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Sathya Sai Baba (born Sathya Narayana Raju with the family name Ratnakaram , November 23, 1926 or October 4, 1929) is a controversial South Indian guru described as a godman and miracle worker, who has millions of followers. According to the Sathya Sai Organisation, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries world-wide.
Sathyanarayana was born into a poor agrarian family in the then remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. In the 1940s he proclaimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba and subsequently took the fakir's name. He expounds that he is an avatar (incarnation) of Shiva and Shakti and an embodiment of love with divine attributes such as omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence.
He preaches a foundation of five basic values: Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence. He teaches the unity of all major world religions and says that they all lead to God.
His followers report many, sometimes spectacular, miracles of various kinds which they attribute to Baba. He is observed to manifest vibuthi (holy ash) and small objects(rings, necklaces and watches) out of nothing daily. He explains the phenomenon through divine creation, but refused to have his materializations investigated under experimental conditions. Critics claim that these materializations are done by sleight of hand.
Most vehement criticism since the year 2000 are the allegations, made by former devotees, of inappropriate sexual relations with young men. No court cases have been filed against the Guru by any alleged victim. According to a cover article in the India Today newspaper in 2000, the coterie that surrounds Baba dismisses these allegations by denouncing them as "anti-Hindu" attacks made by foreigners .
The number of Sathya Sai Baba adherents is estimated from 10 million up to 50 million. There have been many defections from Western countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands, due to the public disclosure of allegations . The Sathya Sai Central Trust, an affiliated organization, is the largest recipient of foreign donations .
His followers and the organizations that he has founded are involved in many service projects around the world, for example, free education in schools, free healthcare provided through state-of-the-art hospitals near Baba's main ashram and in Bangalore and water projects serving thousands in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Puttaparthi, the place where Baba was born and still lives, originally a small village, one can now find a university, Chaitanya Jyoti (World Religions Museum), planetarium, a railway station, a super specialty hospital and more. High ranking Indian politicians, like the current president Dr. Abdul Kalam, Manmohan Singh (then the finance minister), and Atal Vajpayee (then the prime minister) have been official guests at the ashram in Puttaparthi.
At present several hundred positive books have been published about Sathya Sai Baba. Some quarters of the Indian government consider Sai Baba to be a 'national treasure'.
History and origins
 | It has been suggested that History and origins of the Sathya Sai Baba movement be merged into this article. (Discuss) |
See Main article History and origins of the Sathya Sai Baba movement
Sathyanarayana was born into a poor agrarian family in the poor and remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India, as the son of Pedda Venkappa Raju and mother Easwaramma. According to professor Narayana Kasturi in his book Easwaramma, who also wrote Sathya Sai Baba's authorized biography, Sathya was born and conceived through virgin birth. After recovering from an unexplained illness in his teens the young Sathya claimed to be the reincarnation of the fakir Shirdi Sai Baba in the 1940s. According to his own assertion and the biography by Kasturi (which the British journalist Mick Brown of the The Telegraph called a hagiography), he stopped going to school in the town Uravakonda on October 20, 1940 to start his mission. However, he is listed in the 1942 school record of the nearby village Bukkapatnam. Though the exact year on which he started his mission full-time is uncertain, it is a fact that in the 1940s he took the fakir's name. Kasturi's biography mentions several miracles by and signs of divinity of the young Sathya. According to Howard Murphet, in his book Sai Baba Man of Miracles (see picture) , the young Sathya was a natural vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly. According to Kasturi and to Sathya Sai Baba himself, the young Sathya composed bhajans spontaneously (even as young as 8 years of age) and was talented in drama, dance, music and poetry. He claimed to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti in 1963.
In the late 1960s he attracted Western spiritual seekers and became increasingly popular. One of those spiritual seekers was the Hollywood screenwriter Arnold Schulman, who wrote in his 1971 book called Baba that "For any episode of Baba's childhood, there are countless contrasting versions and, at this point, the author discovered that it was no longer possible to separate the facts from the legend." According to Schulman, contrasting versions about Baba's childhood may be due to the fact that he needed interpreters to interperet other interpreters (as in the case of his interview with Baba's sister). Schulman concluded that what the translators said may well have been quite different from what was actually said
SSB had several sisters, one older brother, the late Seshama Raju, and one younger brother, the late R. V. Janakiramaiah.
Beliefs and practices
| It has been suggested that Beliefs and practices in the Sathya Sai Organisation be merged into this article. (Discuss) |
- Main article Beliefs and practices in the Sathya Sai Organisation
Miracles, claims, and ashrams
SSB's popularity and the donations by followers have enabled Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations to build an increasingly large ashram near the once poor and isolated village of Puttaparthi.
Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer Baba leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Whitefield (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. He regularly visited the holiday resort Kodaikanal. He has left India only once for a visit to North East Africa in 1968.
He is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language Telugu and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker. He also speaks passable Kannada. Apart from his claim to be Shirdi Sai Baba, SSB also asserts that he is an avatar of God, a reincarnation of Lord Rama, of Sri Krishna, the Kalki purna avatar (full divine incarnation), Lord Shiva, and Shakti. But he also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others are not. He says that he is omniscient, omnipotent, and able to create matter from mere thought. He also stresses he is free from desires. Sai Baba claims to be pure, divine love.
Sathya Sai Baba can be seen in person performing what followers believe to be miracles daily in the form of materializations of small objects, for example food, jewelry such as bracelets, rings, watches and especially vibhuti (holy ash) and kum kum (the red-colored powder used by Hindus to make the ritual mark between the eyebrows). He says that he can heal diseases of his devotees sometimes by his spiritual power and sometimes by taking on the disease himself. . There is anecdotal evidence that supports this claim. Followers attribute many miracles to him which they claim have witnessed in his presence and in their own countries, such as spontaneous vibhuti manifestations on the pictures of Baba in their homes , , and bilocation - the appearance of Sai Baba in their presence while he is also in another place. Followers also report that he has materialized out-of-season fruit several times. He says he performs these miracles to attract people and then to transform them spiritually. He also makes assurances of divine protection to his devotees. Followers report help from Sai Baba in difficult or dangerous situations as well as in dreams.
The Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that he did not get SSB’s permission to study him under controlled circumstances has investigated his miracles and clairvoyance, using the testimonies of his (former) associates. Haraldsson wrote that the biggest materialized object that he saw was about 5 inches (12.5 cm) big and according to him, some miracles attributed or performed by SSB resemble the ones described in the New Testament, but also with some differences. For example according to Haraldsson, healings do not take such a prominent part of SSB's activities.
One important practice in his ashrams is darshan (spiritual sight). During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walks among his followers. He may listen to a few chosen persons, accept letters, or materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash of Lord Shiva). Sathya Sai Baba claims that his darshan has spiritual benefits for those who attend it and this is consistent with Hindu beliefs regarding spiritual preceptors. Usually people wait hours to get a good place for darshan. Sathya Sai Baba sometimes invites people for a group interview with him in a room in the 'ashram's mandir' (Hindu temple). Followers consider it a great privilege to get such an interview. Sometimes a person from this group is invited for a private interview.
In 2003 SSB had an accident that injured his hip, according to the official of the Sathya Sai Organisation, Michael Goldstein. As of 2005, SSB sometimes uses a wheelchair.
When asked about the divinity of Sathya Sai Baba, many of his followers readily attest to it by accounting anecdotes about the numerous miraculous occurances and strange coincidences they have experienced.
Teachings
Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all world religions and assert that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion. His teachings are sometimes seen as completely syncretic (uniting all religions) and sometimes as Hindu. He teaches among others a rather traditional form of Hinduism that has come from many sects and movements including advaita, occasionally drawing from other religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity. In spite of his claim to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a spiritual leader who blended Islam and Hinduism in his teachings, he teaches no Muslim rituals. The only real Christian influence can be felt in the institution of regular Sunday School sessions for devotees. He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas. Several books and discourses by him, such as the book Ramakatha Rasavahini teach the literal interpretation of Hindu mythology and advocate the practice of Hindu dharma.
Across the globe local Sathya Sai Baba groups assemble to sing bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, do collective community service (called seva), and teach Education in Human Values (Sai Sunday School). Baba's movement is not missionary and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968. Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting with the names of the traditional Hindu deities occasionally replaced by Baba's name.
The Sathya Sai organisation advocates the five basic human values. These values are sathya (truth), dharma (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), ahimsa (non-violence), prema (love for God and all his creatures) and shanti (peace).
Other primary teachings are:
- Service and charity (seva) to others.
- Put a ceiling (limit) on one's desires.
- The world is maya (illusion), only God is real.
- Every creature is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
- Vegetarianism
- Non-attachement to the material world
- Meditation - Baba teaches two techniques, so ham (Upanishadic mantra for repetition and focus) and jyoti (Light meditation).
- Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
- Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God and japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster this devotion.
Organizations
Sathya Sai Baba is the figurehead to a number of educational institutions and charitable hospitals, most notably the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and the Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, located within or near the main ashrams and Anantapur town. These organizations provide free education and free health care to the public. They are private, non profit institutions and their admission criteria are not published, admissions being decided on individual merits as decided by Sai Baba or his executives. Many of the patients are devotees from India and abroad.
The trust organization has made large contributions to drinking water projects for the whole of the Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh and Chennai.
His Educare (formerly called Education in Human Values) programme seeks to found schools in all countries with the explicit goal to educate children in the five human values and spirituality. Schools have already been founded in Toronto, Zambia, Australia, the United States, and several in India. A highly successful pre-school in New Zealand has been studied as a model for public New Zealand schools to follow. As all these operations are public, critics of these institutions and their figurehead online often use that information to e-mail nearby citizens of what they see as a danger. A projected college in Denmark was stopped by local residents who objected to the Sai Organisations as a cult, having seen the film "Seduced by Sai Baba" as broadcast repeatedly on Danish national TV.
All the local Sai Samithis (Sathya Sai Baba groups) are part of a hierarchical structure called the Sathya Sai Organisation. The chairman of the organisation is Michael Goldstein of the USA. The logo of the Sathya Sai organization is a stylized lotus flower with the text of the five human values, highly influenced by not only Hinduism but also Jainism and Buddhism, in its petals. This text version has replaced the old logo with the symbols of the 5 or 6 world religions in the petals.
The Sri Sathya Sai central trust was founded in 1972 and is mainly involved in charities such as the Rayalaseema water project. The trust has tax exempt status and is a major recipient of donations from abroad though Baba and his organizations never solicit donations. All donations and expenditures are recorded which are documented by the bank holding the sums.
The Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust is the official publisher of the Sathya Sai Organisation. It publishes the international monthly magazine called Sanathana Sarathi. In various nations similar publication trusts maintain in their own native language.
Opposition, controversy, and allegations
SSB has been and still is the target of criticism by skeptics, ex-followers and other critics that question his claims to perform miracles and other paranormal feats. For example, in 1976 the physicist rationalist and then the vice chancellor of Bangalore University Dr. H. Narasimhaiah who founded and chaired The Committee to Investigate Miracles and Other Verifiable Superstitions publicly challenged Sathya Sai Baba to perform his miracles under controlled circumstances, a challenge which Sathya Sai Baba ignored. The committee exposed a boy called Sai Krishna that, according to the committee, had SSB’s endorsement as a fraud. SSB said in one of his rare interviews with the press (Blitz magazine September 1976) that he had no connection to Sai Krishna and that he found the attitude of the committee improper and that the committee did not understand spiritual life. As a result of this episode, a public debate about SSB raged for months in Indian newspapers. The 1995 TV documentary "Guru Busters" by UK's Channel 4 accused the guru of faking his materializations. The magazine India Today published on 4 December 2000 a cover story about the Baba and the allegations of fake miracles quoting the magician P. C. Sorcar, Jr. who considered the Baba a fraud. The skeptic and amateur magician Basava Premanand asserted that he has been investigating SSB since 1968. He also asserted he was a member of the Sathya Sai Organisation between 1968 until 1974. The British journalist Mick Brown discussed, in his 1998 book "The Spiritual Tourist", that the letters, from attending doctors, provided in the Indian Skeptic magazine (published by Premanand) about SSB's claim of resurrecting Walter Cowan, as described in the books My Baba and I by the follower John Hislop and in SSB's authorized biography by Kasturi, was probably untrue. In this same book, Mick Brown also related his experiences with manifestions of vibuthi, from Sathya Sai Baba's pictures in a house in London, and felt that these miraculous manifestations were not fraudulent. Premanand showed in the 2004 BBC documentary Secret Swami that he could produce some of the same acts as SSB that the latter presents as miracles, such as materializations by sleight of hand and the production of a lingam from his mouth by regurgitation.
On June 6, 1993 four people who were armed with knives were killed after they had intruded in Sai Baba's bedroom. The intruders had killed two aides of Sai Baba. The incident was widely published in the Indian press, but the main body of Indian journalists investigating the "ashram murders" were unable to obtain more than very sparse information on the Central Trust's accounts and dealings. SSB claimed in his 1993 Gurupurnima discourse on July 3 that jealousy among his followers was behind the incident without giving a detailed explanation of the events. The former Secretary of the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, V.P.B. Nair who came from of a police background expressed in the BBC documentary his belief that the four assailants in 1993 had unnecessarily and illegally been shot by the police. Both Premanand and Nair wanted the case to be re-opened and believed that it had been silenced to prevent revelations about illegal practices by Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations.
A major turning point in the debates about SSB was the publication in the year 2000 of a document called the "Findings" in which the couple and former followers Faye and David Bailey (who together wrote three books on Sathya Sai Baba ) describe their disillusionment with the guru. . A great part of the Findings contains testimonies of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Apart from that, Faye writes in the Findings that young men in the ashram in India requested David's help to stop SSB sexually abusing them. The Findings contain allegations of fakery, that SSB does not heal sick people, and that there are financial irregularities with charity project affiliated with SSB, such as the hospital and water project, David Bailey had previously written in a 1996 book about SSB that he personally witnessed manifestations and healings by Sathya Sai Baba. The Findings found its way to the internet in the year 2000 and led to a flood of allegations and fierce debates on the internet about the guru.
SSB is said to give "oiling" between the scrotum and anus, on the genitals, above the genitals, on the chest or on the head. The testimonies of sexual abuse of young men were shown in TV documentaries, including "Seduced by Sai Baba" by Denmark's national television, and documentary film "Secret Swami" by BBC. The India Today article referred to a signed affidavit in their possession by the German Jens Sethi who claimed to have been sexually abused as an adult by the Baba. The magazine wrote that Sethi filed a criminal complaint in Munich. The TV documentary "Seduced By Sai Baba", produced by Denmark's national television and radio broadcaster Danish radio aired in Denmark, Australia and Norway. Al Rahm (then under the pseudonym Young), said in the TV documentary Seduced by Sai Baba that he talked with the highest leader in the USA (Michael Goldstein) about the sexual abuse by SSB of his son who was 18 at the time of the alleged incidents and returned for approximately 14 interviews and did public speeches extolling Baba's virtues before he made his claim. According to Rahm, the leader responded by saying that he hated the idea of having wasted 25 years of his life and that he accepted SSB's statement "Swami is pure" as the truth. Goldstein, the International Chairman of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisations, stated in the BBC documentary Secret Swami that it was against his "heart and conscience" to initiate or approve of a proper legal process to investigate the allegations against Sathya Sai Baba. Isaac Tigrett, a prominent follower and co-founder of the Hard Rock Café, stated in the documentary that his admiration for the Baba will not change even if the charges of paedophilia and murder were proved beyond all doubt. According to the journalist Michelle Goldberg of salon.com the fact that the Baba has high ranking Indian politicians as his supporters and the charity works done by the various organizations associated with the Baba help to explain why he has not been brought into court. The Indian consulate website states that crime victims must file charges with the police. No alleged victims have done so to date. SSB did not give a detailed public rebuttal to the accusations of sexual abuse. In his Christmas 2000 discourse SSB said that people disseminate false negative stories about him because they have been bribed.
Several sexual abuse testimonies claim that Baba can change into a woman instantaneously. These puzzling testimonies have led some to the conclusion that Baba is a hermaphrodite. Alexandra Nagel has argued in her 1994 Dutch language article published by the Free University Amsterdam press that this alleged sex change may be related to Baba's claim to be the incarnation of both the male and female aspects of God, Shiva and Shakti respectively.
In the years 1999 and 2000 SSB has repeatedly belittled the internet and discouraged its use.
According to Donald Taylor in a 1987 article, SSB's charismatic authority is vulnerable to challenge from both outside and within the movement which he dealt with in various ways. Among others by making extraordinary declarations to be God to keep his authority at the center of the movement and by claiming to get reincarnated as Prema Sai Baba in 1963 to maintain his authority and to prevent a struggle about his succession as long as he lives.
Sceptics such as Premanand, an atheist, believe Sathya Sai Baba to be an cheater and charlatan and also believes that Baba's followers are gullible and naive. The critical former follower Glen Meloy described him as 'a demented demonic force'.
Tal Brooke, an American evangelical Christian wrote in his 1976 book Avatar of the Night that SSB is a false prophet and an Antichrist, as predicted in the Bible. Brooke spent a lot of time as a close disciple of Sai Baba, as described in the book. As a young man he packed up all of his belongings and left America for India on a spiritual search.
Stances by devotees and proponents
Bill Aitken (a Sai Devotee, expert in comparative religion and author of the book "Sathya Sai Baba: A life") stated that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation has only increased despite negative stories being published against the Guru, by rationalists, critics and skeptics, for at least a generation. Aitken contended that critics are so distemperate in their dislike that their vituperation comes across as near comical. Aitken also argued that the BBC's programme, Secret Swami, had an advantage for discrediting Sathya Sai Baba because the Anglican Church would not object to programmes that weaken perceived threats, such as Sai Movement.
The secretary of the Puttaparthi ashram, K. Chakravarthi, refused to comment on the accusations, but Anil Kumar, SSB's principal translator, said that all great religious leaders had faced criticism and that the controversy was part of Sai Baba's divine plan.
Thorbjørn Meyer, in a letter to the DR, called the allegations undocumented and untrue. Peter Pruzan, a professor at Copenhagen’s Business High School and a follower of SSB, replied after being confronted with critical material about SSB that SSB is not a pedophile nor that he does conjuring tricks, pointing to the powers of SSB that Pruzan said he has experienced, both in SSB’s presence as well as in Denmark.
Parliamentary, governmental and political issues and responses
The Indian President Abdul Kalam and the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visit the ashram and pay respect to Baba. Vajpayee has written a letter when he was still the PM which is published on the internet, also signed by two former Supreme Court Justices, expressing that Sathya Sai Baba is innocent of sexual molestations and that the accusations are concocted and malicious. Sceptics are confused as to whether Vajpayee's signed statement is based on government information not made available to the public. But it was made clear during the 2004 BBC documentary, "Secret Swami" that some prominent Indian politicians (e.g. Murli Manohar Joshi) have taken the position that the allegations against Sai Baba are false.
In the year 2000 UNESCO withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at Puttaparthi and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on 15 September, as "Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba." In the year 2003, Unesco removed this press release from their site.
Former MP Tony Colman of the Parliament of the United Kingdom asked, in the parliament in 2002, whether a travel warning was appropriate due to the reports of sexual abuse. Since 2002, neither Tony Blair nor the Parliament ever issued a travel warning against Sathya Sai Baba. Nor has the British Government released any official statement regarding this matter.
Tom Sackville, a former Home Office Under-Secretary of State and current chairman of the anti-cult organisation Family Action Information and Resource (FAIR), has expressed concern about the alleged indoctrination of children by devotees who volunteer at public schools and propagate the Educare/Education in Human Values teachings and asserted that this should be forbidden by law.
On October 1, 2001 the European Commission answered a question from Lousewies van der Laan, then a member of the European Parliament, about no EU funding going to organizations associated with Sathya Sai Baba, due to allegations of sexual abuse. The Commission answered that the Sathya Sai Trust never received, and was not receiving, any funding from the European Commission.
A travel advisory by the United States Department of State, in which neither Sathya Sai Baba or other persons are mentioned, warns US citizens traveling to Andhra Pradesh of unconfirmed reports of inappropriate sexual behavior toward young male devotees by a prominent local religious leader.
Sathya Sai Baba's Presence in Popular Culture
Sathya Sai Baba's name is mentioned on the popular incense Nag Champa.
Bibliography
Books By Sathya Sai Baba
Online Resource: Sathya Sai Speaks Series
Online Resource: Vahini Series Written By Sathya Sai Baba
Selected books by his followers
(Note: Hundreds of English language book titles have been written by his followers)
- Goldthwait, John “Purifying the Heart” (2002) ISBN 81-7208-339-4
- Guillemin, Madeleine “Who is in the Driving Seat?” (2000) ISBN 0-9583617-0-3
- Hislop, John My Baba and I ISBN 81-7208-050-6
- Kasturi, Narayana Sathyam Sivam Sundaran' part I (first published in 1961), II, III, IV available online in Microsoft Word format
- Krystal, Phyllis “The Ultimate Experience” ISBN 81-7208-038-7
- Mazzoleni Don Mario A Catholic Priest Encounters Sai Baba
- Murphet, Howard Man of Miracles (1971) 0333-91770-7
- Padmanaban, Ranganathan Love is My Form Sai Towers (2000) ISBN 81-86822-76-3
- Sandweiss, Samuel H. The holy man ..... and the psychiatrist (1975) ISBN 0-9600958-1-0
- Sandweiss, Samuel H “Spirit and the Mind” (1985) ISBN 81-7208-056-5
- Thomas, Joy “Life is a Game – Play it” ISBN 81-7208-175-8
- Schulman, Arnold Baba (1971) Out of print but available in some public libraries
- Directory Of Books About Sathya Sai Baba on SaiBabaLinks.org
- Priddy, Robert “'Source of the Dream'” (1998) ISBN 1-57863-028-2 (Note: This author is no longer a follower of Sai Baba)
- Steel, Brian The Powers of Sathya Sai Baba (1999) ISBN 81-7646-080-X (Note: This author is no longer a follower of Sai Baba)
- Steel, Brian The Satya Sai Baba Compendium: A Guide to the First Seventy Years (Paperback) Weiser Books (February, 1997) ISBN 0877288844 (Note: This author is no longer a follower of Sai Baba)
Books by sceptics and critics
- Beyerstein, Dale Dr. (1994) Sai Baba's miracles: an overview available online
- Brooke, Tal Avatar of the Night (1999), first published in 1976 as Lord of the Air. A revised edition of Lord of the Air was later released in 1990, and then another expanded edition was released in 1999 as Avatar of Night. "Riders of the Cosmic Circuit" in 1986
- Premanand, Basava The Murders in Sai Baba's bedroom
- Priddy, Robert The End of the Dream (2004) published and edited by Basava Premanand
Other books
- Brown, Mick The Spiritual Tourist (1998), chapter 4 In The House of God ISBN 1-58234-034-X Bloomsbury Publishing
- Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (first published in 1987, 1997 revised and updated edition) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
- Annotated research bibliography in three parts collected by Brian Steel, available online.
References
- Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prashanti Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
- Nagel, Alexandra (note: Nagel is a critical former follower) Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing/A mysterious meeting... :Sai Baba and mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie/Journal for parapsychology 368, vol. 72 nr 4, Dec. 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)
"Sai Baba was in 1927 one year old - or not yet born (a discussion exist about his birth year.)" Dutch original:"Sai Baba was in 1927 één jaar oud - of nog niet eens geboren (er bestaat discussie over zijn geboortejaar.)" - Woodhead, Linda & Fletcher Paul. Religion in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformation. Routledge (UK), ISBN 0415217849
"By far the most famous Godman of today is Sathya Sai Baba" (p. 29) - Lochtefeld, James G. Ph.D. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism Vol. I ISBN 082393179-x, New York Rosen 2002
From the entry godman, "One contemporary example of such a godman is Sathya Sai Baba" - Hummel, Reinhart Dr. Guru, Miracle Worker, Religious Founder: Sathya Sai Baba
" Sai Baba has an unrivaled reputation as a miracle worker. He »materializes« watches, talismans, sweets, flowers, crucifixes, books, photographs, and, above all, holy ashes (vibhuti) with a wave of the hand. Miraculous cures with help from the ashes, or from Baba himself as the surgeon, and even the resurrecting of the dead are attributed to him."
Dr. Hummel has been director of the Evangelische Zentralstelle fur Weltanschauungsfragen in Stuttgart since 1981, which is a church institution set up in 1960 by the Evangelical Church in Germany. Previously, he had served as a pastor in Schleswig-Holstein, as principal for seven years of a theological college in Kotapad, India, and researcher on guru movements and Eastern religions at Heidelberg University. Dr. Hummel visited the Sai Baba center in Bombay in 1981. The original German version of this article first appeared in Materialdienst der EZW, 47 Jahrgang, 1 February 1984. Translation by Linda W. Duddy is reprinted by their permission. available online on the website of the Dialog Center, a Christian Anti-Cult Site - Sathya Sai Org: Numbers to Sai Centers and Names of Countries
- SSB as quote in Narayana Kasturi's authorized biography Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol 3 page 315
"I am all deities in one. You may endeavour your best for thousands of years and have all mankind with you in your search. But you cannot understand My Reality." page 136
"God can do anything. He has all power in the palm of His Hand. My Body, like all other bodies, is a temporary habitation; but, My Power is eternal, all-pervasive, ever-dominant." Christmas Day Discourse, Bombay 1970. page 305 "In his speech at the Patel Stadium in Bombay, Sathya Sai Baba said, " I know all that happens to all because I am everyone. This current is in every bulb I illumine every consciousness. I am the inner motivator in each one of you." " - India Today December 04, 2000 A God Accused
- Adherents
- Brown, Mick; Divine Downfall in The Telegraph UK Newspaper (28 Oct. 2000)
- Brown, Mick Divine Downfall article in The Telegraph UK Newspaper UK (28 Oct. 2000)
"There has been a rash of defections from Sai Baba groups throughout the West. In Sweden the central group has closed down, and so too has a school based on the Human Education Values programme devised by educationalists at the Puttaparthi college." - Velde, Koert van der Trouw article Downfall 6 Sept. 2000 Dutch original Ondergang
"Hundreds of Dutch devotees did the same tearing up all the Sai Baba photos off the walls and throwing out his books." - George Iype Sathya Sai Trust Gets Most Foreign Donations article on Rediff.com (August 16, 2003)
- Shiva Shakthi Gurupournima Day, 6 July 1963, (Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III 5, 19.)
- Schulman, Arnold Baba 1971, pp. 122-124, ISBN 670-14343-x
- Sathya Sai Baba's younger brother dies article on 18 Oct. 2003 in The Times of India retrieved March 2006
- Sathya Sai Baba's brother dies article on 18 Oct. 2003 in The Hindu retrieved March 2006
- Interview with Sai Baba in the magazine Blitz 1976
- Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on 29 June 1963
- Pillay, Prinella Divine blessing: It's a miracle, says family
March 17, 2004 in the newspaper Post South Africa available online
"In what is being described as a divine blessing, a staunch Sai Baba-devoted Isipingo family is experiencing what they say are miracles in their home - with the formation of ashes and kungum around their prayer place and walls, and the appearance of candy and honey dripping freely from the eyes of a Sai Baba statue. Widowed Rani Naicker, 50, a factory worker of Egret Crescent, Lotus Park, who shares a rented home with her three children, factory workers Sagren, 21, and Kumaran, 24, unemployed Nicole, 25, and her (Nicole's) three-year-old daughter Shenay, said they were blessed a day after the kavady festival in February, when Sagren noticed ashes forming on the top of a poster which featured Sai Baba's head. Since then, the family claims, there has been an overflow of ashes, kungum, turmeric powder, sugar candy and pink sweets, including the continuous dripping of sweet honey from a statue. These have mysteriously materialised. Ashes have also formed on several pictures of Sai Baba, Shridi Baba, Mother Mary and on the frame of a picture of Naicker's late husband, Manny Naicker." - Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prashanti Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1 page 31
"The family later learned that Sai Baba had not in fact been in Kerala. He had actually been visiting in the Venkatagiri district near the east coast of Southern India, which is some 350 miles northeast of Manjeri. There, as always, he hade a busy schedule, had been constantly surrounded by people, and had been living in the palace of the Raja of Venkatagiri." - Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition published by Sai Towers, Prashanti Nilayam, India) ISBN 81-86822-32-1 pages 231, 239-241
- SSB in wheelchair
- Knott, Kim Dr. South Asian Religions in Britain page 766, Table 22.1 Principal Sectarian movements in Britain and their primary characteristics in the Handbook of Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0140514805
- Public discourse by Sathya Sai Baba on November 23, 1968 (also published in Samuel Sandweiss 1972 book Sai Baba: The Holy man and the psychiatrist Part II Coming Home) available online on the website of the Sathya Sai organisation
"The Lord has no intention to publicize Himself. I do not need publicity, nor does any other Avatar of the Lord. Avatars need no advertisement" - Brown, Mick The Spiritual Tourist 1998 Bloomsbury publishing ISBN 158234034 Chapter In the House of God pp. 73 - 74
- Brown Mick, The Spiritual Tourist, Ch: The Miracle In North London, pp. 29-30, 1998 ISBN 158234034X
I had no idea what to make of the pictures. To have applied the vibuthi to the glass would have been possible, perhaps, although I could not imagine how. The vibuthi was too evenly distributed to have been applied with a brush or sponge. The pictures did not seem to me to have been tampered with in any way. Rather, the vibuthi seemed to have grown on the surface of the glass, just as Mr. Patel said it had. Even if placing vibuthi on the glass might have just about been possible, to have placed it between the picture and the frame, as was the case with some of the portriats, seemed to me to be too complicated and troublesome. It seemed preposterous to imagine Mr Patel and his family bent over frames and sheets of glass, fiddling with ash and screwdrivers. Anyway, why would anyone contrive such a spectacle? There was no apparent profit or gain to be had from it for Mr Patel. A large sign near the pictures urged visitors not to give money, but to 'leave only your troubles'.
What other motive could he have had? It had, if anything, caused him considerable personal inconvience. His house was no longer his own. He entertained a constant stream of visitors and enquiries; he was required to maintain the shrine in proper order. He had long ago abandoned any thoughts of installing a snooker-table as he had originally planned. Besides, Mr Patel did not strike me as a man capable of deceit. His manner was humble, self-effacing, patently sincere. 'I am deeply blessed,' he said. Even questioning his account of the miracle I felt mean-spirited, a prisoner of rationalist thought. Perhaps it was better simply to accept it for what Mr Patel said it was, for what it seemed to be - the sparkle of holy ash enlivening the dreary suburb of Wealdstone. I walked away from Mr Patel's house with my head reeling, Austin at my side. His face still wore the same absorbed half-smile I had noticed when he was sitting in the ante-room.
'So what did you think?' I asked.
He walked along in silence for some moments, mulling it over. 'Well, if it's not a miracle,' he said at last, 'it's a wonderful fairy tale.'
I told friends about the vibuthi-covered portriats; they looked at me in a bemused, eyebrow-arching sort of way. It couldn't be true, because such things simply don't happen, do they? But then they hadn't seen it, and I had. - Goldberg, Michelle in salon.com 25 July 2001
"They're not new, either. In 1970, Tal Brooke published a book called "Lord of the Air," later renamed "Avatar of Night," a vivid, detailed account of his mind-blowing days as a questing young acolyte and his total disillusionment on learning of his guru's sexual rapacity. Yet it's only recently, thanks in large part to the Internet, that various victims, their parents and defecting officials from within the Sai Organization have banded together to direct the energy they once poured into worshiping their master toward bringing the man down.
It all started with a document called "The Findings," published in late 2000 by long-term devotees David and Faye Bailey, whose marriage was arranged by Sai Baba." - "Bailey, David, A Journey To Love, 1996 ISBN 8186822046
Bailey, David, A Journey To Love Book 2: Love and Marriage, 1988 ISBN 8186822607
Bailey, Faye, Another Journey To Love: Experiences with Sathya Sai Baba, 1998 ISBN 8186822402" - Brown, Mick Divine Downfall in The Telegraph 28 October 2000
"The Findings is a chronicle of shattered illusions." - Goldberg, Michelle in salon.com 25 July 2001
"Most of "The Findings" consists of testimony of sexual harassment and sexual abuse." - Goldberg, Michelle in salon.com 25 July 2001
""Whilst still at the ashram, the worst thing for me -- as a mother of sons -- occurred when a young man, a college student, came to our room, to plead with David, 'Please Sir, do something to stop him sexually abusing us,'" Faye writes. "These sons of devotees, unable to bear their untenable position of being unwilling participants in a paedophile situation any longer, yet unable to share this with their parents because they would be disbelieved, placed their trust in David; a trust which had built over his five years as a visiting professor of music to the Sai college." " - Brown, Mick Divine Downfall in The Telegraph 28 October 2000
"It contains allegations of fakery, con-trickery and financial irregularities in the funding of the hospital and over a Sai Baba project to supply water to villages around the ashram, which is habitually trumpeted as evidence of his munificence." - "A Journey to Love (page 45), David Bailey: "Another man sat to my left between me and His chair. Swami smiled and waved His right hand in the air and a gold ring with nine stones just appeared from nowhere. 'For you', He said to the man on my left. 'It won't fit', He added, trying to push the ring on to the fourth finger on his left hand. 'Try', He said to the man, and then to several others sitting in the room. No way would it go past his knuckle, so Swami held the ring with his two fingers, slipped it off and blew on it once, then slipped the ring back on...a perfect fit. Then He smiled and waved His hand in the air again. It seemed, in slow motion, that a gold bracelet with a watch in it dropped from the centre of His palm...'For you', He said to one of the ladies. 'Check the time', He added...it was correct!"
A Journey to Love (page 80), David Bailey: "He waved His right hand in the air, and, slowly, from about 4 inches under His hand, in mid-air, appeared the most beautiful Japamala (rather like a set of rosary beads, with 108 beads) in silver and crystal."
A Journey to Love (page 65), David Bailey: "Swami waved His right hand in the air in a clockwise circular motion and under His hand in mid-air appeared the most astonishingly huge diamond ring. "Give me the fourth finger of your left hand. It will fit." He slid it on and it was fantastic, a perfect fit. I could not believe my eyes."
A Journey to Love (page 104), David Bailey: "I have seen (and there are countless recorded incidents) of Him touching critically ill people in wheelchairs, with cancer, etc., and they were healed."
A Journey to Love (page 78, 79), David Bailey: "Swami had called this Indian family along with a very, very elderly lady, who was in a wheelchair. The family started to push her towards Swami, when He apparently said, 'No, walk!' This lady got up from out of the wheelchair, the first time for 15 years we discovered, and walked elegantly up to the interview room and entered inside. This next part I saw. The door closed, and, as Swami had promised He would talk to me, I knew I must wait. I went in and the elderly lady was sitting on the floor. I sat next to her. Swami made some vibuthi for us, and then took the Australians in for their private interview. What happened next was a moment that I shall never forget in all my life. Swami invited the Indian family into the inner room. The two sons came to help the elderly lady up off the floor. 'No no' Swami said, 'Bhagavan here.' He raised His hands in the air, palms pointing down towards her, and I find the following few moments very difficult to put into words. As I was sitting beside her I felt exactly what happened. Energy poured out of His hands in a kind of circular motion, it was not like an elecrtical energy, it was sheer love, so powerful it was almost a glimpse of Heaven. I burst into floods of tears, I couldn't help it, the feeling was so beautiful. The elderly lady got up like a three year old and went into the inner room."" - Brown, Mick Divine Downfall in The Telegraph 28 October 2000
"In recent months, an extraordinary storm of allegations have appeared - spurred by a document called The Findings Originally published in document form, The Findings quickly found its way on to the internet, where it has become the catalyst for a raging cyberspace debate about whether Sai Baba is truly divine or, as one disenchanted former devotee describes him, 'a dangerous paedophile'." - Discourse by SSB on 25 December 2000 [http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume33/sss33-23.pdf available online pdf file
- 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, (1994) ISBN 9053833412 available online
English translation "With this last remark it becomes plausible why Sai Baba's sexual acts, as Brooke and Ord told them, have been largely remained unknown: the majority of the devotees is not open enough to understand the symbolism or to accept it. It is totally unclear whether Swallow knew about Sai Baba's acts with young men and his hermaphrodism. From the way in which she portrayed Baba as an incarnation of Shiva, one could infer that she would have found it normal and appropriate that those events take place. Because Baba shows in his private surroundings his side of the 'supreme lover' and combines this in addidition with Shiva-Shakti, the male-female form."
Reference: Swallow, Deborah A. 1982 Ashes and Powers: myth, rite and miracle in an indian God-man's cult. In Modern Asian Studies jaargang 16 (1) pp.123-158. " Dutch original "Middels deze laatste opmerking wordt aannemelijk waarom Sai Baba's sexuele handelingen zoals Brooke en Ord ze naar voren hebben gebracht, grotendeels onder de oppervlakte zijn gebleven: het merendeel van zijn devotees is niet open genoeg om de symboliek te kunnen begrijpen of te accepteren. Totaal onduidelijk is evenwel of Swallow kennis heeft genomen van Sai Baba's handelingen met jongemannen en zijn tweeslachtigheid. Uit de wijze waarop zij Baba als een incarnatie van Shiva heeft geportretteerd, zou afgeleid kunnen worden dat ze het niet meer dan normaal of passend zou vinden dat die gebeurtenissen plaatsvinden. Want Baba toont in de privé-omgeving zijn kant van 'opperste geliefde' en combineert dit bovendien met Shiva-Shakti, de man-vrouw vorm. "
Referentie: Swallow, Deborah A. 1982 Ashes and Powers: myth, rite and miracle in an indian God-man's cult. In Modern Asian Studies jaargang 16 (1) pp.123-158. - Sermon by SSB on October 15, 1999
"Some of the elders sitting at the Verandah are indulging in gossip; it is finding its way into the internet. (…) Swami has nothing to do with the internet. Not only now, even in future also. You should not indulge in such wrong activities."
Sermon by SSB on September 26, 2000 "Internet is like a waste paper basket”,
Sermon by SSB on September 29, 2000 "I have already told you about internet, radio, video etc. We have seen so many people who have been exposed to these media. But, what is their effect? All transient, passing clouds that come and go. It is an utter waste of time. It is all business oriented. That is not our aim. Do not hanker after internet: turn to the innernet. Concentrate on inner vision." - Taylor, Donald Charismatic authority in the Sathya Sai Baba movement in Hinduism in Great Britain, Richard Burghart (ed.), 1987, London/New York: Tavistock Publications, pp. 130-131. ISBN 0422609102
"Sathya Sai Baba’s charismatic authority is vulnerable to challenge from both outside and within the movement. Outside the movement there are those who also claim to be holy men and who perform similar miracles. The production of a crystal ‘lingam’ from within himself is performed by so many other holy men that Sai Baba announced in 1976 that he would discontinue the practice. Others of rationalist conviction, such as Dr Kovoor, denounced him as a ‘fraudulent Godman whose miracles were nothing but plain magic’ (Rajghatta 1985: 48). To prove his point Dr Kovoor himself ‘miraculously’ produced a quantity of holy ash (vibhuti) which he distributed to eager recipients. He also challenged Sathya Sai Baba to allow his so-called miracles to be subjected to an investigation by a panel of like-minded rationalists, but Sai baba refused, and lost a considerable amount of support in doing so.
Muted challenges from within the movement sometimes result in the withdrawal of membership. Dr Bhagavantham, formerly on the Council of Management of the Central Trust (also formerly scientific adviser to the Government of India), has recently left the movement; and another, Dr Gokak, formerly in charge of the education program, has tried to demolish the myths that surround Sai Baba. Other Indian academics have also left; and it is claimed that ‘many more devotees including most foreigners have already deserted the flock’ (Rajghatta, 1985: 48).
Other challenges within the movement are more subtle, and also result in some devotees exhibiting miraculous powers, such as producing holy ash and bringing about miraculous cures. So far these powers are claimed to be derived from Sathya Sai Baba. But it is not difficult to see that such activities are challenges to Sai Baba’s authority. Unless they are met, the movement could disintegrate into numerous thaumaturgical sects centered upon charismatic individuals. One of the ways to meet this sort of challenge is to routinize charisma, thus transforming the structure of the movement to a legal-rational type.
Another way in which Sathya Sai Baba has met these challenges has been to secure his position at the Center, by claiming to be the incarnation of the universal godhead, such that devotion to Christ, Allah, or whoever automatically comes to him. This sort of claim is not altogether unusual in Hinduism. It is interesting to note, however, that the Sai Baba advanced this claim in 1968, at a time when the movement was expanding into foreign countries, such as the United States, Australia, and Britain, and recruiting membership among emigrant ethnic Indians as much as western people. As the incarnation of the god of all gods the Sathya Sai Baba was thought to be the sole source of power. Today his devotees –whether they be Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, or Muslim – firmly believe this and are encouraged to continue within their own religious tradition, but seeing their devotions as being directed to him.
A further way in which Sai Baba has met a potential challenge to his authority is to thwart any discussion about his successor. In 1963 he announced that he was the second incarnation in a series of three. The first had occurred in the human form of the Shirdi Sai Baba who was the incarnation of Sakthi. The second, himself, was the incarnation of Siva-Sakthi; and the third would be the incarnation of Siva as someone called Prema Sai to be born in Mysore State eight years after his own death. By defusing the problem of succession, he also defused the problem of authority. All authority remains firmly in his hands as long as he lives. Anyone else who claims this authority in Sai Baba’s lifetime will be recognized as a usurper or imposter."
Reference: C. Rajghatta “Is Sai Baba on his way out?”, in 'Sunday' (Madras), September 8-14, 1985. - Brown, Mick Divine downfall 28 Oct. 2000
available online
"Whether he is divine, 'a demented demonic force', as Glen Meloy now describes him, or simply the most accomplished fakir and confidence trickster, Sai Baba has said nothing publicly about the allegations laid against him." - Brown, Mick Divine downfall 28 Oct. 2000
available online
"When the Telegraph Magazine contacted K Chakravarthi, secretary of the Puttaparthi ashram, he said, 'We have no time for these matters. I have nothing to say' and terminated the call."
"Sai Baba's principal English translator, Anil Kumar, was more forthcoming. Every great religious teacher, he said, had faced criticism in their lifetime. Such allegations had been levelled at Sai Baba since childhood, 'but with every criticism he becomes more and more triumphant'. Kumar said he considered the controversy 'all part of divine plan. It's a paddy field with husks around the rice. Eventually all the unwanted parts will go to leave the true substance inside.'" - “Seduced” TV documentary produced by broadcasted on January 30, 2002 at 8:05 pm. transcript available online
- Colman, Tony 26 February 2002 Tony Colman SAI BABA AND SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN Early_day_motion EDM 886 Sai Baba and sexual abuse of children 26.02.2002 Colman, Tony
- Question to the Commission pdf file
- United States Department of State wesite
"U.S. citizens should be aware that there have been unconfirmed reports of inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader at an ashram or religious retreat located in Andhra Pradesh. Most of the reports indicate that the subjects of these approaches have been young male devotees, including a number of U.S. citizens."Available online (Retrieved Feb 2006)
External links
Official Sathya Sai Websites
- The Official Spanish Forum of Sri Sathya Sai Baba
- The Official Website of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, India
- The Official Web Site of the International Sri Sathya Seva Organisations (has Baba's discourses, Baba's voice singing Gayatri and bhajans)
- The Official Website of Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, India
- The Official Website of Radio Sai Global Harmony - the digital radio channel from Prasanthi Nilayam, India
- The Official Website of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed university), Prasanthi Nilayam, India
Websites of critical former followers, skeptics and other critics
- Concerned former Dutch devotees of Sathya Sai Baba Extensive website that contains opinions and videos of alleged materializations, webmaster Reinier van der Sandt.
- Robert Priddy's extensive website about the Sathya Sai Baba and the Sathya Sai organisation
- Brian Steel's website about Sathya Sai Baba
- Allegations concerning Sathya Sai Baba Multi-lingual, critical website of ex-followers, webmaster Lionel Fernandez.
- Sai Baba Exposé: revealing hidden facts about India's biggest guru and his worldwide cult Conny Larsson's English section on the Scandinavian website of critical former followers. Contains writings by Basava Premanand
Websites to Devotees and Proponents
- Allegations Against Sathya Sai Baba Examined An extensive, Pro-Sai website by Gerald Joe Moreno that addresses the Anti-Sai campaign.
- A Clear View A Pro-Sai website by Ram Das Awle that attempts to explain the sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba.
- The Sai Critic A Pro-Sai website that discusses the controversy surrounding Sathya Sai Baba.
Other websites
- Anti-Sai Baba Deceptions? article on the disagreement and antagonism between apologists and critics on the website of M. Alan Kazlev.
- Love is my form biographical overview of the early years from the book Love is my Form
- Sai Baba (pdf file) Leaflet by the London School of Economics affiliated charity INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), which is funded by Mainstream Churches and whose Patrons & Governers are Bishops, Priests or members of Orthodox Churches: About INFORM
Media articles
- Extensive Updates about Sai Baba in the media
- Divine Downfall Mick Brown's article about the sexual abuse allegations in The Telegraph newspaper UK (28 Oct. 2000)
- Test of Faith front page article in India Today 4 December 2000
- Untouchable? Sai Baba: Pedophile or God incarnate? Michelle Golberg's major article in salon.com online magazine (2001)
- Three die after putting faith in guru (27 August 2001) The Times by Dominic Kennedy (first of three stories)
- Sai Baba could be put on UK blacklist The Hindustan Times
- A Friend in India to All the World article in the New York Times by journalist Keith Bradsher December 1, 2002
- "I lost the desire to live" B. N. was a follower of Sai Baba for 17 years article by Bettina Vilmun, translated from the Danish daily national newspaper B.T. (tabloid) (January 312002)
- Sri Sathya Sai 80th year of Advent A collection of various articles about Sathya Sai baba on the The Hindu news website (23 November 2005). Note: According to Indian customs a person is considered one year old when born.
- Miracle of Welfare The Week's article about Sathya Sai Baba and the controversy surrounding the Guru. (27 November 2005)
- Sigh Baba article in the Mumbai Mirror 11 Jan. 2006. In 2006 followers of Shirdi Sai Baba in the Ahmednagar district filed a suit, in the court of Rahata, to restrain followers of Sathya Sai Baba from claiming he is a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. The case is pending as of January 2006.
