Dictatorial methods: Personality cults based on person with absolute power within their bailiwicks often rely on a combination of assumed benevolence and actual suppression and fear. Despite all the talk about his universal love and benevolence, Sai Baba also fits the bill for an ‘angry and jealous God’, someone who abides absolutely no questioning or contradiction. He keeps everyone in their places at a distance most of the time and is quick to show anger when crossed, and sometimes sheer rage. He punishes those who do not keep ‘mum’ about matters concerning himself that he wishes to be hidden.
Somewhat the same kind of tyrannical behaviour has been seen in many a worldly despot and dictator, who also may at the same time well have commissioned many social works and institutions in their own name and to their own glory etc. Russia, Germany and Italy. Not a few historical emperors and dictators have claimed to be God, or have been acclaimed as divine by others! One might mention, without making other comparisons, that some Emperors of Rome, of the Inca Empire, and even rulers in African States in recent decades have assumed the mantle of God.
Sathya Sai Baba has publicly denounced various opponents and especially impostors, including the many imitators of himself, though he avoids naming them in public. However, he instructed his editor to denounce some of them by name, publishing about them in his journal ‘Sanathana Sarathi‘. In private, it is a different matter. I have met several reliable Western persons who at various private interviews were told that various gurus, including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“dirty man, dirty hair”) and Bhagwan Rajneesh alias Osho (“demonic”), are definitely not good teachers. Even when such gurus are totally discredited, convicted of rape and murder (as have many), exposed as sexual exploiters (as have a very large number), many of their disciples, ashrams and sources of finances persist.
Despite damning revelations in the world media by national newspapers and international broadcasters, this can be expected of the Sai movement too, not least because of the political influence, finance means of propaganda, and a world-wide and extended following Sai Baba has gradually achieved through a lifetime. Despite all the evidence there is to show that Sai Baba has long been involved in sexual abuse and other aberrations, positive effects are felt by thousands of his followers, which they back up with much documenting of their experiences. How much of this is over-positive interpretation, wishful imaginings or direct invention (to raise ones ‘spiritual status’ in the eyes of others) is an open question. Testimonies, of which there are a large number – including about 400 books in English [See the definitive bibliography of Sai literature by academic Brian Steel. ]. All these hagiographic accounts are weighted strongly in favour of Sai Baba having para-normal powers of thought transference, healing, manifestations of objects and many other inexplicable phenomena. These he speaks of as being true, divine miracles. However, testimonies that show the limitations of these powers, that question the authenticity of the many excessive accounts or which expose fakery, remain relatively few, though these are increasing via the Internet, and this is surely largely due to the fact that until this technology existed, Sai Baba had virtual control of information about himself. He has long had control over whom he will allow into his proximity, guarded as he is by a very large number of servitors and security men.
Another way he exercises control: His teachings are shot through with primitive religious superstitions in the attempt to chastise and correct people’s supposed sins and to awaken fear of not accepting him and his predictions of the future. As one typical example of his level of ignorance and use of superstition so as to gain ascendancy over people, consider his ‘teaching’ in several discourses that natural disasters are not natural, but caused by human wrong-doing: “You are aware of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Gujrat. Thousands of people lost their lives. The reason for this is that man has no contentment and is entertaining excessive desires.” (Sanathana Sarathi, March 2001, p. 71f).
Obviously, major earthquakes occur on a large scale with great average regularity around the earth where the continental tectonic plates meet, and not elsewhere, also mainly in areas where there are no such human activities. Processes causing earthquakes and volcanoes are age-old, preceding human society by countless eons. Sai Baba prefers the finger-pointing ‘mysterious’ solution and evidently chooses to ignore the massive scientific evidence on this subject.
An example of how Sai baba uses fear is given by Al Rahm, in describing how he reacted to his son’s telling him of the long ans vile sexual abuses he had been subjected to by Sai Baba”- (“SAM”s father – Al Rahm) We were shocked when we heard it and the both of us just embraced our son at that time and we said, “That’s it. It’s over. It’s finished.” And the thing that was most impactful there, was that when we said to him, “Why didn’t you tell us?”, and he said, “The greatest fear that I had was that my family would choose Sai Baba and I would lose my family.” And that he had lived with that fear…”
Read how fear is a means which helps the guru control and subtly threaten his following
Please go to the Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed 