The Sathya Sai Baba movement is a new religious movement inspired by South Indian Neo-Hindu guru Sathya Sai Baba who taught the unity of all religions.Kasturi, Narayana, "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" Volume I, Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, , Available onlineNagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie 368, vol. 72 nr 4, December 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language) Some of his followers have faith in his claim to be a purna Avatar (full divine incarnation) of Shiva and Shakti,Shiva Shakthi who is believed to have been predicted in the Bhagavad Gita.Bowen, David (1988) The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its origins and development, religious beliefs and practices. Leeds: University Press. Page 212 This means that some of his followers see him as a God.Sai Baba turns 82, is still going strong - India News - IBNLive Devotees engage in singing devotional songs called "bhajans" and selfless service (seva).Kent, page 47Milner, Murray Jr. Hindu Eschatology and the Indian Caste System: An Example of Structural Reversal .The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 52, No. 2 (May, 1993), pp. 298–319 As Babb notes, "The emphasis on social service provides an opportunity for devotees to do good in the world, but Sathya Sai Baba's profound conservatism on fundamentals like caste and gender ensures that doing good is unlikely to challenge his devotees' more basic sense of propriety and order" (1986:200-1). Its official organization is the Sathya Sai Organization. However the Sathya Sai Baba movement extends beyond the organization.Kent, page 68"The Sai Baba movement in Malaysia falls into two main camps. It has been formalized into a very active Sai Baba organization, renowned among devotees all over the world, but outside the organization are devotees who worship Sai Baba but remain independent of the organization and its ideology." An important aspect of the faith of adherents is the miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba. The number of adherents is estimated between 6 and 100 million.adherents.com citing Chryssides, George. Exploring New Religions. London, UK: Cassells (1999). (retrieved 2 March 2007) "[Original source of British figure: email from Kishor Kumar of the UK Sai organization] "I have selected the best available [statistics], providing a range where adjudication is impossible... Sai Baba: Britain: 4,000 active devotees linked to a Sai Centre (1999); World 10,000,000 ""Brown, Mick,Divine Downfall, The Daily Telegraph, 28 October 2000, Available online"The guru Sai Baba has left India only once, yet his devotees across the world are estimated at up to 50 million."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 Amsterdam press, (1994) English translation: "[the skeptic] Beyerstein (1992:3) estimates the number to be 6 million; Riti & Theodore (1993:31) estimates 30 million, Sluizer (1993:19) writes 70 million, and [the follower] Van Dijk (1993:30) writes "between 50 and 100 million". "Dutch original "Beyerstein (1992:3) schat het aantal op 6 miljoen; Riti & Theodore (1993:31) op 30 miljoen, Sluizer (1993:19) heeft het over 70 miljoen en Van Dijk (1993:30) over "tussen de 50 en 100 miljoen.""
Official life story of Sathya Sai Baba and history of the movement
The official biography of Sathya Sai Baba was written by Narayana Kasturi. Additional sources for the official life story are Sathya Sai Baba's discourses.
Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. His birth name was Sathyanarayana Raju. Sathya (as Sai Baba referred to himself in those days) "was known to be very lively", and composed many plays, poems and songs for school and friends. He also taught the local children and villagers how to read and write. He was called by his neighbors "Brahmajnani," meaning a "Realized Soul." In sixth standard, Sathya left Puttaparthi to live with his elder brother, Seshama and his wife in Kamalapuram. About a year later, "holidays came and Seshama Raju took Sathya to Hampi." A municipal chairman witnessed Sathya being both inside a Siva temple and outside (looking after his brothers luggage) simultaneously. Afterwards, he presented the boy with "a collar pin made of gold." During a discourse in 2000, Sathya Sai Baba related the events that transpired a few days after, "He (Sathya) left the house and went about ten feet when the collar pin fell and could not be found... The collar pin symbolised worldly attachment, and when it was lost, it was symbolic of the end of the 'Raju phase' and attachments implied by it. Declaring that He had no worldly relationship with anyone, he ran to the house of one Anjaneyulu... In front of his house there was a small rock. Swami (Sathya Sai Baba) went and sat on that stone."
Narayana Kasturi's biography states Sathya Sai Baba performed many miracles (healings, levitation, materialization of fruit, sweets, pencils, pictures etc. and clairvoyance). At approximately age 14, Sathya Sai Baba made a claim that he was the reincarnation of the fakir, Sai Baba of Shirdi. To validate his claim it is alleged that jasmine flowers were dropped onto the ground and that they miraculously arranged themselves into the words "Sai Baba" in Telugu.Schulman, Arnold (1971). Baba. Viking Press. pp. 122–124. . At that time, he began his spiritual mission.
The first volume of Sathya Sai Speaks covers discourses given during the years 1953 to 1960. In this volume can be read the many early claims of divinity made by Sathya Sai Baba, including those of omnipotence and omniscience.
During the month of June 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and 4 heart attacks. His left side was paralysed, and the sight in his left eye and speech were badly affected. After sprinkling water on his left hand and leg, he made a full recovery and delivered a Guru Poornima discourse. During the discourse he said, "Shiva said that they (Shiva and Shakti) would take human form and be born in the Bharadwaja lineage, thrice: Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakthi together at Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba, and Shakthi alone as Prema Sai, later."
In a 1976 interview, he repeated his claim to be a full divine Avatar, saying "I have come armed with the fullness of the power of formless God to correct mankind, raise human consciousness and put people back on the right path of truth, righteousness, peace and love to divinity."
Between 1988 and 2006, Sathya Sai Baba suffered three accidents, the second of which left him with a fractured hip and a broken femur. He later moved among devotees in his car or Porte Chair.Sai Global Harmony – Prasanthi Bulletin
It is claimed that he performed a number of miracles including: levitation (both indoors and outdoors), bilocation, physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing objects on demand, changing the color of his gown while wearing it, multiplying food, healing acute and chronic diseases, appearing in visions and dreams, making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems, controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities and physically emitting brilliant light. Sathya Sai Baba gained followers in India from the 1930s.Kent, 71 Outside of India, he became popular from the 1960s and 1970s. During the period from 1970 to 1983, the number of Sathya Sai Baba centres in the United Kingdom grew from 2 to 51.Bowen, 51
Beliefs and practices of devotees
Sathya Sai Baba gave discourses on religious topics to devotees in his native language Telugu. Twice daily, some devotees engage in worship of Sathya Sai Baba by conducting rituals such as aarti and singing devotional songs in front of his picture. Sathya Sai Baba has said that his followers do not need to give up their original religion,"Suicide, sex and the guru", Dominic Kennedy, The Times (UK), 27 August 2001 saying "My objective is the establishment of Sanathana Dharma, which believes in one God as propitiated by the founders of all religions. So none has to give up his religion or deity ... I have come not to disturb or destroy any Faith, but to confirm each in his own Faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim and a Hindu a better Hindu."Sai Australia – Official Website of the Sathya Sai Organisation of Australia and Papua New Guinea According to Ocean of Love, a book published by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, "there is no new path that He is preaching, no new order that He has created. There is no new religion that He has come to add or a particular philosophy that He recommends ... His mission is unique and simple. His mission is that of love and compassion."
On 24 November 1926, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh came out of his trance and announced that Krishna ("overmind Godhead"Article of the week – Evidences for Baba's Avatarhood) "descended into the physical".Purani: 26 November 1926 – Siddhi-Day On the day before this announcement, 23 November 1926, was the birth date of Sathya Sai BabaWhere the Road Ends: From Self Through Sai to Self, Howard Murphet, Leela Press (July 1994) Many felt that Sri Aurobindo's announcement heralded the Sathya Sai Avatar.
Sathya Sai Baba devotees gather on Thursdays in the US and on weekends in other regions of the world for group devotional singing (bhajans), prayer, spiritual meditation, service to the community (Seva),The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto – York and to participate in "Education in Human Values" (SSEHV), also known as Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) and (in India) Balvikas. (Sai Sunday School) The Australian Sai organization states, "we come together as spiritual seekers to sing our devotion to God, singing to many different names and forms that God is worshipped by."Welcome to Newcomers Sathya Sai baba himself says of bhajans, "I do not need songs glorifying God which like gramophone records, reproduce songs and strings of Gods names without any feeling or yearning while singing. Hours of shouting do not count, a moment of concentrated prayer from the heart is enough."Sathya Sai Baba's Declarations on Himself
Devotees still receive Sai Baba's Divya Darshan at his Mahasamadhi shrine, a white marble edifice decorated with flowers, in Sai Kulwant Hall (Prasanthi Nilayam), where he was laid to rest.
Sevā (selfless service) activities, being "at the heart of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings", strives to take an active role to serve the needs of the community.The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto – York Center Seva activities and projects include
Arranging food bank drives and donationsCharlotte Sai Center Visiting nursing homesRichmond Sai Center Greening (tree planting and park cleanup)http://www.saiaustralia.org.au/download/act-september-08.pdf Medical campsWebCite query result Donating blood (giving liquid loveSri Sathya Sai Baba Centre – Calgary – Alberta – Canada) Serving food to the homelessThe Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto – York Collecting old and used spectacle frames for distribution to disadvantaged people in various parts of the world
Other Sai Center activities include study of the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and the sacred literature of all religions, Sai Spiritual Education (SSE),http://sairegion10.org/guidelines/center-guidelines.pdf dynamic value parenting programs, and study circles (taking a point and each person discussing what it means to them).untitled