Sathya Sai Baba Telugu: సత్య సాయిబాబా IPA: [sʌθjə sɑːɪ bɑːbɑː] born as Sathyanarayana Raju (23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011) was a popular Indian guru, spiritual figure and educator. He is described by his devotees as an Avatar, godman, spiritual teacher and miracle worker. The apparent materializing of vibuthi (holy ash) and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches by Sathya Sai Baba has been a source of both fame and controversy – skeptics consider these simple conjuring tricks, while devotees consider them evidence of divinity. Sathya Sai Baba has claimed to be the reincarnation of the great spiritual guru, Sai Baba of Shirdi, whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and Muslim beliefs.
Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations support a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in India and abroad. The number of active Sathya Sai Baba adherents was estimated in 1999 to be around 6 million, although followers' estimations are far higher. Since there are no formal ties of membership, the actual figure may never be known. The Sathya Sai Organization reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 114 countries worldwide. In India itself, Sai Baba draws followers from predominantly upper-middle-class, urban sections of society who have the "most wealth, education and exposure to Western ideas." A cultural icon in his home country, Sai Baba has attracted presidents and prime ministers from India and beyond who have become his devotees; in 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.
Biography
Sathyanarayana Raju was born to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram[17] in the village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. Almost everything known about his life stems from the hagiography that has grown around him, the presentation of narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered evidence of his divine nature.
His birth, which his mother Eswaramma asserted was by miraculous conception, was also said to be heralded by miracles.[3][10][20] As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable.[10] He was exceptionally talented in drama, music, dance and writing, and was an avid composer of poems and plays.[21] He was said to be capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.[22][23]
On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion.[22][23] He lost consciousness for several hours.[21] Within the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behavior.[23] There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence."[23][24] "He began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language of which he had no prior knowledge."[3] Doctors believed his behavior to be hysteria.[3][23] His parents brought Sathya home to Puttaparthi.[25] Concerned, they took him to many priests, "doctors" and exorcists.[23][24]
On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and materialized sugar candy and other items. His father became furious upon seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and asked him who he was. To this Sathya announced calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba," a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi.[3][21] He proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a saint who became famous in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Maharashtra, and who had died eight years before Sathya was born.[3][25][26]
Later that year, Sathya Sai Baba declared that he had no worldly relationship with anyone,[10] and around this time, devotees began to gather to him.[10] In 1940, Sathya Sai Baba began to travel to Madras and elsewhere in South India and soon had a large regional following.[10]
In 1944, a mandir (temple) for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village. It is now referred to as the old mandir.[27][28] The construction of Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and after 2 years, was completed in 1950.[10][28] In 1957 Sathya Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.[18] In 1954, Sathya Sai Baba established a small free General Hospital in the village of Puttaparthi.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks.[30] It is believed by some that he healed himself of these, and on recovering announced that he would be reborn as Prema Sai Baba in the state of Karnataka.[10] He stated, "I am Siva-Sakthi, born in the gothra (lineage) of Bharadwaja, according to a boon won by that sage from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born in the gothra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Siva and Sakthi have incarnated as Myself in his gothra now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the same gothra in Mandya district of Karnataka State."[10][31]
On 29 June 1968, Sathya Sai Baba made his first and only trip overseas, to Uganda.[30][32] During a discourse in Nairobi, Sathya Sai Baba stated, "I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have not come on behalf of any exclusive religion. I have not come on a mission of publicity for a sect or creed or cause, nor have I come to collect followers for a doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into my fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of Love, this virtue of Love, this duty of Love, this obligation of Love."[33] In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or Sathyam Mandir in Mumbai.[34]
In 1973, he established Shivam Mandir in Hyderabad.[34] On 19 January 1981, in Chennai he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir.[34] In March 1995 he started the water project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in Anantapur.[35] In 2001 Sathya Sai Baba established another free Super Speciality hospital in Bangalore to benefit the poor.[29] In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Since 2005, Sathya Sai Baba has used a wheelchair and his failing health has forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped, and both boy and stool fell on Sathya Sai Baba. He gives darshan now from a car or his porte chair.[36][37]
Sathya Sai Baba's assertion of divine status is expressed in the first person; he states it boldly and repeatedly.[10] "I am beyond the reach of the most intensive enquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognized my love and experienced that love can assert that they have glimpsed my reality. Do not attempt to know me through the external eyes."[38]
He is also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans (devotional songs).[39]
Illness and Death
Sathya Sai Baba was admitted to the super-specialty hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi on 28 March 2011 following respiration-related problems.[40][41]. After many days of hospitalization, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, he died on 24 April 2011 at 7:40 am (IST). [42]
Beliefs and practices of devotees
Sathya Sai Baba has said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion,[43] saying "My objective is the establishment of sanatana dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity."[44]
Internationally, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily or weekly on Sundays (and/or Thursdays) for group devotional singing (bhajans),[45] prayer,[46] spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),[47] and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV)[46] known as "Bal Vikas" (meaning Blossoming of the Child), that can also be described as Sai Sunday School.
A primary aspect of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings is the spiritual benefit of darshan for his students. At that time, Sai Baba may interact with people, accept letters, materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Devotees consider it a great privilege to have an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family will be invited for a private interview.
There is no published formal doctrine or set of rules for the Sai Baba movement.
Sathya Sai Baba supports a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in over 166 countries.[54] The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (now changed to Sri Sathya Sai University) in Prashanthi 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).[55][56] Sri Sathya Sai University for which Baba is the Chancellor, has three campuses, one at Puttaparthi for men,[57] one at Whitefield, Bangalore for men[58] and one at Anantapur for women.[59] His charity supports an institute for Indian Classical Music called the Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of Music. Baba's educational institutions aim to impart Character Education along with Excellence in academics with emphasis on Human Values and Ethics.[60]
Sathya Sai Baba chairs the Muddenahalli-Sathya Sai Loka Seva School and Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust Educational Institutions in Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura regions. In addition, a Sathya Sai Baba University and Medical School as well as a world class hospital and research institute are being constructed on over 200 acres (0.81 km2) to serve the destitute population. Baba has said that the campus will be modeled after Puttaparthi and will infuse spirituality with academics.
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220 bed facility that provides free surgical and medical care and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 22 November 1991.[29] The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333 bed hospital meant to benefit the poor.[63] The hospital was inaugurated on 19 January 2001 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.[64][65] The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.[66]
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.[67]
The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two specialty hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.[54] The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. One project completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.[35][68] The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal".[69][70] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement.[71][72] 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.[35] In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.[73] In 2008, 2 million people in the state of Orissa, India were affected by floods. As a relief measure, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, has built 699 houses as a part of their first phase in 16 villages by March 2009.[74]
Sathya Sai Baba's Educare program seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries, including Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Peru.[75][76] The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba's education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye opener to educationists in Zambia."[77]
In Canada, the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research and educational organization, ranked the Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of the top 37 elementary schools in Ontario.[78] The Sathya Sai School scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in the Institute's overall rating for academic performance.[78][79][80]
On 23 November 1999, the Department of Posts, Government of India, released a postage stamp and a postal cover in recognition of the service rendered by Sathya Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses.[81]
On 23 November 2001, the digital radio network Radio Sai Global Harmony was launched through the World Space Organization, United States. 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.[82]
In January 2007, an event was held in Chennai Nehru stadium organised by the Chennai Citizens Conclave to thank Sathya Sai Baba for the 200 crore water project which brought water from the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function.
Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations support a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in India and abroad. The number of active Sathya Sai Baba adherents was estimated in 1999 to be around 6 million, although followers' estimations are far higher. Since there are no formal ties of membership, the actual figure may never be known. The Sathya Sai Organization reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 114 countries worldwide. In India itself, Sai Baba draws followers from predominantly upper-middle-class, urban sections of society who have the "most wealth, education and exposure to Western ideas." A cultural icon in his home country, Sai Baba has attracted presidents and prime ministers from India and beyond who have become his devotees; in 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.
| Sri Sathya Sai Baba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date of birth | 23 November 1926 |
| Place of birth | Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Birth name | Sathyanarayana Raju |
| Date of death | 24 April 2011 (aged 84) |
| Place of death | Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Quotation | Love All, Serve All Help Ever, Hurt Never |
Sathyanarayana Raju was born to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram[17] in the village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. Almost everything known about his life stems from the hagiography that has grown around him, the presentation of narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered evidence of his divine nature.
His birth, which his mother Eswaramma asserted was by miraculous conception, was also said to be heralded by miracles.[3][10][20] As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable.[10] He was exceptionally talented in drama, music, dance and writing, and was an avid composer of poems and plays.[21] He was said to be capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.[22][23]
On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion.[22][23] He lost consciousness for several hours.[21] Within the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behavior.[23] There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence."[23][24] "He began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language of which he had no prior knowledge."[3] Doctors believed his behavior to be hysteria.[3][23] His parents brought Sathya home to Puttaparthi.[25] Concerned, they took him to many priests, "doctors" and exorcists.[23][24]
On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and materialized sugar candy and other items. His father became furious upon seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and asked him who he was. To this Sathya announced calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba," a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi.[3][21] He proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a saint who became famous in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Maharashtra, and who had died eight years before Sathya was born.[3][25][26]
Later that year, Sathya Sai Baba declared that he had no worldly relationship with anyone,[10] and around this time, devotees began to gather to him.[10] In 1940, Sathya Sai Baba began to travel to Madras and elsewhere in South India and soon had a large regional following.[10]
In 1944, a mandir (temple) for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village. It is now referred to as the old mandir.[27][28] The construction of Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and after 2 years, was completed in 1950.[10][28] In 1957 Sathya Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.[18] In 1954, Sathya Sai Baba established a small free General Hospital in the village of Puttaparthi.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks.[30] It is believed by some that he healed himself of these, and on recovering announced that he would be reborn as Prema Sai Baba in the state of Karnataka.[10] He stated, "I am Siva-Sakthi, born in the gothra (lineage) of Bharadwaja, according to a boon won by that sage from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born in the gothra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Siva and Sakthi have incarnated as Myself in his gothra now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the same gothra in Mandya district of Karnataka State."[10][31]
On 29 June 1968, Sathya Sai Baba made his first and only trip overseas, to Uganda.[30][32] During a discourse in Nairobi, Sathya Sai Baba stated, "I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have not come on behalf of any exclusive religion. I have not come on a mission of publicity for a sect or creed or cause, nor have I come to collect followers for a doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into my fold or any fold. I have come to tell you of this unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of Love, this virtue of Love, this duty of Love, this obligation of Love."[33] In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or Sathyam Mandir in Mumbai.[34]
In 1973, he established Shivam Mandir in Hyderabad.[34] On 19 January 1981, in Chennai he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir.[34] In March 1995 he started the water project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in Anantapur.[35] In 2001 Sathya Sai Baba established another free Super Speciality hospital in Bangalore to benefit the poor.[29] In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Since 2005, Sathya Sai Baba has used a wheelchair and his failing health has forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped, and both boy and stool fell on Sathya Sai Baba. He gives darshan now from a car or his porte chair.[36][37]
Sathya Sai Baba's assertion of divine status is expressed in the first person; he states it boldly and repeatedly.[10] "I am beyond the reach of the most intensive enquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognized my love and experienced that love can assert that they have glimpsed my reality. Do not attempt to know me through the external eyes."[38]
He is also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans (devotional songs).[39]
Illness and Death
Sathya Sai Baba was admitted to the super-specialty hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi on 28 March 2011 following respiration-related problems.[40][41]. After many days of hospitalization, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, he died on 24 April 2011 at 7:40 am (IST). [42]
Beliefs and practices of devotees
Sathya Sai Baba has said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion,[43] saying "My objective is the establishment of sanatana dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity."[44]
Internationally, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily or weekly on Sundays (and/or Thursdays) for group devotional singing (bhajans),[45] prayer,[46] spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),[47] and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV)[46] known as "Bal Vikas" (meaning Blossoming of the Child), that can also be described as Sai Sunday School.
A primary aspect of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings is the spiritual benefit of darshan for his students. At that time, Sai Baba may interact with people, accept letters, materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Devotees consider it a great privilege to have an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family will be invited for a private interview.
There is no published formal doctrine or set of rules for the Sai Baba movement.
Institutions, organizations and projects
Sathya Sai Baba chairs the Muddenahalli-Sathya Sai Loka Seva School and Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust Educational Institutions in Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura regions. In addition, a Sathya Sai Baba University and Medical School as well as a world class hospital and research institute are being constructed on over 200 acres (0.81 km2) to serve the destitute population. Baba has said that the campus will be modeled after Puttaparthi and will infuse spirituality with academics.
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220 bed facility that provides free surgical and medical care and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 22 November 1991.[29] The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333 bed hospital meant to benefit the poor.[63] The hospital was inaugurated on 19 January 2001 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.[64][65] The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.[66]
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgeries, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.[67]
The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general hospitals, two specialty hospitals, eye hospitals and mobile dispensaries and conducts medical camps in rural and slum areas in India.[54] The Trust has also funded several major drinking water projects. One project completed in 1996 supplies water to 1.2 million people in about 750 villages in the drought-prone Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.[35][68] The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to Chennai through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal".[69][70] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement.[71][72] 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.[35] In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in Latur, Maharashtra.[73] In 2008, 2 million people in the state of Orissa, India were affected by floods. As a relief measure, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, has built 699 houses as a part of their first phase in 16 villages by March 2009.[74]
Sathya Sai Baba's Educare program seeks to found schools throughout the world with the goal of educating children in the five human values. According to the Sai Educare site, schools have been founded in 33 countries, including Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Peru.[75][76] The Times of Zambia states, "The positive influence of Sathya Sai is unprecedented in the annals of education in Zambia. Sai Baba's education ideals as embodied in his human values-based approach in education are an eye opener to educationists in Zambia."[77]
In Canada, the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research and educational organization, ranked the Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of the top 37 elementary schools in Ontario.[78] The Sathya Sai School scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in the Institute's overall rating for academic performance.[78][79][80]
On 23 November 1999, the Department of Posts, Government of India, released a postage stamp and a postal cover in recognition of the service rendered by Sathya Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses.[81]
On 23 November 2001, the digital radio network Radio Sai Global Harmony was launched through the World Space Organization, United States. 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.[82]
In January 2007, an event was held in Chennai Nehru stadium organised by the Chennai Citizens Conclave to thank Sathya Sai Baba for the 200 crore water project which brought water from the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function.
