Early life and proclamation
Almost everything known about Sathya Sai Baba's early life stems from the
hagiography that grew around him, the presentation of narratives that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered by them evidence of his divine nature.
[6][14][15] According to his followers, then, Sathyanarayana Raju was born to Meesaraganda Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in the village of
Puttaparthi, in what was the
Madras Presidency of
British India.
[6][16][17] His birth, which his mother Eswaramma asserted was by
miraculous conception, was also said to be heralded by miracles.
[5][6][18] His siblings included elder brother Ratnam Sesham Raju (1921–1984), sister Venkamma (1923–1993), a second sister Parvathamma (1928–1998), and younger brother Janakiramiah (1930–2003).
[19] As a child, he was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable, though not an exceptionally academically inclined student, as his interests were more of a spiritual nature.
[6][15] He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama.
[15][20] He was said to be capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.
[21][22]
Sathya Sai Baba at the age of 14, soon after proclaiming himself as the avatar of Shirdi Sai Baba
On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Sesham Raju in
Uravakonda, a small town near Puttaparthi, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion.
[21][22]He lost consciousness for several hours and
[20] in the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behaviour.
[22] There were "symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence."
[22][23] "He began to sing
Sanskrit verses, a language of which he had no prior knowledge."
[5] Doctors believed his behaviour to be
hysteria.
[5][22] His parents brought Sathya back home to Puttaparthi.
[24] Concerned, they took him to many priests, "doctors" and exorcists. One of the exorcists at
Kadiri went to the extent of torturing him to cure him.
[further explanation needed] However Sathya kept calm throughout, which further worried his parents.
[22][23]
On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised
prasad and flowers for his family members.
[25] His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was
bewitched. He took a stick and threatened to beat him if Sathya did not reveal who he really was. To this Sathya announced calmly and firmly "I am Sai Baba", a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi.
[5][20] He proclaimed himself to be a 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.
[5][24][26]
[edit]Later activities and establishments
In 1944, a
mandir (temple) for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees was built near the village of Puttaparthi. It is now referred to as the "old mandir".
[27][28] The construction of
Prashanthi Nilayam, the current ashram, began in 1948 and was completed in 1950.
[6][28] In 1957 Sathya Sai Baba went on a North Indian temple tour.
[17] In 1954, Sathya Sai Baba established a small free general hospital in the village of Puttaparthi.
[29]
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a
stroke and four severe
heart attacks, which left him paralyzed on one side.
[30] These events culminated in an event where he apparently healed himself in front of the thousands of people gathered in Prasanthi Nilayam who were then praying for his recovery. On recovering, Sai Baba gave a discourse announcing that he would be reborn as
Prema Sai Baba in the neighbouring state of
Karnataka.
[6] He stated, "I am Siva-Sakthi, born in the
gotra (lineage) of
Bharadwaja, according to a boon won by that sage from
Siva and
Sakthi. Siva was born in the gotra of that sage as Sai Baba of Shirdi; Siva 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."
[6][31] He stated he would be born again eight years after his death at the age of 96.However he died aged 84.
[32]
Sathya Sai Baba, circa 1970s
On 29 June 1968, Sathya Sai Baba made his first and only trip overseas, to
Kenya and
Uganda.
[30][33] During a discourse in
Nairobi, Sathya Sai Baba spoke of his personal mission and stated:
"I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. 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."
[34]
In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra or Sathyam Mandir in
Mumbai.
[35]
In 1973, he established Shivam Mandir in
Hyderabad.
[35] On 19 January 1981, in
Chennai, he inaugurated the Sundaram Mandir.
[35]
In a
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. Regardless, 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 unanswered questions.
[36][37][38]
In March 1995, Sathya Sai Baba started a project to provide drinking water to 1.2 million people in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region in the
Anantapur district of
Andhra Pradesh.
[39]
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.
[29]
[edit]Old age, illness and death
In 2003, Sathya 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.
[40][41]
After 2004, Sathya Sai Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances.
On 28 March 2011, Sai Baba was admitted to the
Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi, following respiration-related problems.
[42][43] After nearly a month of hospitalisation, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, Sai Baba died on Sunday, 24 April at 7:40 IST, aged 84.
[44]
On 29 March 2011, Sathya Sai Baba was listed on the Watkins 100 Spiritual Power list.
[45]
Sai Baba had predicted that he would die at age 96 and would remain healthy until then.
[46] After he died, some devotees suggested that he might have been referring to that many lunar years, rather than solar years,
[47] and using the Indian way of accounting for age, which counts the year to come as part of the person's life.
[48] Other devotees have spoken of his anticipated resurrection, reincarnation or awakening.
[49][50]
[edit]After his death
On 17 June 2011, officials from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (founded as a charitable Trust in India, and legally separate from religious activities),
[63] opened his private residence in the presence of government, bank and tax department officials, including retired Supreme Court Judge A P Mishra and retired judge of Karnataka High Court Vaidyanatha, an assessor approved by the Income Tax Department, and former Chief Justice of India P N Bhagavati.
[64] In the private residence, which had been sealed since his death, they inventoried 98 kg of gold ornaments, approximate value Rs 21 crore (US$4.7m), 307 kg of silver ornaments, approximate value Rs 1.6 crore (US$0.36m), and Rs 11.6 crore (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 found an additional Rs 77
lakh (US$0.17m) in valuables in another 4 rooms.
[65] The total value is believed to exceed 7.8 million US dollars.
[66]
Also found at Yajurmandir were many articles routinely given away as gifts in various ceremonies to devotees and those who performed
selfless service, including 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.
[67] In July 2011, a similar opening of his Bangalore-area ashram found 6 kg of gold coins and jewellery, 245 kg of silver articles and Rs 80 lakh in cash. These goods were believed to have been donated over the years by Sathya Sai Baba's devotees from all over the world.
[68][69]
On 2 September 2012, Satyajit Sailan, a close aide of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, released to the media a declaration made by Sai Baba, and registered on 23 March 1967, in Bombay (now
Mumbai) saying his relatives had no authority over the Sathya Sai Trust assets. The exact text of the declaration was:
I, Sri Sathya Sai of Parshanthi Nilayam P.O. Indian Inhabitant hereby declare as follows:-
1) I was born in the village of Puthaparthi District Anantpur and am at present 44 years old. I joined the school and gave up studies and dedicated myself spread Sanatan Dharma. I am unmarried and I left my parents house at the age of Twelve and have taken up religious order with saffron dress and I have no worldly/or family attachments. I declare that when I left parents' place permanently and adopted Holy order with no intention to revert back. I relinquished all my right title and interest in the family property moveable and/or immovable whatsoever and wherever they may be and that I do not own and possess any personal property, wealth or estate.
Whatever is given to me by my devotees is under my management, supervision and control as a Trustee to be used for public charitable purposes. This declaration I am making so that nobody can claim under or through me in the family properties, if any.
[70]
Sailan also attached the attestation of Indulal Sha, who is the sole surviving witness to the original document. Sailan said he has been in possession of the document since 1998, as per the directions of Sai Baba. Officials from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust stated to the media that they would respect this will.
[71][72]
[edit]Beliefs and practices of devotees
John D. Kelly, as of 2006 a professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago wrote in an article about Hindu mission in Fiji that the Sathya Sai Organization (which is part of the movement) reject 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.
Internationally, Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather daily, or weekly on Sundays or Thursdays or both, to sing group
devotional songs,
[76] prayer,
[77] spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),
[78] and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV)
[77] known as "
Bal Vikas" (Blossoming of the Child), that can also be described as Sai Sunday School.
A primary aspect of Baba's teachings was the spiritual benefit of
darshan for his students. At that time, Sai Baba would interact with people, accept letters, materialise and distribute
vibhuti(sacred ash) 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.
[20]
[edit]Ashrams and mandirs
Chaitanya Jyoti Museum devoted to the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba
Puttaparthi, where Sathya 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 Sathya Sai Baba; the latter has won several international awards for its architectural design.
[79] There is also a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and more.
[80] High-ranking Indian politicians such as the former President Dr.
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.
[81][82] On Sathya Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration, it was reported that well over a million people attended, including 13,000 delegates from India and 180 other countries.
[83]
Hill in Prashanthi Nilayam with statues of Hanuman, Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva, Buddha, Christ, Zarathustra.
Sathya Sai Baba resided much of the time in his main
ashram called
Prashanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer he used to leave for his other ashram, called
Brindavan, in Kadugodi,
Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of
Bangalore. Occasionally he visited his Sai Shruti ashram in
Kodaikanal.
[84]
Sathya Sai Baba established three primary
mandirs (spiritual centres) in India. The first mandir, founded in
Mumbai in 1968, is referred to as either "Dharmakshetra" or "Sathyam". The second centre, established in
Hyderabad in 1973, is referred to as "Shivam". The third centre, inaugurated on 19 January 1981 in
Chennai, is referred to as "Sundaram".
[35]
[edit]Institutions, organisations and projects
Sri Sathya Sai University, Puttaparthi, A.P., India
Sathya Sai Baba supported a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in over 166 countries.
[85]
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.
[89]
Sri Sathya Sai Super Specialty Hospital, Whitefield (suburb of Bangalore), Karnataka, India
The
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220-bed facility which provides free surgical and medical care and which 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.
[92] The hospital was inaugurated on 19 January 2001 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
[93][94] The hospital has provided free medical care to over 250,000 patients.
[95]
The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore, in 1977 and provides complex surgery, food and medicines free of cost. The hospital has treated over 2 million patients.
[96]
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.
[85] 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.
[39][97] The second drinking water project, completed in 2004, supplies water to
Chennai through a rebuilt waterway named "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal".
[98][99] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
M. Karunanidhi praised the Chennai water project and Sai Baba's involvement.
[100][101] Other completed water projects include the
Medak District Project benefitting 450,000 people in 179 villages and the
Mahbubnagar District Project benefitting 350,000 people in 141 villages.
[39] In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust said it would start a drinking water project in
Latur,
Maharashtra.
[102] In 2008, 2 million people in the state of
Odisha 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.
[103]
Sathya Sai Baba's
Educare programme 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.
[104][105] 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."
[106]
In Canada, the
Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research and educational organisation, ranked the Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of the top 37 elementary schools in
Ontario.
[107]The Sathya Sai School scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in the Institute's overall rating for academic performance.
[107][108][109]
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.
[110]
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.
[111]
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.
[112][113]
Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital, Puttaparthi, A.P., India
[edit]Sathya Sai Organisation
The
Sathya Sai Organisation reports that there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in 114 countries.
[114][115] However, the number of active Sathya Sai Baba followers is hard to determine.
[6] Estimates vary from 6 million
[116] up to nearly 100 million.
[117] 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."
[14] In 2002, he claimed to have followers in 178 countries.
[118][119]
Sathya Sai Baba founded a large number of schools and colleges, hospitals, and other charitable institutions in India and abroad, the total value of which is usually estimated at Rs. 40,000
crore(US$ 9 billion).
[120][121][122] However, estimates as high as 1.4 trillion rupees (about US$ 31.5bn) have also been made.
[123] 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.
[122][124][125]
[edit]Criticism and controversy
In April 1976,
Hosur 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 Sathya Sai Baba three letters that were widely publicized, in which he publicly challenged him to perform his miracles under controlled conditions, which went ignored.
[128] Sathya Sai Baba said that he ignored Narasimhaiah's challenge because he felt his approach was improper, adding that "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses.
[129] 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 ..."
[130] Narasimhaiah's committee was dissolved in August 1977. According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the formal challenge from the committee came to a dead end because of the negative attitude of the committee and perhaps because of all the fanfare surrounding it. Narasimhaiah held the fact that Sathya Sai Baba ignored his letters to be one of several indications that his miracles were fraudulent.
[131] As a result of this episode, a public debate raged for several months in Indian newspapers.
[132]
Indian rationalist
Basava Premanand, who campaigned against Sai Baba for over 40 years from 1968, unsuccessfully attempted to sue Sathya Sai Baba in 1986 for violations of the
Gold Control Act, citing Sathya 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.
[133]
A 1995 TV documentary
Guru Busters, produced by filmmaker
Robert Eagle for the UK's
Channel 4, accused Sathya Sai Baba of faking his materialisations.
[134] 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".
[135] However, Haraldsson stated that, on investigating the DD video, researchers did not find evidence of fake materialisation as claimed by the
Deccan Chronicle. According to Haraldsson, the video was taken to a company that investigates corporate fraud. In spite of improving the graininess of the low quality video with enhanced filters and running it through advanced image-processing systems, Haraldsson stated the DD video did not provide firm evidence of sleight of hand.
[136]
In 1998, British journalist Mick Brown stated in his book
The Spiritual Tourist that in his opinion Sathya Sai Baba's claim of "resurrecting" the American devotee Walter Cowan in 1971 was probably untrue.
[137] His opinion was based on letters from the attending doctors presented in the magazine
Indian Skeptic, published by Premanand.
[137][138] Brown also related, in the same book, his experiences with manifestations of
vibuthi from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in houses in London, which he felt were not fraudulent or the result of trickery.
[139] Brown wrote with regards to Sathya 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."
[137]
The
Vancouver Sun in 2001 reported that Sathya Sai Baba told his adherents not to browse the
Internet[140] after Sathya Sai Baba said, "These teachings (the Vedas) are highly sacred. Today people are ready to believe all that they see on television and internet but do not repose their faith in the Vedic declarations. Internet is like a waste paper basket. Follow the 'innernet,' not the internet."
[141]
In January 2002, a documentary produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcast company,
Danmarks Radio (DR), named
Seduced By Sai Baba, presented interviews with Alaya Rahm and his sexual abuse allegations.
[126] The documentary analysed videos of alleged public manifestations of Sathya Sai Baba, and suggested that they could be explained as
sleight of hand.
[142] As a result, in 2002 the Parliament of the United Kingdom discussed the possible danger to male children of British families intending to visit the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in case of individual audiences with the guru.
[143]
In 2004, the
BBC produced a documentary titled
The Secret Swami, as part of its series "The World Uncovered".
[144] One central theme of the BBC documentary was again Alaya Rahm's sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba.
[145] 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.
[145] 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. Here, he claimed that Sathya Sai Baba was "not just a fraud, but a dangerous sexual abuser". According to his interview, he had stories which spanned 30 years, and he stated that his stories were similar, a common practice being the rubbing of genitals with oil by the spiritual leader. Among his claims were that one ex-devotee claimed Sai Baba "put the oil on his hands, told me to drop my pants and rubbed my genitals with the oil". Premanand theorised that many Indian boys were abused but were never heard from because they too afraid to speak out, alleging Sai Baba was well-connected with the elite and powerful of India.
[126]
In his book
Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition, Lawrence A. Babb wrote of Sathya Sai Baba, "Whoever he is, he is certainly more than the mere parlour magician many of his critics claim that he is."
[6]
[edit]Responses to criticism
Sathya Sai Baba and his followers rejected any allegations of misconduct, which were never proven to be true.
[13] Devotee
Bill Aitken was quoted by
The Week as saying that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation had not been harmed by the negative stories published about him. He said that the more detractors railed against Sathya Sai Baba, the more new devotees went to see him.
[146]
In the article
Divine Downfall, published in the
Daily Telegraph, Anil Kumar, the ex-principal of the Sathya Sai Educational Institute, said that he believed that the controversy was part of Baba's divine plan and that all great religious teachers had to face criticism during their lives. Anil Kumar also said that allegations had been levelled at Sathya Sai Baba since childhood, but with every criticism he had become more and more triumphant.
[147]
Sathya Sai Baba publicly responded to the allegations on 25 December 2000:
Some people out of their mean-mindedness are trying to tarnish the image of Sai Baba. I am not after name and fame. So, I do not lose anything by their false allegations. My glory will go on increasing day by day. It will never diminish even a bit if they were to publicise their false allegations in the whole world in bold letters. Some devotees seem to be perturbed over these false statements. They are not true devotees at all. Having known the mighty power of Sai, why should they be afraid of the 'cawing of crows'? One should not get carried away by all that is written on walls, said in political meetings or the vulgar tales carried by the print media.
[148]
Jesus Christ underwent many hardships, and was put to the cross because of jealousy. Many around him could not bear the good work he did and the large number of followers he gathered. One of his disciples,
Judas, betrayed him. In those days there was one Judas, but today there are thousands. Just as that Judas was tempted to betray Jesus, the Judases of today, too, are bought out to lie. Jealousy was the motive behind the allegations levelled at him.
[149]
In an official letter made public in December 2001,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (then
Prime Minister of India and a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba
[119]), P.N. Bhagawati (Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India),
Ranganath Misra (Chair Person, National Human Rights Commissioner of India and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Najma Heptulla (President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished Human Development Ambassador) and
Shivraj Patil (Member of Parliament, India; Formerly of the Lok Sabha & Union Minister) all signed the following statement:
We are deeply pained and anguished by the wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by certain vested interests and people against Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. We would normally expect that responsible media would ascertain the true facts before printing such calumny – especially when the person is revered globally as an embodiment of love and selfless service to humanity. Since this professional ethic has not been observed by a section of the media, we have elected to go public with this signed statement.
[150]
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
