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Sathya Sai Baba (born Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926,[1][2] or later than 1927 — with the family name of "Ratnakara") is a guru from southern India, religious leader, orator and philosopher often described as a godman[3][4] and a miracle worker.[5]
According to the Sathya Sai Organization, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries world-wide.[6] The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated sometimes as around 6 million, and followers cite "50 to 100 million".[7]
Info: Wikipedia.org
Life
Sathya Sai Baba was born Sathyanarayana Raju to Peddavenkappa Raju and Easwaramma, a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. Since he was born after the satyanārāyaṇa pūjā, he was named after that deity. It was said that instruments played on their own accord in his household when he was born. [8] An official four-volume biography, called a hagiography by the Daily Telegraph, was written by professor Narayana Kasturi.[9]Kasturi wrote in his book about Sathya Sai Baba's mother that she found out she was pregnant after dreaming of the Hindu god Sathyanarayana.[10] Easwaramma claimed that she found out she was pregnant after dreaming of the Hindu God Sathyanarayana and after a huge sphere of blue light rolled towards her, merged into her and made her faint.[11]According to Kasturi, a cobra was found in the bedclothes of the baby shortly after Sathya Sai Baba was born.[12] [13] Some of his followers identify Sai Baba as the Lord of Serpents, Sheshiasa.[14]The Hollywood screenwriter Arnold Schulman
wrote in his 1971 book that Kasturi's story was denied by Sathya Sai
Baba's sister who, according to Schulman, asserted that "the cobra was
not found under the blanket, but several hours after Baba was born a
cobra was seen outside the house." [15]Schulman
further stated that "for any episode of Baba's childhood, there are
countless contrasting versions and, at this point, the author
discovered that it was no longer possible to separate the facts from
the legend". According to Schulman, contrasting versions about Baba's
childhood may be due to the fact that he needed interpreters to
interpret other interpreters (as in the case of his interview with
Baba's sister). Schulman concluded that what the translators said may
well have been quite different from what was actually said.[16]
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.[46] Sathya Sai Baba is said to sometimes take on the illnesses of devotees on himself.[47] Daily, he is observed to allegedly manifest vibuthi (holy ash), and sometimes food and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches. [48]
In devotees' houses all around the world, there are claims from observers, journalists and devotees that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, Siva 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.[49][50][51][52][53][54]
Frank Baranowski, who specialized in Kirlian photography and seeing auras, reportedly analyzed Sathya Sai Baba's aura
and concluded that Baba was not a human being but a divine personality
because his aura was unlike anyone he had seen before. Baranowski
claimed that Sathya Sai Baba's aura was so extensive, it appeared to
extend beyond the horizon and contained silver and gold bands that he
had not observed before.[55]
The retired Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson
wrote that he did not get Sathya Sai Baba's permission to study him
under controlled circumstances. Nevertheless, he wrote, he investigated
and documented the guru's alleged miracles and manifestations through
first-hand interviews with devotees and ex-devotees. Haraldsson's
research yielded many extraordinary testimonies of reported miracles.
Some of the reported miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba included levitation (both indoors and outdoors), bilocation,
physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing
water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing
objects on demand, changing the color of his gown into a different
color while wearing it, multiplying food, healings, visions, dreams,
making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems,
controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities
and physically emitting brilliant light.[56]
These devotees and ex-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.[57] Haraldsson wrote that the largest allegedly materialized object that he saw was a mangalsutra necklace, 32 inches long, 16 inches long on each side.[58] Haraldsson wrote that some miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba resemble the ones described in the New Testament,
but also with some differences. According to Haraldsson, although
healings certainly figure into Sai Baba's reputation, his impression is
that healings do not play a prominent role in Sathya Sai Baba's
activities as in those of Jesus.[59]
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.[75] He asserted that he is an avatar of God in whom all names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest.[76]
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.[61]
He stresses humans should always be free from desires and states
that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger, jealousy etc).[61]
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.[2] He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas (Vedasamrakshana).[77] 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).[78]
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.[79]
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[80] and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968.[81]
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)[82] and shantih (peace).
Info & Photo: Wikipedia.org
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