Sathya Sai Baba contradictions – Proof of the pudding

Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings are all claimed to be absolutely true  (supposedly being the words of the infallible omniscient Godhead).  They do not depend for their truth on the level of understanding of this or that person on this or that occasion.  What are his devotees supposed to believe from all those lies that they are fed?

Here are some more examples to add to the list (as recently begun here) of Sai lies:–

Sai Lie No. 4: “People may think that Swami is having a number of servants to do his work. I do not need anybody to serve Me; I do not expect any service from others.” Another obvious lie, for every visitor to his ashrams has seen with his/her own eyes how Sai Baba constantly gets and demands personal service from his devotees! One can also read of the services done him personally in  numerous books written to praise him.  For example, humble devotee Smt Vijaya Kumari writes (in ‘Refuge Other Than You I have None‘) that the slightest oversight with regard to arrangements for his meals would provoke Sai Baba into a fit of anger.

Nor was this behaviour restricted to his younger years. Mrs. Ratan Lal lived at Prashanthi Nilayam for decades and made at least one meal of several and varied dishes for Sai Baba daily whenever he was in residence there. She often received the remains back afterwards as Prasad (i.e. a divine blessing – or, if you doubt this – a clever con when one considers how she constantly sweated for decades over providing all the ingredients and cooking them herself according to his strict instructions and – of course – without recompense!).

Surely no one believes that Sai Baba makes his own meals, does his own laundry, shops for anything, services his own cars or dozens of other tasks anyone else must carry out?

Sai Lie No. 5: “Today the whole world is respecting Me.” (Sanathana Sarathi Sept. 2003, p 267).
However, by 2003 hundreds of prominent devotees and leaders in his Organization had left him and lost all respect for him, which they made very clear on the Internet and through other means. Besides, the whole world cannot respect Sai Baba because even his name is far from being known to the ‘whole world’. I have asked numerous people if they have heard of him and received a negative answer.

Sai Lie No. 6: In the same breath as the above quotation, he said:- “Since my childhood I have been respecting everybody.” (Sanathana Sarathi Sept. 2003, p 267)

Sathya Sai Baba certainly showed his intense disrespect of his critics in his infamous Christmas Discourse of 2000 when he called them Judases and demons. That is quite sufficient to prove that his being a conscious liar. Further, Sathya Sai Baba certainly showed his intense disrespect of his critics in his infamous Christmas Discourse of 2000 when he called them Judases and demons. That is quite sufficient to prove that his being a conscious liar.

Yet there is further proof of that being a lie: two years later he attacked his critics very disrespectfully as follows:
“… a hard-hearted person cannot be called a spark of Divinity; he is verily a demon.” p. 323, Sanathana Sarathi, November 2002]. This is of course a total contradiction to his constant previous claims that there is a spark of Divinity in every living being (actually sometimes even in all matter, as I quote: “All beings are sparks of the Eternal Divinity” (p. 101 Discourses in Kodaikanal, 1998).

Sathya Sai Lies – part one

This is the first of a new series of articles documenting outright lies – or ignorant untruths – stated in public or in writing by Sathya Sai Baba, who claims to be omniscient and know the entire past, present and future in every detail and who says he never speaks anything but truth. In view of his claim, everything he says should be perfect and true… but it will be seen that this is very far from being the case.

In his most infamous speech, on Christmas Day in 2000, Sai Baba claimed credit for all his “great works”, he also quotes the amount of money he is spending, and also decries others by saying “only Sai Baba does all this, no one else“.

Lie No. 1. on money: “Where money is calculated, garnered or exhibited to demonstrate one’s achievements, I will not be present.” This in the very same discourse where he states the money he is spending!!

Lie No. 2. on self-publicity: “The Lord has no intention to publicize himself. I do not need publicity, nor does any other Avathar of the Lord.” “When you start publicity you descend to the level of those who compete in collecting plenty by decrying others and extolling themselves.”

Sathya Sai Baba

Yet he also said: “Is there anyone who is doing even one thousandth of this work ? No, no. It is only Sathya Sai Baba, who is doing this selflessly, always for the welfare of others.” To which the answer, of course, is thet he is not doing all the work – but his devotees are. Besides, there are countless people doing as much and far more. Take the Bill Gates Foundation just for one example… and there are many, many other such. So this implies either base ignorance or a lying boast.

Lie No. 3. critics taking money: He lashed out at his critics as ‘Judases’ who take money to defame him and called the ‘demons’.

With his condemnatory Christmas 2000 discourse Sai Baba virtually destroyed at a stroke what remains of his previous lifelong claims to never to condemn anyone, to love all and always to adhere to truth. Baba’s actions no longer fit in at all with all that he says about himself as regards his total purity, human perfection, freedom from all lust etc.
He also extols himself in extreme terms – and the Sathya Sai Organization does massive publicity for him with his blessings each year during birthdays about hospitals, the water projects etc., besides which his servitors spread his self-publicity worldwide through Radio Sai, films, books, journals, and other media.

Despite all this he has the sheer effrontery to say:-“I never exult when I am extolled, nor shrink when I am reviled. Few have realized my purpose and significance, but I am not worried. When things that are not in me are attributed to me, why should I worry? When things that are in me are mentioned, why should I exult?”

If it were true that he is least worried about whatever is being said about him, why should he react at all? He beat the lectern before him while he denounced the supposed ‘thousands of Judases’ and ‘demons’ who dare to criticise him! Considering that Sai Baba had devoted an entire Christmas speech – which celebrates an all-forgiving Christ – to responding viciously against to the facts published about him.

So where is the unity in thought, word, and deed that he always talks about?

“When I am defamed, I never get incensed, for it is only the tree full of edible fruits that is attached by sticks and stones.” (Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 4 p. 184). A laughable comparison, people generally don’t throw sticks and stones to harvest fruit. But the supposed fruits of Sai Baba all have a worm at at the core – his constant deceits and far worse matters of which he stands roundly accused and of which he can never be cleared.

See also from Sai Baba’s Guru Purnima discourse, as drastically cut down in his official journal Sanathana Sarathi [August 2003, p. 229]:
“Today people speak a lot without translating their speech into action.” How many hundreds of millions of words has SSB poured forth… shelves buckle under books containing only a fraction of his discourses, and even they are but excerpts… while his followers do over 99% of all the actions he claims to his sole credit.
“Such people verily are thieves” Those who collect donations under false pretences, using sleight of hand [as Sathya Sai Baba provenly does] and many other deceits are the real thieves.

See more on Sathya Sai Baba’s massive self-congratulatory publicity here

The full Christmas 2000 Discourse is here

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Information on the Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
See also Devotee attacks on the Sai petition and petitioners

Miracle of the two Sai Babas

Some think that almost anything is a miracle

A Swedish lady called Lena who I know well was at Prashanthi Nilayam in early 1989 and met an Australian couple before they had yet had their first glimpse of Sai Baba. The man had dreamt of Sai Baba often and had come to see him with huge expectations. At their very first darshan, Baba went straight out towards the man, spoke to him and made him vibhuthi. But at the canteen afterwards the man was very disappointed indeed because, he claimed, it was not Sai Baba at all! He had been misled to believe that this person was Sai Baba and had travelled all the way from Australia for nothing etc. etc. But that evening he went for 15 mins. meditation and entered the temple for the first time. There he saw the life-size picture of his Sai Baba, Shirdi Sai, and began to realise that he had come to the right place after all! This incident finally convinced Lena herself of the Divinity of Sathya Sai Baba too!

Images seen in the Prashanti temple

Comment: So the man mistakenly thought he was visiting Shirdi Sai Baba. This alone indicates that he was confused and easily misled, since the two Sai Babas are easily distinguishable and their ashrams are in entirely different parts of India. Did he – and his wife too – just go to Prashanti Nilayam without ANY prior investigation of the issue?  Leaving that aside now, one must wonder what on earth is so remarkable about seeing from the temple pictures that he was simply visiting another person also calling himself Sai Baba? Obviously the man was perplexed by his blunder but probably decided to make the best of his errors and stay on.

To be finally convinced of Sathya Sai Baba’s divinity (as Lena was) on such extremely weak grounds is, however, not untypical. As coordinator for the Norwegian Sai Organization nearly two decades – and also during visits to conferences and long stays the ashrams – I met a considerable number of persons who had decided as if by a whim that he must be God because of something they interpreted as a mystical message or sign from him, things which could easily be explained in other ways. But the inner and even outer pressures to want to be recognised by him, accepted by God and feel good etc. are very considerable, especially if a person has travelled so far and has built up hopes or expectations of experiencing the miracles which are so widely reported in countless ill-written hagiographies, as well as in fanciful video interviews and films.

See how the guru trap works in Sathya Sai Baba’s case in the following:-

• THE TRAP OF ‘DOUBLETHINK’ IN SPIRITUALITY OR RELIGION How one becomes indoctrinated through a ‘doublethink’ system of dual interpretation – worldly vs. otherworldly.
• THE SPIRITUAL ‘MIRROR TRAP’ as used by Sathya Sai Baba to avert scrutiny of himself and confuse followers into self-programming of his doctrine. This idea is the mechanism of denial used by devotees – that Sai Baba is only what we imagine him to be
• BELIEVERS’ SYSTEMATIC MISINTERPRETATION OF SATHYA SAI BABA’S SIMPLE WORDS
  how followers learn ‘correct’ interpretations of Sai Baba’s words and actions from others, the standard but often highly mistaken answers to all doubts

Sathya Sai Baba vs. Richard Dawkins

Sathya Sai Baba has constantly denigrated reason, science, logic and scholarship in favour of faith, especially faith in himself. However, he has proved that he cannot be relied on at all in any way. With his deeply flawed logic and demonstrated ignorance of scientific fact and logical thought, he cannot face up to any rational discussion and to avoid it happening he has surrounded himself with servitors who cast out anyone who raises the slighest question to doubt or criticise him. He and his so-called ‘teachings’ are among the many obvious targets for the general criticism by world-famous Professor Richard Dawkins, some of whose words I quote here:-

There are two ways of looking at the world – through faith and superstition or through the rigours of logic, observation and evidence – in other words, through reason. Reason and a respect for evidence are precious commodities, the source of human progress and our safeguard against fundamentalists and those who profit from obscuring the truth. Yet, today, society appears to be retreating from reason.

Apparently harmless but utterly irrational belief systems from astrology to New Age mysticism, clairvoyance to alternative health remedies are booming. Richard Dawkins confronts what he sees as an epidemic of irrational, superstitious thinking…

He explains the dangers the pick and mix of knowledge and nonsense poses in the internet age, and passionately re-states the case for reason and science. See http://richarddawkins.net/

Blind persons seek cures from Sathya Sai Baba

“Ulf told us the other night that the blind middle-aged Danish devotee Henning was told by Baba in an interview that he could cure his blindness, but then Henning would have to be blind in the next life! AS DEFERRED KARMA” (from my Indian visit diary notebook, Sunday 1st November, 1998 )

Ulf was Ulf Sviberg, then a very active office-bearer in the Swedish Organization who wore a large white stone set in a gold ring – called a diamond by Sai Baba and everyone else there. But there can be no doubt that it is another of the typical cheap synthetic ‘gemstone’ Sathya Sai Baba gives away which nearly all close devotees insist are diamonds!

I sometimes sat near to a male Danish follower called Henning on the chairs at darshan. He was desperate to be cured of his very long-term blindness and who visited many healers and diverse other avatar claimants in the hope of success. He remained blind, however. So the presumptuous Full Avatar Sathya Sai Baba could not actually cure his blindness (though devotees will say he ‘would not for karmic reasons’ so as to protect their blind faith in this frequent maker of false promises of healing and protection).

Uncured blindness at Puttaparthi

V.K. Narasimhan with one eye blind

There are many cases of blindness Sathya Sai Baba has not cured, and V.K. Narasimhan told me he had never come across a single genuine case of cure in 20 years following every event at the ashram. I also knew a blind Frenchman who I often assisted who was also sorely disappointed after long stays at the ashrams. When I sat beside him he wanted a running commentary on whether Sai Baba looked at him or not. I did not clearly see Sai Baba do so,

Further, I knew a totally blind Indian man in his 40s or so who lived permanently in Puttaparthi who sat on the chairs for invalids every day. I had conversations with him and visited him where he had rooms in Puttaparthi village. He told me that he believed his own brother was planning to murder him, because Sathya Sai Baba had told him that and said it was best for him to leave home and everything behind him permanently, which he had done – poor soul. He had been there for years and had to ask anyone he could manage to get into conversation with for help of one kind or another, while his blindness was still the same despite endless prayers to Sathya Sai Baba.

Sathya Sai Baba could not even cure the blindness in one eye of his own indispensable editor of his journal Sanathana Sarathi, V.K. Narasimhan, despite personally applying vibuti to it when it became infected (See here)! and/or See my notes at the time here

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Russia’s war on Georgia and Sathya Sai’s predictions

At http://www.saibaba.ws/reports/connieshaw.htm one can read an account of Connie Shaw’s 31’st visit to Sathya Sai Baba and an interview in January 2002. She starts by saying…

“There were several unique features to our most recent trip to Sai Baba’s Puttaparthi, India ashram (number 31, but who’s counting?)”.

Connie Shaw, Sai Baba devotee

Comment: Who’s counting? Evidently Connie Shaw is! Thirty one wasteful holiday flights from and back to the USA is one thing, but it confirms that Connie Shaw is a total true blind believer, as the entire account also shows. However, what is most interesting is Sai Baba’s failed prediction of global peace and the Golden Age from 2007: Referring to herself in the third person, Connie Shaw wrote:-

“Connie asked Baba in the rear room, “Swami, NO JOKING NOW…
how much longer will the war last? Really, NO JOKING!”

Baba: Really, no joking (He made some invisible writing in the air) …
five years more. In 2007 there will be no more war. Peace on earth.”

Connie: Five more years?! Then really, truly the war will be over?”

Baba: Yes, you will see.

Connie: Then what about the Golden Age (of Peace and Plenty which
will last for a thousand years) – when will that actually be here?

Baba (Predictably, heh-heh): The Golden Age must begin in each
person’s heart. Then only can we have peace on earth. Each must
start now to make the Golden Age in his heart.

Connie: But Swami, we’re all doing the best we can in that
(department) now. I mean when will (all of) humanity agree “This is
the Golden Age – here, now…?

Baba: In five years. 2007. By then. All must do (their part).”-

Comment: If you believe in Sathya Sai Baba as an omniscient Godhead who knows every detail of past, present and future – as he often has claimed – then you may have some small problem with the above account, now that 2008 is here and international war continues in Afghanistan and now also in Russia’s horrific invasion of Georgia in response to it’s attack on separatists in part of its sovereign territory, namely South Ossetia.One may also point to several major civil wars, such as in Dafur, Indonesia and diverse smaller warring conflicts in African states.

As to the Golden Age and transformation of human consciousness etc. it has been heralded for decades by Sathya Sai Baba but, when failing to occur, has repeatedly been promised for a new and later date. Rita and Robert Bruce were told by him about practically instant transformation of people’s consciousness after his 80th anniversary But that anniversary was celebrated in 2006! Now we have outright war between nations and still major conflicts displacing millions within nations. What kind of transformation is that?

The following example shows how Sathya Sai Baba sets the rumour mill grinding without having to stand forth openly himself:- “Wilma Bronkey was the featured presenter at the South Central Regional Conference held in Texas, 1999. One of her talks centered on the fact that Sathya Sai Baba had told a group of them in an interview the following basic story: The WHOLE world would be at peace within two years–a definite noticeable condition on the planet! I personally heard this talk and saw James Redmond tape her talk. It lasted over half an hour in length. This talk was heard by many hundreds of devotees. What a legacy of broken promises!” Dennis J. Hanisch (this was his message 31953 on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sathyasaibaba2 – removed along with thousands of early postings by Yahoo apparently for reasons of web space).

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Information on the Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
See also Devotee attacks on the Sai petition and petitioners

(Spanish version PETICIÓNPÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES)

Smear Campaign against critics of Sathya Sai Baba

An observing public may wonder about those countless diatribes frequently posted against former Sathya Sai Baba followers who have spoken out. Sometimes there are what appear to be reasoned points made in articles, but which are based on assumptions not founded in fact and wilful efforts to mislead and contrive bogus arguments. In both cases various technical methods for dissemination are used, to which I shall refer shortly.

There is a marked difference between these pro-Sathya Sai Baba offerings and those of many former devotee writers such as Brian Steel, Timothy Conway Ph.D, Barry Pittard and myself. Constantly accusing people of lying without producing evidence or convincing reasons why a lie is involved, not just a minor slip – that is a smear campaign! Yet in innumerable references on the Internet that is exactly what is constantly and repeatedly charged against one after another of those who have dared, no matter how heavy the attacks, to dissent from Sathya Sai Baba. The two chief offenders are Gerald ‘Joe’ Moreno and Lisa de Witt.

Several lawyers and not least webmasters of major portals (eg. zoominfo.com, Steve Hassan etc.) who have looked at the attacks by Sai Baba’s proxy defenders on the Internet have said that their content is defamatory and the attacker is completely out of order. No one who takes the ethical and spiritual teachings of Sathya Sai Baba at all seriously would be able to commend their writings. The poverty of their accusations is sufficient to expose them for what they are, but says virtually nothing about those who they make their targets.

It means nothing to the proxy defenders of Sathya Sai Baba and his Organization that so many were once, and for many years, respected selfless workers and leaders of the Sathya Sai Organization, like Al Rahm, Rick Raines, Serguei Badaev, Stephen Carthew, Shirley Pike, Conny Larsson, David Bailey, Terry Gallagher and scores more. This very fact is partly why major reputed bodies and institutions such as UNESCO, the US State Department and the BBC have been prepared thoroughly to investigate and support the accounts as coming from many creditable sources in various countries of the world.

To demonstrate on reasonable and considerable evidence or testimony from third parties does not qualify as a smear campaign – it is reporting in the public interest as a civic duty. In the case of Sathya Sai Baba’s many deceptions, conflicting statements, failed ‘divine’ plans and predictions, broken promises, published falsities and untruths critical reporting and analysis are essential. One who claims to be perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful, all good and unaffected by the criticism of any living soul should be able to take it. One who has become so rich on vast donations from many countries could litigate against critics if they were dishonest. Yet he has lied about his accusers as being paid to criticise him, and he has issued dire warnings and threatened action (November 2007). But he has no case and has everything to lose from the public scrutiny that would follow. The same applies to all his monolithic, unaccountable and autocratic institutions.

Dirty tactics Two main pro-Sai Baba mudslingers’ way of smearing through ad hominem arguments (i.e. attacking the player, not the ball) is to make constant claims of ‘blatant lying’ or deceit against opponents. The slightest factual error is presented as a ‘blatant lie’, which is of course wholly unreasonable. These assailants repeat the very same words again and again on countless web pages, blogs and bulletin boards in the hope that some dirt will stick. The main defender has several anonymous blogs, which are most obviously his, despite his attempts at denial that he wrote them, even though they are mostly copies of his other postings of the same or very similar materials on websites he acknowledges are his. This assailant’s rancorous claims do not face central issues fairly and squarely. Being unwilling and unable to face the serious evidence and welter of soundly-based and documented accusations, they mostly attack the messengers who bring that evidence. Thus they tacitly admit that they are involved in a cover-up – trying to avert attention to side-issues and trivial matters hoping to confuse the debate and mislead any uninformed readers. They produce no sound point by point evidence against critics of Sai Baba, although they sometimes strive to give the appearance of it. When their superficial statements are refuted – however civil the manner – with documentation and/or independent testimony, they never change their wilfully posted false information or make any apology. This underlines their calculated malice. Perhaps less calculated are their taunts like characterising critics as ‘whining’, ‘frothing at the mouth’, ‘bozos’ and other such indicators of their educational failures and their personal incivility and spite.

Unconscionable attacks on many alleging sexual abuse survivors: Their merciless attentions are lavished on all who have testified to sexual abuse and other serious crimes by Sathya Sai Baba (see list below). Although almost all former devotees who have been attacked consider the slurs below contempt, no matter how horrible many of them are, some of them and other prominent dissenters have replied to certain vital points (see list below).

Though some minor errors or unclear statements have been made by serious critics from time to time – invariably corrected later where possible – no dishonesty has ever been proven, certainly no lies! Besides, those who call others liars have the burden of proof, not the accused. It is possible to prove a lie (intentional telling of untruth), but it requires very rigorous evidence to prove it was intentional, as libel rulings in most countries demonstrate. Attackers of the exposé are unable to produce any reliable testimony or published third party evidence to support their case against critics, and almost never show independent documentation from the public sphere, while critics of Sathya Sai Baba constantly do so, not least from many of Sathya Sai Baba’s own published writings, discourses and authenticated reports on his statements.

Contesting and throwing suspicion of everything and anything: Virtually every critical statement of fact by over a hundred testifying witnesses, independent journalists, film-makers, researchers, disaffected former followers of Sathya Sai Baba and alleging survivors of sexual abuse and other abuses is contested and cast into doubt, or called a deception, a flagrant lie and so on. Such obsessive denial with contrived and strongly-worded accusations also is witness to cultist, typically seen in other areas too, attempts to stifle criticism.

The same goes for their puerile claims that key former devotees are racists, anti-Semitic, anti-Hindu, part of a fundamentalist Christian movement against Sathya Sai Baba (sometimes backed by extremely indirect ‘evidence’- even after it has been refuted by the sources themselves). Some of us have even been baselessly accused of being paedophiles – which is rather the charge against Sathya Sai Baba made by so many courageous survivors of his treatments. It is worth remembering here that four of his student critics did not survive the 1993 police killings in his bedroom, a formally established fact not even his strongest defenders dare refute. (see here)

Character assassination of critics as the main agenda of defense of Sathya Sai Baba: Worse than this is our critics’ constant attempts at character assassination through web stalking by contacting and harassing critics’ families, friends, associates, and employers (such as at universities) – posting their e-mails on attack web pages along with strong condemnations and also disruptive editing on Wikipedia, with endless diatribes and stalking of editors who are negative to them – mainly by two fanatical pro-Sai individuals (both of whom were subsequently banned from Wikipedia indefinitely). Facts about childhood experiences over 60 years ago about which I wrote on a school website are brought out in the form of an attack on my integrity, and likewise my account of other events in my life from over 50 years ago are highlighted as if they happened yesterday. This failure to find any more supposedly ‘revealing material’ to use against me shows up the poverty of his agenda and its compulsive antipathy. The more he writes, the less credible he becomes to any discerning or educated reader who is not a ‘true-believing’ Sathya Sai Baba follower in strong denial .

Serious critics of Sathya Sai Baba will not be drawn into the trap of detailed rebuttal of an endless stream of niggling and purposely misleading side-issues raised to divert attention from the central facts and all that these imply. This is obvious to anyone who takes the trouble properly to read BOTH parties’ own web pages and blogs. To hinder people in so doing, our web pages are copied relentlessly without linking to the source pages (totally infringing copyright). Claiming falsely that they are stopped by our webmasters and even that their links would be redirected to porn sites. That is a standing testimony on-line to our main opponent’s fear of being shown to be constantly in the wrong. Therefore I do not link to them either. Sai critics mostly see no reason to link to such masses of libel and misinformation against all of us as they disseminate.

Evidence ignored, avoided, or rejected out of hand: I already know the predictable nature of the unrelenting false, contrived and vicious attacks by one person on me and on scores of other critics of Sathya Sai Baba, so I seldom visit any of their pages. However, those who monitor those pages regularily and point out certain things when appropriate such as how I am accused of a wide range of deceits and of being and “unaccountable hatemonger”. I am accused of lying about the donations my wife and I made to the Sathya Sai Central Trust (but I have documented most of them), about my long and close friendship with V.K. Narasimhan (though I have posted plenty of documentary evidence, letters to me and notebooks etc. to the contrary – and there is plenty more to come). There is a hair-splitting denial that I can have any kind of ‘collegial’ friendship with Professor Erlendur Haraldsson, who has referenced my writings in lectures and who still visits us in our home. I have reported some of his milder statements about Sathya Sai Baba’s sexuality as reported to him, which I hereby confirm he has made. The attacker has tried to cast doubt on whether I was a leader in the Sathya Sai organization (which is proven fact), whether I wrote the articles I claim for Sathya Sai Baba’s journal Sanathana Sarathi (but they are all documented) and he has cast many other baseless doubts about me, my work, my experiences and my associations without any substantial or even circumstantial evidence.

Earlier, I was constantly attacked tendentiously on Wikipedia, until both the main attackers were banned indefinitely by a unanimous committee. (See here and here) None of the many other meretricious claims against me have stuck – as anyone [except a determined self-deceiver] can discover with a minimum of research.

Among those many critics of Sathya Sai Baba subjected to smears and/or frequent severe character assassination attempts by the main Sai defender on the Internet there are academics, professionals, journalists, and other persons of good repute (most formerly involved with Sathya Sai Baba and numerous ex-leaders of his organization). The attack pages are linked to by Sathya Sai Baba cult websites, boosting their rankings. Countless baseless character smudges, and invented slanderous scenarios and/or web stalking by the full-time Sai defender can be found via Google by searching any of the following names:-

List of name of critics of Sathya Sai Baba all attacked by the same person on behalf of Sathya Sai Baba
Robert Priddy, Barry Pittard, Timothy Conway Ph.D (author and scholar), Brian Steel (author and scholar), Kevin R.D. Shepherd (author and scholar), Serguei Badaev, Al Rahm, Alaya Rahm (BBC testifier to sex abuse), Tal Brooke (author), Duncan Roads (journalist, editor of Nexus) Conny Larsson (Swedish actor), Mick Brown (UK journalist, Daily Telegraph), Ojvind Kyro/Øjvind Kyrø (Danish journalist), Vir Sangvi (Indian newspaper Editor and journalist), Marianne Warren Ph.D (academic and author), M. Alan Kazlev, Mary Garden (Australian author), David Bailey (former top Sai Baba favourite), Faye Bailey, Elena Hartgering (accredited abuse counsellor), Basava Premanand (famous sceptic honoured by the Indian Government), Alexandra Nagel (academic), John Purnell (Roman Catholic priest), Terry Gallagher former head of Sathya Sai Organization of Australia), Stephen Carthew, Sanal Edamaruku (President – Indian Rationalist Association), Reinier van der Sandt, Hans de Kraker, Marc Andre Saint-Jean (author and publisher), Lisa Tice, Diana Scott, Dave Lyons, Gabriel Merrun, Sanjay Dadlani, Afshin Said Khorramshahgol, Ullrich Zimmermann, Jens Sethi, Dennis Hanisch, Keith Ord, Jesper Andén, Jed Geyerhahn, Sharon Purcell, Satch Purcell, Greg Gerson, Mark Roche, David Paul, Karen Tilley, Paul Throne, Marcus Martenson, Veronica Isacsson, David Juliano, Rosalia Malagelada de Neves and many more.

Dissent From Guru Cults Draws Slander and Harassment
Demonization of Dissenters:
Evidence of an Internet Activist in Action
See On Disinformation and Internet Vandalism
Bias against Sai critics – article by author Kevin R.D. Shepherd

The chief pro-Sai cult activist can be evidenced as having association with, and having been assisted by, important members among Sathya Sai Baba’s servitors. See ‘The International Sathya Sai Organization – an accessory to a massive libel and disinformation campaign
See also ‘Open letter to the Prasanthi Council – c/o Dr. M. Goldstein, Dr. G. Venkataraman and its other members’

Timothy Conway PhD was president of the large San Francisco center and a liaison-consultant for Northern California in the early to mid-1980s), as well as a long-time member of Santa Barbara, CA, Sai Center since 1988. His response is a model of decency, refusal to espouse the tactics of the assailant and inordinate patience. Key readings are:-

Timothy Conway’s Update
Formal statement by Timothy Conway concerning the Hislop letters
Timothy Conway PH.D confirms the Hislop letters
See An article in which Timothy Conway outlines many key issues, in historical perspective.

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Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and his Worldwide Organization
View ex-follower signatures
(Spanish version PETICIÓNPÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES)

Prayers to ‘Bhagavan’ Sathya Sai Baba

Experiences of Devotees- Part Two: from http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter8-03.html

Lal Lachmandas
Sai Maharaj Ki Jai! Baba! Thank you for hearing my prayer. I passed my 12th with high marks and I know it is only because of your blessings. I am planning to do CA and rest everything is left in your hands. I had promised you that I would write all this if I happen to pass and so I am doing as I have promised you. Thank you Baba! Please bless my dad, mother, uncle, brother-in-law and sister.

Comment: The trivial wonder-struck awe at passing an exam! Diagnosis: Lack of self confidence. Lal has the ability but believes it is not his! Poor chap!

Vanita Kishan
Dear Baba I thank you for taking the reins of my household in your hands I know you are always with me. Baba I thank you for bring some peace in my house.

Comment: Why would anyone post that? Anyhow, it helps show how simple-minded most Sathya Sai Baba devotees are as to the causes operating in their lives. Tragic!

Prayer Club:

Nita
Sai this is my humble request to you my Sai to grant this wonderful job to my husband. Sai as you know all what we are going through please grant me this wish and save my family from misfortune.

Comment: As Sathya Sai baba says, most who pray to him want some worldly boon. He plays on that fact masterfully… pretending that he grants such boons. But various boons occur regularly in any case… but only anyone who wants to believe in Sai Baba can attribute them to him. Misfortunes also occur on a regular basis, but then one does not usually thank Sathya Sai Baba, or – if one decides that set-backs are lessons given by him – then one is grateful to him. he can sit and nod to it all… without lifting any kind of finger.

Meenakshi
This I my earnest request to you that please arrange for my marriage. Baba I cannot see my ageing parent worry for me any more. I am not doing well in my professional life because of this problem. Sai I know you as jut a merciful god who helps his devotees. Sai where do I go if you did not hear my request.

Comment: Another one who wants professional progress, and also through a marriage. Another example of people who clutch at straws.

Mallika P
From past three years I am trying to get pregnant, please bless me Sai, bless me that the treatment I am taking is successful.

Comment: How much time, energy, offerings and prayers have been wasted by women praying to gods, deities, gurus, swamis for fertility? If her treatment was successful, then – of course – she will put it down to divine intervention!

Sakshi
Baba, I did not know how to pray and ask for your blessings. I am leaving every decision of mine to you, show me right direction.

Comment: This is called drifting and almost giving up the ghost, surely?

Ramani
Please bless me and my family with time as that is running out. You know what I need, please bless me this time, I beg you with all my heart and soul. Sai you are everything to us. Please grant me this request.

Comment: Praying for time that is running out… what next? Such abject dependency on a distant figure, hopes and imaginings.

Rajyashree
Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai. I bow to the almighty God Shri Saibaba. Dear Sai baba please bless me with a good teaching job in public schools in Texas. Baba I have teaching experience and so I think I can do a good job with help of your grace. Just today I am starting the process so please be with me all through the process and beg of you that everything should go smoothly. Baba you know what I wish and I have full confidence in you that I will be placed in a good decent job. Baba I need a job immediately. Bow to Sri Sai. Peace be to all.

Comment: Another job seeker at the feet of Sathya Sai Baba! No proper self-reliance, insufficient determination to learn and progress by ones own efforts. It would be better to learn about oneself more instead of writing begging postings. I suggest the following as a start (click here).

Experiences of Sathya Sai Baba devotees

Experiences of Devotees: from http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter8-03.html

It is interesting to see what the average Sathya Sai devotee believes, hopes and wants… this can be seen in postings on numerous web groups. Here are some examples which give a reasonable reflection of the thinking of Sai Baba devotees:-

Srinivas
It is near about 5 years from now I started worshiping Baba. I always feel his presence within myself. Whenever I call him from help, he is ever alert to help me. I have completed my MCA in 2002 but still now; I am struggling to get a job in Software Company. Baba has helped me in every matter but in case of job break, I am not able to get his blessings. I have younger sister who is studying her graduation final year she is also staunch devotee of Sai Baba as my parents. We are trying to find alliance for her but till now nothing has been done. My father is a private employee with one year service left so within this one year we have arrange alliance for my sister and I have settle my life with good job so that I can serve my parents who are every thing for me. Even I am without job for past 2.5 years they still support me. So, I pray Baba to shower his blessings on my parents and family members so that our problems get solved. Baba has always helped the devotees who were in need of help and I am sure that is surely going to shower his blessing on my family members and me.

Comment: One can always hope… but many have been disappointed. Why a devotee sees the need to post his pitiful prayers like this is perplexing. Now for another example:-

Savita
Dear Sai baba, I really do not know how I should write my innermost feelings, my state of mind. You know everything Baba, nothing is hidden from you. All the time I am praying to you for my daughter’s happiness. For me it has taken a lot of courage to send my prayers via this column. It seems you are guiding me to share my faith in you with everyone and as if this is how you are going to listen to my prayers and strengthen my faith in you. Baba we all come to you, ask you one thing or the other. Sometimes it is for us, sometimes for our parents, for siblings and all the time for our children. Whenever I read devotees prayers, I say to myself, “of course Sai listens to everyone’s plea and being the merciful He will shower His blessings to everyone”. Baba you have bestowed your grace on me and my family at every step of our lives and I have faith, you will listen to my daily prayers and help us to fulfill our duties. I have seen your greatest miracle, when we visited three years ago and you saved us from a terrible car-accident. So may be you are teaching me to have patience before you answer my prayers for my daughter. Baba I lay my head at your lotus feet and accept whatever you have in store. Baba always be with us and forgive me for everything I have done wrong intentionally or unintentionally.

Comment: Why expend so much courage on posting the above? The poor soul’s belief that Baba has bestowed his grace on him and his family “at every step of their lives” is gross and just shows how everything is a matter of what one wants to believe, not what actually happens. One can certainly doubt that Sathya Sai Baba saved them from a terrible car accident… it is only because one believes in Sai baba that one arrives at such conclusions, for many people are constantly being lucky and avoiding accidents – but those who are not so lucky and die do not post their faith in Sathya Sai Baba, such as the US billionaire James Sinclair’s wife!

Rajani
I don’t know how to express my gratitude towards Sai who is there for me at all times. Whatever I am enjoying today and who the person I am now, all is because of His blessings. Today I experienced another Sai miracle. For the first time I bought myself a diamond nose ring 4 days back and in my mind I have this dilema whether I can wear a diamond or not because I heard that everybody can’t wear a diamond. My day starts at 7 am dropping my husband at his work (30 min on freeway) and my son at his school bus stop and I have to reach my work at 8.45, so I am almost on my feet running in the mornings. Today morning at my son’s bus stop , one of the other moms pointed that my nose ring is missing. I couldn’t believe that I lost it and went home to search for it in possible places. But in my mind I know that it is highly impossible to find such a small thing. I just said to myself that Sai knows what is best for me so I made up my mind that it’s gone forever and went to bathroom to wash my hands and to my surprise I found it there in the sink. I was so happy. I realised that normally I start or do new things on Thursdays but this time I wore the nose ring in the shop itself on Saturday and today I almost lost and found back on Thursday. I know this is a small material thing, but we don’t know what Baba wants to teach us so I request please can anybody tell me whether I continue to wear it, what Baba wants me to do. Once again I am profoundly grateful to Baba for everything in my life.

Comment: “Whatever I am enjoying today and who the person I am now, all is because of His blessings.” Really. This shows that Sathya Sai Baba is only in the mind of the person, but not there in any other way. Losing a nose ring and then finding it in the sink is nothing remarkable, but it is made into a miracle by this credulous believer. That it was Thursday is the clinching argument… such superstitious nonsense. The confusion of this person is obvious… “we don’t know what Baba wants to teach us” (well, that is perhaps not so strange since he has spouted out millions of words of teachings, a vast hodge-podge of every kind of moralism possible, often self-conflicting).

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