Sathya Sai Baba (born Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 192624 April 2011) was an Indian godman,

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

and philanthropist. At the age of 14, he claimed to be the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

of Shirdi Sai Baba and left his home saying "my devotees are calling me, I have my work". Sathya Sai Baba's followers have attributed to him a range of miraculous abilities, including the materialisation of '' Vibhuti'' (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces, and watches. He was also believed to have performed spontaneous healings,

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

s, and exhibited clairvoyant abilities. Additionally, claims were made regarding his ability to be in multiple places simultaneously ( bilocation), as well as his

omnipresence Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to describ ...

omnipotence Omnipotence is the property of possessing maximal power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as ...

, and

omniscience Omniscience is the property of possessing maximal knowledge. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, it is often attributed to a divine being or an all-knowing spirit, entity or person. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any ...

. Sathya Sai Baba's devotees include members of all religions. In 1972, Sathya Sai Baba founded the

Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), is a registered public charitable trust founded in 1972 by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Its humanitarian work includes drinking water projects, healthcare and education. Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher ...

. Through this organization, Sathya Sai Baba established a network of free, general, and superspeciality hospitals, medical clinics, drinking water projects, educational institutions,

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Sathya Sai Baba faced numerous accusations over the years which include

sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

, and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

. However, he was never charged with any offence, and his devotees strongly reject these accusations, considering them propaganda against their guru.Palmer, Norris W. "Baba's World". In: By virtue of his sizeable influence, many feel Sai Baba provides an example of "the phenomenon referred to as mahagurus; that is, gurus with a global reach." Citing the number of Sai Centres (over 2000 in 137 countries), the scope of service and charitable works (free hospitals, drinking water projects), social sphere and influence of devotees (royalty, celebrities, high ranking politicians along with a total number of devotees estimated to be from 6 to 100 million worldwide) as well as being seen as a global "movement extending in some very surprising ways."

Biography

Early life

Sathyanarayana Raju was born on 23 November 1926 to Namagiriamma (Easwaramma) and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram, to a Telugu-speaking Bhatraju family, a community of religious musicians and balladeers, in the village of

Puttaparthi Puttaparthi (IAST: ''Puṭṭaparthy'') is a municipality and district headquarters of Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Puttaparthi mandal of Puttaparthi revenue division. The original name of Put ...

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(present-day

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, India). His birth was purported by his mother Easwaramma to be of a miraculous conception. He was the fourth among the five children of his parents. Sathya Sai Baba's siblings included elder brother Ratnakaram Seshama Raju (1911–1985), elder sisters Venkamma (1918–1993) and Parvathamma (1920–1998), and younger brother Janakiramaiah (1931–2003). As a child, Sathya was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable, though not necessarily academically inclined, as his interests were of a more spiritual nature. He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama. From a young age, he has been purported to have been capable of materializing objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.

Proclamation

Almost everything known about Sathya Sai Baba's early life stems from the

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

that grew around him; these were narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered by them to be evidence of his divine nature. According to these sources, on 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in

Uravakonda Uravakonda is a census town in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Uravakonda mandal in Guntakal revenue division. The town is a constituent of urban agglomeration. Uravakonda was a once a village ...

(a small town near

) 14-year-old Sathya was stung by a scorpion. He lost consciousness for several hours and in the next few days underwent a noticeable change in behavior. There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence." It is claimed that then "he began to sing

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

verses, a language of which it is alleged he had no prior knowledge." Doctors concluded his behavior to be

hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

. Concerned, his parents brought Sathya back home to

and took him to many priests, doctors and exorcists. One of the exorcists at

Kadiri Kadiri is a major city in Sri Sathya Sai district, Sri Sathya Sai District the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a ''Special Grade'' Municipal City Council and headquarters of Kadiri Mandal and Kadiri revenue division, Kadiri Revenue Division ...

, a town near Puttaparthi, went to the extent of torturing him with the aim of curing him. Having shaved Raju’s head, he cut three crosses on his skull, then poured acid into the wounds. At this point, his parents called a stop to it. On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialized sugar candy ('' prasad)'' and flowers for them. His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and threatened to beat him if Sathya did not reveal who he really was, the young Sathya responded calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba", a reference to

Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master considered to be a Hindu saints, saint, and revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to accounts from his life, Sai ...

. This was the first time he proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdia saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and had died eight years before Sathya was born. It was then he came to be known as 'Sathya Sai Baba'. Several months later Sai Baba, on 20 October 1940, told his parents that he had "come to this world with a mission to re-establish the principle of Righteousness (

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

), to motivate love for God and service to fellow man." Further elaborating in a letter (dated 25 May 1947) to his older brother Seshma, he stated "I have a task to foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of bliss. I have a vow to lead all who stray away from the straight path, again into goodness and save them... to remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack." Personally stating, "I do not belong to any place. I am not attached to any name. I have no ‘mine’ or ‘thine.’"

First mandir and development of Puttaparthi

In 1944, a

mandir A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to whom it is dedica ...

for Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village of

. It is now referred to as the "old mandir". The construction of Prasanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and was completed in 1950. In 1954, Sai Baba established a small free general hospital in the village of Puttaparthi. He won fame for his reputed mystical powers and ability to heal. In 1957, Sai Baba went on a tour of North India, visiting temples in Delhi, Srinagar, Kashmir and Rishikesh.

Stroke, prediction of reincarnation and sole foreign tour

In 1963, it was asserted that Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks, which left him paralysed on one side. These events culminated in an event where he apparently healed himself in front of the thousands of people gathered in Prashanthi Nilayam who were then praying for his recovery. On recovering, Sai Baba stated, "I am Shiva-Sakthi, born in the

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

(lineage) of

Bharadwaja Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages ( maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis). His ...

, according to a boon won by that sage from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born in the gotra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Shiva and Sakthi have incarnated as Myself in his gotra now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the same gotra in

Mandya Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district, Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar City (Kannada: ''Sakkare Nagara'') because sugarcane is a major crop grown ...

district of Karnataka State." He stated he would be born again eight years after his death at the age of 96, but died at the age of 84. On 29 June 1968 Sai Baba began his only overseas trip to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, returning to India on 15 July 1968.

Later years

In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or the Sathyam Mandir in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. In 1973, he established the Shivam Mandir in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. He inaugurated the Sundaram, a new ashram and temple in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

on 19 January 1981. On 6 June 1993 there was an assassination attempt on Sai Baba's life. While reports vary, the official narrative is that four men (devotees) entered Sai Baba's residence under the premise of wanting to give him a telegram. When their path was obstructed, they stabbed two of the Baba's assistants to death, injuring two others. Hearing the commotion Sai Baba sounded the alarm and police were dispatched to his residence. Upon arriving, the police report stated the four youths had locked themselves in Sai Baba's living room and the officers tried to break the door down. "The four were shot when they opened the door and attacked the police." Sai Baba remained unharmed during the incident, and later in a discourse cleared things up saying there was no bid on his life. Many aspects of the event remain unsolved and ambiguous. Another concern for Sai Baba's immediate safety arose on 17 January 2002 when an unknown man (later identified as Somasundaram) entered the Whitefield Ashram with an air pistol. He was apprehended by volunteers and handed over to police without incident. In March 1995, Sai Baba started a project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the

Anantapur district Anantapur district, officially Ananthapuramu district, is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located in Anantapur city. It is one of the driest places in South ...

. In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

, Tamil Nadu. In 2001 he established another free super-speciality hospital in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

to benefit the poor.

Old age, illness and death

In 2003, Sai Baba suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped, and the boy and stool both fell on him. After the incident, he gave darshana from a car or his porte chair. After 2004, Sai Baba used a wheelchair and slowly began to make fewer public appearances. On 28 March 2011, Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital in

after he complained of having giddiness and a slowing heartbeat. Initially, his condition improved, and on 4 April, it was reported all his vital parameters were near normal. However, over the course of the following weeks, multiple organ failures set in, and his condition progressively deteriorated. He died on Sunday, 24 April, at 7:40 IST, aged 84. Sai Baba had predicted that he would die at age 96 and would remain healthy until then. After he died, some devotees suggested that he was referring to lunar years, as counted by Telugu-speaking Hindus, rather than solar years and using the Indian way of accounting for age, which counts the year to come as part of a person's life. Other devotees have spoken of his anticipated

, or awakening.

Funeral and mourning

Sathya Sai Baba's body lay in state for two days and was buried with full state honors on 27 April 2011.News 9, 24 April 2011, 16:00 IST An estimated 500,000 people attended the burial. Political leaders and prominent figures attending included then Indian Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

president

Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi (, ; ; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a big-tent liberal political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. ...

, Gujarat Chief Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

(who later became Prime Minister of India), cricketer

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...

and Union Ministers S. M. Krishna and Ambika Soni. Political leaders who offered their condolences included the then Indian prime minister,

, then Nepali Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and Sri Lankan President

Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...

. The cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, whose birthday was that day, cancelled his birthday celebrations. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' newspaper reported that "Sai Baba's phenomenal mass appeal lay in his unswerving commitment to communal harmony, his encouragement of charitable activity and public-spiritedness, and his own example in building educational and health care institutions that focused on meeting basic needs on a large scale." Sri Sathya Sai Baba Mahasamadhi at Sai Kulwant Hall

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Mahasamadhi at Sai Kulwant Hall

Many spiritual figures expressed their sentiments at Sai Baba's death.

Mata Amritanandamayi Sri Mātā Amritānandamayī Devi (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), often known as Amma ("Mother"), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as 'the hugging Hindu saint, saint' by her followers ...

said, "Sri Sathya Sai Baba was the one who opened the path of love and compassion to millions of his devotees. Sathya Sai Baba’s life was his message."

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, wrote that "Baba will continue to live in the hearts of millions of devotees ... his message of 'Satya Dharma Shanti Prema' which has transcended all barriers of

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

and religion." The

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

expressed shock over the death of Sathya Sai Baba. In a message he said, "I am saddened by the passing away of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the respected spiritual leader. I would like to convey my condolences and prayers to all the followers, devotees and admirers of the late spiritual leader." The Government of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

declared 25 and 26 April as days of mourning. The state government of

(where Prasanthi Nilayam is located) announced a four-day state mourning period and decided to honor Sai Baba with a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

Anomalies and possible unnatural death

From the time Sai Baba was admitted to hospital on 28 March, questions and allegations arose about his care and subsequently the role of his personal aide, Satyajit Salian. Police sources said, "Satyajit did not feed Sai Baba proper food and gave him lot of sedative drugs, resulting in the deterioration of the latter’s health, leading up to Sai Baba's death." Doctors from the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, who treated Sai Baba, neither confirmed nor denied that

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...

drugs were given to him prior to his admission to the hospital following respiratory problems. Later assessment from doctors noted lack of food had led to muscular weakness. Citing death threats and possible harm to his well-being from within the ashram community (after one of two trust members were allowed to sign cheques from a multi-billion dollar account), as well as from outside, a senior police officer said that Sathyajit was provided police protection. On 10 April, direct relatives expressed wonder as to why they were kept in the dark and knew nothing about Sai Baba's state of health. "It is almost two months since Baba stopped taking food utwe were not told about it." Family members said they were livid about the secrecy around Sai Baba's health and medical treatments and as to why the trust was not allowing anyone direct contact with him except for Sathyajit, his personal attendant. They only saw him from a distance in the ICU on April 2 after raising a furore. It was on 28 March, when Sai Baba complained of giddiness and slowing of the heartbeat that he was taken to hospital. On 21 April, the ''Deccan Herald'' reported an allegation stating that Sathya Sai Baba had died 20 days prior and that his death was not being announced in order to receive money from Indian and foreign devotees. On 28 April 2011, four days after the death of Sai Baba, ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' printed a story questioning the time of his death. A business making freezer boxes said that the one in which Sai Baba was kept was ordered on 4 April, partial payment was also made at that time. The freezer box arrived in

on 5 April. Sai Baba was admitted to hospital on 28 March but his condition had officially worsened on 15 April. "The order was placed by Rajendranath Reddy of Bangalore ndaccording to sources, the powerful

had a role in ordering the freezer box." According to Lakshmi, the owner of Kumar and Co International (freezer box company), her colleague Ganesh called Rajendranath to confirm the purchase for Sai Baba. "He confirmed the same and told Ganesh not to discuss the matter with anyone." Within two months of Sai Baba's death, his niece Chetana Raju alleged that she was facing death threats from some trust members. In 2015, Ganapathy Raju, Sathya Sai Baba's first cousin, alleged that Sai Baba was murdered. He believes Satya Sai died on 29 March and not as officially declared on 24 April, saying that "Baba was a victim of a well-planned conspiracy and pre-planned hi tech murder" (adding) that the trust members had ordered a glass coffin and two truckloads of flowers even when Baba was unwell." Ganapathy also alleged that trust members were behind silencing the real date of Sai Baba's death in order to buy time to "usurp the huge wealth of the trust fund", asserting that properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars have "changed hands". Dr Aiyar, Sai Baba's personal physician, was heavily criticized for not maintaining any medical records of Sai Baba. Ganapathy Raju's main ideas of interest laid with the medical treatment and drugs given to Sai Baba, primarily by Satyajit Salian. Shyam Sunder, who had been involved with Prasanthi Nilayam since 1968, also raised concerns about harassment and exploitation from Satyajit as numerous allegations by devotees and workers in Prasanthi Nilayam arose saying that Satyajit would intimidate and physically abuse them. Like Ganapathy, Sunder also alleged that "Satyajit and his associates had been administering sleeping pills to Sai Baba for over six years. Though Sai Baba resisted the pills after his return from Brindavan at Whitefield,

, in 2006, he was forced to take them ... and within a few months, Baba became sluggish and weak." Satyajit also controlled if and when the doctors could see Sai Baba, and within two days of Sai Baba's passing,

reported that Satyajit (who was a paid employee of the ashram and "had no say whatsoever in the trust affairs or activities,") was given authority to sign checks from the multi billion dollar trust account.

Beliefs and practices of devotees

Sai Baba was known for the quotes, in reference to his universal message, "Love All, Serve All" and "Help Ever, Hurt Never." In Prashanti Nilayam, his devotees believed in seeking the spiritual benefit of Sai Baba's '' darshan'', scheduled for morning and afternoon each day, as a form of devotion. Sai Baba would interact with people, accept letters or call groups and individuals for interviews. Devotees considered it a great privilege to have an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family was invited for a private interview so they could ask for answers to spiritual questions or for general guidance. Internationally, his devotees gather daily, or weekly on Sundays or Thursdays or both, for satsangs, spiritual discourses and devotional songs, prayer,Guidelines for American Sathya ZSai Baba Centers
The Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of the United States of America (2006) spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva), and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV) known as "''Bal Vikas''" (Blossoming of the Child). Devotees still receive Sai Baba's Divya Darshan at his Mahasamadhi shrine, a white marble edifice decorated with flowers, in Sai Kulwant Hall ( Prasanthi Nilayam), where he was laid to rest. Sai Baba was a

lacto-vegetarian A lacto-vegetarian (sometimes referred to as a lactarian; from the Latin root lact-, ''milk'') diet abstains from the consumption of meat as well as Egg as food, eggs, while still consuming dairy products such as milk, cheese (without animal renn ...

for spiritual as well as moral reasons and his followers have adopted the diet.Leslie-Chaden, Charlene. (2004). ''A Compendium of the Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba''. Sai Towers Publishing. pp. 633-636. He stated that "meat eating fosters animal qualities in man making him descend to the demonic level; it is a heart-rending sight to see cows being slaughtered to serve as food for man." Sai Baba and many devotees have heavily criticized factory farming as unethical.

Ashrams and mandirs

Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace)

, where Sai Baba was born and lived, was originally a small, remote South Indian village in

. It was here that Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) was established.Prasanthi Nilayam: The Abode of Highest Peace
/ref> After 2 years of construction it was inaugurated on 23 November 1950, Sai Baba's 25th birthday. It succeeded the "old mandir" which was created in 1944.
/ref> Prasanthi Nilayam is painted blue, yellow, and pink "communicating the message of the harmony of spirit, intellect, and heart respectively; for blue stands for spirit, yellow for intellect, and pink for heart (love). The rich harmony of the three does result in Santi (peace) and Prasanti (supreme peace); and that really is the message of the Prasanthi Mandir."History of the Mandir
/ref> In 1954 a free general hospital was constructed in

and soon after a medical hospital was constructed in 1957 inside the ashram. Poornachandra Auditorium was built in 1973. Seating around 15,000 people in its enclosed 60 x 40-metre area, it is where cultural programmers (plays/dance/music), conferences and yagnas during Dasara take place. Sathya Sai Baba's living quarters were upstairs above the stage area.Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publication Trust
/ref> Sai Kulwant Hall was inaugurated by Sathya Sai Baba on July 9, 1995. The hall can accommodate up to 20,000 people and it was here that Sai Baba gave darshan everyday from that time forward.Sightseeing
. tourisminap.com. Sai Kulwant Hall is where Sai Baba was laid to rest. A white marble edifice stands as his Mahasamadhi shrine and devotees still have his Divya darshan here daily. The ashram itself houses a shopping center, book stores, library and reading room, multiple accommodations such as dormitories and rooms, banking/ATM facilities, media and Radio Sai facilities, a bakery, emergency medical services and three food courts – North and South Indian as well as Western canteens. In the encompassing area around

there is an extensive university complex, a specialty hospital, and two museums: the ''Sanathana Samskruti'' or Eternal Heritage Museum, sometimes called the Museum of All Religions, and the ''Chaitanya Jyoti'', devoted exclusively to the life and teachings of Sai Baba; the latter has won several international awards for its architectural design. There is also a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more. High-ranking Indian politicians such as the former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former prime minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...

, Andhra Pradesh former chief minister Konijeti Rosaiah and

chief minister B. S. Yediyurappa have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.

Brindavan Ashram

Established on 25 June 1960, the Brindavan Ashram is located in Kadugodi, a village close to Whitefield and 24 kms from the city centre of

. It occupies around 50 acres of land and was known as the summer home of Sai Baba as he would spend about three months here every year. Notable features are Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall, where darshan and bhajans were held, Trayee Brindavan, Sai Baba's personal residence and the Brindavan Campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. In its adjacent areas are the Sri Sathya Sai General and Super Specialty Hospital ( Whitefield), Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Sai Central Trust and an old age home, Sri Sathya Sai Vriddhashram. All services at the hospitals are still free.

Sai Shruti Ashram

Located in Kodaikanal, atop the

Palani Hills The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin with t ...

in south Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, Sai Shruti ashram was often visited by Sai Baba for a few days in the months of April and May. It holds no accommodations or extra curricular facilities. Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main

. Occasionally he visited his Sai Sruthi ashram in Kodaikanal.

Recognition

Sri Sathya Sai Project 1999 stamp of India

On 23 November 1999, the Department of Posts,

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, released a postage stamp and a postal cover in recognition of the service rendered by Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses. Another commemorative stamp was released on the occasion of what would have been his 88th birthday during November 2013. In January 2007, an event was held in Chennai Nehru Stadium organized by the Chennai Citizens' Conclave to thank Sai Baba for the 2 billion water project which brought water from the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function.

Sathya Sai International Organization

The Sri Sathya Sai International Organization was founded in the 1960s by Sathya Sai Baba. Initially called the "Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi", it was established "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement." In 2020, Sri Satya Sai Central Trust was granted Special Consultative status by the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

. The Sathya Sai International Organization reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in 114 countries. However, the number of active Sai Baba followers is hard to determine. Estimates vary from 6 million up to nearly 100 million. In India itself, Sai Baba drew followers predominantly from the upper-middle-class, the urban sections of society who have the "most wealth, education and exposure to Western ideas." In 2002, he said he had followers in 178 countries.Palmer, Norris W. "Baba's World". In: Sathya Sai Baba founded a large number of schools and colleges, hospitals, and other charitable institutions in India and abroad, the net financial capital of which is usually estimated at 400 billion (US$9 billion). However, estimates as high as 1.4 trillion (about US$31.5bn) have also been made. Sri Sathya Sai Baba's 100th Birthday Celebrations have been commemorated b
a specially designed logo created by the SSSIO
It is a humble and sincere effort to capture the uniqueness of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in this logo.

Time line of developments, schools, projects and charities

In 1950 Prasanthi Nilayam, his

ashram completed construction and with in 4 years, a general hospital in

was established (1954). Over a decade later in 1968 the first education project, a college for girls was set up in

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru Tehsil, mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city ...

. The

, a charitable trust that undertakes social welfare projects and acts as an umbrella for many seva projects was begun in 1972. In 1976 another general hospital in Whitefield, outside of

was completed followed by a boys' college in

in 1978. The inauguration of the Sri Sathya Sai University (

campus), happened on 22 November 1981. In 1991, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences was completed. The

drinking water project launched in 1995 would be the first of many water projects taken up by Sai Baba, others included the

Medak Medak, formerly known as Siddapuram, is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. Etymology and History Medak was originally named ''Met ...

& Mahabubnagar drinking water projects (2001), the

water project in 2002 and the East & West

Godavari The Godavari (, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...

water projects completed in 2007. A decade later, another Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences began operations in

along with the Sri Sathya Sai Super Specialty Hospital in Whitefield, offering free medical services. In 2009 the construction of Sri Sathya Sai University campus began. Years after Sai Baba's passing, Vivek Kumar wrote, "the things that he executed were out of his love towards humanity. He provided free education, healthcare and water to people who never even dreamt of getting it."

Classification of organization

Sources often describe Sai Baba's following as a "movement". Sathya Sai Baba claimed to be the reincarnation of

, whose followers considered him to be an

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. While

was known to combine Islamic and Hindu teachings, Charles S. J. White, of The American University at Washington D.C., observed in 1972 that with Sathya Sai Baba, "there is no discernible Muslim influence." Stephanie Tallings, in The Harvard international Review, noted Sai Baba's following is drawn from people of all religions, ethnicities, and social classes. In contrast, Sai Baba's following is also regarded by many scholars to be of a Hindu persuasion. Lawrence A. Babb, of the Amherst College in Massachusetts, labelled Sai Baba movement as a cult in the 1980s, calling it "deeply and authentically Hindu..." and noted, "The most striking feature of this cult, however, is the extremely strong emphasis given to the miraculous." However, a scholarly review says Babb misapplies the word "cult", responding, "the so-called 'cult' of Satya Sai Baba seems to possess all such characteristics which are, according to the author, central to a religious movement." Deborah A. Swallow, of the University of Cambridge, referred to it as a cult and said that the "ritual and theology, then, unlike Sai Baba f Shirdis, is distinctly Hindu in form and content." However John D. Kelly, a professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago, wrote about Hindu missions in Fiji that the Sathya Sai Organization (which is part of the movement) rejected the label Hindu. According to Kelly, they see their founder as the "living synthesis of the world's religious traditions" and prefer to be classified as an interfaith movement. He observed that the Sai Baba mission is a Hindu mission that is as active as Christian or Muslim missions. In a 2001 scholarly book, Tulasi Srinivas notes, "The Sathya Sai global civil religious movement incorporates Hindu and Muslim practices, Buddhist, Christian, and Zoroastrian influences, and "New Age"-style rituals and beliefs.' And in the appendix of the book (p. 349) lists 10 scholarly authors/researchers in both Europe and America who all refer to it as a New Religious Movement (NRM). While scholars often refer to it as either a "

New Religious Movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin, or they can be part ...

" (NRM) or as a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

, it has been noted by Eugene Gallagher, a noted professor of religious studies, that in more modern times "'New Religious Movement', is the classification preferred by most academics, who see 'cult' as a pejorative term. A secret report from the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

from the 1990s stated a "worldwide mass religious movement" was emerging around Sathya Sai Baba, who many devotees viewed as a full incarnation of God. On a local scale, the report states that the extensive appeal of Sai Baba's doctrine "of a harmonious, multi-religious and multi-ethnic

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

has the potential to counterbalance the appeal of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

chauvinists and ethnic separatists" Globally, the report concluded that the Sai Baba movement is likely to “become another worldwide religion”, via its current wealth and assets, social contributions and activity in the political domain, thus allowing expansion even after Sai Baba's death. Adding scope to the movement, the report addresses the claim that Sai Baba is the Kalki Avatar (the tenth Avatar of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

) who is to "create a new world of peace and justice", which the CIA operative compares to the return of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Criticism

Accusations

Accusations against Sathya Sai Baba by his critics over the years have included sleight of hand, sexual abuse, money laundering, fraud in the performance of service projects, and murder. In 1972, Abraham Kovoor made the first public criticism of Sathya Sai BabaRuhela S.P., ''Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the Press'', pp. 1–5, 1997 when he looked into a claim publicly narrated by one devotee that Sai Baba had created a new model of a

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, and semiconductors. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced the world's first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969. Seiko is ...

watch, and found the claim to be untrue.Ruhela S.P., ''How to Receive Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Grace'', pp. 277, 2006 In April 1976, Hossur Narasimhaiah, a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

, rationalist and then

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by University Gra ...

, founded and chaired a committee "to rationally and scientifically investigate miracles and other verifiable superstitions". Narasimhaiah wrote Sai Baba three widely publicised letters challenging him to perform his miracles under controlled conditions. The letters were ignored.Haraldson, ''op. cit'', pp 204–205 Sathya Sai Baba said that he ignored Narasimhaiah's challenge because he felt that a scientific approach to spiritual issues was improper, adding that "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

transcends the senses. If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science. What science has been able to unravel is merely a fraction of the cosmic phenomena..."Interview given by Sai Baba to R. K. Karanjia of ''Blitz'' news magazine in September 197
Available online
/ref> Narasimhaiah's committee was dissolved in August 1977. Narasimhaiah held the fact that Sai Baba ignored his letters to be an indication that his miracles were fraudulent. As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers. Indian rationalist Basava Premanand, who began campaigning against Sathya Sai Baba in 1976, unsuccessfully attempted to sue him in 1986 for violations of the Gold Control Act, citing Sai Baba was "producing gold necklaces out of thin air without the permission of a Gold Control Administrator". When the case was dismissed, Premanand unsuccessfully appealed on the grounds that claimed spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law. In the early 1990s, the

created a secret report that stated the Sai Baba movement is “likely to eventually become another worldwide religion”. The CIA operative who wrote the report concluded it by stating, “there is always the possibility, too, that the movement will collapse if Sai Baba is convincingly demonstrated to be a fraud.” A 1995 TV documentary ''Guru Busters'', produced by filmmaker Robert Eagle for the UK's

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, accused Sai Baba of faking his materializations. The clip from the film was mentioned in the ''

Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...

'', on 23 November 1992, in a front-page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic". Claims of Sai Baba resurrecting American devotee Walter Cowan in 1971 have been discussed by British journalist Mick Brown in his book ''The Spiritual Tourist'' from 1998,Mick Brown, ''The Spiritual Tourist'', 1998, Bloomsbury Publishing, "In the House of God", pp. 73–74 and subsequently by Erlendur Haraldsson, who interviewed doctors attending Cowan at the hospital; these physicians reported that Cowan had been dangerously ill but had not died. Brown also related his experiences with alleged manifestations of vibhuti (sacred ash) from Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, which he felt were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.Brown Mick, ''The Spiritual Tourist'', "The Miracle in North London", pp. 29–30, 1998 With regards to Sai Baba's claims of omniscience, Brown wrote, "sceptics have produced documentation clearly showing discrepancies between Baba's reading of historical events and biblical prophecies, and the established accounts." The ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'' in 2001 reported that Sai Baba told his adherents not to sign on to the internet, while encouraging them, rather, to surf the "inner net".

Allegations of abuse

In January 2002, a documentary produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcast company,

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

(DR), called ''Seduced By Sai Baba'', analyzed videos of public manifestations of Sai Baba and suggested that they could be explained as sleight of hand. The documentary also presented interviews with Alaya Rahm, former devotee of Sathya Sai Baba, where he alleged abuse by Sathya Sai Baba. As a result, in 2002 the parliament of the United Kingdom discussed the danger to male children of British families intending to visit the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in case of individual audiences with the guru. In 2004, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

produced a documentary titled ''The Secret Swami'' as part of its series "The World Uncovered". One central theme of the BBC documentary was again Alaya Rahm's sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba. This documentary interviewed him together with Mark Roche, who had spent 25 years of his life since 1969 in the movement and alleged abuse by Sai Baba. The show also featured allegations from Sai Baba critic Basava Premanand. Premanand stated in the documentary that, in his opinion, Sai Baba faked his materializations.

Posthumous Trust issues

After Sai Baba's death, questions about the manner in which the finances of the organization were going to be managed led to speculations of impropriety, with reports stating that suitcases containing cash and/or gold had been removed from his personal lodgings. On 17 June 2011, officials from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust opened his private residence in the presence of government, bank and tax department officials. In the private residence, which had been sealed since his death, they inventoried 98 kg of gold ornaments, approximate value Rs 21 crores (US$4.7m), 307 kg of silver ornaments, approximate value Rs 16 million (US$0.36m), and Rs 116 million (US$2.6m) in cash. The cash was deposited into the Sai Trust's account at the State Bank of India with payment of government taxes (thus transferring them from religious gifts to Trust assets.) The gold and other items were inventoried, assessed, and placed in secure storage. In July, district authorities inventoried an additional Rs 7.7 million (US$0.17m) in valuables in another 4 rooms. The total value of these items is believed to exceed 7.8 million US dollars. Also inventoried at Yajurmandir were thousands of pure silk sarees, dhotis, shirts, 500 pairs of shoes, dozens of bottles of perfume and hairspray, watches, a large number of silver and gold "mangala sutrams", and precious stones such as diamonds. There were also 750 saffron and white robes of the type Sai Baba wore. an
this graphic
/ref> In July 2011, a similar opening of his Bangalore-area ashram tallied 6 kg of gold coins and jewelry, 245 kg of silver articles and Rs 8 million in cash. These items and goods are believed to have been donated over the years by Sai Baba's devotees from all over the world as religious gifts. In 2012 Satyaji (Sai Baba's former personal attendant) came forward with a noterised signed, yet unknown, document from Sai Baba, dated from 1967 entailing Sai Baba had "no personal right on the multi-crore spiritual empire built by him". In the letter Sai Baba stated, "Whatever is given to me is under my management, supervision and control as a trustee to be used for public charitable purposes. This declaration I am making so that nobody can claim, under or through me, in the family properties if any." Reports stated that for some time Sai Baba's nephew, R.J. Ratnakar Raju was trying to gain control over the trust, whose assets and properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars, led to a conflict between him and the other trust members. The

however, never makes the intake or expenditure details of funds into the trust public. "Nobody really knows who the members are in the trust and whether if; or any, changes are made at any point of time."

Responses

Sathya Sai Baba rejected any allegations of misconduct and was never charged with any offense. During a speech in December 2000, he used the analogy of

and

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...

, saying, "in those days there was one Judas, but today there are thousands." Addressing the allegations, he said that out of jealousy, hate and fear, many devotees were being bought to speak against him, having been offered money to say nasty things. His followers have also defended him publicly and attested to what they believed to be his character. These include Bill Aitken, and Anil Kumar, former principal of the Sathya Sai Educational Institute.Brown, Mick (28 October 2000). "Divine Downfall". ''The Daily Telegraph''. In an open letter in December 2001, Prime Minister

, Chief Justices P. N. Bhagwati and Ranganath Misra, and Members of Parliament and Najma Heptulla said that they were "deeply pained and anguished by the wild, reckless and concocted allegations" against Sathya Sai Baba, and called him "an embodiment of love and selfless service to humanity".Letter from A. B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India)
/ref> In a 2015 article, writer Paul William Roberts said Sai Baba "definitely emanated

love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

and could perform extraordinary actions defying explanation. No matter what is said about him, I can only speak for myself, and I have never had any reason to doubt that he is what he said he is.”

Publications and documentaries

Sathya Sai Baba authored 15 books, known as "Vahinis" (river or stream), originally written in Telugu and translated into English by Prof. Narayana Kasturi. His public discourses were collected and published into book form known as the "Sathya Sai Speaks" series. There are 42 volumes in total, beginning in 1953 and ending in 2010. During the summer months (from 1972 until 2002), Sai Baba gave discourses to his students at the Brindavan university campus in Whitefield. These were collected to create a 15 volume series known as the "Summer Showers" series. There is a large known collection of Bhajans (spiritual songs) written and sung by Sai Baba as well as countless numbers of books about him written by devotees and critics. Sathya Sai Baba has also been featured in various documentaries and films. *1973
Advent of the Avatar
' by Richard Bock *1974
The Endless Stream
' by Richard Bock who continued to make several documentaries about Sathya Sai Baba spanning from the 1970s until the 1990s. *1975
The Man of Miracles: Sathya Sai Baba
' Narrated and hosted by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

of Twilight Zone fame. *1975
A Glimpse into the Divine Mission
' *1990
Who Is Sai Baba?
' by Victor J. Tognola from

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Popular culture

In a 1995 X-Files episode, " The Calusari" (season 2, episode 21), during a conversation about vibhuti (sacred ash) Sai Baba's name is cited and mentioned. A fictitious character, Dr. Burk elaborates, "In 1979, I witnessed a

named Sai Baba create an entire feast out of thin air."

References

External links

International Sai Organization
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baba, Sathya Sai 1926 births 2011 deaths Founders of new religious movements Indian Hindu spiritual teachers Indian vegetarianism activists People from Anantapur district People from Rayalaseema People considered avatars by their followers Puttaparthi Telekinetics Religious pluralism Self-declared messiahs 21st-century Indian philanthropists Telugu people Modern yoga gurus Miracle workers