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'{{short description|Indian spiritual guru}} {{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Redirect|Sathyanarayana Raju}} {{Infobox Hindu leader | name =Sathya Sai Baba | image = Sri_Sathya_Sai_Baba_at_Brindavan_Ashram.jpg | alt = Sathya Sai Baba | caption = | religion = [[Hindu reform movements]] | birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|11|23|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Puttaparthi]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (now in [[Andhra Pradesh]]) | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2011|4|24|1926|11|23}} GOD DIED lol | death_place = [[Puttaparthi]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]] | birth_name = Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju | founder = [[Sathya Sai Organization]]<br>[[Sathya Sai Baba movement]] | guru = <!-- The teacher (if any) --> | philosophy = Love all. Serve all. Help Ever. Hurt Never. | nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]] | signature = }} {{Hinduism small}} '''Sathya Sai Baba''' (born '''Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju'''; 23 November 1926{{spaced ndash}}24 April 2011)<ref name="BBC obit">{{cite news |publisher=BBC| title=Obituary: Indian guru Sai Baba |date= 24 April 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13153536 |quote=Satya Sai Baba was born Sathyanarayana Raju on 23 November 1926}}</ref> was an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[guru]].<ref name="babb83">{{cite journal|last1=Babb|first1=Lawrence A.|title=Sathya Sai Baba's Magic|journal=Anthropological Quarterly|date=1983|volume=56|issue=3|pages=116–124|doi=10.2307/3317305|jstor=3317305}}</ref><ref name="das15">{{cite journal|last1=Das|first1=M. K.|title=Televising religion: A study of Sathya Sai Baba's funeral broadcast in Gangtok, India|journal=Anthropological Notebooks|date=2015|volume=21|issue=3|pages=83–104|url=http://www.drustvo-antropologov.si/AN/PDF/2015_3/Anthropological_Notebooks_XXI_3_Kumar%20Das.pdf}}</ref> At the age of fourteen he claimed that he was the [[reincarnation]] of [[Sai Baba of Shirdi|Shirdi Sai Baba]],<ref name="RichardWeiss">{{cite journal|last1=Weiss|first1=Richard|date=December 2005|title=THE GLOBAL GURU: SAI BABA AND THE MIRACLE OF THE MODERN|url=http://www.nzasia.org.nz/downloads/NZJAS-Dec05/7_2_2.pdf|journal=New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies|volume=7|issue=2|pages=5–19}}</ref><ref name="kent" /> and left his home to serve his devotees.<ref name="Singleton, Mark| Goldberg, Ellen">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSpnAQAAQBAJ&q=sai+baba+god+incarnate+academic+studies&pg=PT208|title=Gurus of Modern Yoga|isbn=9780199374953|last1=Singleton|first1=Mark|last2=Goldberg|first2=Ellen|date=27 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="BabbLawrence">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B8bMjUt6AqIC|title=Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition|last=Babb|first=Lawrence A.|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=1991|isbn=978-0-520-07636-5|page=164}}</ref> Sai Baba's believers credited him with miracles such as [[Materialization (parapsychology)|materialisations]] of ''[[Vibhuti#Sacred ash|vibhuti]]'' (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches, along with reports of miraculous healings, [[resurrection]]s, [[clairvoyance]], [[bilocation]] and was allegedly [[omnipotence|omnipotent]] and [[omniscience|omniscient]].<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3813469.stm |title=Sai Baba: God-man or con man? |last=Datta |first=Tanya |date=17 June 2004 |access-date=7 December 2020 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Multiple studies have concluded that his acts were based on sleight of hand or had other explanations that were not supernatural, although his devotees believe them to be signs of his divinity.<ref name=quack>{{cite book|author=Johannes Quack|title=Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55wFpydSZ8oC&pg=PA120 |year=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-981260-8 |pages=120–}}</ref><ref name=CNNSingh>{{cite news|title=Indian spiritual guru dies at 85|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/24/india.spiritual.guru.death/ |access-date=7 December 2020 |newspaper=CNN |date=24 April 2011 |orig-year=Sunday (Easter Day)|author=Harmeet Shah Singh}}</ref><ref name=Palmer116>Palmer, Norris W. "Baba's World". In: {{cite book| last1 = Forsthoefel| first1 = Thomas A.| last2 = Humes| first2 = Cynthia Ann (eds.)| title = Gurus in America| place = Albany, NY| publisher = State University of New York Press| year = 2005| isbn = 0-7914-6574-8 }}</ref> The [[Sathya Sai Organisation]], founded by Sathya Sai Baba "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement",<ref name="srisaiorg"/> has over 1,200 Sathya Sai Centres (branches) in 126 countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Branches|url=http://www.sathyasai.org/organize/content.htm|publisher=Official website – International Sai Organisation|access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref> Through this organisation, Sathya Sai Baba established a network of free [[Hospital#Specialized|super speciality hospitals]] and general hospitals, clinics, drinking water projects, a university, auditoriums, [[ashram]]s and schools.<ref name=funeral>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13204914|title=Thousands flock to funeral of India guru Satya Sai Baba|work=BBC News|date=27 April 2011}}</ref><ref name=deccanheraldlegacy>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/156315/sai-babas-legacy.html|title=Sai Baba's legacy|work=Deccan Herald|date=24 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="toigovernments">{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-25/india/29470992_1_sathya-sai-baba-whitefield-ashram-god | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001140943/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-25/india/29470992_1_sathya-sai-baba-whitefield-ashram-god | url-status=dead | archive-date=2013-10-01 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title='Sai Baba did everything govt could not'}}</ref> == Biography == ===Early life=== Almost everything known about Sathya Sai Baba's early life stems from the [[hagiography]] that grew around him, narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered by them to be evidence of his divine nature.<ref name="BabbLawrence"/><ref name="UrbanHugh74" /><ref name="Palmer99">{{cite book|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/4991|title=Gurus in America|last=Palmer|first=Norris W.|publisher=[[State University of New York Press]]|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7914-6574-5|editor-last=A. Forsthoefel|editor-first=Thomas|place=Albany, NY|page=99|chapter=Baba’s World: A Global Guru and His Movement|editor-last2=Ann Humes|editor-first2=Cynthia|chapter-url=https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/116246}}</ref> According to these sources, Sathya Narayana Raju was born on 23 November 1926 to Meesaraganda Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram, to a [[Bhatraju]] family,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/a-phenomenon-called-sathya-sai-baba-132676-2011-04-25|title=A phenomenon called Sathya Sai Baba|last=Rao|first=A. Srinivasa|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6fHFLQDOEuYC&q=bhat+raju|title=Winged Faith: Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism through the Sathya Sai Movement|last=Srinivas|first=Tulasi|date=10 June 2010|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-52052-2|pages=54|language=en}}</ref> a community of religious musicians and balladeers,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/35458340.pdf|title=Sathya Sai Baba as Avatar: "His Story" and the History of an Idea|last=Spurr|first=Michael James|website=University of Canterbury}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSpnAQAAQBAJ&q=Bhat+raju&pg=PT368|title=Gurus of Modern Yoga|last1=Singleton|first1=Mark|last2=Goldberg|first2=Ellen|date=27 November 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-937495-3|language=en}}</ref> in the village of [[Puttaparthi]] which was the [[Madras Presidency]] of [[British Raj|British India]].<ref name="BabbLawrence"/><ref>Haraldsson, Erlendur, Miracles are my visiting cards – An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prasanthi Nilayam, India), p. 55, {{ISBN|81-86822-32-1}}</ref><ref name="Eade">{{Cite book|date=1 January 2002|editor-last=Eade|editor-first=John|editor2-last=Mele|editor2-first=Christopher|title=Understanding the City|publisher=Wiley|language=en|doi=10.1002/9780470693582|isbn=9780470693582}}</ref> His birth was alleged by his mother Easwaramma to be of a [[Miraculous births|miraculous conception]].<ref name="RichardWeiss"/><ref name="BabbLawrence"/> 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).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-22/india/29463028_1_sathya-sai-baba-satyajit-trust-affairsnephew|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103170839/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-22/india/29463028_1_sathya-sai-baba-satyajit-trust-affairsnephew|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 January 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|title=Vaastu dosham at hospital he built, say Sai kin|date=25 April 2011}}</ref> As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable, though not necessarily academically inclined, as his interests were of a more spiritual nature.<ref name="BabbLawrence"/><ref name=Palmer99 /> He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama.<ref name=Palmer99 /><ref name="kent">{{cite book | last = Kent | first = Alexandra |title =Divinity and Diversity: A Hindu Revitalization Movement in Malaysia |publisher = Nordic Institute of Asian Studies | year = 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=26sVhUo_aM4C&pg=PA37 |pages = 37–39| isbn = 978-87-91114-40-3}}</ref> From a young age, he has been alleged to have been capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.<ref name="AlexandraKent">{{Cite journal|last=Kent|first=Alexandra|date=1 January 2000|title=Creating Divine Unity: Chinese Recruitment in the Sathya Sai Baba Movement of Malaysia|journal=Journal of Contemporary Religion|volume=15|issue=1|pages=5–27|doi=10.1080/135379000112116|s2cid=143315480|issn=1353-7903}}</ref> ===Proclamation=== [[File:Sri_Sathya_Sai_at_14.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Sathya Sai Baba at the age of 14, soon after proclaiming he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba]] On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in [[Uravakonda]], a small town near Puttaparthi, 14-year-old Sathya was allegedly stung by a scorpion.<ref name="AlexandraKent"/> He lost consciousness for several hours<ref name="kent"/> and in the next few days underwent a noticeable change in behaviour. There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence." It is claimed that then "he began to sing [[Sanskrit]] verses, a language of which it is alleged he had no prior knowledge."<ref name="RichardWeiss"/> Doctors concluded his behaviour to be [[hysteria]].<ref name="RichardWeiss"/> Concerned, his parents brought Sathya back home to Puttaparthi and took him to many priests, doctors and exorcists. One of the exorcists at [[Kadiri]], a town near Puttaparthi, went to the extent of torturing him with the aim of curing him. On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised sugar candy (''[[prasad]])'' and flowers for them. His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was [[Spirit possession|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]].<ref name="RichardWeiss"/><ref name="kent"/> This was the first time he proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in [[Maharashtra]] and had died eight years before Sathya was born.<ref name="RichardWeiss"/> It was then he came to be known as 'Sathya Sai Baba'. ===First mandir and development of Puttaparthi=== In 1944, a [[mandir]] for Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village of [[Puttaparthi]]. It is now referred to as the "old mandir".<ref name="bowen">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJwQAAAACAAJ|title=The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its Origin and Development, Religious Beliefs and Practices|last=Bowen|first=David|date=1988|publisher=Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds|isbn=9781871363029|language=en}}</ref> The construction of [[Prashanthi Nilayam]], the current ashram, began in 1948 and was completed in 1950.<ref name="BabbLawrence"/><ref name="bowen"/> In 1954, Sai Baba established a small free general hospital in the village of Puttaparthi.<ref name="TheHinduNewspaper">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/features/saibaba/stories/2005112300270300.htm |title=Sri Sathya Sai 80th year of Advent |newspaper=The Hindu |date=23 November 2005|access-date=10 January 2010|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> He won fame for his reputed mystical powers and ability to heal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/24/sri-sathya-sai-baba-dies|title=Sai Baba, spiritual guru to millions, dies at 85|author=Jason Burke|newspaper=the Guardian|date=24 April 2011}}</ref> In 1957 Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.<ref name="Eade"/> ===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.<ref name="BabbLawrence"/> On recovering, Sai Baba announced that he would one day next be reborn as an incarnation named ''Prema Sai Baba'' in the neighbouring state of [[Karnataka]].<ref name="BabbLawrence"/> He stated, "I am Shiva-Sakthi, born in the [[gotra]] (lineage) of [[Bharadwaja]], according to a boon won by that sage from [[Shiva|Siva]] and [[Shakti|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]] district of Karnataka State."<ref name="BabbLawrence"/> He stated he would be born again eight years after his death at the age of 96, but died at the age of 84.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13180011 | work=BBC News | title=Satya Sai Baba, Indian guru, dies at 84 | date=24 April 2011}}</ref> On 29 June 1968, Sai Baba made his only overseas trip, to [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]]. ===Later years=== In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or the Sathyam Mandir in [[Mumbai]]. In 1973, he established the Shivam Mandir in [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]. On 19 January 1981, in [[Chennai]], he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir. In a [[1993 Murders in Prashanthi Nilayam|1993 incident]], four intruders armed with knives entered his bedroom, either as an assassination attempt or as part of a power struggle between his followers. Sai Baba was unharmed. During the scuffle and the police response, the intruders and two of Sai Baba's attendants were killed. The official investigation left questions unanswered.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/who-is-sri-sathya-sai-baba-101102|title=Who is Sri Sathya Sai Baba?|agency=Press Trust of India|date=24 April 2011|publisher=[[NDTV]]|access-date=25 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/8471342/Sathya-Sai-Baba.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/8471342/Sathya-Sai-Baba.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Religion Obituaries; Satya Sai Baba |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=24 April 2011 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sathya-sai-baba-escaped-murder-attempt_1535839 |title=Sathya Sai Baba escaped murder attempt|date=25 April 2011|last=Madhusoodan|first=M K |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]}}</ref> In March 1995, Sai Baba started a project to provide drinking water to 1.2&nbsp;million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the [[Anantapur district]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/water-projects-cm-all-praise-for-satya-sai-trust/article27563258.ece|title=Water projects: CM all praise for Satya Sai Trust|author=Staff Reporter|date=13 February 2004|work=The Hindu|access-date=9 October 2019|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In April 1999 he inaugurated the Ananda Nilayam Mandir in [[Madurai]], Tamil Nadu. In 2001 he established another free super-speciality hospital in [[Bangalore]] 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 that he gave [[darshana]] from a car or his porte chair.<ref name="ibnlive.in.com82-2">{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sai-baba-turns-82-is-still-going-strong/52860-3.html?from=search-relatedstories|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825055515/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sai-baba-turns-82-is-still-going-strong/52860-3.html?from=search-relatedstories|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 August 2010|title=Sai Baba turns 82, is still going strong|last=Balakrishnan|first=Deepa|date=23 November 2007|publisher=[[CNN-IBN]]|access-date=6 January 2010}}</ref> After 2004, Sai Baba used a wheelchair and began to make fewer public appearances. On 28 March 2011, Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital, named after and started by himself, at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi, following respiration-related problems.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Sai Baba in stable condition: Hospital| newspaper = [[Hindustan Times]]| date = 5 April 2011| url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sai-Baba-in-stable-condition-Hospital/Article1-681433.aspx| access-date = 24 April 2011| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110509014742/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Sai-Baba-in-stable-condition-Hospital/Article1-681433.aspx| archive-date = 9 May 2011| df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Baba's health condition 'stable' | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] | date = 6 April 2011 | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-06/hyderabad/29388337_1_vital-parameters-condition-crrt | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105042319/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-06/hyderabad/29388337_1_vital-parameters-condition-crrt | url-status = dead | archive-date = 5 November 2012 | access-date = 24 April 2011}}</ref> After nearly a month of hospitalisation, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, he died on Sunday, 24 April at 7:40 IST, aged 84.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba passes away | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] | date = 24 April 2011 | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-24/india/29468573_1_sai-baba-sathya-sai-central-trust-puttaparthi | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120209205945/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-24/india/29468573_1_sai-baba-sathya-sai-central-trust-puttaparthi | url-status = dead | archive-date = 9 February 2012 | access-date = 24 April 2011}}</ref> Sai Baba had predicted that he would die at age 96 and would remain healthy until then.<ref>{{cite book|title=Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition|last=Babb|first=Lawrence A.|publisher=University of California Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0-520-07636-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/redemptiveencoun0000babb/page/166 166]|quote=His present incarnation, he says, ... He will die at the age of ninety-six, but his body will stay young until then.|url=https://archive.org/details/redemptiveencoun0000babb/page/166}}</ref> After he died, some devotees suggested that he was referring to that many [[lunar calendar|lunar years]], as counted by Telugu-speaking Hindus, rather than [[tropical year|solar years]],<ref>Mohammed Shafeeq. However it was soon clearly shown that the lunar reckoning does not work. Post. Durban: 27 April 2011. pg. 4</ref> and using the [[hindu calendar|Indian way]] of [[Ageing#Cultural variations|accounting for age]], which counts the year to come as part of the person's life.<ref>Sri Philip M. Prasad, Malayalam Daily. Kerala, India: 25 April 2011. "What Baba has foretold was indeed correct. According to the Roman calendar he has completed 85 years. But one can note that generally in all of Baba's discourses Baba had been referring to the star (lunar) basis in calculations. In Indian astrology there are 27 stars in a month starting with Aswathy and ending with Revathy. Accordingly a year of 12 months is composed of 324 days. Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. From that day till his death day, 24 April 2011 there were a total of 33,899 days. If this is divided with 324, we get 95 years and 54 days. Accordingly, under the star basis of calculation he was in his 96th year having completed 54 days when he left his physical body."</ref> Other devotees have spoken of his anticipated [[resurrection]], [[reincarnation]] or [[wakefulness|awakening]].<ref>''The Hindustan Times'', New Delhi: 25 April 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Narayan |first1=Sreejith |title=Sai, Thy Kingdom Come | year = 2012| isbn = 978-1-62314-842-3 | url =http://www.saikingdom.com}}</ref> ====Funeral and mourning==== His body lay in state for two days and was [[Burial|buried]] with full state honours on 27 April 2011.<ref name="news9">News 9, 24 April 2011, 16:00 IST</ref> An estimated 500,000 people attended the burial. Political leaders and prominent figures attending included then Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]], [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] president [[Sonia Gandhi]], Gujarat Chief Minister [[Narendra Modi]] (who later became Prime Minister of India), cricketer [[Sachin Tendulkar]] and [[Union Minister]]s [[S. M. Krishna]] and [[Ambika Soni]].<ref>{{Cite news | title =Sathya Sai Baba gets a tearful farewell at his Puttaparthi home | newspaper=[[India Today]] | date = 27 April 2011 | url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sathya-sai-baba-last-rites-in-puttaparthi/1/136399.html|access-date = 27 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/04/201142452416203714.html |title=Indian guru Sai Baba dies in hospital – Central & South Asia |publisher=Al Jazeera English |access-date=24 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sathya-sai-baba-buried-in-puttaparthi_1536633 |title=Sathya Sai Baba buried in Puttaparthi |publisher=DNA |date=27 April 2011 |access-date=27 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/final-farewell-to-sathya-sai-baba-today/150310-3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430163330/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/final-farewell-to-sathya-sai-baba-today/150310-3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 April 2011|title=Tearful farewell to Sathya Sai Baba |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |date=27 April 2011 |access-date=27 April 2011}}</ref> Political leaders who offered their condolences included the then Indian Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]],<ref name="news9"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mirchi9.com/news/2011/04/24/l-k-advani-reaction-on-sathya-sai-babas-death-tv9/|title=L.K.Advani Reaction on Sathya Sai Baba's Death :TV9 – Mirchi 9 – Telugu News &#124; Andhra News &#124; Hyderabad &#124; Andhra &#124; India &#124; Brain &#124; Studies &#124; University|publisher=Mirchi9.com|access-date=24 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323040616/http://www.mirchi9.com/news/2011/04/24/l-k-advani-reaction-on-sathya-sai-babas-death-tv9/|archive-date=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://70mmonline.com/WatchMovie.aspx?movieid=9086&movieName=L.K.Advani%20Reaction%20on%20Sathya%20Sai%20Baba's%20Death|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018100215/http://70mmonline.com/WatchMovie.aspx?movieid=9086&movieName=L.K.Advani%20Reaction%20on%20Sathya%20Sai%20Baba's%20Death|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2011|title=L.K.Advani Reaction on Sathya Sai Baba's Death, TV9 – L.K.Advani Reaction on Sathya Sai Baba's Death at|publisher=70mmonline.com|access-date=24 April 2011}}</ref> Sri Lankan President [[Mahinda Rajapaksa]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/04/26/world-has-lost-great-spiritual-leader-sri-lankan-president-mahinda-rajapaksa|title=World has lost a great spiritual leader – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa|work=asiantribune.com}}</ref> and the [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?719929|title = Dalai Lama Mourns Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Death |publisher = outlookindia.com|date = 25 April 2011|access-date = 29 May 2011}}</ref> Cricketer [[Sachin Tendulkar]], whose birthday was that day, cancelled his birthday celebrations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cricketnext.in.com/news/sachin-mourns-sai-babas-death-on-his-bday/56827-13.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426031545/http://cricketnext.in.com/news/sachin-mourns-sai-babas-death-on-his-bday/56827-13.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2011|title=Sachin mourns SaiBaba death on his b'day|date=24 April 2011|work=IBNLive}}</ref> ''[[The Hindu]]'' newspaper reported that "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's propagation of spiritualism and preaching of Hindu philosophy never came in the way of his commitment to secular beliefs{{what|date=January 2022}}."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1764337.ece?homepage=true | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=A secular spiritual leader | date=25 April 2011}}</ref> The Government of [[Karnataka]] declared 25 and 26 April as [[day of mourning|days of mourning]] and Andhra Pradesh declared 25, 26, and 27 April as days of mourning.<ref name="news9"/> [[File:Sri Sathya Sai Baba Mahasamadhi at Sai Kulwant Hall.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Sri Sathya Sai Baba Mahasamadhi at Prasanthi Nilayam]] ==Sathya Sai Organisation== {{Main|Sathya Sai Organisation}} The Sathya Sai Organisation (or Sri Sathya Sai [[Selfless service|Seva]] Organization) was founded in the 1960s by Sathya Sai Baba.<ref name="srisaiorg">{{cite web|url=http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/Sai_Organisations/Sai_Organisations.htm|title=SSSCT- Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation|work=srisathyasai.org.in}}</ref> Initially called the "Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi",<ref name="saiindia">{{cite web|url=http://www.saibabaofindia.com/sai_baba_centers.htm|title=Sai Baba Of India-Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centers- Sai Baba organisation worldwide|work=saibabaofindia.com}}</ref> it was established "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement."<ref name="srisaiorg"/> In 2020, Sri Satya Sai Central Trust was granted [[List of organizations with consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council|Special Consultative]] status by [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/un-body-confers-special-status-on-sri-sathya-sai-central-trust/article32950161.ece}}</ref> The Sathya Sai Organisation reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in 114 countries.<ref name="TheStarOnline84">{{cite web |url=http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/12/3/north/5212802&sec=North |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521155709/http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=%2F2009%2F12%2F3%2Fnorth%2F5212802&sec=North |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 May 2011 |title=Sai Baba turns 84 |publisher=Thestar.com.my |date=3 December 2009 |access-date=6 January 2010 }}</ref><ref name="SathyaSaiNumbers">{{cite web|url=http://www.sathyasai.org/organize/content.htm#SaiOrg|title=The Sai Organization: Numbers to Sai Centres and Names of Countries|publisher=Sathyasai.org|access-date=6 January 2010}}</ref> However, the number of active Sai Baba followers is hard to determine.<ref name="BabbLawrence" /> Estimates vary from 6&nbsp;million<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031219053543/http://adherents.com/Na/Na_581.html#3510 Adherents] cites [[George Chryssides|Chryssides, George]]. ''Exploring New Religions''. London, UK: Cassells (1999) (10 million)<br />*Brown, Mick (2000-10-28). "Divine Downfall". Daily Telegraph. [https://web.archive.org/web/20031003134741/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2000/10/28/tlbaba28.xml]. Retrieved 2007-03-12<br />*Edwards, Linda (2001). A Brief Guide to Beliefs: Ideas, Theologies, Mysteries, and Movements. Westminster John Knox Press. {{ISBN|0-664-22259-5}}.</ref> up to nearly 100&nbsp;million.<ref>''[[The Economist]]'', [http://www.economist.com/node/18678803 "Sai Baba"], 14 May 2011, p. 110.</ref> 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."<ref name="UrbanHugh74">{{cite journal|last=Urban|first=Hugh B.|author-link=Hugh Urban|year=2003|title=Avatar for Our Age: Sathya Sai Baba and the Cultural Contradictions of Late Capitalism|journal=[[Religion (journal)|Religion]]|publisher=[[Elsevier]]|volume=33|issue=1|page=74|doi=10.1016/S0048-721X(02)00080-5|s2cid=143800572|issn=0048-721X|eissn=1096-1151}}</ref> In 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.<ref name="nyt1dec2002">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/world/a-friend-in-india-to-all-the-world.html?pagewanted=1|title=A Friend in India to All the World|last=Bradsher|first=Keith|date=1 December 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=13 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="Palmer97-98">Palmer, Norris W. "Baba's World". In: {{cite book|last1=Forsthoefel|first1=Thomas A.|last2=Humes|first2=Cynthia Ann (eds.)|title=Gurus in America|url=https://archive.org/details/gurusamericasuny00fors|url-access=limited|place=Albany, New York|publisher=State University of New York Press|year=2005|pages=[https://archive.org/details/gurusamericasuny00fors/page/n105 97]–98|isbn=978-0-7914-6574-5}}</ref> 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 {{INR}} 400&nbsp;billion (US$9&nbsp;billion).<ref> {{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/sathya-sai-baba-passes-away-leaves-behind-rs-40000-cr-worth-empire-with-no-clear-succession-plan/articleshow/8075953.cms|title=Sathya Sai Baba passes away, leaves behind Rs 40,000-cr worth empire with no clear succession plan |newspaper=[[The Economic Times|Economic Times]] | date=25 April 2011 |quote=Sai Baba leaves behind a wide network of charitable institutions, hospitals, schools, colleges, which some estimate to be worth about Rs 40,000 crore}}</ref><ref name=it>{{cite magazine|title=Up in the Heir: The secret world of Sathya Sai Baba's Rs 40,000 cr empire |author=Amarnath K. Menon |magazine=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/sathya-sai-baba-health-scare-assets-transition/1/135354.html |date=25 April 2011 |access-date=9 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424073421/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/sathya-sai-baba-health-scare-assets-transition/1/135354.html |archive-date=24 April 2011 }}</ref><ref name=dh>{{cite news| title =Sai Baba's death leaves question mark on Rs 40,000 crore empire| author =Indo-Asian News Service| newspaper = [[Deccan Herald]]| url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/156224/sai-babas-death-leaves-question.html| date = 24 April 2011|access-date =9 June 2011| author-link =Indo-Asian News Service}}</ref> However, estimates as high as {{INR}} 1.4&nbsp;trillion (about US$31.5bn) have also been made.<ref>{{cite news| title =Sathya Sai Baba trust worth Rs 1.4 lakh crore?|publisher =[[CNN-IBN]]| url =http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sathya-sai-baba-trust-worth-rs-14-lakh-crore/150273-3.html| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110430001702/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sathya-sai-baba-trust-worth-rs-14-lakh-crore/150273-3.html| url-status =dead| archive-date =30 April 2011| date =26 April 2011| access-date =9 June 2011}}</ref> After his death, questions about the manner in which the finances of the organisation were going to be managed led to speculations of impropriety, with some reports suggesting that suitcases containing cash and/or gold had been removed from his personal lodgings.<ref name="dh" /><ref>{{cite news| title =What's inside Sathya Sai's personal chamber?| publisher = [[Zee News]]|url =http://zeenews.india.com/news710182.html| date =2 June 2011| access-date =9 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title =Trust hesitant on unlocking Sai Babas residence| author =Express News Service| publisher = [[CNN-IBN]]| url =http://ibnlive.in.com/news/trust-hesitant-on-unlocking-sai-babas-residence/155644-60-114.html| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110603112010/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/trust-hesitant-on-unlocking-sai-babas-residence/155644-60-114.html| url-status =dead| archive-date =3 June 2011|date =31 May 2011| access-date = 9 June 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>Deccan Herald, Tuesday 17 June. 2011, "Huge amount of gold, silver, cash found in Sai Baba's Chamber" http://www.deccanherald.com/content/169535/huge-amount-gold-silver-cash.html.</ref> In the private residence, which had been sealed since his death, they inventoried 98&nbsp;kg of gold ornaments, approximate value Rs 21 [[crores]] (US$4.7m), 307&nbsp;kg of silver ornaments, approximate value Rs 16&nbsp;million (US$0.36m), and Rs 116&nbsp;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&nbsp;million (US$0.17m) in valuables in another 4 rooms.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-03/india/29733031_1_satya-sai-baba-precious-metals-diamond-ring|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928224408/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-03/india/29733031_1_satya-sai-baba-precious-metals-diamond-ring|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|title=Assets worth Rs 77L seized at Sai ashram|date=3 July 2011}}</ref> The total value of these items is believed to exceed 7.8&nbsp;million US dollars.<ref name="hindustan times">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Treasure-island-Sai-Baba-s-gold-trove/Article1-710596.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618095123/http://www.hindustantimes.com/treasure-island-sai-baba-s-gold-trove/article1-710596.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2011|title=Treasure island: Sai Baba's gold trove|date=17 June 2011|publisher=[[Press Trust of India]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name="500 pairs">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110618/jsp/nation/story_14130452.jsp|title=Open sesame! Baba & his chamber of secrets|author=G.S. Radhakrishna|date=17 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph of India]]|location=Calcutta, India}} and [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110618/images/18zzsaibababig.jpg this graphic]</ref> In July 2011, a similar opening of his Bangalore-area ashram tallied 6&nbsp;kg of gold coins and jewellery, 245&nbsp;kg of silver articles and Rs 8&nbsp;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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-21/bangalore/29798927_1_brindavan-revenue-officials-ashram|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815224317/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-21/bangalore/29798927_1_brindavan-revenue-officials-ashram|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|title=Three-day count at Baba's ashram yields treasure|date=21 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/178661/perfumes-sarees-form-sai-babas.html,|title=Perfumes, sarees form Sai Baba's inventory|work=Deccan Herald}}</ref> ==Recognition== [[File:Sri Sathya Sai Project 1999 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|A 1999 stamp devoted to the Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Project]] [[File:Sathya Sai Baba 2013 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Sathya Sai Baba on a 2013 stamp of India]] 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 Sai Baba in addressing the problem of providing safe drinking water to the rural masses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/Service_Projects/Anantapur.htm |title=SSSCT-Service Projects – Water Supply – Anantapur |publisher=Srisathyasai.org.in |date=23 November 1999 |access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref> Another commemorative stamp was released on the occasion of what would have been his 88th birthday during November 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/postal-stamp-on-sathya-sai-baba-released/article5385073.ece|title=Postal stamp on Sathya Sai Baba released|date=24 November 2013|work=The Hindu|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Postal-department-to-release-stamp-on-Sathya-Sai-Baba/articleshow/26168869.cms|title=Postal department to release stamp on Sathya Sai Baba – The Times of India|work=The Times Of India}}</ref> In January 2007, an event was held in [[Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai|Chennai Nehru Stadium]] organised by the Chennai Citizens' Conclave to thank Sai Baba for the 2&nbsp;billion water project which brought water from the [[River Krishna]] in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai city. Four chief ministers attended the function.<ref name="Chennai Visit">[http://www.indianexpress.com/story/21444.html Felicitation for Water Project] Indian Express.</ref> ==Ashrams and mandirs== ===Prasanthi Nilayam=== [[File:PrashantiNilayam1.jpg|left|thumb|Puttaparthi, A.P.]] {{Main|Prasanthi Nilayam}} [[File:Chaitanya Jyothi Museum, Prashanthi Nilayam, India.jpg|thumb|Chaitanya Jyoti Museum devoted to the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba]] Puttaparthi, where Sai Baba was born and lived, was originally a small, remote South Indian village in Andhra Pradesh. Now there is an extensive university complex, a speciality 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.<ref name="TheStar2005-04-02">{{cite web |last=Krishnamoorthy |first=M. |title=Enlightening experience in India |work=The Star Online |date=2 April 2005 |url=http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/4/2/features/9982154&sec=features |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050412101614/http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=%2F2005%2F4%2F2%2Ffeatures%2F9982154&sec=features |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2005 |access-date=6 January 2010 }}</ref> There is also a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more.<ref>Places to see at Puttaparthi. [http://www.sathyasai.org/ashrams/prasanthi/outsideinterest.html Available online]</ref> High-ranking Indian politicians such as the former president [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]], former prime minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], Andhra Pradesh former chief minister [[Konijeti Rosaiah]] and [[Karnataka]] chief minister [[B. S. Yeddyurappa]] have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.<ref>''The Hindu'', "A 5-point recipe for happiness" 24 November 2006 [https://web.archive.org/web/20110720164130/http://hindu.com/2006/11/24/stories/2006112405400400.htm Available online]</ref><ref>''The Hindu'', "Warm welcome to PM at Puttaparthi",12 February 2004 {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012003241/http://hinduonnet.com/2004/02/12/stories/2004021203690600.htm Available online]}}</ref> It was reported that well over a million people attended Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration, including 13,000 delegates from India and 180 other countries.<ref>''Deccan Herald'', "Sathya Sai's birthday celebrations on" by Terry Kennedy, 23 November 2005, [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov232005/national1724520051122.asp Available online] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501184330/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/nov232005/national1724520051122.asp |date=1 May 2007 }}</ref>{{Citation needed |date=October 2013}} [[File:Hill in Prashanthi Nilayam with statues of Hanuman, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva, Buddha, Christ, Zarathustra.jpg|thumb|Hill in Prashanthi Nilayam with statues of Hanuman, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva, Buddha, Christ, Zarathustra.]] Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main [[ashram]], ''Prashanthi Nilayam'' (Abode of Highest Peace), at Puttaparthi. In the summer he often left for his other ashram, ''Brindavan'', in Kadugodi, [[Whitefield, India|Whitefield]], a town on the outskirts of [[Bangalore]]. Occasionally he visited his Sai Shruti ashram in [[Kodaikanal]].<ref>The ashrams of Sathya Sai Baba. Referenced from the official Sathya Sai Organization website, [http://www.sathyasai.org/ashrams/content.html Available online]</ref> ==Characteristics, beliefs and practices of devotees== {{Main|Sathya Sai Baba movement}} Reliable sources often describe Sai Baba's following as a "movement".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kent|first=Alexandra|date=1999|title=UNITY IN DIVERSITY: Portraying the Visions of the Sathya Sai Baba Movement of Malaysia|jstor=40800435|journal=Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=13–2 |issue=2 |pages=29–51}}</ref><ref name="clarke2006">{{cite encyclopedia |surname=Kent |given=Alexandra |title=Sai Baba movement |pages=545–547 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements |year=2006 |editor-surname=Clarke |editor-given=Peter B. |editor-link=Peter B. Clarke |place=London; New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9-78-0-415-26707-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sahoo|first=Ajaya Kumar|date=2013|title=Reconstructing Religious and Cultural Identity of Indians in the Diaspora: The Role of Sri Sathya Sai Baba Movement |jstor=23621024|journal=Sociological Bulletin|volume= 62| issue = 1 (January–April 2013) |pages= 23–39 |doi=10.1177/0038022920130102|s2cid=152184838}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/death-god-man-sai-baba-dies-85|title=Death of a God-man? Sai Baba Dies at 85|last=Clooney|first=Francis X.|date=2011|work=America Magazine}}</ref> A report from the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) in 1998 found that "[a] worldwide mass religious movement is growing around the Indian holy man and alleged miracle worker, Sathya Sai Baba, whose devotees regard him as the full incarnation of God", later noting that "India has a small industry of fake holy men who perform magic tricks for a living".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00792R000400280002-2.pdf |title=Cultural Trends Study – India's Sai Baba Movement|website=CIA}}</ref> Scholars often refer to it as either a "[[New religious movement|New Religious Movement]]" (NRM)<ref name="clarke2006" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pereira |first=Shane N. |title=A New Religious Movement in Singapore: Syncretism and Variation in the Sathya Sai Baba Movement |jstor=23677933|journal= Asian Journal of Social Science|volume= 36| issue = 2|pages= 250–270 |year=2008|doi=10.1163/156853108X298699}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ekacha|first=Sanitsuda|date=2001|title=Keeping the Faith: Thai Buddhism at the Crossroads|journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions|volume= 9| issue = 2|pages=126–128|doi=10.1525/nr.2005.9.2.126}}</ref> or as a [[cult]],<ref name=das15/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Swallow|first1=D.A.|chapter=Living Saints and Their Devotees|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f1gkAQAAIAAJ&q=sathya+sai+baba+cult|date=1976 |editor=Jonathan Webber |title=Research in Social Anthropology, 1975–1980: A Register of Theses Accepted for Higher Degrees at British Universities, 1975–1980 |pages=385–386 |publisher=Royal Anthropological Institute|isbn=9780900632334}}</ref> reflecting what Robbins and Zablocki, two social science researchers, call "the divisive polarization, which, at least until recently, has plagued the academic study of religious movements." between two camps within academia, each preferring one term over the other (i.e. NRM or cult) for such groups.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJ9Nmc25xNAC&q=0802081886&pg=PA515|title=Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field|last=Robbins & Zablocki|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8020-4373-3|pages=3–5}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gallagher|first=Eugene|date=November 2007 – February 2008|title="Cults" and "New Religious Movements"|jstor=10.1086/524210|journal=History of Religions|publisher= University of Chicago Press|volume= 47| issue = 2/3|pages=205–220|doi=10.1086/524210|s2cid=161448414}}</ref> Sai Baba's following is regarded by most scholars to be of Hindu persuasion.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Babb|first1=L. A.|editor1-last=Hawley|editor1-first=J.S.|title=Saints and Virtues|date=1987|publisher=University of California Press|location=London (UK)|isbn=978-0-520-06163-7|pages=168–186|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGv2wOUl0pMC|chapter=Sathya Sai Baba's Saintly Play}}</ref><ref>Alexandra Kent Divinity and diversity: a Hindu revitalization movement in Malaysia, NIAS, 2005</ref><ref>Handoo, Jawaharlal in ''Asian Folklore Studies'', Vol. 48, No. 2 (1989), pp. 326–32 reviewing Lawrence A. Babb's book ''Redemptive Encounters. Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition'' [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1177938 page 1]</ref><ref>Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) "De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba"/"The Sai Paradox contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba" from the magazine "Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland, 'Sekten' "/"Religious movements in the Netherlands, 'Cults/Sects' ", 1994, nr. 29. published by the [[Free University of Amsterdam]] press, (1994) {{ISBN|90-5383-341-2}}<br> Dutch original: "Ofschoon Sai Baba gezegd heeft mensen van allerlei religieuze gezindten te helpen terug te gaan naar oude waarden en normen, en ofschoon zijn logo de symbolen van de andere grote godsdiensten bevat, is de sfeer rondom Sai Baba duidelijk hindoeïstisch gekleurd. Alle moslim-elementen bijv. waarvan verondersteld zou kunnen worden dat hij die zou hebben meegenomen uit zijn leven als Sai Baba van Shirdi, heeft hij laten vallen. Het enig echt herkenbare wat hij van Shirdi Baba nog heeft, is het veelvuldig gebruik van as, – wat hij dan niet uit een dhuni haalt zoals Shirdi Baba deed, maar materialiseert (of tevoorschijn goochelt)"</ref> Sai Baba claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, and his followers considered him to be the [[Avatar]] of [[Shiva]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WA12nHRtmAwC&pg=PA307 |author=Chryssides, George D. |title=Historical dictionary of new religious movements |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2012|isbn=9780810861947 }}</ref> Sai Baba of Shirdi was known to combine Islamic and Hindu teachings; still Charles S. J. White, of [[The American University]] at Washington D.C., noted of Sathya Sai Baba in 1972, that "there is no discernible Muslim influence."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=White|first1=Charles S. J.|title=The Sai Baba Movement: Approaches to the Study of India Saints|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|date=1972|volume=31|issue=4|pages=863–878|doi=10.2307/2052105|jstor=2052105}}</ref> Stephanie Tallings, in The Harvard international Review, noted Sai Baba's following is drawn from people of all religions, ethnicities, and social classes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tallings|first=Stephanies|date=Summer 2000|title=Avatar of Stability: Sai Baba's Teachings|url=https://www.jstor.org/publisher/hir|journal=Harvard International Review|volume= 22| issue = 2|pages=14–15}}</ref> 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."<ref name="babb83" /> However, a scholarly review claims 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."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Handoo|first=Jawaharlal|date=1989|title=Reviewed Work: Redemptive Encounters. Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition by Lawrence A. Babb|url=http://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a759.pdf|journal=Asian Folklore Studies|volume= 48| issue = 2|page=327|doi=10.2307/1177938|jstor=1177938}}</ref> 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 [of Shirdi]'s, is distinctly Hindu in form and content."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Swallow|first1=D. A.|title=Ashes and Powers: Myth, Rite and Miracle in an Indian God-Man's Cult|journal=Modern Asian Studies|date=2008|volume=16|issue=1|pages=123–158|doi=10.1017/S0026749X0000072X|jstor=312277|s2cid=146729990}}</ref> But 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. But he observed that Sai Baba mission is a Hindu mission as active as Christian or Muslim missions.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kelly|first1=J.D.|editor1-last=van der Veer|editor1-first=P.|title=Nation and Migration: The Politics of Space in the South Asian Diaspora|date=1995|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Philadelphia (US)|isbn=978-0-8122-1537-3|pages=43–72|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bvTHlLRZL8UC|chapter=Bhakti and Postcolonial Politics: Hindu Missions to Fiji}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Winged Faith: Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism through the Sathya Sai Movement|last=Srinivas|first=Tulasi|publisher=Columbia University Press|date=June 2010|isbn=9780231149334}}</ref> Sai Baba was known for his quote "Love All, Serve All. Help Ever, Hurt Never."<ref name="Leslie-Chaden2004">{{cite book|author=Charlene Leslie-Chaden|title=A compendium of the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba|url=http://puttaparthi.info/shopping/shp/bookdetail.asp?itemid=B1001|access-date=24 April 2011|year=2004|publisher=Sai Towers Publishing|page=526|isbn=978-81-7899-042-2}} {{self-published source|date=April 2011}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=April 2011}}<ref name="Architectural digest">{{cite book|title=Architectural digest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YcxUAAAAMAAJ|access-date=24 April 2011|date=1 May 1994|publisher=Conde Nast Publications}}</ref> Internationally, his devotees gather daily, or weekly on Sundays or Thursdays or both, for [[bhajans|devotional songs]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sathyasai.ca/ |title=Sri Sathya Sai Baba Organization in Canada – Home Page |publisher=Sathyasai.ca |date=1 May 2006 |access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref> prayer,<ref name="saius">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110727120609/http://us.sathyasai.org/resources/06oct15CenterGuidelines12.pdf Guidelines for AMERICAN SATHYA SAI BABA CENTERS]. The Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of the United States of America (2006)</ref> spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),<ref name="saito">{{cite web|url=http://www.sathyasaitoronto.org/ |title=The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto – York |publisher=Sathyasaitoronto.org |access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref> and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV)<ref name="saius"/> known as "''Bal Vikas''" (Blossoming of the Child). Followers believed in seeking the spiritual benefit of Sai Baba's ''[[darsana|darshan]]'', scheduled for morning and afternoon each day. Sai Baba would interact with people, accept letters or call groups or 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 for answers to spiritual questions and general guidance.<ref name="kent"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/emeralds-desperation-mother-sathya-sai-baba-200301081601873.html|title=Emeralds and desperation: My mother and Sathya Sai Baba|last=Neutill|first=Rani|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2020-04-29}}</ref> The ''[[Vancouver Sun]]'' in 2001 reported that Sai Baba told his adherents not to browse the internet.<ref name="VS">{{Cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/sai-baba-holy-man-sex-abuser-both|title=Sai Baba: Holy man? Sex abuser? Both?|date=26 April 2011|language=en|access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> == Criticism == === Accusations === Accusations<!-- Please do not change this wording, this has been agreed on the talk page. If you don't agree on it read the discussion there. --> 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]].<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/><ref name=Palmer116/> In 1972 [[Abraham Kovoor]] made the first public criticism of Sathya Sai Baba<ref name="srisathyasaibabaandthepress">Ruhela S.P., ''Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the Press'', pp. 1–5, 1997 {{ISBN|81-7533-041-4}}</ref> when he looked into a claim publicly narrated by one devotee<ref name="srisathyasaibabaandthepress" /> that Sai Baba had created a new model of a [[Seiko]] watch, and found the claim to be untrue.<ref name="sathyasaibabasgrace">Ruhela S.P., ''How to Receive Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Grace'', pp. 277, 2006 {{ISBN|81-7182-089-1}}</ref><ref name=OutlookSingh>{{cite web|title=The Spell Breaker|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?262445|publisher=Outlook|access-date=16 October 2013|author=Rahul Singh|date=2 November 2009}}</ref> In April 1976, [[Hosur Narasimhaiah|Hossur 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". Narasimhaiah wrote Sai Baba three widely publicised letters challenging him to perform his miracles under controlled conditions. The letters were ignored.<ref name="haraldsson204">Haraldson, ''op. cit'', pp&nbsp;204–205</ref> 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]] 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&nbsp;..."<ref name="blitz">Interview given by Sai Baba to [[R. K. Karanjia]] of ''Blitz'' news magazine in September 1976 [http://www.saibaba.ws/articles/interviewwithjournalistsept1976.htm 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.<ref>Haraldsson, pp 209</ref> As a result of this episode, a [[public debate]] raged for several months in Indian newspapers.<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit.'', pp. 206</ref> 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's purported materialisations of gold objects. When the case was dismissed, Premanand unsuccessfully appealed on the grounds that claimed spiritual power is not a defence recognised in law.<ref name=bbca1>{{cite news|author=Tanya Datta|title=Sai Baba: Goan or con man?|date=17 June 2004|work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3813469.stm | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref> A 1995 TV documentary ''Guru Busters'', produced by filmmaker Robert Eagle for the UK's [[Channel 4]], accused Sai Baba of faking his materialisations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eagletv.co.uk/projects/guru-busters.html |title=Eagle & Eagle |publisher=Eagletv.co.uk |access-date=7 January 2010}} [https://vimeo.com/352879776 Doordarshan clip]</ref> The clip from the film was mentioned in the ''[[Deccan Chronicle]]'', on 23 November 1992, in a front-page headline "DD Tape Unveils Baba Magic".<ref>Haraldsson, ''op. cit.'', pp.&nbsp;295–301</ref> 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,<ref name="spiritualtourist">Mick Brown, ''The Spiritual Tourist'', 1998, Bloomsbury Publishing, {{ISBN|1-58234-034-X}} "In the House of God", pp.&nbsp;73–74</ref><ref>Hislop, John S. ''My Baba and I'' 1985 published by Birth Day Publishing Company, San Diego, California {{ISBN|0-9600958-8-8}}, "The Resurrection of Walter Cowan", pages&nbsp;28–31</ref> 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.<ref name="lane2014">{{cite book |last1=Lane |first1=David |author1-link=David C. Lane |title=The Mystical: Exploring the Transcendent |date=2014 |publisher=Mt San Antonio College |isbn=9781565431737 |pages=62–63}}</ref> Brown also related his experiences with the alleged manifestations of [[vibhuti]] from Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, which he felt were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.<ref name="touristmiracle">Brown Mick, ''The Spiritual Tourist'', "The Miracle in North London", pp.&nbsp;29–30, 1998 {{ISBN|158234034X}}</ref> Brown wrote with regards to Sai Baba's claims of omniscience, that "sceptics have produced documentation clearly showing discrepancies between Baba's reading of historical events and biblical prophecies, and the established accounts."<ref name="spiritualtourist"/> ===Allegations of abuse=== In January 2002, a documentary produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcast company, [[Danish radio|Danmarks Radio]] (DR), called ''Seduced By Sai Baba'', analysed videos of public manifestations of Sai Baba and suggested that they could be explained as [[sleight of hand]].<ref name="seduced">{{cite video|people=Øyvind Kyrø, Steen Jensen |title=Seduced by Sai Baba |medium=Documentary |publisher=[[DR (broadcaster)|DR]] |date=2002 |url=http://dr.dk/Salg/DRsales/Programmes/Documentary/Society_and_Social/20070629133445_3_1_3_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204010039/http://www.dr.dk/Salg/DRsales/Programmes/Documentary/Society_and_Social/20070629133445_3_1_3_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1_1.htm |archive-date=4 February 2010 }}</ref> The documentary also presented interviews with Alaya Rahm, former devotee of Sathya Sai Baba, where he alleged abuse by Sathya Sai Baba.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/> 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.<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2001-02/886] UK Parliament official web site</ref> In 2004, the [[BBC]] produced a documentary titled ''The Secret Swami'' as part of its series "The World Uncovered".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3791921.stm |title=Programmes &#124; This World &#124; Secret Swami |work=BBC News |date=11 June 2004 |access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref> One central theme of the BBC documentary was again Alaya Rahm's sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba.<ref name=bbcd>{{cite video|people=Eamon Hardy, Tanya Datta|title=Secret Swami|medium=Documentary|publisher=BBC News|date=2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3791921.stm | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref name=bbcd/> The show also featured allegations from Sai Baba critic Basava Premanand. Premanand stated in the documentary that, in his opinion, Sai Baba faked his materialisations.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/> ===Responses=== Sathya Sai Baba rejected any allegations of misconduct.<ref name=funeral/> In a speech he held in December 2000, he compared himself to [[Jesus Christ]] and his detractors to [[Judas Iscariot]], claiming that they were motivated by jealousy.<ref>{{cite news| date=26 December 2000 |title= Sai Baba lashes out at detractors |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/sai-baba-lashes-out-at-detractors/articleshow/534425761.cms |newspaper=Times of India}}</ref> His followers have also defended him publicly. These include [[Bill Aitken (traveller)|Bill Aitken]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-week.com/25nov27/currentevents_article10.htm |title=Miracle of Welfare |access-date=9 September 2006 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909111636/http://www.the-week.com/25nov27/currentevents_article10.htm |archive-date=9 September 2006 }}</ref> and Anil Kumar, former principal of the Sathya Sai Educational Institute.<ref name="divine">Brown, Mick (28 October 2000). "Divine Downfall". ''Daily Telegraph''.</ref> In an open letter in December 2001, Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]],<ref name=Palmer97-98 /> 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".<ref name="letterpmindia">Letter from A.B. Vajpayee (the then Prime Minister of India), http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fline/fl2810/stories/20110520281002600.htm</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== * {{cite book|author=Samuel H. Sandweiss|title=Sai Baba the Holy Man and the Psychiatrist|isbn=978-0-960-09581-0|year=1975|page=[https://archive.org/details/saibabaholymanps0000sand/page/240 240]|url=https://archive.org/details/saibabaholymanps0000sand/page/240}} * {{cite book|author=John S. Hislop|title=My Baba and I|isbn=978-0-960-09588-9|year=1985|url=https://archive.org/details/mybabai00hisl}} * {{cite book|author=Phyllis Krystal|title=Sai Baba: The Ultimate Experience|isbn=978-0-877-28794-0|year=1994|page=260}} * {{cite book|author=Don Mario Mazzoleni|title=A Catholic Priest Meets Sai Baba|isbn=978-0-962-98351-1|year=1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/catholicpriestme00mazz/page/285 285]|url=https://archive.org/details/catholicpriestme00mazz/page/285}} * {{cite book|author=Erlendur Haraldsson|title=Modern Miracles: An Investigative Report on These Psychic Phenomena Associated With Sathya Sai Baba|isbn=978-0-803-89384-9|year=1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/modernmiracles00erle/page/315 315]|url=https://archive.org/details/modernmiracles00erle/page/315}} * {{cite book|author=Vladimir Antonov|title=Sathya Sai Baba – The Christ of Our Days|isbn=978-1-438-25276-6|year=2008|page=38}} * {{cite book|author=Tommy S. W. Wong|title=How Sai Baba Attracts Without Direct Contact|isbn=978-1-448-60416-6|year=2009|page=108}} * {{cite book|author=Tulasi Srinivas|title=Winged Faith: Rethinking Globalization and Religious Pluralism Through the Sathya Sai Movement|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-14933-4|year=2010|page=430}} * {{cite book|author=David Smith|title="Hinduism" Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-85880-9|year=2016}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} {{Commons category}} * [http://www.sathyasai.org/ International Sai Organization] * {{Curlie|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Hinduism/Gurus_and_Saints/Sathya_Sai_Baba/}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Sathya Sai Baba}} * {{Worldcat id|lccn-n80-7665}} {{Sathya Sai Baba}} {{Hindu reform movements}} {{Modern yoga gurus}} {{Religious pluralism}} {{Authority control}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT KEEP REMOVING THIS PAGE FROM THE "HINDU SAINTS" CATEGORY WITHOUT FIRST EXPLAINING YOUR REASONS ON THE TALK-PAGE.--> {{DEFAULTSORT:Baba, Sathya Sai}} [[Category:Sathya Sai Baba| ]] [[Category:1926 births]] [[Category:2011 deaths]] [[Category:Founders of new religious movements]] [[Category:Indian Hindu spiritual teachers]] [[Category:People from Anantapur district]] [[Category:People from Rayalaseema]] [[Category:People considered avatars by their followers]] [[Category:Puttaparthi]] [[Category:Psychokineticists]] [[Category:Religious pluralism]] [[Category:Self-declared messiahs]] [[Category:Tantra]] [[Category:Indian philanthropists]] [[Category:Tantric practices]] [[Category:Telugu people]] [[Category:Burials in India]] [[Category:Modern yoga gurus]]'