Satya Sai Baba

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Sathya Sai Baba
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Date of birthNovember 23 1926 (1926-11-23) (age 97)
Place of birthPuttaparthi
Birth nameSathyanarayana Raju
PhilosophyAdvaita Vedanta
Titles/HonorsSai Baba
QuoteLove All Serve All Help Ever Hurt Never

Sathya Sai Baba (b. November 23, 1926) is a South Indian guru, religious leader, orator and a miracle worker. Many consider him to be an avatar (Incarnation of God) as well as the reincarnation of the saint Sai Baba of Shirdi. As one of the most famous gurus living in India today, Satya Sai Baba has millions of followers in both India and around the world. He is renowned for his humanitarian endeavors as well as his ongoing promotion of religious harmony. However, some of his former disciples have made allegations of sexual abuse, which have cast a controversial shadow over his legacy of humanitarian service.

Early life

Born in a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, he was given the name Sathya Narayana Raju. The young Sathyanarayana was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and for his compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly.

On March 8, 1940, Satynanarayana Raju started behaving as if a scorpion had stung in his foot. He exhibited strange behaviour after this and entered a coma state. After some time, he got up and his behaviour worried his parents - he did not want to eat, he would often keep silent for a long time, recited ancient shlokas or elaborated on holy Hindu scriptures. In May 1940, he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of the fakir and Saint Sai Baba of Shirdi (d. 1918) and subsequently took the fakir's name, Sai Baba.[1]

According to Kasturi, on 20 October 1940 at the age of 14, Sai Baba threw away his books and announced, "My devotees are calling me. I have my work." He then spent the next three days under a tree in the garden of an excise inspector (government officer) and many people gathered around him. Baba taught them bhajans. From then on Sai Baba claimed to be the avatar for our age (i.e. a divine incarnation sent to Earth to bring about spiritual renewal). He has consistently maintained this position ever since. In 1944, a mandir (Hindu temple) for followers of Sathya Sai Baba was built near the village which is now called the "old mandir".[2]

In 1963, during a discourse, Swami made statements claiming to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti.[3] He also claimed that Sai Baba of Shirdi was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation, Prema Sai Baba, would be a reincarnation of Shakti. He publicly repeated this claim in 1976. Baba's biography states that Prema Sai Baba will be born in Mysore State[4]

In the late 1960s, Sathya began to gain notoriety among Western spiritual seekers. Sathya traveled only once outside India to visit North East Africa in 1968.[2][5]

Teachings

Sathya Sai Baba is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language Telugu, and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker.[6] He asserted that he is an avatar of God in whom all names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest.[7] He also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others have yet to realize it, which is consistent with Advaita Vedanta, including modern teachers such as Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj.[8]

He stresses humans should always be free from desires and states that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger, jealousy etc).[8]

Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all world religions and asserts that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion. His followers view his teachings as syncretic (uniting all religions), but one scholar has said that his message remains fundamentally Hindu.[1] He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas (Vedasamrakshana).[9] Several books and discourses by him, such as the book Ramakatha Rasavahini teach the literal interpretation of Hindu mythology and advocate the practice of Hindu Dharma (Sthapana).[10]

Apart from teaching the unity and equality of all the religions, Sathya Sai Baba places particular emphasis on the role of women (especially mothers) in society. He has stated that mothers build society. That is why he teaches respect for parents, especially for the mother. He also said that the level of a nation depends on their respect for women.[11]

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[12] and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968.[13] Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting with the names of the traditional Hindu deities as well as saints and prophets of other religions occasionally replaced by Baba's name.

Based on Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, his organization advocates the five basic human values. These values are sathya (truth), dharma (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), ahimsa (non-violence), prema (love for God and all his creatures)[14] and shantih (peace).

Other primary teachings are:

  • Service and charity (seva) to others.[15]
  • Love for all creatures and objects.[15]
  • Putting a ceiling (limit) on one's desires is sadhana (Spiritual discipline).[15]
  • Celibacy after age of fifty.[15]
  • 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[14], moderate and sattvik diet.[15]
  • Abstinence from drinking alcohol,[15] smoking cigarettes,[15] and taking drugs.
  • Detachment from the material world.
  • Meditation, preferably at 3:00 or 4:00 A.M.[15]
  • Meditation (dhyan).[15] Baba teaches four techniques: repetition of the name of God,[15] visualizing the form of God,[15] sitting in silence, and jyoti (Flame/Light meditation).[15]
  • Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).[15]
  • Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God.[15]
  • Developing virtues (prashanti) and eschewing vices of character.[15]
  • Japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
  • Reverence for parents, teachers and elders.
  • Sense control
  • Highly committed devotees use the phrase "Sai Ram" as a salutation.[15]
  • Women should strive to realize stri-dharma, the inherent virtues of womanhood.[15]
  • Altruism

Sathya Sai Baba's teachings are said to be realized by observing the following four principles:

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

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

Organizations

The town of Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and still lives, was originally a small village where one can now find an extensive University complex, Chaitanya Jyoti (a World-Religions Museum that has won several international awards for design[16]), a spiritual museum, a Planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more.[17] High ranking Indian politicians, like the former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.[18][19] On Sathya Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration, it was reported that well over a million people attended, including 13,000 delegates from India and 180 other countries.[20]

Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of highest peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer Baba leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Kadugodi, Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. Occasionally, he visits his Sai Shruti ashram in Kodaikanal.[21]

Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs in India. The first center, established in Mumbai, is referred to as either "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam." The second center, established in Hyderabad, is referred to as "Shivam." The third center, established in Chennai, is referred to as "Sundaram".[22]

The daily program at Sathya Sai Baba's ashrams usually begin with the chanting of "OM" and a morning prayer (Suprabatham). This is followed by Veda Parayan (chanting of the Vedas), nagarasankirtana (morning devotional songs) and twice a day bhajans and darshan (appearance of Sai Baba to devotees)[23]. Particularly significant are the darshans during October (the Dasara holidays and November (the month of Sai Baba's birth).[23] During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walks among his followers and may interact with people, accept letters, materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Interviews are chosen solely by the guru's discretion. Followers consider it a great privilege to get an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family will be invited for a private interview. It is claimed by the Sathya Sai Organization that, people who receive such interviews may be startled by the materializations and the disclosures that Sathya Sai Baba as a clairvoyant reveals of their own lives.[24] Sathya Sai Baba claims that his darshan has spiritual benefits.

Sathya Sai Baba is the figurehead to a number of free educational institutions, charitable organizations and service projects that are spread over 10,000 centers in 166 countries around the world.[25]

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).[26][27] Besides this institute, there is also an Institute of Music and an Institute of Higher Learning in Anantapur, which is a women's college.[28]

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi (also known as the Super Specialty Hospital) is a 220 bed facility providing advanced surgical and medical care free of cost to the public. It is situated 6 kilometers from the guru's ashram and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on November 22, 1991 and was designed by the Prince of Wales's architectural adviser, Keith Critchlow[29] The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333 bed facility with advanced operation theatres, ICUs and CCUs meant to benefit the poor.[30] The hospital was inaugurated on January 19 2001 by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.[31] Other eminent participants were Abdul Kalam, Michael Nobel (grandson of Alfred Nobel), Noah Samara and Anji Reddy.[32] The hospital has served 250,000 patients, free of cost, from January 2001 to April 2004.[33]

The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 by Sathya Sai Baba to provide free care to poor local villagers. Since that time, the general hospital has grown to a 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m²) building that provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has, since its inception, treated over 2 million cases.[34]

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two super specialty hospitals, dispensaries, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.[25] It was in the year 2000-2001 the largest recipient of foreign donations. [35] The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. The first drinking water project, completed in 1996, supplies water to 1.2 million people in 730-800 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.[36][37] 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".[38][39] The Chennai water drinking project was praised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi. Karunanidhi said that although he is an atheist, he differentiated between good spiritual leaders like Sathya Sai Baba and fake god.[40][41] 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.[42] Other completed water projects include the Medak District Project benefiting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the Mahbubnagar District Project benefitting 350,000 people in 141 villages.[37] In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust revealed that it would undertake another drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.[37]

His Educare (formerly called Education in Human Values) program seeks to found schools in all countries with the explicit goal to educate children in the five human values and spirituality. According to the Sai Educare site (authorized by the Sathya Sai Organization), schools have been founded in 33 countries world-wide.[43]

All the local Sai Samithis (Sathya Sai Baba groups) are part of a hierarchical structure called the Sathya Sai Organization. The chairman of the organization is Michael Goldstein of the U.S. The logo of the Sathya Sai organization is a stylized lotus flower with the text of five human values in its petals. They are Love, Peace, Truth, Righteousness and Non-violence. This text version has replaced the old logo with the symbols of the 5 or 6 world religions in the petals.

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

On November 23, 2001, the digital radio network "Radio Sai Global Harmony" was launched through the World Space Organization, USA. Dr. Michael Oleinikof Nobel (distant relative to Alfred Nobel and one of the patrons for the radio network) said that the radio network would spread Sathya Sai Baba's message of global harmony and peace.[44]

Reported miracles

In some books, magazines, filmed interviews and articles, Sathya Sai Baba's followers report miracles and healings of various kinds that they attribute to him.[15] Sathya Sai Baba's devotees believe that he relieves his devotees by transferring their pain to himself.[45] Daily, he is observed to allegedly manifest vibuthi (holy ash), and sometimes food and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches. [46]

In devotees' houses all around the world, there are claims from observers, journalists and devotees that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, Shiva lingams, statues of deities (brass and gold), Sugar Candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems, colored string, writings in ash and various other substances spontaneously manifest and materialize on the walls, furniture, pictures and altars of Sathya Sai Baba.[47][48][49][50][51][52]

Devotees also claimed that they witnessed Sathya Sai Baba materialize many substances from his hand such as vibuthi, lost objects, statues, photographs, Indian pastries (both hot and cold), food (hot, cold, solid and fluid), out of season fruits, new banknotes, pendants, necklaces, watches and rings.

Sathya Sai Baba has explained the phenomenon of manifestation as being an act of divine creation, but refused to have his materializations investigated under experimental conditions. Critics claim that these materializations are done by sleight of hand and question his claims to perform miracles and other paranormal feats. In April 1976, Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, a physicist, rationalist and then vice chancellor of Bangalore University, founded and chaired a committee "to rationally and scientifically investigate miracles and other verifiable superstitions". Sathya Sai Baba a polite letter and two subsequent letters that were widely publicized in which he publicly challenged Baba to perform his miracles under controlled conditions.[53] Sathya Sai Baba said that he ignored Narasimhaiah's challenge because he felt his approach was improper.[8] Sathya Sai Baba further said about the Narasimhaiah committee that "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses. If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science. What science has been able to unravel is merely a fraction of the cosmic phenomena..." [8]

The magazine India Today published in December 2000 a cover story about the Baba and the allegations of fake miracles quoting the magician P. C. Sorcar, Jr. who considered the Baba a fraud.[54] Basava Premanand, a skeptic and amateur magician, asserted that he has been investigating Sathya Sai Baba since 1968 and believes the guru to be a cheater and charlatan. Premanand sued Sathya Sai Baba in 1986 for violation of the Gold Control Act for Sathya Sai Baba's materializations of gold objects. The case was dismissed, but Premanand appealed on the ground that spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law.[55] Premanand also displayed, in the 2004 BBC documentary Secret Swami, that he could duplicate some of the same acts that Sathya Sai Baba presents as miracles; such as materializations by sleight of hand and the production of a lingam from his mouth. The BBC documentary reported that even some of Sathya Sai Baba's critics believe that he has genuine paranormal powers.[56]

Criticism

On June 6, 1993 four people who were armed with knives were killed after they had intruded in Sai Baba's bedroom. The intruders had killed two aides of Sai Baba. The incident was widely published in the Indian press. Sathya Sai Baba claimed in his 1993 Guru Poornima discourse on July 3 that jealousy among his followers was behind the incident, without giving a detailed explanation of the events.[57] The former Secretary of the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, V.P.B. Nair, who came from of a police background, expressed in the BBC documentary his opinion that the four assailants in 1993 had unnecessarily and illegally been shot by the police. There are other opinions from the eye witnesses who were present in the Mandir premises on that night, that police did the right thing to protect the life of several others, as the four people were armed and had already stabbed two people to death. The debates about Sathya Sai Baba were fueled by a document published in 2000 called "The Findings", written by David and Faye Bailey (former followers who together wrote three books on Sathya Sai Baba [58]), in which they described their disillusionment with the guru. According to an article in Salon.com in the year 2001, a great part of the Findings contains testimonies of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.[59] The Findings contain allegations of fakery, claims that Sai Baba does not heal sick people and allegations of financial irregularities with charity projects, such as the Super Specialty Hospital and water project. David Bailey previously wrote, in his two books about Sathya Sai Baba, that he personally witnessed manifestations, healings, miracles and was saved from a car accident by Sathya Sai Baba.[60] The Daily Telegraph stated that Sathya Sai Baba rubbed oil on the genitals of a young male devotee. The testimonies of sexual abuse of young men were shown in TV documentaries, including "Seduced by Sai Baba" by Denmark's national television, and documentary film "Secret Swami" by BBC. The TV documentary "Seduced By Sai Baba," produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcaster Danish radio aired in Denmark, Australia and Norway.

Al Rahm, a father of one of the young men who claimed to have been sexually abused by Sathya Sai Baba, spoke with Dr. Michael Goldstein, in the USA about the alleged sexual abuse.[56] According to Rahm, Dr. Goldstein responded by saying that he hated the idea of having wasted 25 years of his life and that he accepted Sri Sathya Sai Baba's statement "Swami is pure" as the truth.[56] Dr. Goldstein further stated that he did not support an investigation of the sexual abuse allegations, although he felt that Sathya Sai Baba was not above the law. He said that it was against his "heart and conscience" to believe the allegations because he had personally observed Baba interact with students very frequently, in very informal circumstances, and he had never seen anything inappropriate, ominous or anything indicative of fear or apprehension.[56] Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of the Hard Rock Café and a prominent follower of Baba, stated in the BBC documentary that his admiration for the Baba will not change even if the charges of child sexual abuse and murder were proved beyond all doubt.[56] In this same documentary, Khushwant Singh stated that Sathya Sai Baba's popularity could not be ascribed to any type of publicity campaign. Singh compared Sathya Sai Baba to Mahatma Gandhi, in that Gandhi never had any publicity but became nationally known through word of mouth[56] According to the BBC reporter Tanya Datta, numerous sexual abuse victims have undergone a genital oiling by Sathya Sai Baba that they believe is part of Hinduism. Singh reacted to this by saying that this genital oiling is not part of Indian tradition.[56]

According to the journalist Michelle Goldberg of Salon.com the fact that the Baba has high ranking Indian politicians as his supporters and the charity works done by the various organizations associated with the Baba help to explain why he has not been brought into a court of law in India. The Indian consulate website states that crime victims must file charges with the police. In an article that was published in the India Today magazine in December 2000, it was stated that no complaints had been filed against Sathya Sai Baba by any alleged victim, in India. The magazine stated they are in possession of an affidavit signed by Jens Sethi (an ex-devotee) and reported that he filed a complaint with the police in Munich.[54]

Sathya Sai Baba did not give a detailed public rebuttal to the accusations of sexual abuse. In his Christmas 2000 discourse, Sai Baba said that people disseminate false negative stories about him because they have been bribed.[61] [62] Koert van der Velde, a reporter for Dutch newspaper Trouw, claimed in a critical article that Sathya Sai Baba forbade people to look at the internet.[63] In the years 1999 and 2000, Sri Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly belittled the internet and discouraged its use.[64][65]

The Guardian and DNA stated that, although Sathya Sai Baba has not been charged over old allegations of sexual abuse, a travel warning was issued by the US State Department about reports of "unconfirmed inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader," which officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba.[66][67] The Guardian further expressed concerns over a contingent of 200 youths travelling to the Baba's ashram in order to gain their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

According to The Telegraph, Glen Meloy (an ex-devotee) organized a campaign that concentrated on "e-bombing" allegations against Sathya Sai Baba to various agencies and officials. The Telegraph stated that the most conspicuous success of Meloy's campaign came when, in September 2000, UNESCO withdrew its participation in an educational conference at Puttaparthi, expressing "deep concern" about the allegations of sexual abuse. The Telegraph also stated that despite all the allegations made against Sathya Sai Baba over the years, he has never been charged with any crime, sexual or otherwise.[68]

Responses to criticism

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

In an interview with an Asian Voice correspondent, Mr Ashok Bhagani, a trustee of the Sai Organization in the UK, said that he believed the allegations in the Secret Swami BBC documentary were completely without facts, baseless and have never been proved. Mr Bhagani also stated that when devotees are selected by Baba for a private interview, there is always someone else present in the room, and this is especially the case when women and children meet him.[69] 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.[69]

The secretary of the Puttaparthi ashram, K. Chakravarthi, refused to comment on the accusations. Anil Kumar, Sathya Sai Baba's principal translator, believes that the controversy is part of Baba's divine plan and said that every great religious teacher has had to face criticism in his/her lifetime. Kumar said that allegations have been leveled at Sai Baba since childhood, but with every criticism Baba becomes more and more triumphant.[68]

Political Row

In January 2007, Sathya Sai Baba found himself embroiled in a political row after his remarks opposing the proposed partition of Andhra Pradesh as a "great sin," claiming that there was no demand from the people to bifurcate the state into Telangana and Andhra states.[70] The comments caused an outcry among pro-Telangana activists who angrily voiced their protests in street marches and attacks on the Sivam building, Sathya Sai Baba's temple in Hyderabad, which was staffed by a few followers. Shouting anti-Sai Baba slogans, the protestors pulled down a large picture of the holy man and trampled on it before taking it outside and setting it on fire. An effigy of Sathya Sai Baba was also reported to have been burnt, and twenty protestors were arrested following several police complaints.

A number of political figures criticised Sathya Sai Baba including K. Chandrasekhar Rao, leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and former Union Minister, who suggested that Sathya Sai Baba should restrict himself to religious functions and not involve himself in politics. Sai Baba's followers responded by calling a 'bandh' in which shops and business establishments were shut down to protest against the remarks of the Telangana leaders, and effigies of the critics were set alight.[71] K. Kesava Rao, President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, maintained that Sathya Sai Baba's comments had been "misinterpreted" and that the remark was not political. Digvijay Singh, Congress secretary-general, disagreed with suggestions that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy could have instigated Sathya Sai Baba to make his statement, and confirmed that his party approved plans for the creation of a separate Telangana state. "With due respect to Sai Baba we can say that the work for setting up the second state reorganisation commission will go on," he said.[72]

Notess

  1. ↑ Babb, Lawrence A. (1983). Sathya Sai Baba's Magic. Anthropological Quarterly 56 (3): 116–124.: "In 1940, at the age of fourteen, he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of the celebrated Sai Baba of Shirdi-a saint who became famous in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bowen, David (1988). The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its origins and development, religious beliefs and practices. Leeds: University Press. ISBN 1871363020. 
  3. ↑ Shiva Shakthi, Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, (Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.)
  4. ↑ Kasturi, Narayana (1973). Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part II: The Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, pp. 88-89. ISBN 81-7208-127-8. 
  5. ↑ Kasturi, Narayana, "Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram", ISBN 1-57836-077-3
  6. ↑ Babb, Lawrence A. [1986] (2000). Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press Inc., pp. 198-199. LCCN 85-28897. ISBN 1577661532. OCLC 45491795.  "Sathya Sai Baba is, among other things, a teacher. He is a frequent giver of discourses, now compiled in several volumes. He usually speaks in Telugu, and before a Hindi-speaking audience an interpreter is required. One of his most characteristic rhetorical devices is the ad hoc (and often false) etymology. For example, he has stated that Hindu means 'one who is nonviolent' by the combination of hinsa (violence) and dur (distant)."
  7. ↑ "The Revelation," Sathya Sai Speaks VI, 210-213, 17 May 1968 Available online
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Interview given by Sathya Sai Baba to R. K. Karanjia of Blitz News Magazine in September of 1976 Available online
  9. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions: Second Edition, Editor James R. Lewis, 2002, ISBN 1-57392-88-7
  10. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions:Second Edition, Editor James R. Lewis, 2002, ISBN 1-57392-88-7
  11. ↑ The Hindu, "Day of introspection at Puttaparthi" by Chitra Mahesh, January 4, 2002, Available online.
  12. ↑ 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
  13. ↑ 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 organization
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Baker Pocket Guide to New Religions, by Nigel Scotland , 2006, ISBN 0-8010-6620-4
  15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 Babb, Lawrence A. [1986] (2000). Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press Inc.. LCCN 85-28897. ISBN 1577661532. OCLC 45491795. 
  16. ↑ The Star, "Enlightening experience in India", by M. Krishnamoorthy Available online
  17. ↑ Places to see at Puttaparthi. Referenced from official Sathya Sai Organization website, Available online
  18. ↑ The Hindu, "A 5-point recipe for happiness", by Our Staff Reporter, November 24 2006 Available online
  19. ↑ The Hindu, "Warm welcome to PM at Puttaparthi", by Our Staff Reporter, February 12 2004 Available online
  20. ↑ Deccan Herald: "Sathya Sai's birthday celebrations on" by Terry Kennedy, November 23 2005, Available online
  21. ↑ The ashrams of Sathya Sai Baba. Referenced from the official Sathya Sai Organization website, Available online
  22. ↑ Sathyam, Shivam and Sundaram Mandirs On Official radiosai.org website Available online
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions:Second Edition, Editor, James R. Lewis, 2002, ISBN 1-57392-88-7
  24. ↑ Hummel, Reinhart| Guru, Miracle Worker, Religious Founder: Sathya Sai Baba article in Update IX 3, Sept. 1985, originally published in German in Materialdienst der EZW, 47 Jahrgang, 1 February 1984 (retrieved 20 Feb. 2007)
    "If the visitor finally managed to meet him, he would be startled not only with materializations but also with disclosures of his own life that Sai Baba, as clairvoyant, reveals"
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Times Of India, "Sathya Sai Baba Trust to set up second superspecialty hospital at Bangalore", May 29 2000
  26. ↑ The Hindu: City colleges cheer NAAC rating, June 8 2006, Available online.
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus, from an Official Sathya Sai site, Available online
  29. ↑ The Hindu: Healing with Love and Compassion, November 23 2005, Available online
  30. ↑ Deccan Harald: "Where service comes first " by Aruna Chandaraju, January 17, 2006 Available online
  31. ↑ The Hindu: Vajpayee hits out at high cost of medicare by A. Jayaram, January 20, 2001 Available online
  32. ↑ Times Of India, "Sai hospital to host health meet on Saturday", January 14 2002Available online
  33. ↑ The Times Of India: Super-Specialty hospital touches 2.5 lakh cases by Manu Rao, Available online
  34. ↑ "Sai Baba hospital: A refuge to millions", May 1 2001, Available online
  35. ↑ Sathya Sai Trust gets most foreign donations in rediff August 16, 2003 available online retrieved 12 Feb. 2007
    " the Andhra Pradesh-based Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust is the largest recipient of foreign contributions."
  36. ↑ The Week: Showers of Grace by Hiramalini Seshadri, May 26 2002 Available online.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 The Hindu: Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust by Our Staff Reporter, February 13, 2004, Available online Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "cmpraise" defined multiple times with different content
  38. ↑ The Hindu: Chennai benefits from Sai Baba's initiative by Our Special Correspondent, December 1 2004, Available online
  39. ↑ The Hindu: Project Water by Hiramalini Seshadri, June 25 2003, Available online
  40. ↑ Chennai Online: MK hails Sai Baba's service to mankind, January 21 2007, Available online
  41. ↑ IBN: Karunanidhi shares dais with Sai Baba, January 21 2007, Available online
  42. ↑ The Hindu, Water, the Elixir of life, November 2005 Available online.
  43. ↑ Sai Educare Website, authorized by the Sathya Sai Organization, Available online.
  44. ↑ The Hindu, "Saibaba Gospel Goes On Air", November 24 2001, Available online
  45. ↑ Sathya Sai Baba Shiva Shakti, on Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, in Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.) Available online
  46. ↑ 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 of Amsterdam press, (1994) ISBN 90-5383-341-2
    English "For example, he materializes vibuthi constantly."
    Dutch original "Vibhuti bijv. materialiseert hij aan de lopende band."
  47. ↑ Nair, Yogas, "Raisins, ash raise eyebrows," The Post April 19 2006, Available online
  48. ↑ Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 1-58234-034-X
  49. ↑ March 17 2004 in the newspaper Post South Africa Available online
  50. ↑ "House of Miracles," Sunday 24 March 2002, Durban news, Sunday Times Available online
  51. ↑ India Express, "Sai Baba in a DDA flat?" by Rekha Bakshi, Available online
  52. ↑ Kent, Alexandra Divinity and Diversity: a Hindu revitalization movement in Malaysia, Copenhagen Nias Press, first published in 2005, ISBN 8791114403, page 125
  53. ↑ Haraldson, op. cit, pp 204-205
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 India Today, "A God Accused", December 04, 2000 Available online
  55. ↑ Datta, Tanya (Thursday, 17 June, 2004). Sai Baba: God-man or con man? (html). BBC News. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
    "In 1986, he was arrested by the police for marching to Puttaparthi with 500 volunteers for a well-publicised confrontation with Sai Baba. Later that year, he took Sai Baba to court for violating the Gold Control Act by producing gold necklaces out of thin air without the permission of a Gold Control Administrator.
    When his case was dismissed, Mr Premanand appealed on the grounds that spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law.
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 56.3 56.4 56.5 56.6 Secret Swami BBC TV documentary, June 2004, Transcript available online
  57. ↑ Guru Purnima Discourse, July 3 1993, Keep Truth as Your Aim: Available online
  58. ↑ "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"
  59. ↑ Michelle Goldberg,Untouchable 25 July 2001 in salon.com
  60. ↑ David Bailey: A Journey to Love
  61. ↑ Rao, Manu B.S. Sai Baba lashes out at detractors. Times of India 26 December 2000
  62. ↑ Discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on 25 December 2000 Available online (pdf file)
  63. ↑ Velde, Koert van der "The Downfall of a guru, Sai Baba" 6 September 2000 in the Dutch tabloid newspaper Trouw
  64. ↑ Discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on October 15 1999, Available online
  65. ↑ Discourse by Sai Baba on September 26 2000, Available online Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  66. ↑ Paul Lewis, The Guardian, The Indian living god, the paedophilia claims and the Duke of Edinburgh awards', November 4 2006, page 3, Available online Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  67. ↑ Ginnie Mahajan/Brajesh Kumar, DNA World, A holy furore rages in Britain, Available online Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Brown, Mick, "Divine Downfall", Daily Telegraph, 2000-10-28. Retrieved October 19, 2008..
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 New Allegations Of Abuse Against Sai Baba by Payal Nair, Asian Voice, June 26 2004: Available online Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  70. ↑ Telangana activists upset with Sai Baba. hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 19 Feb, 2007.
  71. ↑ Spiritual guru criticised for opposing statehood for Telangana region. gulf-times.com. Retrieved 19 Feb, 2007.
  72. ↑ Cong ignores Sai Baba's remarks. timesofindia.com. Retrieved 19 Feb, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Babb, Lawrence A. (1983). Sathya Sai Baba's Magic. Anthropological Quarterly 56 (3): 116–124.
  • Bowen, David (1988). The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its origins and development, religious beliefs and practices. Leeds: University Press. ISBN 1871363020.
  • 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. Sai Towers, Prasanthi Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
  • Kasturi Narayana Sathyam Sivam Sundaram (Vol. 1) Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. ISBN 81-7208-127-8
  • Lochtefeld James G. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Vol. 1). Rosen, 2002. ISBN 0-8239-3179-X
  • Woodhead, Linda and Paul Fletcher Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformation. Routledge ISBN 0-415-21784-9

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