Sathya Sai Baba (pronounced /sæt jæ saɪ bæ bæ/) (Telugu: సత్య సాయిబాబా ), (born Sathyanarayana Raju on 23 November 1926 ) is a South Indian guru, religious figure, and educator. He is described by his devotees as an avatar, godman, spiritual teacher, and miracle worker. He has said that he is the re-incarnation of the fakir and saint, Sai Baba of Shirdi, often recounting extensive and detailed accounts of the fakir's life. He also is a singer.
The Sathya Sai Organization reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 114 countries worldwide. The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated to be somewhere around 6 million, although followers cite anywhere from 50 to 100 million.
Biography
For more details on this topic, see Bibliography of Sathya Sai Baba.Sathyanarayana Raju was born to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju (with the family name of "Ratnakaram") in the remote village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. In recounting his childhood, Sai Baba says "It is natural for any child to cry when it is born. But this child did not cry at all ... to Easwaramma's utter surprise, the baby started smiling. Everyone was mystified to see the newborn babe smiling." "He was given the name Sathyanarayana ("Sathya" is Sanskrit for Truth and "Narayana" is a name for Vishnu) because of his mother's pujas and prayers to that particular name and form of God." "Mother Easwaramma used to perform Sathyanarayana Vratam every full moon day," says Sai Baba of his "mother's religious vigil."
File:Youngsaibaba.jpgEaswaramma described Sathyanarayana as being born of immaculate conception. She relates, "I had dreamt of Sathya Narayana Deva and she cautioned me that I should not be frightened if something happened to me through the Will of God. That morning when I was at the well drawing water, a big ball of blue light came rolling towards me and I fainted and fell. I felt it glided into me". Sathya Sai Baba confirmed this in a 2003 birthday discourse.
Narayana Kasturi, in his biography of Sathya Sai Baba, says during the pregnancy, "the household was awakened at midnight and sometimes early in the morning by the tambura twanging melodiously and rhythmically and the maddela (drum) softly beating, as though they were in expert hands."
"On the 24th November 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh came out of his meditative trance and announced," "that Krishna ("overmind Godhead") descended into the physical". "On the day before this announcement, that is, on the 23rd of November, 1926, avatar Sai Baba was born" Many feel "that Sri Aurobindo's announcement heralded the Sathya Sai Avatar". Sathya Sai Baba addressed this in a 1999 discourse saying, "On November 24, 1926, Aurobindo broke his prolonged silence only to declare that God had incarnated the previous day. After making this significant statement, he continued with his vow of silence."
"Mother Easwaramma looked after her child with love and care. Days rolled by and the child grew into a boy." Her "son was totally averse to non-vegetarian food. He would not even visit the houses where non-vegetarian food was cooked. He kept away from places where pigs, sheep, cattle, or fowl were killed or tortured, or where fish were trapped or caught." According to Sathya Sai Baba, "The child was brought up in a noble environment."
"At the tender years of three and four, whenever a beggar appeared at the door and raised his cry, Sathya left his play and rushed inside to force his sisters, Venkamma and Parvathamma, to hand out grain or food."
"The child became the pet of the entire village of Puttaparthi." says Kasturi. His playmates called him, 'Guru' and he was called Brahmajnani, a "Realized Soul", by the neighbors, as "he comforted friends in distress and never seemed to get cross or tired."
A teacher of Sathyanarayna, Sri V.C. Kondappa, recalls his former student. "The boys, gathered around him for the things he 'took' out of his empty bag! When asked about it, he said that a certain 'Angel' obeyed his will and gave him whatever he wanted!" The empty bag often produced "delectable sweets, pencils, pieces of rubber, toys, flowers and fruits.""His special talents were for drama, music, poetry and acting. He was even writing songs for the village opera at the age of eight." There are numerous stories of plays, poems, dances and songs he wrote as a child. "When he was ten years of age, Sathya formed in Puttaparthi a Pandhari Bhajan Group, or a group of carollers, for the presentation of songs of love and devotion to God." Sathya Sai Baba still recounts some of the prayers to this day.
"Satyanarayana,' says Kasturi, "was a precocious child, learning by himself more than anyone else could teach him and much quicker than most other children."
Sathyam, as Sathya Sai Baba refers to himself during those times, attended the local school in Puttaparthi until third standard. "After advancing to the fourth standard, it became necessary to go to the school in Bukkapatnam since the school in Puttaparthi did not offer studies beyond the third." From the age of eight, Satynanarayana Raju attended the higher elementary school in Bukkapatnam. Upon the heartfelt request of his grandfather Kondama Raju, Sathyam lived with him for a time, helping with household duties and chores (cooking, cleaning etc.) ... An avid composer of poems, songs and plays, Sathyam also engaged in acting and dancing in school and community events. In class, he said the morning prayers, and it was around this time Sathyam taught the local children and villagers how to read and write.
At the time he was to enter 6th standard, his elder brother, Seshama, took Sathyam to live with him and his wife in Kamalapuram.
At some point in time, they moved to Uravakonda due to Seshama's teaching position.On 8 March 1940, Sathya was stung by a "big black scorpion." "He fell as though unconscious and became stiff. He did not speak and his breathing became faint." He was given medical attention and by the next morning the doctor said that he "was out of danger."
Within the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behavior. Concerned, his brother "wrote his parents that Sathya was not answering anyone who spoke to him and that it was a Herculean task to make him accept food. He told them Sathya was spending his time mostly in silence, sometimes bursting into song and poetry, sometimes reciting long Sanskrit verses, sometimes expounding the philosophic wisdom of ancient India." Doctors believed it to be hysteria, but "the symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence continued."
Within the week, they came and brought Sathya home to Puttaparthi. "The parents were disheartened", says Kasturi, "and watched his behavior with increasing fear." They brought him to many priets, 'doctors' and exorcists. "Since the first reaction to an illness in any village is usually to fear that it is the result of some ... spirit's taking hold of the patient", many severe treatments were performed to force the 'spirits' out. Sai Baba says, "I submitted Myself to all this torture without demur." During one anguishing visit to one of the 'doctors', says Sai Baba, "Venkamma (his sister) could not bear the sight of this torture. Quietly, she called the cartman and in the darkness of night, she took Me back home to Puttaparthi."Kasturi describes soon after, Sathya was to be taken to another "clever "doctor"". About half an hour into the journey, "Sathya said emphatically, "I do not want to go anywhere; let us go back." Upon saying this, the bullocks came to a halt and could not be persuaded to budge! The struggle went on for over an hour, Finally their faces were turned home-ward."
Two months later, in May 1940, he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of the fakir and saint Sai Baba of Shirdi and subsequently took the fakir's name, Sai Baba. Sai is a Persian word which means "Saint", and Baba is a Hindi term of endearment for father. Since that time, many had come to challenge his claim to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. Arnold Schulman in his book "Baba" said, "there is no record of the number of people who went away unimpressed but dozens of doubters have documented how they were convinced." Family members and neighbors however were not convinced. They approached the young Sathya and said, "If you are Sai Baba, give us some proof." "Give me those jasmine flowers," said young Sathya. After receiving them, he threw them on the floor. The flowers, according to those present, "arranged themselves as the letters Sai Baba in Telugu."
Kasturi writes, "Seshama still had not given up his plans to push Sathya through High School, regardless of everything. He took him back to Uravakonda in June."
In October 1940, Sathya accompanied Sehsa and his wife to Hampi. Sathyam was told to look after the couple's luggage while they went to the Siva temple. "(He) sat down there with the luggage while the brother and his wife entered the temple to have the darshan of Virupaksha (Siva). Inside, they did not see the Virupaksha idol but Sathya! Then Seshama Raju said, "Look, Sathya is here! Who is taking care of the luggage?" He came out running and saw Sathya there! He ran back inside and saw Sathya there also." A municipal chairman also witnessed the phenomenon and presented Sathyam with "a collar pin made of gold." With the insistence of his sister-in-law, Sathyam reluctantly accepted the pin. After returning to Kamalapuram, Sathyam was to begin school again. In a May 2000 discourse, Sathya Sai Baba describes what happene
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