
• Mahesh,Chitra in the The Hindu, January 4, 2002 "Day of introspection at Puttaparthi" Available online.
• Murphet, Howard. "Man of Miracles" first published in 1971, Published in June 1977 by Weiser Books ISBN 0877283354
• Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) "De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba"/"The Sai Paradox contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba" from the magazine "Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland, 'Sekten' "/"Religious movements in the Netherlands, 'Cults/Sects' ", 1994, nr. 29. published by the Free University Amsterdam press, (1994) ISBN 90-5383-341-2
• Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie 368, vol. 72 nr. 4, December 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)
• Nair, Yogas, "Raisins, ash raise eyebrows", The Post 19 April 2006, Available online
• Padmanaban, R. Love is my form, Vol. 1, The Advent (1926-1950), Bangalore: Sai Towers Publishing, 2000: pages 68, 132-133
• Places to see at Puttaparthi. Referenced from official Sathya Sai Organization website, Available online
• Pillay, Prinella. Divine Blessing: It’s a miracle, says family 17 March 2004 in the newspaper Post South Africa Available online
• Ramakrishnan R. Chennai Online, "Sri Sathya Sai Baba: A living Legend"
• Rao, Manu B.S. Sai Baba lashes out at detractors. Times of India 26 December 2000
• Rao, Manu The Times Of India: Super-Specialty hospital touches 2.5 lakh cases by, Available online
• Sai Educare Website, authorized by the Sathya Sai Organization, Available online.
• Sathya Sai Baba Shiva Shakthi, on Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, in Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.) Available online
• Sathya Sai Trust gets most foreign donations in rediff August 16, 2003 available online retrieved 12 Feb. 2007
• Sathya Sai Baba "The Revelation", Sathya Sai Speaks VI, 210-213, 17 May 1968 Available online
• Sathya Sai Baba, Discourse on 15 October 1999, Available online
• Sathya Sai Baba, Discourse on 26 September 2000, Available online
• Sathya Sai Baba, Guru Purnima Discourse, 3 July 1993, Keep Truth as Your Aim: Available online
• Sathya Sai Baba, Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on 23 November 1968 (also published in Samuel Sandweiss 1972 book Sai Baba: The Holy man and the psychiatrist Part II Coming Home) Available online on the website of the Sathya Sai organization
• Sathya Sai Baba's brother dies article on 18 October 2003 in The Hindu retrieved March 2006
• Sathya Sai Baba's younger brother dies article on 18 October. 2003 in The Times of India retrieved March 2006
• Sathya Sai Org: Numbers to Sai Centers and Names of Countries
• Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. I, 31:198; Prashanthi Nilayam (29-9-1960) Sathya Sai Geetha iii Available online (pdf file)
• Sathyam, Shivam and Sundaram Mandirs On Offical radiosai.org website Available online
• Sathya Sai Baba, Discourse on 25 December 2000 Available online (pdf file)
• Schulman, Arnold. Baba 1971, ISBN 0-670-14343-X.
• Secret Swami BBC TV documentary, June 2004, Transcript available online
• Seshadri, Hiramalini The Hindu: Project Water by Hiramalini Seshadri, June 25 2003, Available online.
• Seshadri, Hiramalini The Week: Showers of Grace by Hiramalini Seshadri, May 26 2002 Available online.
• Shakuntala Balu "Living Divinity" London Sawbridge 1984 ISBN 0-907555-00-4
• Sri Sathya Sai Baba - A Living Legend - An Embodiment Of Love For All Mankind, Letter from A.B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India), Available online
• Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus, from an Official Sathya Sai site, Available online
• Swallow, Deborah A. 1982 Ashes and Powers: myth, rite and miracle in an Indian God-man's cult. In Modern Asian Studies 16, pages 128-58.
• Taylor, Donald. "Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement" in Richard Burghart (ed.), Hinduism in Great Britain:: The perpetuation of religion in an alien cultural milieu, (1987) London/New York: Tavistock Publications, ISBN 978-0422609104
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• The Hindu, "A 5-point recipe for happiness", by Our Staff Reporter, November 24 2006 Available online
• The Hindu, "Saibaba Gospel Goes On Air", November 24 2001, by Our Staff Reporter Available online
• The Hindu, "Warm welcome to PM at Puttaparthi", by Our Staff Reporter, February 12 2004 Available online
• The Hindu, Water, the Elixir of life, November 2005 Available online.
• The Hindu: Chennai benefits from Sai Baba's initiative by Our Special Correspondent, December 1 2004, Available online
• The Hindu: City colleges cheer NAAC rating, June 8 2006, Available online.
• The Hindu: Healing with Love and Compassion, November 23 2005, Available online
• The Hindu: Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust by Our Staff Reporter, February 13 2004, Available online
• Times Of India, "Sai hospital to host health meet on Saturday", January 14 2002Available online
• Times Of India, "Sathya Sai Baba Trust to set up second superspecialty hospital at Bangalore", May 29 2000
• Velde, Koert van der. "De ondergang van een goeroe, Sai Baba"/"The Downfall of a guru, Sai Baba" 6 September 2000 in the Dutch newspaper Trouw
• Woodhead, Linda & Fletcher Paul. Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformation. Routledge (UK), ISBN 0-415-21784-9

Further reading

Books by Sathya Sai Baba

• Bibliography of Sathya Sai Baba
• Online Resource: Sathya Sai Speaks Series

Other

• Antonov, Vladimir PhD "Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days", 'Zolotoy Vek', Saint Petersburg, 1997
• Babb, Lawrence A. Sathya Sai Baba’s Saintly Play, in Saints and Virtues, J.S. Hawley (ed.), Berkeley, California University of California Press 1987, pages 168-186.
• Balu, V. and Shakuntala Balu Divine Glory -2nd Edition, Sri Satguru Publications(Delhi), ISBN 81-7030-640-X
• Baskin, Diana "Divine Memories of Sathya Sai Baba" (1990) ISBN 1-878599-00-3
• Beyerstein, Dale "Sai Baba's miracles: an overview", Published by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (1994)
• Brooke, Tal "Lord of the Air", first published in 1976 with a revised edition was released in 1990. Revised and renamed "Avatar of the Night" (1999) ISBN 1-930045-00-X
• Brooke, Tal "Riders of the Cosmic Circuit" (1986) ISBN 0-7459-1217-6
• Brown, Mick "The Spiritual Tourist" Bloomsbury Publishing (1998) ISBN 1-58234-034-X
• Goldthwait, John "Purifying the Heart" (2002) ISBN 81-7208-339-4
• Guillemin, Madeleine "Who Is In The Driving Seat?" (2000) ISBN 0-9583617-0-3
• Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD "Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles" (first published in 1987, 1997 revised and updated edition) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
• Hislop, John "My Baba And I" ISBN 81-7208-050-6
• Kasturi, Narayana "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" Volume I (first published in 1961) Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, ISBN 81-7208-127-8, II, III, IV Available online (zip file, 787 kb)
• Krystal, Phyllis "The Ultimate Experience" ISBN 81-7208-038-7
• Mazzoleni Don Mario "A Catholic Priest Encounters Sai Baba" (1994) ISBN 0-9629835-1-9
• Murphet, Howard "Man of Miracles" (1971) ISBN 0-333-91770-7
• Padmanaban, Ranganathan "Love Is My Form" Sai Towers (2000) ISBN 81-86822-76-3
• Premanand, Basava "The Murders in Sai Baba's bedroom" (2001)
• Priddy, Robert "The End of the Dream", published and edited by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (2004)
• Priddy, Robert "Source of the Dream" Weiser Books (1998) ISBN 1-57863-028-2
• Sandweiss, Samuel H "Spirit And The Mind" (1985) ISBN 81-7208-056-5
• Sandweiss, Samuel H. "The Holy Man ... And The Psychiatrist" (1975) ISBN 0-9600958-1-0
• Schulman, Arnold "Baba" (1971) Out of print. ISBN 0-670-14343-X.
• Sharma, Arvind New Religious Movements in India in New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change edited by James A. Beckford ISBN 0-8039-8591-6, pages 228-231, 233
• Steel, Brian The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba (1999) ISBN 81-7646-080-X
• Steel, Brian The Satya Sai Baba Compendium: A Guide to the First Seventy Years (Paperback) Weiser Books (February, 1997) ISBN 0-87728-884-4
• Shepherd, Kevin R.D. "Investigating the Sai Baba Movement: A Clarification of Misrepresented Saints and Opportunism" (2005) ISBN 0-9525089-3-1
• Steel, Brian The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba (1999) ISBN 81-7646-080-X
• Steel, Brian The Satya Sai Baba Compendium: A Guide to the First Seventy Years (Paperback) Weiser Books (February, 1997) ISBN 0-87728-884-4
• Thomas, Joy "Life is a Game – Play it" ISBN 81-7208-175-8

External links

Official Sathya Sai Baba websites

• Official International Website of the Sri Sathya Sai Organization
• Official Website of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, India
• Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, India
• Radio Sai Global Harmony
• SaiCast - Streaming Videos of Sathya Sai Baba

Other websites

• Sai Youth Chennai Social work performed by Sai Youth, Chennai.
• Sai Yuvak Service newsletters archive
• Sai Bhajans, discourses and Veda chanting