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] '''Sathya Sai Baba''' (born Sathya Narayana ] on ] ] &mdash; or later than 1927<ref>Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) ''Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing'' published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie 368, vol. 72 nr 4, December 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)</ref> &mdash; with the family name of "Ratnakaram" <ref name="haraldsson">Haraldsson, Erlendur, ''Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles'' (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, ], India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1 </ref>) is a ] ] often described as a ]<ref>Woodhead, Linda & Fletcher Paul, ''Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformation''. Routledge (UK), ISBN 0-415-21784-9</ref><ref>Lochtefeld, James G., ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', Vol. I ISBN 0-8239-3179-X, New York Rosen 2002</ref> and a ] worker.<ref>], German article published in Materialdienst der EZW, 47 Jahrgang, ] ], Translation by Linda W. Duddy and is reprinted by their permission, on the website of the ], a Christian Anti-Cult Site</ref> According to the ], there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries world-wide.<ref></ref> The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated between 6 million to 100 million.<ref></ref><ref name="divinedownfall">Brown, Mick,''Divine Downfall'', ], ]], </ref><ref>Nagel, Alexandra "De Sai Paradox", 1994, nr. 29. published by the Free University Amsterdam, (1994)</ref>



==History and origins==
Sathya Narayana was born into a poor ] family in the remote village of ], located in ], ], India, as the son of Pedda Venkappa Raju and mother Eshwar Amma. According to professor Narayana Kasturi in his book ''Easwaramma'', who also wrote Sathya Sai Baba's authorized biography, Sathya was born and conceived through a ]. After recovering from an unexplained illness in his teens the young Sathya claimed to be the ] of the ] ] in the 1940s and subsequently took the ]'s name. Sathya Sai Baba claims that he is the second in a series of three ]s (incarnations) of ] ], the future incarnation being ].<ref>Gurupournima Day, ] ], Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19., </ref><ref name="blitz">Interview given by Sathya Sai Baba to R.K. Karanjia of Blitz News Magazine in September of 1976, </ref> He claims that he is an embodiment of love with ] attributes such as ], ] and ] <ref>SSB as quote in Narayana Kasturi's authorized biography ''Sathyam Sivam Sundaram'' Vol 3 page 315</ref>. Sathya Sai Baba teaches the unity of all major world ]s and says that they all lead to ]. He preaches a foundation of five basic human values: Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-Violence.

According to his own assertion and the biography by Kasturi (which the British journalist Mick Brown of the ] called a ]), he stopped going to school in the town of Uravakonda on ] ] to start his mission. However, he is listed in the 1942 school record of the nearby village Bukkapatnam{{fact}}. Though the exact year on which he started his mission full-time is uncertain, it is a fact that in the 1940s he took the fakir's name. Kasturi's biography mentions several miracles by and signs of divinity of the young Sathya. According to Howard Murphet, in his book ''Sai Baba Man of Miracles'', the young Sathya was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly. According to Kasturi and to Sathya Sai Baba himself, the young Sathya composed ] spontaneously (even as young as 8 years of age) and was talented in drama, dance, music and poetry. In a discourse in 1963 he claimed to be a reincarnation of ] and ] in 1963.<ref> ''Shiva Shakthi'', Gurupournima Day, ] ], (Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.)</ref> In the same discourse SSB said that ] was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation ''Prema Sai Baba'' would be a reincarnation of Shakti. In contrast, Kasturi’s biography/hagiography stated that Shirdi Sai Baba was to be Shakti incarnated and that Prema Sai Baba was to be an incarnation of Shiva. According to Donald Taylor in a 1987 article titled "] in the Sathya Sai Baba movement”, SSB's 1963 declaration that he would be reincarnated as Prema Sai Baba was SSB's strategy to defuse the problem about his succession and thus continue to have all the authority in his hand.<ref>Taylor, Donald ''] in the Sathya Sai Baba movement'' by Donald Taylor in 'Hinduism in Great Britain', Richard Burghart (ed.), 1987, London/New York: Tavistock Publications, pp. 130-131.</ref> This is refuted.

In the late 1960s he attracted Western spiritual seekers and became increasingly popular. One of those spiritual seekers was the Hollywood screenwriter ], who wrote in his 1971 book called ''Baba'' that "For any episode of Baba's childhood, there are countless contrasting versions and, at this point, the author discovered that it was no longer possible to separate the facts from the legend." According to Schulman, contrasting versions about Baba's childhood may be due to the fact that he needed interpreters to interperet other interpreters (as in the case of his interview with Baba's sister). Schulman concluded that what the translators said may well have been quite different from what was actually said.<ref>Schulman, Arnold ''Baba'' 1971, pp. 122-124, ISBN 0-670-14343-X.</ref>

Sathya Sai Baba had several sisters, one older brother, the late Seshama Raju, and one younger brother, the late R. V. Janaki Ramaiah.<ref> article on ]. 2003 in ] retrieved March 2006 </ref><ref> article on ] ] in ] retrieved March 2006 </ref>

==Beliefs and practices==
{{Mergefrom|Beliefs and practices in the Sathya Sai Organisation|date=September 2006}}

:''Main article ]''

===Miracles and ashrams===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ] ]] -->

Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ] called '']'' (abode of peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer Baba leaves for his other ashram called ''Brindavan'' in ] (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of ]. He has left India only once for a visit to ] in 1968.

Sathya Sai Baba also established three primary centers in India. The first center, established in ], is referred to as either "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam". The second center, established in ], is referred to as "Shivam". The third center, established in ], is referred to as "Sundaram".

He is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language ] and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker. He is known by his devotees to speak all languages fluently {{fact}}. These cases have been described in books, magazines and articles. Numerous people also claim they have witnessed them. Apart from his claim to be Shirdi Sai Baba, Satya Sai Baba also asserts that he is an ] of God, a reincarnation of Lord ], of Sri ], the ] purna avatar (full divine incarnation), Lord ], and ]. But he also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others are not.<ref name="blitz"/> He says that he is omniscient, omnipotent, and able to create matter from mere thought. <ref>SSB as quote in Narayana Kasturi's authorized biography ''Sathyam Sivam Sundaram'' Vol 3 page 315</ref> He also stresses he and humans should always free from desires and states that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger jealousy etc). <ref name="blitz">Interview given by Sathya Sai Baba to R.K. Karanjia of Blitz News Magazine in September of 1976</ref> <!--Needs clarification too, muddy syntax-->

Sathya Sai Baba's followers report many, sometimes spectacular, ]s of various kinds which they attribute to him. He is observed to allegedly manifest ] (holy ash) and small objects (rings, necklaces and watches) daily. Sathya Sai Baba explained the phenomenon of manifestation as an act of divine creation, but refused to have his ] investigated under experimental conditions because he felt that the approach used by critics was improper.<ref name="blitz"/> Critics claim that these materializations are done by ].

Sathya Sai Baba can be seen in person performing what followers believe to be miracles daily in the form of materializations of small objects, for example food, jewelry such as bracelets, rings, watches and especially ] (holy ash) and "kum kum" (the red-colored powder used by Hindus to make the ritual mark between the eyebrows). It is claimed that he can ] diseases of his devotees sometimes by his spiritual power and sometimes by taking on the disease himself.<ref>] ]]</ref> These cases have been described in many books, magazines and articles. Numerous people also claim they have witnessed them. Followers attribute many miracles to him which they claim have witnessed in his presence. There are international claims, from Sathya Sai Baba's followers and neutral observers, that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, brass statues of deities, sugar candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems and coloured string spontaneously manifest on the altars and pictures of Sathya Sai Baba in the privacy of their own homes.<ref>Nair, Yogas, "Raisins, ash raise eyebrows", The Post ] ], </ref><ref>Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X </ref><ref>] ] in the newspaper ''Post'' South Africa </ref><ref>"House of Miracles", Sunday ] ], Durban news, ''Sunday Times'' </ref>

The ]ic psychology professor ] wrote that he did not get Sathya Sai Baba's permission to study him under controlled circumstances but investigated and documented the guru's alleged miracles and manifestations by interviewing witnesses firsthand and compiling results from a questionnaire given to a sampling of 29 people, including 7 former followers. According to the people that Haraldsson interviewed, and the results to his questionnaire, many extraordinary miracles were attributed to Sathya Sai Baba such as ] (both indoors and outdoors), ], physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing objects on demand, changing the color of his gown into a different color while wearing it, multiplying food, healings, visions, dreams, making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems, controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities and physically emitting brilliant light. These people also claimed that Sathya Sai Baba materialized many substances from his hand such as vibuthi, lost objects, statues, photographs, Indian pastries (both hot and cold), food (hot, cold, solid and fluid), out of season fruits, new banknotes, pendants, necklaces, watches and rings.<ref name="haraldsson"/> Haraldsson wrote that the biggest materialized object that he saw was a mangalasutra necklace, 32 inches long, 16 inches long on each side.<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit'', pp. 43</ref> Haraldsson wrote that some miracles attributed or performed by the Baba resemble the ones described in the ], but also with some differences. According to Haraldsson, although healings certainly figure into Sai Baba's reputation, his impression is that healings do not play a prominent role in SSB's activities as in those of Jesus.<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit.'', pp 231, 239-241 </ref>

One important practice in his ashrams is '']'' (spiritual sight). During ''darshan'' Sathya Sai Baba walks among his followers. He may listen to a few chosen persons, accept letters, or materialize and distribute '']'' (sacred ash of Lord Shiva). Sathya Sai Baba claims that his '' darshan'' has spiritual benefits for those who attend it and this is consistent with Hindu beliefs regarding spiritual preceptors. Usually people wait hours to get a good place for ''darshan''. Sathya Sai Baba sometimes invites people for a group interview with him in a room in the 'ashram's mandir' (Hindu temple).He also makes assurances of divine protection to his devotees. Followers report help from Sai Baba in difficult or dangerous situations as well as in dreams. Followers consider it a great privilege to get such an interview. Sometimes a person from this group is invited for a private interview. When asked about the divinity of Sathya Sai Baba, many of his followers readily attest to it by accounting anecdotes about the numerous miraculous occurrences and strange coincidences they have experienced.

===Teachings===
Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all ] and asserts that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion.
His teachings are sometimes seen as completely ] (uniting all religions) and sometimes as Hindu. He teaches among others a rather traditional form of Hinduism that has come from many ]s and movements including '']'', occasionally drawing from other religions like ], ], ] and ]. One of the Christian influences can be felt in the institution of regular Sunday School sessions for devotees. He says that he has come to restore ] in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the ]. Several books and discourses by him, such as the book ''Ramakatha Rasavahini'' teach the literal interpretation of ] and advocate the practice of Hindu ].

Across the globe local Sathya Sai Baba groups assemble to sing '']s'' (Hindu devotional songs), study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, do collective community service (called ''seva''), and teach ''Education in Human Values'' (Sai '']''). Baba's movement is not ]<ref>Knott, Kim Dr. ''South Asian Religions in Britain'' page 766, Table 22.1 ''Principal Sectarian movements in Britain and their primary characteristics'' in the ''Handbook of Living Religions'' edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0-14-051480-5</ref> and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968.<ref>Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on ] ] (also published in Samuel Sandweiss 1972 book ''Sai Baba: The Holy man and the psychiatrist'' Part II ''Coming Home'') </ref> Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting with the names of the traditional Hindu deities as well as saints and prophets of other religions occasionally replaced by Baba's name.

The Sathya Sai organisation advocates the five basic human values. These values are '']'' (truth), '']'' (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), '']'' (non-violence), '']'' (love for God and all his creatures) and '']'' (peace).

Other primary teachings are:
* Service and charity (]) to others.
* Love for all creatures and objects
* Put a ceiling (limit) on one's desires.
* Everything that has been created is ] (illusion), only God is real.
* Every creature and object is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
* ]
* Detachement from the material world
* ] - Baba teaches four techniques, repetition of the name of God, visualising the form of God, sitting in silence and ''jyoti'' (Light meditation).
* Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
* Importance of ] (devotion) to God
* Developing virtues and eschewing vices of character
* ] and other ] (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
* Reverence for parents, teachers and elders

Dominic Kennedy, a journalist from ], described his teachings in 2001 as "a collection of banal truisms and platitudes."<ref>Kennedy, Dominic ] (England), ] ] ”Suicide, sex and the guru” </ref>

==Organizations==
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] ]] -->

His followers and the organizations he founded are involved in many service projects around the world. They provide free education through schools, free healthcare through two state-of-the-art ]s in ] and ] and two water projects serving millions in the Indian states of ] and ]. ], where Baba was born and still lives, was originally a small village where one can now find an extensive ] complex, a World-Religions Museum (''Chaitanya Jyoti''), a ], a railway station, an airport and more. High ranking Indian politicians, like the current President Dr. ], ] (Former finance minister and current Prime Minister), and ] (Former Prime minister) have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.

Sathya Sai Baba is the figurehead to a number of free educational institutions and charitable hospitals. The ] in Prashanti Nilayam is the only college in India to have received an "A++" rating by the ] (an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission) <ref>The Hindu: City colleges cheer NAAC rating, June 8th 2006, .</ref> <ref>Draft Report of the Peer Team on Institutional Accreditation of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed University) Vidyagiri, Prashanthi Nilayam – 515 134 (A.P) Visit Dates: December 2 – 4, 2002 .</ref>. 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 ] in Prashanti Nilayam (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 kilometres from the guru's ashram and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister ] on November 22nd 1991 <ref>The Hindu: Healing with Love and Compassion, November 23rd 2005, </ref>. The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore was inaugurated on January 19th 2001 by the then Prime Minister ] <ref>The Hindu: Vajpayee hits out at high cost of medicare by A. Jayaram, January 20, 2001 </ref> and is reputed as serving 250,000 patients, free of cost, from January 2001 to April 2004 <ref>The Times Of India: Super-Specialty hospital touches 2.5 lakh cases by Manu Rao, </ref>.

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust 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 ] district in ] <ref>The Week: Showers of Grace by Hiramalini Seshadri, May 26th 2002 .</ref> <ref name="cmpraise">The Hindu: Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust by Our Staff Reporter, February 13th 2004,
</ref>. The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to ] (formerly known as ]) through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal" <ref>The Hindu: Chennai benefits from Sai Baba's initiative by Our Special Correspondent, December 1st 2004, </ref> <ref>The Hindu: Project Water by Hiramalini Seshadri, June 25th 2003, .</ref>. The third drinking water project, expected to be completed in April 2006, would supply water from the ] to half a million people living in five hundred villages in East and West ] Districts <ref>The Hindu, Water, the Elixir of life, November 2005 .</ref>. Other completed water projects include the ] District Project benefitting 450 thousand people in 179 villages and the ] District Project benefitting 350 thousand people in 141 villages <ref name="cmpraise">The Hindu: Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust by Our Staff Reporter, February 13th 2004,
</ref>.

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

] ]]

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

The ] was founded in 1972 and is mainly involved in charities such as the ] water project. The trust has tax exempt status and is a major recipient of donations from abroad though Baba and his organizations never solicit donations.

The ] is the official publisher of the ''Sathya Sai Organisation''. It publishes the international monthly magazine called ] in English and Telugu. According to their website, they shelve over a thousand books and provides 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.

==Opposition, controversy, and allegations==
{{NPOV-sect}}
SSB has been and still is the target of criticism by skeptics, ex-followers and other critics that question his claims to perform miracles and other paranormal feats. For example, in 1976 the ] ] and then vice chancellor of ] Dr. ] who founded and chaired ''The Committee to Investigate Miracles and Other Verifiable Superstitions'' publicly challenged Sathya Sai Baba to perform his miracles under controlled circumstances, a challenge which Sathya Sai Baba ignored. He justified this by saying that the approach by Narasimhaiah was improper.<ref name="blitz"/><ref name="haraldsson204">Haraldson, ''op. cit'', pp 204-205</ref> The committee exposed a boy called ''Sai Krishna'' as a fraud, that the committee alleged had Sathya Sai Baba's patronage.<ref name="haraldsson204"/> Sai Baba said, in one of his rare interviews with the press, that he had absolutely no connection to the exposed ''Sai Krishna'' and that there are people who masquerade as devotees who attempt to make money using his name.<ref name="blitz"/> According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the formal challenge from the committee came to a dead end because the negative attitude of the committee was obvious and perhaps because of all the fanfare involved. As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers.<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit.'', pp. 206</ref>

In the 1995 TV documentary ''"Guru Busters"'', by UK's ], Sathya Sai Baba was accused of faking his materializations and a videotape was supplied alleging fraud. The same videotape was mentioned in the Deccan Chronicle, on ] ], on a front page headline ''"DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic"''. Erlendur Haraldsson stated that he and his associates carried out a careful analysis of the videotape shown in the ''"Guru Busters"'' documentary and mentioned by the Deccan Chronicle. Haraldsson stated that the videotape's quality and resolution left much to be desired and limited the inferences that could be drawn from it. Haraldsson claimed that Dr. Wiseman took the video to a company that specialized in coroporate fraud, and which possessed some of the world's best equipment designed to enhance poor quality videotapes. According to Haraldsson, after the videotape was enhanced using a three-fold process, the resulting tape contained no firm evidence of fraud. The same company analyzed several still frames from the videotape, enhanced and enlarged them and the images still did not reveal any further information.<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit.'', pp. 295-301</ref>

The magazine ] published on ] ] a cover story about the Baba and the allegations of fake miracles quoting the magician ] who considered the Baba a fraud. ], a skeptic and amateur magician, asserted that he has been investigating Sathya Sai Baba since 1968 and believes the guru to be a cheater and ]. Premanand also displayed, in the 2004 ] documentary ''Secret Swami'', that he could duplicate some of the same acts that SSB presents as miracles; such as materializations by ] and the production of a ] from his mouth.

The British journalist Mick Brown discussed, in his 1998 book "The Spiritual Tourist", that the letters, from attending doctors, provided in the ] magazine (published by Premanand) about SSB's claim of resurrecting Walter Cowan, as described in the books ''My Baba and I'' by the follower John Hislop and in SSB's authorized biography by Kasturi, was probably untrue.<ref>Brown, Mick ''The Spiritual Tourist'' 1998 Bloomsbury publishing ISBN 158234034 {{Please check ISBN|158234034 too short}}Chapter ''In the House of God'' pp. 73 - 74 </ref> In this same book, Mick Brown also related his experiences with manifestations of vibuthi, from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, and felt that these miraculous manifestations were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.<ref>Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X See ] section.</ref>

On ], ] four people who were armed with knives were killed after they had intruded in Sai Baba's bedroom. The intruders had killed two aides of Sai Baba. The incident was widely published in the Indian press. SSB claimed in his 1993 ] discourse on ] that jealousy among his followers was behind the incident, without giving a detailed explanation of the events.<ref>Guru Purnima Discourse, ] ], Keep Truth as Your Aim: </ref> The former Secretary of the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, ] who came from of a police background expressed in the BBC documentary his belief that the four assailants in 1993 had unnecessarily and illegally been shot by the police. Both Premanand and Nair wanted the case to be re-opened and believed that it had been silenced to prevent revelations about illegal practices by Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations.

The debates about Sathya Sai Baba were fueled by a document published in 2000 called ''"The Findings"'',<ref name="untouchable"/>
written by David and Faye Bailey (former followers who together wrote three books on Sathya Sai Baba <ref>"Bailey, David, A Journey To Love, 1996 ISBN 81-86822-04-6<br>
Bailey, David, A Journey To Love Book 2: Love and Marriage, 1988 ISBN 81-86822-60-7<br>
Bailey, Faye, Another Journey To Love: Experiences with Sathya Sai Baba, 1998 ISBN 81-86822-40-2"</ref>), in which they described their disillusionment with the guru.<ref name="divinedownfall"/> According to an article in ] in the year 2001, a great part of the Findings contains testimonies of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.<ref name="untouchable"/> Apart from that, Faye wrote, in The Findings, that an unnamed college student requested David's help to stop SSB from sexually abusing other students.<ref name="untouchable"/> The Findings contain allegations of fakery, claims that SSB does not heal sick people and allegations of financial irregularities with charity projects, such as the Super Specialty Hospital and water project.<ref name="divinedownfall"/> David Bailey previously wrote, in his two books about SSB, that he personally witnessed manifestations, healings, miracles and was saved from a car accident by Sathya Sai Baba.<ref>David Bailey: ''A Journey to Love''</ref>

The ''Divine Downfall'' article alleges that Sathya Sai Baba rubbed oil on the genitals of a young male devotee.<ref name="divinedownfall"/> A few followers say that this is done in order to awaken a flow of ] power to the energy centres in the human body {{fact}}. The testimonies of sexual abuse of young men were shown in TV documentaries, including ''"Seduced by Sai Baba"'' by Denmark's national television, and documentary film ''"Secret Swami"'' by BBC. The ] article referred to a signed ] in their possession by the Jens Sethi, a German man, who claimed to have been sexually abused as an adult by the Guru. The magazine wrote that although Sethi filed a criminal complaint in ], he did not file one in India. The TV documentary "''Seduced By Sai Baba''", produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcaster ] aired in ], ] and ]. Al Rahm said in the ''Secret Swami'' programme that he talked with the highest leader in the USA (Dr. Michael Goldstein) about the alleged sexual abuse of his son by Baba, who was 18 at the time. According to Al Rahm, the leader responded by saying that he hated the idea of having wasted 25 years of his life and that he accepted SSB's statement ''"Swami is pure"'' as the truth. Dr. Goldstein, the International Chairman of the ''Sri Sathya Sai Organisations'', stated in the BBC documentary ''Secret Swami'', that although he felt that Sathya Sai Baba was not above the law, it was against his ''"heart and conscience"'' to believe the allegations because he had personally observed Baba interact with students very frequently, in very informal circumstances, and he had never seen anything inappropriate, ominous or anything indicative of fear or apprehension.<ref name="secretswami">Secret Swami Programme, June 2004, </ref> ], a prominent follower and co-founder of the ], stated in the documentary that his admiration for the Baba will not change even if the charges of ] and ] were proved beyond all doubt.<ref name="secretswami"/> According to the journalist Michelle Goldberg of ] the fact that the Baba has high ranking Indian politicians as his supporters and the charity works done by the various organizations associated with the Baba help to explain why he has not been brought into a court of law in India. The Indian consulate website states that crime victims must file charges with the police. In the ''India Today'' magazine (dated December 2000) no complaints had been filed against the Guru, by any alleged victim, in India.<ref>] December 04, 2000 </ref><ref name="untouchable"/>

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

SSB did not give a detailed public rebuttal to the accusations of sexual abuse. In his Christmas 2000 discourse SSB said that people disseminate false negative stories about him because they have been bribed.<ref>Discourse by SSB on ] ] </ref> According to Koert van der Velde, a reporter for a Dutch newspaper, SSB had forbidden people to take a look on the internet<ref>Velde, Koert van der "The Downfall of a guru, Sai Baba" ] ] in the Dutch newspaper ]</ref>
In the years 1999 and 2000 SSB has repeatedly belittled the internet and discouraged its use.<ref>Discourse by SSB on ] ], </ref><ref>Discourse by SSB on ] ], </ref>
In 2003 SSB had an accident that injured his hip, according to the official of the Sathya Sai Organisation, Michael Goldstein. ], SSB sometimes uses a wheelchair.<ref> </ref>

There are a couple of claims that Sathya Sai Baba can change into a woman instantaneously. For example, in a Dutch article entitled ''"De Wonderdoener"'', Keith Ord claimed that he personally experienced Sathya Sai Baba literally transform his genitals from male to female. Keith Ord said that Baba was not a ] but, from one moment to the next, completely changed from male to female, with the corresponding genitals of each. Keith Ord felt this ] transformation was a type of ] and expressed the opinion that Sai Baba lives on another level than mere mortals.<ref>Dutch original by Piet van der Eijk under the title "De Wonderdoener" in the magazine HP/De Tijd, dated 31/1/1992, pages. 46-50</ref> Alexandra Nagel, in her Dutch article, ''De Sai Paradox'', also related the story of Tal Brooke, as taken from his book ''Avatar of the night'', in which Brooke related an account from a man named "Patrick" who alleged that Baba had a vagina and that he had coital sex with the guru.<ref>Brooke, Tal, Avatar of the night, ISBN 1-930045-00-X, Chap. 8, pp 125-132</ref> {{fact}} Nagel argued, in her 1994 Dutch language article, ''De Sai Paradox'', published by the ] press, that this alleged ] may be related to Baba's claim to be the incarnation of both the male and female aspects of God, Shiva and Shakti respectively.<ref>Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower)''De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba/The Sai Paradox contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba'' from the magazine ''Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland, 'Sekten' ''/''Religious movements in the Netherlands, 'Cults/Sects' '', 1994, nr. 29. published by the ], (1994) ISBN 90-5383-341-2 </ref><ref>Swallow, Deborah A. 1982 ''Ashes and Powers: myth, rite and miracle in an Indian God-man's cult''. In Modern Asian Studies jaargang 16 (1) pp.123-158.</ref>

According to the journalist Sacha Kester, in a 2003 article in the Dutch newspaper ], Sathya Sai Baba is a good example of a swindler. According to Kester, "''the sorrow of those who after years of devotion saw through his deception is indescribable. The jewels and watches that he materializes are hidden in his chair. Followers who make large donation are given preferential treatment. He advises ill people not to take their medicine. He invites good looking young boys for a private interview to grope in their underwear and then to invite them to satisfy him orally."''<ref>Kester, Sacha Sacha Kester “Ticket naar Nirvana”/”Ticket to Nirvana”, article in the Dutch Newspaper ] ] ]<br></ref>

The critical former follower Glen Meloy described him as 'a demented demonic force'.<ref name="divinedownfall"/> ], an ] ] Christian wrote in his book ''Avatar of the Night'' that SSB is a ] and the ], as (according to him) was predicted in the ].

===Stances by devotees and proponents===
] (a Sai Devotee, described in his own words in an article in ] as an expert in comparative religion and author of the book ''"Sathya Sai Baba: A life"'') stated that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation has only increased despite negative stories being published against the Guru, by rationalists, critics and skeptics, for at least a generation. Aitken contended that critics are so distemperate in their dislike that their vituperation comes across as near comical. Aitken also expressed the opinion that the BBC is ultimately governed by the Anglican establishment and does not criticize public icons like the Queen, who happens to be the head of the Anglican church. Aitken felt that the Church of England can have no objection to programmes that weaken perceived threats, such as the Sai Movement.<ref>Aitken, Bill, Miracle of Welfare (] ]) </ref>

In an interview with an ''Asian Voice'' correspondent, Mr Ashok Bhagani, a trustee of the Sai Organisation in the UK, said that he believed the allegations in the ''Secret Swami'' BBC documentary were completely factless and baseless and have never been proved. Mr Bhagani also stated that when devotees are selected by Baba for a private interview, there is always someone else present in the room, and this is especially the case when women and children meet him.<ref name="payalnair">New Allegations Of Abuse Against Sai Baba by Payal Nair, Asian Voice, ] ]: </ref> Navin Patel, a biochemistry student at the Sathya Sai Arts College in Bangalore during the 1970s, told ''Asian Voice'' that he visited Baba's ashram many times and studied at Baba's college long enough to know the allegations are untrue. Patel claimed the ''Secret Swami'' BBC documentary was very misleading and was based on only two westerners who had their own monetary agendas. Patel expressed the opinion that western journalists were bashing Baba collectively.<ref name="payalnair"/>

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

Thorbjørn Meyer, in a letter to the DR, called the allegations undocumented and untrue. In the ''Seduced'' documentary, Peter Pruzan stated that he believed Sathya Sai Baba is not a pedophile nor does he perform conjuring tricks. Pruzan claimed that he personally experienced Sathya Sai Baba's ''"wholly extraordinary powers"'' both in Baba's presence as well as in Denmark.<ref>"Seduced" TV documentary produced by ] broadcasted on ] ] at 8:05 pm. </ref>

==redistributed everything below to appropriate sub-section==
The most vehement criticisms since the year 2000 are the allegations made by former devotees of inappropriate sexual relations with young men and boys.<ref name="untouchable">Goldberg, Michelle, Untouchable? (] ]) in ] </ref><ref>Velde, Koert van der in ] newspaper ]. 2000 </ref><ref>] press release issued on ] ] </ref><ref name="divinedownfall"/>
According to ''India Today'' magazine (dated December 2000) no complaints have been filed against the Guru, by any alleged victim, in India.<ref>] December 04, 2000 </ref><ref name="untouchable"/>
It was also reported, in this same ''India Today'' magazine, that the coterie that surrounds Baba dismissed the allegations by denouncing them as "Anti-Hindu" attacks made by foreigners <ref>] December 04, 2000 </ref>. According to Mick Brown, due to the public disclosure of allegations, there was a rash of defections from Western countries and Sweden.<ref name="divinedownfall"/> In face of the allegations, the Sathya Sai Central Trust is still the largest recipient of foreign donations (as recently as 2001)<ref>George Iype article on Rediff.com (] ])</ref> and ] and Michelle Goldberg both expressed the opinion that the allegations have not seemed to impact the Guru's following.<ref>Aitken, Bill, Miracle of Welfare (] ]) </ref><ref name="untouchable"/>

===Parliamentary, governmental and political issues and responses===
In an official letter released to the general public, in December 2001, A.B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India), P.N. Bhagawati (Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Ranganath Mishra (Chair Person, National Human Rights Commissioner of India and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Najma Heptulla (President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished Human Development Ambassador) and Shivraj V. Patil (Member of Parliament, India; Formerly of the Lok Sabda & Union Minister) all signed a letter that called the allegations against Sathya Sai Baba ''"wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests"'' and that they ''"unequivocally condemned"'' the allegations as ''"baseless and malicious"''.<ref>Sri Sathya Sai Baba - A Living Legend - An Embodiment Of Love For All Mankind, Letter from A.B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India), </ref>

The ] issued a travel warning after reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" which, officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba."<ref>Paul Lewis, Paul ] Saturday November 4, 2006 page 3 ''The Indian living god, the paedophilia claims and the ]s''<br>" the US State Department issued a travel warning after reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" which, officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba."</ref>



The Indian President ] and the former Indian Prime Minister ], as well as other Indian dignitaries, visit the ashram and pay their respects to Sathya Sai Baba.

In the year 2000 ] withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at ] and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on ], as "''Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba''".<ref>Unesco Press Release, September 2000, </ref> In the year 2003, Unesco removed this press release from their site.

==See also==
*] - Links and info about Sathya Sai Baba's biographer.

{{wikiquote}}

==References and footnotes==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==Sathya Sai Baba's presence in popular culture==
Sathya Sai Baba's name is mentioned on the popular incense ].

==Further reading==
===Books by Sathya Sai Baba===


===Other===
*
*] ''"Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days"'', 'Zolotoy Vek', Saint Petersburg, 1997
*Baskin, Diana ''"Divine Memories of Sathya Sai Baba"'' (1990) ISBN 1-878599-00-3
*Beyerstein, Dale ''"Sai Baba's miracles: an overview"'', Published by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (1994)
*Brooke, Tal ''"Lord of the Air"'', first published in 1976 with a revised edition was released in 1990. Revised and renamed ''"Avatar of the Night"'' (1999) ISBN 1-930045-00-X
*Brooke, Tal ''"Riders of the Cosmic Circuit"'' (1986) ISBN 0-7459-1217-6
*Brown, Mick ''"The Spiritual Tourist"'' Bloomsbury Publishing (1998) ISBN 1-58234-034-X
*Goldthwait, John ''"Purifying the Heart"'' (2002) ISBN 81-7208-339-4
*Guillemin, Madeleine ''"Who Is In The Driving Seat?"'' (2000) ISBN 0-9583617-0-3
*] ''"Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles"'' (first published in 1987, 1997 revised and updated edition) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
*Hislop, John ''"My Baba And I"'' ISBN 81-7208-050-6
*Kasturi, Narayana ''"Sathyam Sivam Sundaram"'' Part I (first published in 1961), II, III, IV (zip file, 787 kb)
*Krystal, Phyllis ''"The Ultimate Experience"'' ISBN 81-7208-038-7
*Mazzoleni Don Mario ''"A Catholic Priest Encounters Sai Baba"'' (1994)ISBN 0-9629835-1-9
*Murphet, Howard ''"Man of Miracles"'' (1971) ISBN 0-333-91770-7
*Padmanaban, Ranganathan ''"Love Is My Form"'' Sai Towers (2000) ISBN 81-86822-76-3
*] ''"The Murders in Sai Baba's bedroom"'' (2001)
*Priddy, Robert ''"The End of the Dream"'', published and edited by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (2004)
*Priddy, Robert “'Source of the Dream'” Weiser Books (1998) ISBN 1-57863-028-2
*Sandweiss, Samuel H ''"Spirit And The Mind"'' (1985) ISBN 81-7208-056-5
*Sandweiss, Samuel H. ''"The Holy Man ... And The Psychiatrist"'' (1975) ISBN 0-9600958-1-0
*Schulman, Arnold ''"Baba"'' (1971) Out of print. ISBN 0-670-14343-X.
*Shepherd, Kevin R.D. ''"Investigating the Sai Baba Movement: A Clarification of Misrepresented Saints and
*Steel, Brian ''The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba'' (1999) ISBN 81-7646-080-X
*Steel, Brian ''The Satya Sai Baba Compendium: A Guide to the First Seventy Years'' (Paperback) Weiser Books (February, 1997) ISBN 0877288844
*Thomas, Joy ''"Life is a Game – Play it"'' ISBN 81-7208-175-8

==External links==
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* Biographical overview of the early years from the book ''Love is my Form''.

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The Indian President ] and the former Indian Prime Minister ], as well as other Indian dignitaries, visit the ashram and pay their respects to Sathya Sai Baba. The Indian President ] and the former Indian Prime Minister ], as well as other Indian dignitaries, visit the ashram and pay their respects to Sathya Sai Baba.

The ] issued a travel warning after reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" which, officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba."<ref>Lewis, Paul ] Saturday November 4, 2006 page 3 ''The Indian living god, the paedophilia claims and the ]s''<br>" the US State Department issued a travel warning after reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" which, officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba."</ref>


In the year 2000 ] withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at ] and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on ], as "''Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba''".<ref>Unesco Press Release, September 2000, </ref> In the year 2003, Unesco removed this press release from their site. In the year 2000 ] withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at ] and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on ], as "''Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba''".<ref>Unesco Press Release, September 2000, </ref> In the year 2003, Unesco removed this press release from their site.
Line 396: Line 163:


===Other=== ===Other===
*
*] ''"Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days"'', 'Zolotoy Vek', Saint Petersburg, 1997 *] ''"Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days"'', 'Zolotoy Vek', Saint Petersburg, 1997
*Baskin, Diana ''"Divine Memories of Sathya Sai Baba"'' (1990) ISBN 1-878599-00-3 *Baskin, Diana ''"Divine Memories of Sathya Sai Baba"'' (1990) ISBN 1-878599-00-3

Revision as of 00:13, 9 November 2006

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File:Sathyasaibaba.jpg
Sathya Sai Baba in a typical posture during his daily darshan

Sathya Sai Baba (born Sathya Narayana Raju on November 23 1926 — or later than 1927 — with the family name of "Ratnakaram" ) is a South Indian guru often described as a Godman and a miracle worker. According to the Sathya Sai Organisation, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries world-wide. The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated between 6 million to 100 million.


History and origins

Sathya Narayana was born into a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India, as the son of Pedda Venkappa Raju and mother Eshwar Amma. According to professor Narayana Kasturi in his book Easwaramma, who also wrote Sathya Sai Baba's authorized biography, Sathya was born and conceived through a Virgin birth. After recovering from an unexplained illness in his teens the young Sathya claimed to be the reincarnation of the Fakir Shirdi Sai Baba in the 1940s and subsequently took the fakir's name. Sathya Sai Baba claims that he is the second in a series of three Avatars (incarnations) of Shiva Shakti, the future incarnation being Prema Sai Baba. He claims that he is an embodiment of love with divine attributes such as omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence . Sathya Sai Baba teaches the unity of all major world religions and says that they all lead to God. He preaches a foundation of five basic human values: Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-Violence.

According to his own assertion and the biography by Kasturi (which the British journalist Mick Brown of the The Telegraph called a hagiography), he stopped going to school in the town of Uravakonda on October 20 1940 to start his mission. However, he is listed in the 1942 school record of the nearby village Bukkapatnam. Though the exact year on which he started his mission full-time is uncertain, it is a fact that in the 1940s he took the fakir's name. Kasturi's biography mentions several miracles by and signs of divinity of the young Sathya. According to Howard Murphet, in his book Sai Baba Man of Miracles, the young Sathya was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly. According to Kasturi and to Sathya Sai Baba himself, the young Sathya composed bhajans spontaneously (even as young as 8 years of age) and was talented in drama, dance, music and poetry. In a discourse in 1963 he claimed to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti in 1963. In the same discourse SSB said that Shirdi Sai Baba was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation Prema Sai Baba would be a reincarnation of Shakti. In contrast, Kasturi’s biography/hagiography stated that Shirdi Sai Baba was to be Shakti incarnated and that Prema Sai Baba was to be an incarnation of Shiva. According to Donald Taylor in a 1987 article titled "Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement”, SSB's 1963 declaration that he would be reincarnated as Prema Sai Baba was SSB's strategy to defuse the problem about his succession and thus continue to have all the authority in his hand. This is refuted.

In the late 1960s he attracted Western spiritual seekers and became increasingly popular. One of those spiritual seekers was the Hollywood screenwriter Arnold Schulman, who wrote in his 1971 book called Baba that "For any episode of Baba's childhood, there are countless contrasting versions and, at this point, the author discovered that it was no longer possible to separate the facts from the legend." According to Schulman, contrasting versions about Baba's childhood may be due to the fact that he needed interpreters to interperet other interpreters (as in the case of his interview with Baba's sister). Schulman concluded that what the translators said may well have been quite different from what was actually said.

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

Beliefs and practices

It has been suggested that Beliefs and practices in the Sathya Sai Organisation be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2006.
Main article Beliefs and practices in the Sathya Sai Organisation

Miracles and ashrams

Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer Baba leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Whitefield (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. He has left India only once for a visit to North East Africa in 1968.

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

He is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language Telugu and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker. He is known by his devotees to speak all languages fluently . These cases have been described in books, magazines and articles. Numerous people also claim they have witnessed them. Apart from his claim to be Shirdi Sai Baba, Satya Sai Baba also asserts that he is an Avatar of God, a reincarnation of Lord Rama, of Sri Krishna, the Kalki purna avatar (full divine incarnation), Lord Shiva, and Shakti. But he also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others are not. He says that he is omniscient, omnipotent, and able to create matter from mere thought. He also stresses he and humans should always free from desires and states that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger jealousy etc).

Sathya Sai Baba's followers report many, sometimes spectacular, miracles of various kinds which they attribute to him. He is observed to allegedly manifest vibuthi (holy ash) and small objects (rings, necklaces and watches) daily. Sathya Sai Baba explained the phenomenon of manifestation as an act of divine creation, but refused to have his materializations investigated under experimental conditions because he felt that the approach used by critics was improper. Critics claim that these materializations are done by sleight of hand.

Sathya Sai Baba can be seen in person performing what followers believe to be miracles daily in the form of materializations of small objects, for example food, jewelry such as bracelets, rings, watches and especially vibhuti (holy ash) and "kum kum" (the red-colored powder used by Hindus to make the ritual mark between the eyebrows). It is claimed that he can heal diseases of his devotees sometimes by his spiritual power and sometimes by taking on the disease himself. These cases have been described in many books, magazines and articles. Numerous people also claim they have witnessed them. Followers attribute many miracles to him which they claim have witnessed in his presence. There are international claims, from Sathya Sai Baba's followers and neutral observers, that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, brass statues of deities, sugar candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems and coloured string spontaneously manifest on the altars and pictures of Sathya Sai Baba in the privacy of their own homes.

The Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that he did not get Sathya Sai Baba's permission to study him under controlled circumstances but investigated and documented the guru's alleged miracles and manifestations by interviewing witnesses firsthand and compiling results from a questionnaire given to a sampling of 29 people, including 7 former followers. According to the people that Haraldsson interviewed, and the results to his questionnaire, many extraordinary miracles were attributed to Sathya Sai Baba such as levitation (both indoors and outdoors), bilocation, physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing objects on demand, changing the color of his gown into a different color while wearing it, multiplying food, healings, visions, dreams, making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems, controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities and physically emitting brilliant light. These people also claimed that Sathya Sai Baba materialized many substances from his hand such as vibuthi, lost objects, statues, photographs, Indian pastries (both hot and cold), food (hot, cold, solid and fluid), out of season fruits, new banknotes, pendants, necklaces, watches and rings. Haraldsson wrote that the biggest materialized object that he saw was a mangalasutra necklace, 32 inches long, 16 inches long on each side. Haraldsson wrote that some miracles attributed or performed by the Baba resemble the ones described in the New Testament, but also with some differences. According to Haraldsson, although healings certainly figure into Sai Baba's reputation, his impression is that healings do not play a prominent role in SSB's activities as in those of Jesus.

One important practice in his ashrams is darshan (spiritual sight). During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walks among his followers. He may listen to a few chosen persons, accept letters, or materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash of Lord Shiva). Sathya Sai Baba claims that his darshan has spiritual benefits for those who attend it and this is consistent with Hindu beliefs regarding spiritual preceptors. Usually people wait hours to get a good place for darshan. Sathya Sai Baba sometimes invites people for a group interview with him in a room in the 'ashram's mandir' (Hindu temple).He also makes assurances of divine protection to his devotees. Followers report help from Sai Baba in difficult or dangerous situations as well as in dreams. Followers consider it a great privilege to get such an interview. Sometimes a person from this group is invited for a private interview. When asked about the divinity of Sathya Sai Baba, many of his followers readily attest to it by accounting anecdotes about the numerous miraculous occurrences and strange coincidences they have experienced.

Teachings

Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all world religions and asserts that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion. His teachings are sometimes seen as completely syncretic (uniting all religions) and sometimes as Hindu. He teaches among others a rather traditional form of Hinduism that has come from many sects and movements including advaita, occasionally drawing from other religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. One of the Christian influences can be felt in the institution of regular Sunday School sessions for devotees. He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas. Several books and discourses by him, such as the book Ramakatha Rasavahini teach the literal interpretation of Hindu mythology and advocate the practice of Hindu Dharma.

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

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

Other primary teachings are:

  • Service and charity (seva) to others.
  • Love for all creatures and objects
  • Put a ceiling (limit) on one's desires.
  • Everything that has been created is maya (illusion), only God is real.
  • Every creature and object is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
  • Vegetarianism
  • Detachement from the material world
  • Meditation - Baba teaches four techniques, repetition of the name of God, visualising the form of God, sitting in silence and jyoti (Light meditation).
  • Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
  • Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God
  • Developing virtues and eschewing vices of character
  • japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
  • Reverence for parents, teachers and elders

Dominic Kennedy, a journalist from The Times, described his teachings in 2001 as "a collection of banal truisms and platitudes."

Organizations

His followers and the organizations he founded are involved in many service projects around the world. They provide free education through schools, free healthcare through two state-of-the-art hospitals in Puttaparthi and Bangalore and two water projects serving millions in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Puttaparthi, where Baba was born and still lives, was originally a small village where one can now find an extensive University complex, a World-Religions Museum (Chaitanya Jyoti), a Planetarium, a railway station, an airport and more. High ranking Indian politicians, like the current President Dr. Abdul Kalam, Manmohan Singh (Former finance minister and current Prime Minister), and Atal Vajpayee (Former Prime minister) have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.

Sathya Sai Baba is the figurehead to a number of free educational institutions and charitable hospitals. 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 Prashanti Nilayam (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 kilometres from the guru's ashram and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on November 22nd 1991 . The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore was inaugurated on January 19th 2001 by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and is reputed as serving 250,000 patients, free of cost, from January 2001 to April 2004 .

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust 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 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 benefitting 450 thousand people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar District Project benefitting 350 thousand people in 141 villages .

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

File:Sathya Sai Organisation official logo.jpg
The new official logo of the Sathya Sai Organisation

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

The Sri Sathya Sai central trust was founded in 1972 and is mainly involved in charities such as the Rayalaseema water project. The trust has tax exempt status and is a major recipient of donations from abroad though Baba and his organizations never solicit donations.

The Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust is the official publisher of the Sathya Sai Organisation. It publishes the international monthly magazine called Sanathana Sarathi in English and Telugu. According to their website, they shelve over a thousand books and provides 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.

Opposition, controversy, and allegations

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Since the year 2000, there have been allegations of inappropriate sexual relations with young men and boys. According to India Today magazine (dated December 2000) no complaints have been filed against the Guru, by any alleged victim, in India. It was also reported, in this same India Today magazine, that the coterie that surrounds Baba dismissed the allegations by denouncing them as "Anti-Hindu" attacks made by foreigners . According to Mick Brown, due to the public disclosure of allegations, there was a rash of defections from Western countries and Sweden. In face of the allegations, the Sathya Sai Central Trust is still the largest recipient of foreign donations (as recently as 2001) and Bill Aitken expressed the opinion that the allegations have not seemed to impact the Guru's following.

SSB has been and still is the target of criticism by skeptics, ex-followers and other critics that question his claims to perform miracles and other paranormal feats. For example, in 1976 the physicist rationalist and then vice chancellor of Bangalore University Dr. H. Narasimhaiah who founded and chaired The Committee to Investigate Miracles and Other Verifiable Superstitions publicly challenged Sathya Sai Baba to perform his miracles under controlled circumstances, a challenge which Sathya Sai Baba ignored. He justified this by saying that the approach by Narasimhaiah was improper. The committee exposed a boy called Sai Krishna as a fraud, that the committee alleged had Sathya Sai Baba's patronage. Sai Baba said, in one of his rare interviews with the press, that he had absolutely no connection to the exposed Sai Krishna and that there are people who masquerade as devotees who attempt to make money using his name. According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the formal challenge from the committee came to a dead end because the negative attitude of the committee was obvious and perhaps because of all the fanfare involved. As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers.

In the 1995 TV documentary "Guru Busters", by UK's Channel 4, Sathya Sai Baba was accused of faking his materializations and a videotape was supplied alleging fraud. The same videotape was mentioned in the Deccan Chronicle, on November 23 1992, on a front page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic". Erlendur Haraldsson stated that he and his associates carried out a careful analysis of the videotape shown in the "Guru Busters" documentary and mentioned by the Deccan Chronicle. Haraldsson stated that the videotape's quality and resolution left much to be desired and limited the inferences that could be drawn from it. Haraldsson claimed that Dr. Wiseman took the video to a company that specialized in coroporate fraud, and which possessed some of the world's best equipment designed to enhance poor quality videotapes. According to Haraldsson, after the videotape was enhanced using a three-fold process, the resulting tape contained no firm evidence of fraud. The same company analyzed several still frames from the videotape, enhanced and enlarged them and the images still did not reveal any further information.

The magazine India Today published on 4 December 2000 a cover story about the Baba and the allegations of fake miracles quoting the magician P. C. Sorcar, Jr. who considered the Baba a fraud. Basava Premanand, a skeptic and amateur magician, asserted that he has been investigating Sathya Sai Baba since 1968 and believes the guru to be a cheater and charlatan. Premanand also displayed, in the 2004 BBC documentary Secret Swami, that he could duplicate some of the same acts that SSB presents as miracles; such as materializations by sleight of hand and the production of a lingam from his mouth.

The British journalist Mick Brown discussed, in his 1998 book "The Spiritual Tourist", that the letters, from attending doctors, provided in the Indian Skeptic magazine (published by Premanand) about SSB's claim of resurrecting Walter Cowan, as described in the books My Baba and I by the follower John Hislop and in SSB's authorized biography by Kasturi, was probably untrue. In this same book, Mick Brown also related his experiences with manifestations of vibuthi, from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, and felt that these miraculous manifestations were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.

On June 6, 1993 four people who were armed with knives were killed after they had intruded in Sai Baba's bedroom. The intruders had killed two aides of Sai Baba and injured two others. The incident was widely published in the Indian press. SSB claimed in his 1993 Gurupurnima discourse on July 3 that jealousy among his followers was behind the incident, without giving a detailed explanation of the events. The former Secretary of the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, V.P.B. Nair who came from of a police background expressed in the BBC documentary his belief that the four assailants in 1993 had unnecessarily and illegally been shot by the police. Both Premanand and Nair wanted the case to be re-opened and believed that it had been silenced to prevent revelations about illegal practices by Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations.

The debates about Sathya Sai Baba were fueled by a document published in 2000 called "The Findings", written by David and Faye Bailey (former followers who together wrote three books on Sathya Sai Baba ), in which they described their disillusionment with the guru. The Findings contain allegations of fakery, claims that SSB does not heal sick people and allegations of financial irregularities with charity projects, such as the Super Specialty Hospital and water project. David Bailey previously wrote, in his two books about SSB, that he personally witnessed manifestations, healings, miracles and was saved from a car accident by Sathya Sai Baba.

The Divine Downfall article alleges that Sathya Sai Baba rubbed oil on the genitals of a young male devotee. A few followers say that this is done in order to awaken a flow of kundalini power to the energy centres in the human body . The testimonies of sexual abuse of young men were shown in TV documentaries, including "Seduced by Sai Baba" by Denmark's national television, and documentary film "Secret Swami" by BBC. The India Today article referred to a signed affidavit in their possession by the Jens Sethi, a German man, who claimed to have been sexually abused as an adult by the Guru. The magazine wrote that although Sethi filed a criminal complaint in Munich, he did not file one in India. The TV documentary "Seduced By Sai Baba", produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcaster Danish radio aired in Denmark, Australia and Norway. Al Rahm said in the Secret Swami programme that he talked with the highest leader in the USA (Dr. Michael Goldstein) about the alleged sexual abuse of his son by Baba, who was 18 at the time. According to Al Rahm, the leader responded by saying that he hated the idea of having wasted 25 years of his life and that he accepted SSB's statement "Swami is pure" as the truth. Dr. Goldstein, the International Chairman of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisations, stated in the BBC documentary Secret Swami, that although he felt that Sathya Sai Baba was not above the law, it was against his "heart and conscience" to believe the allegations because he had personally observed Baba interact with students very frequently, in very informal circumstances, and he had never seen anything inappropriate, ominous or anything indicative of fear or apprehension. Isaac Tigrett, a prominent follower and co-founder of the Hard Rock Café, stated in the documentary that his feelings for the Baba will not change even if the charges of paedophilia and murder were proved beyond all doubt. The Indian consulate website states that crime victims must file charges with the police. In the India Today magazine (dated December 2000) no complaints had been filed against the Guru, by any alleged victim, in India.

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

SSB did not give a detailed public rebuttal to the accusations of sexual abuse. In his Christmas 2000 discourse SSB said that people disseminate false negative stories about him because they have been bribed. According to Koert van der Velde, a reporter for a Dutch newspaper, SSB had forbidden people to take a look on the internet In the years 1999 and 2000 SSB has repeatedly belittled the internet and discouraged its use. In 2003 SSB had an accident that injured his hip, according to the official of the Sathya Sai Organisation, Michael Goldstein. As of 2005, SSB sometimes uses a wheelchair.

There are a couple of claims that Sathya Sai Baba can change into a woman instantaneously. For example, in a Dutch article entitled "De Wonderdoener", Keith Ord claimed that he personally experienced Sathya Sai Baba literally transform his genitals from male to female. Keith Ord said that Baba was not a hermaphrodite but, from one moment to the next, completely changed from male to female, with the corresponding genitals of each. Keith Ord felt this gender transformation was a type of miracle and expressed the opinion that Sai Baba lives on another level than mere mortals. Alexandra Nagel, in her Dutch article, De Sai Paradox, also related the story of Tal Brooke, as taken from his book Avatar of the night, in which Brooke related an account from a man named "Patrick" who alleged that Baba had a vagina and that he had coital sex with the guru. Nagel argued, in her 1994 Dutch language article, De Sai Paradox, published by the Free University Amsterdam press, that this alleged sex change may be related to Baba's claim to be the incarnation of both the male and female aspects of God, Shiva and Shakti respectively.

According to the journalist Sacha Kester, in a 2003 article in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Sathya Sai Baba is a good example of a swindler. According to Kester, "the sorrow of those who after years of devotion saw through his deception is indescribable. The jewels and watches that he materializes are hidden in his chair. Followers who make large donation are given preferential treatment. He advises ill people not to take their medicine. He invites good looking young boys for a private interview to grope in their underwear and then to invite them to satisfy him orally."

The critical former follower Glen Meloy described him as 'a demented demonic force'. Tal Brooke, an American evangelical Christian wrote in his book Avatar of the Night that SSB is a false prophet and the Antichrist, as (according to him) was predicted in the Bible.

Stances by devotees and proponents

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

In an interview with an Asian Voice correspondent, Mr Ashok Bhagani, a trustee of the Sai Organisation in the UK, said that he believed the allegations in the Secret Swami BBC documentary were completely factless and baseless and have never been proved. Mr Bhagani also stated that when devotees are selected by Baba for a private interview, there is always someone else present in the room, and this is especially the case when women and children meet him. Navin Patel, a biochemistry student at the Sathya Sai Arts College in Bangalore during the 1970s, told Asian Voice that he visited Baba's ashram many times and studied at Baba's college long enough to know the allegations are untrue. Patel claimed the Secret Swami BBC documentary was very misleading and was based on only two westerners who had their own monetary agendas. Patel expressed the opinion that western journalists were bashing Baba collectively.

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

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

Parliamentary, governmental and political issues and responses

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

The Indian President Abdul Kalam and the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, as well as other Indian dignitaries, visit the ashram and pay their respects to Sathya Sai Baba.

In the year 2000 UNESCO withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at Puttaparthi and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on 15 September, as "Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba". In the year 2003, Unesco removed this press release from their site.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie 368, vol. 72 nr 4, December 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)
  2. ^ Haraldsson, Erlendur, Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prashanti Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
  3. Woodhead, Linda & Fletcher Paul, Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformation. Routledge (UK), ISBN 0-415-21784-9
  4. Lochtefeld, James G., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. I ISBN 0-8239-3179-X, New York Rosen 2002
  5. Hummel, Reinhart, German article published in Materialdienst der EZW, 47 Jahrgang, 1 February 1984, Translation by Linda W. Duddy and is reprinted by their permission, available online on the website of the Dialog Center, a Christian Anti-Cult Site
  6. Sathya Sai Org: Numbers to Sai Centers and Names of Countries
  7. Adherents
  8. ^ Brown, Mick,Divine Downfall, The Telegraph, October 282000, online
  9. Nagel, Alexandra "De Sai Paradox", 1994, nr. 29. published by the Free University Amsterdam, (1994)
  10. Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19., Available online
  11. ^ Interview given by Sathya Sai Baba to R.K. Karanjia of Blitz News Magazine in September of 1976, Available online Cite error: The named reference "blitz" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  12. SSB as quote in Narayana Kasturi's authorized biography Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol 3 page 315
  13. Available Online Shiva Shakthi, Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, (Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.)
  14. Taylor, Donald Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement by Donald Taylor in 'Hinduism in Great Britain', Richard Burghart (ed.), 1987, London/New York: Tavistock Publications, pp. 130-131.
  15. Schulman, Arnold Baba 1971, pp. 122-124, ISBN 0-670-14343-X.
  16. Sathya Sai Baba's younger brother dies article on 18 October. 2003 in The Times of India retrieved March 2006
  17. Sathya Sai Baba's brother dies article on 18 October 2003 in The Hindu retrieved March 2006
  18. SSB as quote in Narayana Kasturi's authorized biography Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol 3 page 315
  19. Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on 29 June 1963
  20. Nair, Yogas, "Raisins, ash raise eyebrows", The Post April 19 2006, available online
  21. Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X
  22. March 17 2004 in the newspaper Post South Africa available online
  23. "House of Miracles", Sunday 24 March 2002, Durban news, Sunday Times available online
  24. Haraldsson, op. cit, pp. 43
  25. Haraldsson, op. cit., pp 231, 239-241
  26. Knott, Kim Dr. South Asian Religions in Britain page 766, Table 22.1 Principal Sectarian movements in Britain and their primary characteristics in the Handbook of Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0-14-051480-5
  27. Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on November 23 1968 (also published in Samuel Sandweiss 1972 book Sai Baba: The Holy man and the psychiatrist Part II Coming Home) available online on the website of the Sathya Sai organisation
  28. Kennedy, Dominic The Times (England), 27 August 2001 ”Suicide, sex and the guru” available online
  29. The Hindu: City colleges cheer NAAC rating, June 8th 2006, Available Online.
  30. Draft Report of the Peer Team on Institutional Accreditation of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed University) Vidyagiri, Prashanthi Nilayam – 515 134 (A.P) Visit Dates: December 2 – 4, 2002 Available Online: DOC File.
  31. The Hindu: Healing with Love and Compassion, November 23rd 2005, Available Online
  32. The Hindu: Vajpayee hits out at high cost of medicare by A. Jayaram, January 20, 2001 Available Online
  33. The Times Of India: Super-Specialty hospital touches 2.5 lakh cases by Manu Rao, Available Online
  34. The Week: Showers of Grace by Hiramalini Seshadri, May 26th 2002 Available Online.
  35. ^ The Hindu: Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust by Our Staff Reporter, February 13th 2004, Available Online
  36. The Hindu: Chennai benefits from Sai Baba's initiative by Our Special Correspondent, December 1st 2004, Available Online
  37. The Hindu: Project Water by Hiramalini Seshadri, June 25th 2003, Available Online.
  38. The Hindu, Water, the Elixir of life, November 2005 Available Online.
  39. Sai Educare Website, authorized by the Sathya Sai Organization, Available Online.
  40. Velde, Koert van der in Trouw newspaper Downfall 6 September. 2000 Dutch original Ondergang
  41. UNESCO press release issued on 15 September 2000 available online
  42. India Today December 04, 2000 A God Accused
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference untouchable was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. India Today December 04, 2000 A God Accused
  45. George Iype Sathya Sai Trust Gets Most Foreign Donations article on Rediff.com (August 16 2003)
  46. Aitken, Bill, Miracle of Welfare (November 27 2005) Available online
  47. ^ Haraldson, op. cit, pp 204-205
  48. Haraldsson, op. cit., pp. 206
  49. Haraldsson, op. cit., pp. 295-301
  50. Brown, Mick The Spiritual Tourist 1998 Bloomsbury publishing ISBN 158234034 Chapter In the House of God pp. 73 - 74
  51. Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X See Miracles, Claims and Ashrams section.
  52. Guru Purnima Discourse, July 3 1993, Keep Truth as Your Aim: Available online
  53. "Bailey, David, A Journey To Love, 1996 ISBN 81-86822-04-6
    Bailey, David, A Journey To Love Book 2: Love and Marriage, 1988 ISBN 81-86822-60-7
    Bailey, Faye, Another Journey To Love: Experiences with Sathya Sai Baba, 1998 ISBN 81-86822-40-2"
  54. David Bailey: A Journey to Love
  55. ^ Secret Swami Programme, June 2004, Available online
  56. India Today December 04, 2000 A God Accused
  57. Dominic Kennedy, The Times British News, I sought peace and couldn't find it Available online & 'Three die after putting faith in guru' Available online
  58. Discourse by SSB on 25 December 2000 available online pdf file
  59. Velde, Koert van der "The Downfall of a guru, Sai Baba" 6 September 2000 in the Dutch newspaper Trouw
  60. Discourse by SSB on October 15 1999, Available online
  61. Discourse by SSB on September 26 2000, Available online
  62. SSB in wheelchair
  63. Dutch original by Piet van der Eijk under the title "De Wonderdoener" in the magazine HP/De Tijd, dated 31/1/1992, pages. 46-50
  64. Brooke, Tal, Avatar of the night, ISBN 1-930045-00-X, Chap. 8, pp 125-132
  65. Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower)De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba/The Sai Paradox contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba from the magazine Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland, 'Sekten' /Religious movements in the Netherlands, 'Cults/Sects' , 1994, nr. 29. published by the Free University Amsterdam, (1994) ISBN 90-5383-341-2 available online
  66. Swallow, Deborah A. 1982 Ashes and Powers: myth, rite and miracle in an Indian God-man's cult. In Modern Asian Studies jaargang 16 (1) pp.123-158.
  67. Kester, Sacha Sacha Kester “Ticket naar Nirvana”/”Ticket to Nirvana”, article in the Dutch Newspaper De Volkskrant 7 January 2003
  68. Aitken, Bill, Miracle of Welfare (November 27 2005) Available online
  69. ^ New Allegations Of Abuse Against Sai Baba by Payal Nair, Asian Voice, June 26 2004: Available online
  70. "Seduced" TV documentary produced by Danish Radio broadcasted on January 30 2002 at 8:05 pm. transcript available online
  71. Sri Sathya Sai Baba - A Living Legend - An Embodiment Of Love For All Mankind, Letter from A.B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India), Available online
  72. Unesco Press Release, September 2000, Available online

Sathya Sai Baba's presence in popular culture

Sathya Sai Baba's name is mentioned on the popular incense Nag Champa.

Further reading

Books by Sathya Sai Baba

Online Resource: Sathya Sai Speaks Series

Online Resource: Vahini Series Written By Sathya Sai Baba

Other

  • Antonov, Vladimir PhD "Sathya Sai — the Christ of Our Days", 'Zolotoy Vek', Saint Petersburg, 1997
  • Baskin, Diana "Divine Memories of Sathya Sai Baba" (1990) ISBN 1-878599-00-3
  • Beyerstein, Dale "Sai Baba's miracles: an overview", Published by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (1994)
  • Brooke, Tal "Lord of the Air", first published in 1976 with a revised edition was released in 1990. Revised and renamed "Avatar of the Night" (1999) ISBN 1-930045-00-X
  • Brooke, Tal "Riders of the Cosmic Circuit" (1986) ISBN 0-7459-1217-6
  • Brown, Mick "The Spiritual Tourist" Bloomsbury Publishing (1998) ISBN 1-58234-034-X
  • Goldthwait, John "Purifying the Heart" (2002) ISBN 81-7208-339-4
  • Guillemin, Madeleine "Who Is In The Driving Seat?" (2000) ISBN 0-9583617-0-3
  • Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD "Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles" (first published in 1987, 1997 revised and updated edition) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
  • Hislop, John "My Baba And I" ISBN 81-7208-050-6
  • Kasturi, Narayana "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" Part I (first published in 1961), II, III, IV Available Online (zip file, 787 kb)
  • Krystal, Phyllis "The Ultimate Experience" ISBN 81-7208-038-7
  • Mazzoleni Don Mario "A Catholic Priest Encounters Sai Baba" (1994)ISBN 0-9629835-1-9
  • Murphet, Howard "Man of Miracles" (1971) ISBN 0-333-91770-7
  • Padmanaban, Ranganathan "Love Is My Form" Sai Towers (2000) ISBN 81-86822-76-3
  • Premanand, Basava "The Murders in Sai Baba's bedroom" (2001)
  • Priddy, Robert "The End of the Dream", published and edited by Basava Premanand, Podanur, India, (2004)
  • Priddy, Robert “'Source of the Dream'” Weiser Books (1998) ISBN 1-57863-028-2
  • Sandweiss, Samuel H "Spirit And The Mind" (1985) ISBN 81-7208-056-5
  • Sandweiss, Samuel H. "The Holy Man ... And The Psychiatrist" (1975) ISBN 0-9600958-1-0
  • Schulman, Arnold "Baba" (1971) Out of print. ISBN 0-670-14343-X.
  • Shepherd, Kevin R.D. "Investigating the Sai Baba Movement: A Clarification of Misrepresented Saints and
  • Steel, Brian The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba (1999) ISBN 81-7646-080-X
  • Steel, Brian The Satya Sai Baba Compendium: A Guide to the First Seventy Years (Paperback) Weiser Books (February, 1997) ISBN 0877288844
  • Thomas, Joy "Life is a Game – Play it" ISBN 81-7208-175-8

External links

Official Sathya Sai Baba websites

Other websites

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