Sathya Sai Baba movement
Encyclopedia
The Sathya Sai Baba movement
is inspired by South India
n guru
Sathya Sai Baba
who teaches the unity of all religions. Some of his followers have faith
in his claim to be a purna Avatar
(full divine incarnation) of Shiva
and Shakti
, who is believed to have been predicted in the Bhagavad Gita
. This means that some of his followers see him as a God
. Devotees engage in singing devotional songs called "bhajan
s" and selfless service (seva). Its official organization is the Sathya Sai Organization
. However the Sathya Sai Baba movement extends beyond the organization. An important aspect of the faith of adherents is the miracle
s attributed to Sathya Sai Baba. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 and 100 million.
. Additional sources for the official life story are Sathya Sai Baba's discourses.
Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. His birth name was Sathyanarayana Raju.
Sathya (as Sai Baba referred to himself in those days) "was known to be very lively," and composed many plays, poems and songs for school and friends. He also taught the local children and villagers how to read and write. "He was called by the neighbors Brahmajnani, a "Realized Soul."" In sixth standard, Sathya left Puttaparthi
to live with his elder brother, Seshama and his wife in Kamalapuram
. About a year later, "holidays came and Seshama Raju took Sathya to Hampi
." A municipal chairman witnessed Sathya being both inside a Siva
temple and outside (looking after his brothers luggage) simultaneously. Afterwards, he presented the boy with "a collar pin made of gold."
During a discourse in 2000, Sathya Sai Baba related the events that transpired a few days after, "He (Sathya) left the house and went about ten feet when the collar pin fell and could not be found... The collar pin symbolised worldly attachment, and when it was lost, it was symbolic of the end of the ‘Raju phase’ and attachments implied by it. Declaring that He had no worldly relationship with anyone, he ran to the house of one Anjaneyulu... In front of his house there was a small rock. Swami (Sathya Sai Baba) went and sat on that stone."
Narayana Kasturi's biography states Sathya Sai Baba performed many miracle
s (healings, levitation, materialization of fruit, sweets, pencils, pictures etc. and clairvoyance). At approximately age 14, Sathya Sai Baba made a claim that he was the reincarnation
of the fakir
, Sai Baba of Shirdi.To validate his claim it is alleged that jasmine flowers were dropped onto the ground and that they miraculously arranged themselves into the words "Sai Baba" in Telugu
. At that time, he began his spiritual mission.
The first volume of Sathya Sai Speaks covers discourses given during the years 1953 to 1960. In this volume can be read the many early claims of divinity
made by Sathya Sai Baba, including those of omnipotence
and omniscience
.
During the month of June 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and 4 heart attacks. His left side was paralysed, and the sight in his left eye and speech were badly affected. After sprinkling water on his left hand and leg, he made a full recovery and delivered a Guru Poornima discourse. During the discourse he said, "Shiva said that they (Shiva and Shakti) would take human form and be born in the Bharadwaja lineage, thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakthi together at Puttaparthi
as Sathya Sai Baba, and Shakthi alone as Prema Sai, later."
In a 1976 interview he repeated his claim to be a full divine Avatar
, saying "I have come armed with the fullness of the power of formless God
to correct mankind, raise human consciousness and put people back on the right path of truth
, righteousness, peace
and love
to divinity."
Between 1988 and 2006, Sathya Sai Baba suffered three accidents, the second of which left him with a fractured hip and a broken femur. He now moves among devotees in his car or Porte Chair.
It is claimed that he performed a number of miracles including healings, materializations, and recently, making his face appear on the moon
, thereby proving his omnipresence
.
Sathya Sai Baba gained followers in India from the 1930s.
Outside of India, he became popular from the 1960s and 1970s.
During the period from 1970 to 1983, the number of Sathya Sai Baba centres in the United Kingdom grew from 2 to 51.
. Twice daily, some devotees engage in worship of Sathya Sai Baba by conducting rituals such as aarti
and singing devotional songs in front of his picture. Sathya Sai Baba has said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion, saying "My objective is the establishment of Sanathana Dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity ... I have come not to disturb or destroy any Faith, but to confirm each in his own Faith, so that the Christian
becomes a better Christian
, the Muslim
a better Muslim
and a Hindu
a better Hindu
." According to "Ocean of Love", a book published by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, "there is no new path that He is preaching, no new order that He has created. There is no new religion that He has come to add or a particular philosophy that He recommends ... His mission is unique and simple. His mission is that of love and compassion."
On 24 November 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh came out of his trance and announced that Krishna
("overmind Godhead") descended into the physical". On the day before this announcement, the 23rd of November, 1926, was the birth date of Sathya Sai Baba Many felt that Sri Aurobindo's announcement heralded the Sathya Sai Avatar
.
Around the world, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily or weekly on Sundays (and/or Thursdays) for group devotional singing (bhajan
s), prayer, spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva), and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV), also known as Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) and (in India) Balvikas. (Sai Sunday School) The Australian Sai organization states, "we come together as spiritual seekers to sing our devotion to God, singing to many different names and forms that God is worshipped by."
Sathya Sai baba himself says of bhajan
s, "I do not need songs glorifying God which like gramophone records, reproduce songs and strings of Gods names without any feeling or yearning while singing. Hours of shouting do not count, a
moment of concentrated prayer from the heart is enough."
Seva
(selfless service) activities, being "at the heart of Sathya Sai
Baba's teachings," strives to take an active role to serve the needs of the community. Center Seva activities and projects include
Other Sai Center activities include study of the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and the sacred literature of all religions, Sai Spiritual Education (SSE), dynamic value parenting programs, and study circles (taking a point and each person discussing what it means to them).
Through center activities, the hope is to achieve the practical spirituality of incorporating the universal human values in all aspects of life and during every conscious moment.
Sathya Sai Baba advocates reverence, adoration and gratitude to the Mother
, (and parents) as being God
, and the first (and foremost) teacher and guru
. Sai Baba oftens cites well known figures (Abraham Lincoln
, Gandhi, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
) who have attained their good character, humility and morality due to listening to the advice of their mother. Sai Baba has said, "There is nothing greater than mother's love. Mother's words are always sweet." Additionally, Sai Baba has repeatedly stated "Rama, Krishna, Shivaji and Gandhi became what they were because of their mothers. Same way, I am Sathya Sai today because of Easwaramma (his mother)!"
Sathya Sai Baba has written several articles on religious topics, later collected by the trust in the form of books, titled "Vahinis" (vehicles). There are fifteen vahinis, comprising sixteen books (the Ramakatha Rasavahini having two parts). Sathya Sai Baba's discourses are presented in the Sathya Sai Speaks series.
Sathya Sai Baba recommends meditation
(dhyan) for acquiring one-pointed attention on the Lord. Having written a vahini on the subject of meditation
(dhyan), Baba suggests four techniques: repetition of one's own favourite 'name of God'(Rama
, Sai, Allah
, Aum etc. ...), visualizing the form of God (i.e. Guru
, Buddha
, Jesus
, Sai Baba, etc. ...), sitting in silence, and jyoti (Flame/Light meditation).
The Sai organization promotes and advocates five human values: Sathya
(truth), Dharma
(Sanskrit word translated as "right conduct"), Ahimsa
(non-violence), Prema (love for God and all his creatures) and Shanti
(peace).
Other teachings are:
called Prashanthi Nilayam
near the once poor and isolated village of Puttaparthi.
An important practice in his ashram in Puttaparthi
was the darshan
(spiritual sight) that Sathya Sai Baba gave. During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walked among his followers. He may have listened to a few chosen persons, accepted letters, or materialized and distributed vibhuti
(sacred ash). He said that his darshan has spiritual benefits for those who attended it. Usually people waited hours to get a good place for darshan. Sathya Sai Baba sometimes invited people for a group interview with him in a room in the ashram
's mandir (Hindu temple). Followers considered it a great privilege to get such an interview. Sometimes a person from this group was invited for a private interview.
Sathya Sai Baba's manifestations of vibuthi emphasized his claim to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba who used to take ash, called udhi, from an ever-burning fire, called a dhuni
. Vibuthi is an ancient Hindu symbol, among others associated with Shiva.
Sathya Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main ashram Prashanthi Nilayam ("Abode of Highest Peace") at Puttaparthi. During the hot summer the guru left for his other ashram called Brindavan in Whitefield, India (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of Bangalore
. He has left India only once for a visit to Eastern Africa in 1968.
He was a prolific orator in his native language of Telugu
, and also spoke passable Tamil
. He claimed to be the Kali Yuga
purna Avatar
(full divine incarnation of this era) of Lord Shiva and Shakti. He said that he is omniscient
, omnipotent
and omnipresent
and could create matter from mere thought. He also stressed he was free from desires, and that this was the state that one should aim to attain, consistent with the Vedic teachings. He played down his claims about being an incarnation of God by saying that everybody is God but that only he realizes and experiences this fully. In correspondence with his perceived divinity, followers often capitalize references to him in their writings ("He", "Him", etc.).
Sathya Sai Baba prophesized that he would reincarnate
again in the 21st century as Prema Sai Baba
to finish the spiritual transformation of the world, starting with India, where his previous and current incarnations have begun. He said he would die at the age of 96. When he died at the age of 84, it was revealed that he meant 96 lunar years, in keeping with the Hindu calendar
. Sathya Sai Baba has stated that his three incarnations will help to usher in the Golden Age
of mankind that will come soon.
Sathya Sai Baba has said that he performs miracles to attract people and then to transform them spiritually, telling his followers not to focus on his miracles. He could be seen in person to perform these miracles in the form of materialization
s of small objects, for example jewelry such as bracelets, rings, watches and especially vibhuti
(holy ash). He said in a 1976 interview that these trinkets have symbolic value, and offer the owners protection by reminding them of his protecting powers when in danger. Occasionally, at Maha Shivaratri
, he publicly produced lingam
s that came out of his mouth that devotees claim materialize in his body. He said that he can heal
the diseases of his devotees by either his spiritual power or by taking on the disease himself. There is anecdotal evidence
that supports this claim.
Babb wrote in a 1983 article that "the miraculous are absolutely central to this religious movement" and that the plausibility of these miracles "seems to pull people into convictions ostensibly at odds with what their own subculture deems to be common sense and considered judgment". He wrote in that article that his observations are based on his contact with the local following of Sathya Sai Baba in Delhi that according to Babb included a sophisticated and cosmopolitan elite. Babb further wrote in that article that the energy of Sathya Sai Baba’s "magic" can have "life-transforming effects on devotees."
Sathya Sai Baba has said that all of his acts have meaning and significance. So many followers interpret the acts and sayings of the guru as teachings, sometimes even as personal teachings. Some followers, especially in the ashram, attribute coincidences to Baba’s will and try to find a sometimes hidden meaning in them. Babb wrote in a 1986 book that some devotees tend attribute every event to Sathya Sai Baba's will and tend to see the world as an enchanted garden. He says that when a person dreams about him then this is because of his will and this is a form of his communication with people. Followers report dreams that contain messages from the guru to them. Some people became devotees after having such a dream.
Sathya Sai Baba says that all religions lead to God and that followers should continue to follow their original religions. He says that those who follow his teachings will find themselves exampling their own original faith more fully, i.e. that will make Christians
become better Christians and Hindus better Hindus, et cetera. The five basic human values that he advocates are: Truth (Sathya), Right Conduct (Dharma
), Peace (Shanti
), Love for God and all creatures (Prema), and Non-violence (Ahimsa
).
He teaches a rather traditional but eclectic
form of Hinduism
that come from many sect
s and movements including advaita, occasionally drawing from other religions like Buddhism
, Sikhism, and Christianity. He says that he has come to restore faith
in, and the practice of, the Vedas
. He says that a very important way a person can emancipate oneself is through self-less service to ones fellow man (seva).
Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly stressed the importance of sadhana
(Hindu spiritual exercises) for example by meditation. He asserts that sadhana is important for achieving moksha
or kaivalyam (liberation from ignorance and from the endless re-births due to karmic
consequences). Sathya Sai Baba teaches the importance of Bhakti yoga
(Hindu devotion to God).
He preaches a strict morality with regards to sensual desires (including food, sex, meat, alcohol). Some of his exhortations are to put a ceiling on desires. By this, he seems to mean that followers should not waste time and money. He teaches that the world is just maya
, that only God is real and that the seeming diversity of all life is another illusion. All life is one, he says. The meaning of life is to experience this oneness with God and other living beings.
Followers attribute many miracles to him which they witness in his presence and in their own countries, like spontaneous vibhuti
manifestations on the pictures of the guru in their homes, and bilocation
, the appearance of Sai Baba in their own presence while he is also in another place. They also report that he has materialized out-of-season fruit several times. He says he performs these miracles to attract people and then to transform them spiritually
.
Sathya Sai Baba said that he does not speak through other people in a discourse in 1962. In spite of this, the British author Lucas Ralli claimed that he received messages from Sathya Sai Baba and wrote in his books that his claim was endorsed by Sathya Sai Baba in an interview. His books with messages from Sathya Sai Baba are sold by the Sathya Sai Book Center of America.
The anthropologist Lawrence Babb wrote that he considered the teachings of secondary importance in the cult
when compared to the emphasis on the miraculous. Babb further wrote about the Sai doctrine that "[...] there is little relatively to dwell upon, or at least nothing very distinctive. His philosophical views are simplistic, eclectic, and essentially unoriginal." The anthropologist Alexandra Kent notes that this lack of originality is in correspondence with Sathya Sai Baba's claim to revive old truths. The British newspaper the Times
described Sathya Sai Baba's teachings in 2001 as "a collection of banal truisms and platitudes."
The main objective of the Sathya Sai Organization, as Sathya Sai Baba himself says, "is to help you recognize the divinity inherent in you. So, your duty is to emphasize the One, to experience the One in all you do or speak. Do not give importance to differences of religion, sect, status, or color. Have the feeling of one-ness permeate all your acts. Only those who do so have a place in this Organization; the rest can withdraw."
s (devotional songs). Baba says that concentration on the name of God with the help of bhajans will easily lead to concentration on God and to higher devotion. Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting. Bhajans are simple verses. One line is sung by a lead singer and is then repeated by the rest of the group. In those bhajans the name of traditional Hindu deities have sometimes been replaced by the names of Sathya Sai Baba. In addition they study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings and the holy books of the various world religions. They also perform community service, which they call seva. The greeting Sai Ram is used by followers.
. As of 2007, the chairman of the organization is the American Michael Goldstein. The logo of the Sathya Sai organization is a stylized lotus flower with the text of the five human values written in each petal. These are Love, Truth, Peace, Righteousness and Non-violence. This text version has replaced the old logo with the symbols of the main 5 or 6 world religions in the petals.
The charter of the Sai Organization says that every member should undertake sadhana (spiritual discipline) as an integral part of daily life and abide by the following nine-points code of conduct.
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 (distant relative 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 35000 sq ft (3,251.6 m²) 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.
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 (distant relative 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.
at the University of Chicago
wrote in an article about Hindu mission in Fiji
that the Sai Baba movement was missionary. In contrast, Dr. Kim Knott who worked as of 1997 at the department of theology and religious studies of the University of Leeds
untagged in a table the "Sathya Sai Baba Fellowship" as missionary
. Sathya Sai Baba has discouraged publicity and proselytism
for him in a public discourse (23 November 1968).
, charismatic authority
, reformist, and including non-Asian membership. Untagged were revivalist, missionary
, and caste
-related.
Kent describes the Sathya Sai Baba movement in Malaysia as a "Hindu Revitalization movement." Babb favours the label cult
over the label movement
, because of what he sees as its highly individualized focus on miracles instead of a focus on a world view
.
Kelly wrote that the Sathya Sai Organizations reject the label Hindu. According to Kelly, they its founder as the "living synthesis of the world's religious traditions" and prefers to be classified as an interfaith movement. Kelly further wrote when comparing ISKCON with the Sai Baba
mission (he does not write which Sai Baba
mission he means) that the Sai Baba efforts in Fiji are ambiguous where ISKCON is dogmatic and structured, proliferating where ISKCON is planned and controlled, self-contradictory where ISKCON is clear, gentle where ISKCON is stern, and to put it most broadly, open where ISKCON is closed. Kelly further stated that the Sai organization in Fiji does not ask its members to undergo initiation or to commit themselves to obey particular leaders.
Former followers Nagel asserts that the atmosphere surrounding Sathya Sai Baba is clearly Hindu, in spite of Sathya Sai Baba's claim to foster and unite a number of different religions and that he dropped all Muslim elements that Shirdi Sai Baba practiced.
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). His charity supports the Institute of Music and the Institute of Higher Learning in Anantapur, which is a women's college.
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220 bed facility that provides free surgical and medical care and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao
on November 22, 1991. The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore
is a 333 bed hospital meant to benefit the poor. The hospital was inaugurated on January 19, 2001 by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.
The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two specialty hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India. The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. One project completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district
in Andhra Pradesh
. The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai
through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal". Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement. 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 said it would start a drinking water project in Latur
, Maharashtra
.
Sai Baba's Educare program seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries. The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba’s education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye opener to educationists in Zambia."
On November 23, 2001, the digital radio network "Radio Sai Global Harmony
" was launched through the World Space Organization, USA. Dr. Michael Oleinikof Nobel (distant relative to 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 dais 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.
, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries worldwide. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 million and 100 million, predominantly people of Indian ethnic origin. In Nordic countries
and the Netherlands followers defected after 2000 due to negative publicity about him.
Simon Weightmann who worked as of 1997 at the department for the study of religions at the University of London
wrote that Sathya Sai Baba is one of the most popular gurus, both in India and in the Hindu diaspora and that as a consequence of his inclusivist
stance he has a large following among the urban middle class. Professor Harold Coward who worked as of 1997 as a professor for the centre of religious studies at the University of Victoria
wrote that Sathya Sai Baba, together with several other modern Indian gurus, has attracted more occidental than South Asian Canadians. A significant fraction of the movement in Malaysia is of Chinese extraction, though the majority there is of British East Indian Hindu origin.
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
is inspired by South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Sathya Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
who teaches the unity of all religions. Some of his followers have faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
in his claim to be a purna Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
(full divine incarnation) of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
, who is believed to have been predicted in the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
. This means that some of his followers see him as a God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Devotees engage in singing devotional songs called "bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s" and selfless service (seva). Its official organization is the Sathya Sai Organization
Sathya Sai Organization
The Sathya Sai Organization was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi...
. However the Sathya Sai Baba movement extends beyond the organization. An important aspect of the faith of adherents is the miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s attributed to Sathya Sai Baba. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 and 100 million.
Official life story of Sathya Sai Baba and history of the movement
The official biography of Sathya Sai Baba was written by Narayana KasturiNarayana Kasturi
Narayana Kasturi was born Kasturi Ranganatha Sharma in North Travancore, which now forms part of the modern day Indian state of Kerala...
. Additional sources for the official life story are Sathya Sai Baba's discourses.
Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. His birth name was Sathyanarayana Raju.
Sathya (as Sai Baba referred to himself in those days) "was known to be very lively," and composed many plays, poems and songs for school and friends. He also taught the local children and villagers how to read and write. "He was called by the neighbors Brahmajnani, a "Realized Soul."" In sixth standard, Sathya left Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
to live with his elder brother, Seshama and his wife in Kamalapuram
Kamalapuram
Kamalapuram may refer to:*Kamalapuram, Dindigul, a village in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, India*Kamalapuram, Kadapa, a village in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India*Kamalapuram Mandal, a mandal in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India...
. About a year later, "holidays came and Seshama Raju took Sathya to Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
." A municipal chairman witnessed Sathya being both inside a Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple and outside (looking after his brothers luggage) simultaneously. Afterwards, he presented the boy with "a collar pin made of gold."
During a discourse in 2000, Sathya Sai Baba related the events that transpired a few days after, "He (Sathya) left the house and went about ten feet when the collar pin fell and could not be found... The collar pin symbolised worldly attachment, and when it was lost, it was symbolic of the end of the ‘Raju phase’ and attachments implied by it. Declaring that He had no worldly relationship with anyone, he ran to the house of one Anjaneyulu... In front of his house there was a small rock. Swami (Sathya Sai Baba) went and sat on that stone."
Narayana Kasturi's biography states Sathya Sai Baba performed many miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s (healings, levitation, materialization of fruit, sweets, pencils, pictures etc. and clairvoyance). At approximately age 14, Sathya Sai Baba made a claim that he was the reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of the fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
, Sai Baba of Shirdi.To validate his claim it is alleged that jasmine flowers were dropped onto the ground and that they miraculously arranged themselves into the words "Sai Baba" in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. At that time, he began his spiritual mission.
The first volume of Sathya Sai Speaks covers discourses given during the years 1953 to 1960. In this volume can be read the many early claims of divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
made by Sathya Sai Baba, including those of omnipotence
Omnipotence
Omnipotence is unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed...
and omniscience
Omniscience
Omniscience omniscient point-of-view in writing) is the capacity to know everything infinitely, or at least everything that can be known about a character including thoughts, feelings, life and the universe, etc. In Latin, omnis means "all" and sciens means "knowing"...
.
During the month of June 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and 4 heart attacks. His left side was paralysed, and the sight in his left eye and speech were badly affected. After sprinkling water on his left hand and leg, he made a full recovery and delivered a Guru Poornima discourse. During the discourse he said, "Shiva said that they (Shiva and Shakti) would take human form and be born in the Bharadwaja lineage, thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakthi together at Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
as Sathya Sai Baba, and Shakthi alone as Prema Sai, later."
In a 1976 interview he repeated his claim to be a full divine Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
, saying "I have come armed with the fullness of the power of formless God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
to correct mankind, raise human consciousness and put people back on the right path of truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, righteousness, peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
to divinity."
Between 1988 and 2006, Sathya Sai Baba suffered three accidents, the second of which left him with a fractured hip and a broken femur. He now moves among devotees in his car or Porte Chair.
It is claimed that he performed a number of miracles including healings, materializations, and recently, making his face appear on the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, thereby proving his omnipresence
Omnipresence
Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence,...
.
Sathya Sai Baba gained followers in India from the 1930s.
Outside of India, he became popular from the 1960s and 1970s.
During the period from 1970 to 1983, the number of Sathya Sai Baba centres in the United Kingdom grew from 2 to 51.
Beliefs and practices of devotees
Sathya Sai Baba gave discourses on religious topics to devotees in his native language TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. Twice daily, some devotees engage in worship of Sathya Sai Baba by conducting rituals such as aarti
Aarti
Aarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
and singing devotional songs in front of his picture. Sathya Sai Baba has said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion, saying "My objective is the establishment of Sanathana Dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity ... I have come not to disturb or destroy any Faith, but to confirm each in his own Faith, so that the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
becomes a better Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
a better Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
a better Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
." According to "Ocean of Love", a book published by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, "there is no new path that He is preaching, no new order that He has created. There is no new religion that He has come to add or a particular philosophy that He recommends ... His mission is unique and simple. His mission is that of love and compassion."
On 24 November 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh came out of his trance and announced that Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
("overmind Godhead") descended into the physical". On the day before this announcement, the 23rd of November, 1926, was the birth date of Sathya Sai Baba Many felt that Sri Aurobindo's announcement heralded the Sathya Sai Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
.
Around the world, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily or weekly on Sundays (and/or Thursdays) for group devotional singing (bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s), prayer, spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva), and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV), also known as Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) and (in India) Balvikas. (Sai Sunday School) The Australian Sai organization states, "we come together as spiritual seekers to sing our devotion to God, singing to many different names and forms that God is worshipped by."
Sathya Sai baba himself says of bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s, "I do not need songs glorifying God which like gramophone records, reproduce songs and strings of Gods names without any feeling or yearning while singing. Hours of shouting do not count, a
moment of concentrated prayer from the heart is enough."
Seva
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
(selfless service) activities, being "at the heart of Sathya Sai
Baba's teachings," strives to take an active role to serve the needs of the community. Center Seva activities and projects include
- Arranging food bank drives and donations
- Visiting nursing homes
- Greening (tree planting and park cleanup)
- Medical camps
- Donating blood (giving liquid love)
- Serving food to the homeless
- Collecting old and used spectacle frames for distribution to disadvantaged people in various parts of the world
Other Sai Center activities include study of the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and the sacred literature of all religions, Sai Spiritual Education (SSE), dynamic value parenting programs, and study circles (taking a point and each person discussing what it means to them).
Through center activities, the hope is to achieve the practical spirituality of incorporating the universal human values in all aspects of life and during every conscious moment.
Sathya Sai Baba advocates reverence, adoration and gratitude to the Mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
, (and parents) as being God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and the first (and foremost) teacher and guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
. Sai Baba oftens cites well known figures (Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Gandhi, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE , born Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya , was an Indian Bengali polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance....
) who have attained their good character, humility and morality due to listening to the advice of their mother. Sai Baba has said, "There is nothing greater than mother's love. Mother's words are always sweet." Additionally, Sai Baba has repeatedly stated "Rama, Krishna, Shivaji and Gandhi became what they were because of their mothers. Same way, I am Sathya Sai today because of Easwaramma (his mother)!"
Sathya Sai Baba has written several articles on religious topics, later collected by the trust in the form of books, titled "Vahinis" (vehicles). There are fifteen vahinis, comprising sixteen books (the Ramakatha Rasavahini having two parts). Sathya Sai Baba's discourses are presented in the Sathya Sai Speaks series.
Sathya Sai Baba recommends meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
(dhyan) for acquiring one-pointed attention on the Lord. Having written a vahini on the subject of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
(dhyan), Baba suggests four techniques: repetition of one's own favourite 'name of God'(Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Sai, Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
, Aum etc. ...), visualizing the form of God (i.e. Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, Sai Baba, etc. ...), sitting in silence, and jyoti (Flame/Light meditation).
The Sai organization promotes and advocates five human values: Sathya
Satya
Satya is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates into English as "truth" or "correct". It is a term of power due to its purity and meaning and has become the emblem of many peaceful social movements, particularly those centered on social justice, environmentalism and vegetarianism.Sathya is also...
(truth), Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(Sanskrit word translated as "right conduct"), Ahimsa
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...
(non-violence), Prema (love for God and all his creatures) and Shanti
Inner peace
Inner peace refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy and the opposite of being stressed or anxious...
(peace).
Other teachings are:
- Non-dualism or Adwaitam which implies Oneness of existence.
- "Love all, Serve all", LoveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
for all creatures and objects. - Putting a ceiling on one's desires.
- "Help ever, Hurt never"
- CelibacyCelibacyCelibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
after the age of fifty. - VegetarianismVegetarianismVegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, moderate and sattvik (pure with regard to ingredients, utensils, manner of preparation, and mental attitude) diet. - Abstinence from drinking alcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, smoking cigarettes, and drug use. - Importance of bhaktiBhaktiIn Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
(devotion) to Sathya Sai Baba. - Developing "prashanti" (translates to "Highest Peace") and eschewing vices of character.
- JapaJapaJapa is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of a divine power. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken purely within the recitor's mind...
(ritual chanting of Baba's name), thinking of God always, and other sadhanaSadhanaSādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
(spiritual exercise) to foster devotion. - Highly committed devotees use the phrase "Sai Ram" as a salutation.
- Conducting pooja or aarti (a form of ritual worship) twice daily in front of Baba photos.
- "Yagnas" (or ritual worship, involving ritual offerings of fruits, vegetables and gheeGheeGhee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
to a pyre) are frequently conducted at the ashram. - The propagation of peace around the world and avoidance of conflict. Non-violence towards all sentient life and avoidance of elective abortion.
- Man seeks the Truth; he seeks to know the reality because his very nature is derived from God who is Truth. He seeks Love, to give it and share it, for his nature is God and God is Love.
Practices in the ashrams and the person of Sathya Sai Baba
The popularity and the donations by followers enabled Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations to build an ever-increasing ashramAshram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
called Prashanthi Nilayam
Prashanthi Nilayam
Prasanthi Nilayam above sea level) is the main ashram of Sathya Sai Baba. The "township of Prasanthi Nilayam is located in the village of Puttaparthi, the hamlet where Sathya Sai Baba was born. This area is part of the Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in South India."."Prasanthi...
near the once poor and isolated village of Puttaparthi.
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
was the darshan
Darshan
or Darshan is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" , vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship, e.g. of a deity , or a very holy person or artifact...
(spiritual sight) that Sathya Sai Baba gave. During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walked among his followers. He may have listened to a few chosen persons, accepted letters, or materialized and distributed vibhuti
Vibhuti
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism.-Sacred ash:Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added...
(sacred ash). He said that his darshan has spiritual benefits for those who attended it. Usually people waited hours to get a good place for darshan. Sathya Sai Baba sometimes invited people for a group interview with him in a room in the ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
's mandir (Hindu temple). Followers considered it a great privilege to get such an interview. Sometimes a person from this group was invited for a private interview.
Sathya Sai Baba's manifestations of vibuthi emphasized his claim to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba who used to take ash, called udhi, from an ever-burning fire, called a dhuni
Dhuni
A dhuni is a sacred site represented as a cleft in the ground. This cleft is emblematic of the yoni or female vulva and generative organ. A dhuni therefore represents a site of worship dedicated to Shakti. The etymology of the word Dhuni is connected with the Sanskrit root dhvan, to dun or to din...
. Vibuthi is an ancient Hindu symbol, among others associated with Shiva.
Sathya Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main ashram Prashanthi Nilayam ("Abode of Highest Peace") at Puttaparthi. During the hot summer the guru left for his other ashram called Brindavan in Whitefield, India (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. He has left India only once for a visit to Eastern Africa in 1968.
He was a prolific orator in his native language of Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, and also spoke passable Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. He claimed to be the Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
purna Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
(full divine incarnation of this era) of Lord Shiva and Shakti. He said that he is omniscient
Omniscience
Omniscience omniscient point-of-view in writing) is the capacity to know everything infinitely, or at least everything that can be known about a character including thoughts, feelings, life and the universe, etc. In Latin, omnis means "all" and sciens means "knowing"...
, omnipotent
Omnipotence
Omnipotence is unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed...
and omnipresent
Omnipresence
Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence,...
and could create matter from mere thought. He also stressed he was free from desires, and that this was the state that one should aim to attain, consistent with the Vedic teachings. He played down his claims about being an incarnation of God by saying that everybody is God but that only he realizes and experiences this fully. In correspondence with his perceived divinity, followers often capitalize references to him in their writings ("He", "Him", etc.).
Sathya Sai Baba prophesized that he would reincarnate
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
again in the 21st century as Prema Sai Baba
Prema Sai Baba
Prema Sai Baba is the proclaimed future incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba, supposed to be the third and last of the triple Avatar incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba and Prema Sai Baba...
to finish the spiritual transformation of the world, starting with India, where his previous and current incarnations have begun. He said he would die at the age of 96. When he died at the age of 84, it was revealed that he meant 96 lunar years, in keeping with the Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
. Sathya Sai Baba has stated that his three incarnations will help to usher in the Golden Age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
of mankind that will come soon.
Sathya Sai Baba has said that he performs miracles to attract people and then to transform them spiritually, telling his followers not to focus on his miracles. He could be seen in person to perform these miracles in the form of materialization
Materialization (parapsychology)
In spiritualism, paranormal literature, and some religions, materialization is the creation or appearance of matter from unknown sources. It is the transformation of something abstract or virtual into something concrete and tangible...
s of small objects, for example jewelry such as bracelets, rings, watches and especially vibhuti
Vibhuti
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism.-Sacred ash:Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added...
(holy ash). He said in a 1976 interview that these trinkets have symbolic value, and offer the owners protection by reminding them of his protecting powers when in danger. Occasionally, at Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
, he publicly produced lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
s that came out of his mouth that devotees claim materialize in his body. He said that he can heal
Faith Healer
Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.-Synopsis:...
the diseases of his devotees by either his spiritual power or by taking on the disease himself. There is anecdotal evidence
Anecdotal evidence
The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be true but unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise unrepresentative of typical cases....
that supports this claim.
Babb wrote in a 1983 article that "the miraculous are absolutely central to this religious movement" and that the plausibility of these miracles "seems to pull people into convictions ostensibly at odds with what their own subculture deems to be common sense and considered judgment". He wrote in that article that his observations are based on his contact with the local following of Sathya Sai Baba in Delhi that according to Babb included a sophisticated and cosmopolitan elite. Babb further wrote in that article that the energy of Sathya Sai Baba’s "magic" can have "life-transforming effects on devotees."
Sathya Sai Baba has said that all of his acts have meaning and significance. So many followers interpret the acts and sayings of the guru as teachings, sometimes even as personal teachings. Some followers, especially in the ashram, attribute coincidences to Baba’s will and try to find a sometimes hidden meaning in them. Babb wrote in a 1986 book that some devotees tend attribute every event to Sathya Sai Baba's will and tend to see the world as an enchanted garden. He says that when a person dreams about him then this is because of his will and this is a form of his communication with people. Followers report dreams that contain messages from the guru to them. Some people became devotees after having such a dream.
Teachings
The Sathya Sai Baba movement advocates the unity of all religions.Sathya Sai Baba says that all religions lead to God and that followers should continue to follow their original religions. He says that those who follow his teachings will find themselves exampling their own original faith more fully, i.e. that will make Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
become better Christians and Hindus better Hindus, et cetera. The five basic human values that he advocates are: Truth (Sathya), Right Conduct (Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
), Peace (Shanti
Inner peace
Inner peace refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy and the opposite of being stressed or anxious...
), Love for God and all creatures (Prema), and Non-violence (Ahimsa
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...
).
He teaches a rather traditional but eclectic
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
form of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
that come from many sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
s and movements including advaita, occasionally drawing from other religions like Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Sikhism, and Christianity. He says that he has come to restore faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
in, and the practice of, the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. He says that a very important way a person can emancipate oneself is through self-less service to ones fellow man (seva).
Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly stressed the importance of sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
(Hindu spiritual exercises) for example by meditation. He asserts that sadhana is important for achieving moksha
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
or kaivalyam (liberation from ignorance and from the endless re-births due to karmic
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
consequences). Sathya Sai Baba teaches the importance of Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
(Hindu devotion to God).
He preaches a strict morality with regards to sensual desires (including food, sex, meat, alcohol). Some of his exhortations are to put a ceiling on desires. By this, he seems to mean that followers should not waste time and money. He teaches that the world is just maya
Maya (illusion)
Maya , in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection of it, created by us. Maya is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality...
, that only God is real and that the seeming diversity of all life is another illusion. All life is one, he says. The meaning of life is to experience this oneness with God and other living beings.
Followers attribute many miracles to him which they witness in his presence and in their own countries, like spontaneous vibhuti
Vibhuti
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism.-Sacred ash:Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added...
manifestations on the pictures of the guru in their homes, and bilocation
Bilocation
Bilocation, or sometimes multilocation, is a term used to describe the ability/instances in which an individual or object is said to be, or appears to be, located in two distinct places at the same instant in time...
, the appearance of Sai Baba in their own presence while he is also in another place. They also report that he has materialized out-of-season fruit several times. He says he performs these miracles to attract people and then to transform them spiritually
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
.
Sathya Sai Baba said that he does not speak through other people in a discourse in 1962. In spite of this, the British author Lucas Ralli claimed that he received messages from Sathya Sai Baba and wrote in his books that his claim was endorsed by Sathya Sai Baba in an interview. His books with messages from Sathya Sai Baba are sold by the Sathya Sai Book Center of America.
The anthropologist Lawrence Babb wrote that he considered the teachings of secondary importance in the cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
when compared to the emphasis on the miraculous. Babb further wrote about the Sai doctrine that "[...] there is little relatively to dwell upon, or at least nothing very distinctive. His philosophical views are simplistic, eclectic, and essentially unoriginal." The anthropologist Alexandra Kent notes that this lack of originality is in correspondence with Sathya Sai Baba's claim to revive old truths. The British newspaper the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described Sathya Sai Baba's teachings in 2001 as "a collection of banal truisms and platitudes."
The main objective of the Sathya Sai Organization, as Sathya Sai Baba himself says, "is to help you recognize the divinity inherent in you. So, your duty is to emphasize the One, to experience the One in all you do or speak. Do not give importance to differences of religion, sect, status, or color. Have the feeling of one-ness permeate all your acts. Only those who do so have a place in this Organization; the rest can withdraw."
Activities in local Sathya Sai Baba groups
Globally, local Sathya Sai Baba groups assemble to sing bhajanBhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s (devotional songs). Baba says that concentration on the name of God with the help of bhajans will easily lead to concentration on God and to higher devotion. Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting. Bhajans are simple verses. One line is sung by a lead singer and is then repeated by the rest of the group. In those bhajans the name of traditional Hindu deities have sometimes been replaced by the names of Sathya Sai Baba. In addition they study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings and the holy books of the various world religions. They also perform community service, which they call seva. The greeting Sai Ram is used by followers.
Organizations
There are both independently founded Sai Study Groups worldwide, and also local Sai Samithis (Sathya Sai Baba groups) are part of a hierarchical structure called the Sathya Sai OrganizationSathya Sai Organization
The Sathya Sai Organization was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi...
. As of 2007, the chairman of the organization is the American Michael Goldstein. The logo of the Sathya Sai organization is a stylized lotus flower with the text of the five human values written in each petal. These are Love, Truth, Peace, Righteousness and Non-violence. This text version has replaced the old logo with the symbols of the main 5 or 6 world religions in the petals.
The charter of the Sai Organization says that every member should undertake sadhana (spiritual discipline) as an integral part of daily life and abide by the following nine-points code of conduct.
- 1. Daily meditation and prayer.
- 2. Devotional singing/prayer with family members once per week.
- 3. Participation in the educational programmes conducted by the Organization for children.
- 4. Attendance at least once per month at group devotional programmes conducted by the Organization.
- 5. Participation in community service and other programmes of the Organization.
- 6. Regular study of Sai literature.
- 7. Putting into practice the principles of “ceiling on desires”, utilising any savings thereby generated for the service of mankind.
- 8. Speaking softly and lovingly with everyone with whom one comes into contact.
- 9. Avoiding talking ill of others, especially in their absence.
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
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is the university founded by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act of 1956. Sathya Sai Baba is also the chancellor of the institute...
in Prashanti Nilayam is the only college in India to have received an "A++" rating by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council is an organization that assesses and accredits institutions of higher education in India. It is an autonomous body funded by University Grants Commission of Government of India headquartered in Bangalore.-History:NAAC was established in 1994 in...
(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
Narasimha Rao
Narasimha Rao or Narasimharao is one of the Indian names.* Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao served as the 10th Prime Minister of India.* Modireddy Venkat Narasimha Rao, is a former Indian cricketer....
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
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
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
Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a renowned aerospace engineer, professor , and first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram , who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007...
, Michael Nobel (distant relative of Alfred Nobel), Noah Samara
Noah Samara
Noah A. Samara is a Chief Executive Officer of WorldSpace, the world's first to launch satellite radio system. He also played a pivotal role in the foundation of XM Satellite Radio. He claimed what motivated him to found WorldSpace is to give millions of people in Asia and Africa access to...
and Anji Reddy
Anji Reddy
Kallam Anji Reddy is an Indian entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical industry, the founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Labs, which he established in 1984, and chairman of Dr Reddy’s Foundation , the corporate social responsibility arm of the group, established 1996.-Early life and education:He spent his...
. 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 35000 sq ft (3,251.6 m²) 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
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(formerly known as Madras) through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal". The Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
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
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
to half a million people living in five hundred villages in East
East Godavari
East Godavari District is a district situated on the northeast of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its district headquarters is Kakinada. It is the second richest district in the whole country...
and West Godavari
West Godavari
West Godavari District is one of the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Eluru, is the district headquarter...
Districts. Other completed water projects include the Medak
Medak
Medak , is a municipality in Medak District in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 100 km to the north of Hyderabad.-Geography:Medak is located at . It has an average elevation of 442 metres .-Demographics:...
District Project benefiting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar
Mahbubnagar
Mahabubnagar or Mahboobnagar is the biggest town in Mahabubnagar District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The city of Mahabubnagar is located at a distance of 100 km from Hyderabad. Formerly known as, Rukmammapeta and Palamoor, it was named as Mahabubnagar on 4 December 1890, in the honour of Mir...
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
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
.
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.
The Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust is the official publisher of the Sathya Sai Organization
Sathya Sai Organization
The Sathya Sai Organization was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi...
. It publishes the international monthly magazine called Sanathana Sarathi
Sanathana Sarathi (magazine)
Sanathana Sarathi is the official monthly magazine of the Sathya Sai Organisation, published by the Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. The English translation of the word Sanathana Sarathi means `Eternal Charioteer'...
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
Sai Global Harmony
Sai Global Harmony is a WorldSpace digital satellite radio channel airing programs by/on Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, India. Programs include, Sai Baba "discourses, bhajans, songs, talks, interviews and plays."A webstream of the same channel is available on...
" was launched through the World Space Organization, USA. Dr. Michael Nobel (distant relative 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.
Celebrations and commemorations
The most important celebrations and commemorations are- Maha ShivaratriMaha ShivaratriMaha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
the great night of Shiva, date is based on the Hindu calendarHindu calendarThe hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
. - Easwaramma day on May 6 Celebration and commemoration of Sathya Sai Baba's mother
- Sai Baba's Birthday 23 November
- Guru PurnimaGuru PurnimaGuru Purnima is a festival traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists.On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their Guru . It falls on the day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Shaka Samvat, Indian national calendar and Hindu calendar...
date is based on the Hindu calendar. Gratitude and devotion to the guru is shown. - Janmastami
- ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Conversion and mission
John D. Kelly, as of 2006 a professor of anthropologyAnthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
wrote in an article about Hindu mission in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
that the Sai Baba movement was missionary. In contrast, Dr. Kim Knott who worked as of 1997 at the department of theology and religious studies of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
untagged in a table the "Sathya Sai Baba Fellowship" as missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. Sathya Sai Baba has discouraged publicity and proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
for him in a public discourse (23 November 1968).
Characterizations and classifications
Knott tagged in a table the "Sathya Sai Baba Fellowship" as devotionalHindu devotional movements
Devotional movements refers to various forms of Hinduism in India that co-exist with differing doctrines and practices. The history of worship in India is one of hybridisation. In ancient times various regions each had their own local myths and folklore, worshipping their own collection of local...
, charismatic authority
Charismatic authority
The sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him." Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out...
, reformist, and including non-Asian membership. Untagged were revivalist, missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, and caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
-related.
Kent describes the Sathya Sai Baba movement in Malaysia as a "Hindu Revitalization movement." Babb favours the label cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
over the label movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
, because of what he sees as its highly individualized focus on miracles instead of a focus on a world view
World view
A comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society's knowledge and point-of-view, including natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and...
.
Kelly wrote that the Sathya Sai Organizations reject the label Hindu. According to Kelly, they its founder as the "living synthesis of the world's religious traditions" and prefers to be classified as an interfaith movement. Kelly further wrote when comparing ISKCON with the Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
mission (he does not write which Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
mission he means) that the Sai Baba efforts in Fiji are ambiguous where ISKCON is dogmatic and structured, proliferating where ISKCON is planned and controlled, self-contradictory where ISKCON is clear, gentle where ISKCON is stern, and to put it most broadly, open where ISKCON is closed. Kelly further stated that the Sai organization in Fiji does not ask its members to undergo initiation or to commit themselves to obey particular leaders.
Former followers Nagel asserts that the atmosphere surrounding Sathya Sai Baba is clearly Hindu, in spite of Sathya Sai Baba's claim to foster and unite a number of different religions and that he dropped all Muslim elements that Shirdi Sai Baba practiced.
Educational Institutions, Charitable Organizations, Hospitals and Service Projects
Sathya Sai Baba supports free schools and other charitable works in 166 countries.The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is the university founded by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act of 1956. Sathya Sai Baba is also the chancellor of the institute...
in Prashanti Nilayam is the only college in India to have received an "A++" rating by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council is an organization that assesses and accredits institutions of higher education in India. It is an autonomous body funded by University Grants Commission of Government of India headquartered in Bangalore.-History:NAAC was established in 1994 in...
(an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission). His charity supports the Institute of Music and the Institute of Higher Learning in Anantapur, which is a women's college.
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220 bed facility that provides free surgical and medical care and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao
Narasimha Rao
Narasimha Rao or Narasimharao is one of the Indian names.* Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao served as the 10th Prime Minister of India.* Modireddy Venkat Narasimha Rao, is a former Indian cricketer....
on November 22, 1991. The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
is a 333 bed hospital meant to benefit the poor. The hospital was inaugurated on January 19, 2001 by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.
The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two specialty hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India. The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. One project completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal". Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement. Other completed water projects include the Medak
Medak
Medak , is a municipality in Medak District in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 100 km to the north of Hyderabad.-Geography:Medak is located at . It has an average elevation of 442 metres .-Demographics:...
District Project benefiting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar
Mahbubnagar
Mahabubnagar or Mahboobnagar is the biggest town in Mahabubnagar District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The city of Mahabubnagar is located at a distance of 100 km from Hyderabad. Formerly known as, Rukmammapeta and Palamoor, it was named as Mahabubnagar on 4 December 1890, in the honour of Mir...
District Project benefitting 350,000 people in 141 villages. In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in Latur
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
.
Sai Baba's Educare program seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries. The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba’s education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye opener to educationists in Zambia."
On November 23, 2001, the digital radio network "Radio Sai Global Harmony
Sai Global Harmony
Sai Global Harmony is a WorldSpace digital satellite radio channel airing programs by/on Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, India. Programs include, Sai Baba "discourses, bhajans, songs, talks, interviews and plays."A webstream of the same channel is available on...
" was launched through the World Space Organization, USA. Dr. Michael Oleinikof Nobel (distant relative to Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is the inventor of dynamite. Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments...
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 dais 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.
Demographics
According to the Sathya Sai OrganizationSathya Sai Organization
The Sathya Sai Organization was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi...
, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries worldwide. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 million and 100 million, predominantly people of Indian ethnic origin. In Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
and the Netherlands followers defected after 2000 due to negative publicity about him.
Simon Weightmann who worked as of 1997 at the department for the study of religions at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
wrote that Sathya Sai Baba is one of the most popular gurus, both in India and in the Hindu diaspora and that as a consequence of his inclusivist
Inclusivism
Inclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between religions, asserts that while one set of beliefs is absolutely true, other sets of beliefs are at least partially true. It stands in contrast to exclusivism, which asserts that only one way is true and all others are...
stance he has a large following among the urban middle class. Professor Harold Coward who worked as of 1997 as a professor for the centre of religious studies at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
wrote that Sathya Sai Baba, together with several other modern Indian gurus, has attracted more occidental than South Asian Canadians. A significant fraction of the movement in Malaysia is of Chinese extraction, though the majority there is of British East Indian Hindu origin.