Good sense found in Sai Baba’s journal?

Now and again I look at some quotes in Sai Baba literature, like Sanathana Sarathi. As I was locating a page there recently, my eye was caught by an interesting text. I was surprised that such things were allowed to be written in any official Sai literature… until I saw the name of the author at the end of the article from which the following excerpt is taken:-

Click on image to see my contributions to Sanathana Sarathi – edited by V.K. Narasimhan

The reason it was permitted was my close friendship with V.K. Narasimhan who sympathized with many of my views. It was primarily him who opened my eyes finally as to the most important deceptions of Sathya Sai Baba, as can be seen from my extensive notes made after each of our long conversations through many years (see scans and transcripts here).

Sai Baba excused his many self-contradictions

In a discourse (excerpt shown here) Sathya Sai Baba was clearly trying to explain away the many self-contradictions that are found throughout his published booklets and his endless public discourses. Unfortunately for him, though, his explanation that each person requires a different ‘teaching’ according to the spiritual circumstances etc. would only sometimes be valid when he was addressing a particular person (or perhaps some very specific group). The self-contradictions which are legion and have been exposed on many websites (such as his four different, conflicting predictions of how long he would live, just as ‘one small example’) have been stated in discourses before large numbers of vastly differing people… and further, have been constantly repeated on Radio Sai for the (no doubt small and diminishing) audience around the world. His excuse cannot apply in such circumstances!

Sai Baba always wanted to make his supposed ‘teachings’ sacrosanct – unavailable to the slightest criticism (i.e. subjected to the truth functions of logic, or rational ‘argument’). His followers ensured that no word of criticism or doubt could EVER appear on any of the pro-Sai webpages, blogs nor in any books or articles his minions have endorsed. Total censorship is necessary only when there is too much that is weak, doubtful, false, deceptive or otherwise has to be hidden from view and protected against. By “properly understood” in his words one may read “taken as gospel without demurs”!

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Sathya Sai Baba: world to be united as Hindus by India!

“Today is Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. I am making a promise today that the people of all the countries, viz. Pakistan, China, Germany, Russia will be united. That should be our goal. The goodness of Bharat will lead to this unity.” (p. 267 – Sathya Sai Baba’s Convocation Discourse 22-11-2008) See http://www.sathyasai.org/discour/2008/d081122.html). This makes any well-informed person think both how vague and how extremely unlikely Baba’s ‘promises’ often are.

“Very soon, the entire world will be united. In fact, after 28 years, the world itself will become “Bharat”. Everyone will call themself a Bharatiya (one imbued with godliness — ‘Bhagavat rathas’). No one will refer to themself as belonging to this state or that state, this region or that region.” This fancy-bred statement (Bharat means India, especially as it was in ancient times) exceeds even the ambitions of Islamic radicals, not to mention: “The VHP leader, while disclosing his discussion with Satya Sai Baba, said that Sai Baba had informed him that between 2020 and 2030 the whole India would be of Hindus and after 2030 the whole world would be of Hindus.” See VHP’s Singhal Reports what Sathya Sai Baba Told Him

Most predictions by and about Sai Baba failed

Prophesy NOT fulfilled by a VERY long stretch! So now we learn that "Wilson" predicted the coming of Sathya in Parthi and his magnetic feet etc. Highly amusing! He did not even forsee his own deathday!

Only one or two prophecies made by Sathya Sai Baba can be said to have come about… many decades ago he claimed that many people would eventually come to visit him. (On the other hand, many gurus may say that, and now and again one or two are proved right.) Otherwise, his predictions have invariably been way off.

As Barry Pittard pointed out:-“In his February 1 16, 2007 (so-called ‘divine discourse’, Sai Baba said:- “I intend to undertake a world tour, shortly.” and what about this too:- ‘Swami’s mission has made this turn to face the runway. The 70th birthday was the signal from the tower to accelerate. In the 75th birthday, the airplane will leave the ground’. Sri Sathya Sai Newsletter, USA, Winter 1996-1997, 29.)”

Nor did he ever fly in the sky unaided for the benefit of his devotees, as predicted here:-

“I will have to forego the car and even the aeroplane when I move from place to place, for the crowds pressing around them will be too huge; I will have to move across the sky; yes, that too will happen, believe Me.” (Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. II, p. 92)
Who can believe HIM?
Nor did he life a range of mountains to protect his devotees – see here:-

“Formerly when the Govardhanagiri (mountain) was raised aloft by a little boy, the gopis and gopalas realised that Krishna was the Lord. Now, it is not one Govardhanagiri, a whole range will be lifted, you will see!” (Sathya Sai Speaks Vol.3 New Edition, p. 92).

Nor did the entire world become transformed as he claimed here:- “… the whole world will be transformed into Sathya Sai Organisation and Sathya Sai will be installed in the hearts of one and all.” (Sanathana Sarathi January 1999) page 16).

Need I remind that his four different predictions of his death were all at least 7 years too late, however one twists and turns it!

For a fairly exhaustive run through the bogus predictions made by and/or about this Supreme Brag-artist, see:-
PREDICTIONS and PROMISES MADE BY SATHYA SAI BABA

PROPHECIES: SATHYA SAI BABA AS GOD AVATAR, MIRACLE MAKER AND SAVIOUR OF MANKIND

Does Sai Baba’s Life fulfil Ancient Prophesies?

The Vedas – Sai Baba vs. N. Chaudhuri

Sai Baba’s claims for the Vedas are so excessive as to surpass all reason, as one of many quotes shows:-

Sathya Sai Baba being worshipped as the ‘living form of the Vedas’

“The Vedhas (sacred ancient scriptures) are the very roots of Bhaaratheeya Culture. So, it is the bounden duty of every son of India to observe the rites and rituals, the injunctions and instructions, laid down in the Vedhas.” “…let Me tell them that the one single object that the Vedhas have in view is to make man Divine, through a series of spiritual exercises.” “… the Vedhas persuade him to use his intelligence and discrimination to sublimate his passions and emotions to the Divine level where he is in eternal bliss. The Vedhas elaborate the Sanaathana Shaasthra (the primal science of the spirit). Understanding this science well and practising it form the duties every man owes to himself. That science results in the removal of ignorance, the gaining of knowledge; not the knowledge of material, worldly things, which changes and gets superseded every few years! It endows the seeker with the knowledge that is the key to the entire gamut of knowledge, that which if known, everything else is known. That is why the Vedhas are called so. The word means, that is to say, “Vedha” means that which makes you know.” (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 12 Chapter 46)

If Indians were to follow that vastly impracticable advice, it would soon return them to an almost prehistoric mentality devoid of all interest in the world and all the ills herein and the fruits of millennia of human civilization in favour of slavery to religious delusions and the rule of the priesthood and kings with divine rights, like Rama. It would mean renunciation of  “worldly knowledge” (i.e. science, modern medicine, scientific agriculture, all industry and technology just for a start… ). This is no doubt something of what India’s great polymath and Honorary Doctor at Oxford, Nirad C. Chaudhuri, was concerned about when he castigated the role of the Vedas in India today. By the Vedas, Chaudhuri refers to the four Samhitas; the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda, which he regards as holding a position in Indian culture not even matched by the Bible or the Quoran. He stated: – 

“I know of no sacred books or scriptures which have the same prestige as among the Hindus these books, especially the Rigveda… The Vedas present an exceptional phenomenon. Their prestige is not accounted for either by their contents or by the use that has been made of them. They are not the word of any God or gods, but mostly words addressed to gods.“

Many of the beliefs now looked upon as basic to Hinduism are not even adumbrated in the Vedas.” “… the Vedas have never been read as devotional books for their contents, and not even as literature.” “…their language became wholly obsolete. For their devotional reading the Hindus chose later books, and these are read even now – not the Vedas.”

“The only part of the Vedic religion which survives in India is some of the liturgy and ritual, belonging to the Karma-Kanda, or the chapter of ‘works’, which were specially denounced by the Hindu devotional schools and the Vedanta school of philosophy. But these also have remained only mechanically alive. They are performed, but there is no consciousness of their doctrinal significance, and no understanding even of the words as such. The oblations are still offered to the departed ancestors in an unmodified Vedic manner, but the ceremony bears no relation whatever to the later and present-day beliefs of the Hindus about after-life. The Vedic concept about the dead and the belief in Karma and rebirth are utterly irreconcilable, and the contradiction is not perceived only because nobody understands the Vedic rite.

To the Hindu the Vedas always were and even now are the fons et origo of his entire way of life. Theoretically, at least, everything in it must be derived from them, and even when many things he does or believes in cannot be connected with any Vedic text, he will say that these are implicit in the Vedas. He would add that when properly interpreted the Vedas were bound to disclose them. During the last one hundred years or so this belief that the Vedas contain everything has been carried to the length of absurdity in the face of the challenge of European science. I have heard scholars who are otherwise quite respectable, say that evidence for the existence, not only of firearms, but even of aeroplanes in ancient India is to be found in the Vedas. This is a new aspect of the worship of the Vedas.

This prestige, which has nothing to do with the contents of the Vedas and is purely mythical, cannot be explained on any rational ground except one: that they were the original scriptures of the Aryan way of life and were brought into India as such. I do not deny that in their existing form the Vedas may have been partly recast and rewritten in India, but there can be no doubt that substantially they come down from the pre-Indian existence of the Aryans, One aspect of the Vedic faith can be said to be decisive for this conclusion. It is the dogma that the Vedas and existed since the beginning of time, taken with the connected belief that they were saved from the Deluge by being carried on a leaf by the first incarnation of Vishnu, the preserving god. It is quite improbable that the Aryans could have evolved the concept of the Deluge in India.

Last of all, the modern Hindu interest in the Vedas is wholly artificial, and is a creation of Western scholarship. It is an academic interest. but not competent academic interest, for most of the Indian scholars and historians who deal with the Vedic age cannot read Vedic Sanskrit, and are wholly dependent on Western translations and exegesis. (from ‘The Continent of Circe’ Chapter 8. Nirad C. Chaudhuri)

Progressive, realistic, forward-looking Indians surely cannot but side more with Chaudhuri’s interpretation than with Sai Baba’s, however religiously inclined they may be otherwise. Vedic rituals have most evidently not hindered India’s constant decline into what Sai Baba himself characterizes as follows:-

“It is a great pity that Bhaarath which earned such eminent renown in the spiritual field is today in the throes of a devil dance of vice and wickedness, in the background of falsehood, injustice, hatred and faction. The land is sunk in anxiety and fear.” (ibid)

Of course, those who know Sai Baba’s many enormous claims will be aware that he has repeatedly said that figures like Hiranyakasipu and Ravanna mastered all the supposed “Vedic sciences”, while Rama used mantras to power Pushpa (a kind of airplane) and also that nuclear weaponry was used in th long-gone past of India. He said:-

”Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu also were ones of very great capabilities. They were great scientists. Hiranyakasipu not only went to the moon; he also went to the sun. Not only the sun, he also reached the stars. When he went to star Dhruva and touched it, the earth spun. With that he suffered. Though he was such a great scientist, things should be done only as much as is needed; but if it is in excess, a very big danger will happen.” (Sanathana Sarathi – August 2002)

Read a very insightful Indian comment on Chaudhuri here. It also describes his role vis-a-vis India and how his relationship with India’s middle class and others developed. He lived to age 101 and received many accolades and distinctions (In short, much that Sathya Sai Baba never got), including a CBE from Queen Elizabeth.

Meanwhile please see also Sathya Sai Baba and the Vedas part one 

Sathya Sai Baba’s last days

A reminder of what was reported about the minders of Sai Baba while he was in “intensive care”, before they secretly took him off life support on Easter Sunday!

But note too that the journalist could not get the simplest fact right – SB did not break a leg two years ago, he suffered from a major hip joint collapse and botched surgery in 2003!

The matter was never cleared up – the guilty parties remained as silent as the grave and the attempt of Naidu to get the matter brought up officially never came to anything… one can only suspect massive bribery of officials and lawmakers in Andhra Pradesh (no doubt taken from the limitless funds the Sai Trust had got final control over when Sai Baba died). Considering the observable deterioration, weight loss and immobile features of Sai Baba as seen at his brief 85th birthday celebrations, the published assurances that he would soon be home etc. are seen to be either safeguards in case he DID survive, ways to placate the devotees who were angry at the tight secrecy around – and total isolation of – their guru-god or possibly blind belief in the infallibility of his predictions as to how long he would live!

Sathya Sai Baba’s death – no miracles

Satyajit,  who laid claim to Sai Baba’s Central Trust, accused of drugging and manipulating Sai Baba 

Death of SATHYA SAI BABA – April 24th, 2011 – aged 84 (i.e. being in his 85th year)

The Vedas and Hinduism – two viewpoints

Sathya Sai Baba claimed that he was nothing less than  “the Almighty form of the Vedas” (i.e. “Vedarupa“) see in his journal Sanathana Sarathi –  July 1974, p. 170.

There are two mutually opposed climates of opinion on the Vedas. Firstly, there are those who believe they are mystical sound-based mantras which – when constantly repeated and their injunctions observed  – bring about realization in the individual that he or she is nothing but God, and thereby gains access to all knowledge about everything as well as immortal existence untroubled by any physical sufferings. Secondly, many hold the Vedas to be doubtful in origin (not the eternal scripture as claimed), may have been altered through time, and consist in hymns and what amount to ‘magic spells’ to involve the Gods or Deities in various ways, mounting to sheer religious speculation employing virtual mumbo-jumbo in a vain attempt to counter the ills of the world.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG TEXT WAS CONTINUED HERE:- The Vedas – Sai Baba vs. N. Chaudhuri

 

Hal Honig – misguided copier of Sai Baba’s practices

The group shown in the photo were taken in 1993 to see Sai Baba by one of his US devotees, Hal Honig of New York, about whom diverse reports of cover-up of homosexual behaviour have circulated. Speaking of genital oiling by Sathya Sai Baba, one of th whistle-blowers, Glen Meloy, wrote:-
“…I first heard of the practice from then dear friends of mine, a Mother and Father of one of the California boys in Hal Honig’s group in 1993 who had his genitals oiled during the same time period when the murders were being committed at the ashram.” Read independent report of what happened to some group members here.

The following was stated by Conny Larsson of the Sathya Sai Organization ‘VIPs’:- “…many of the victims have personally talked by phone to these people, when we tried to understand what was happening with us, but they all told us that this was “Divine” and we had to put up with it. We have talked to leaders as the American leaders dr. Goldstein, Phyllis Krystal, Hal Honig, Jagadeeshan, Gruber, Piculell, Meyer etc. and many, many others. They have all expressed the same opinion “it’s divine”.”

Barry Pittard has reported:  “Conny Larsson knew Hal Honig, reported he knows him to be homosexual, having formerly visited his place in New York: address 222 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019 Tel. 212-245-5799
Hal Honig. Investigators Need To Query Him
A list of 16 questions asked of Hal Honig – about whom, on the basis of documentation that is ready to be sworn to in a court of law by its author – I have filed a report to the FBI via the U.S.A. Embassy in Canberra, Australia, is found in my article Will Sai Baba Keep Hal Honig Smiling? Strangely – and one may query whether compromisingly – Hal Honig is a member of the Sathya Sai Central Council of the U.S.A., National Executive Commitee for Sai Young Adults, and National Seva (Sanskrit=Service) Coordinator Service Projects (which includes teaching needy youth)”

Former U.S. devotee Jed Geyerhahn stated that he once was a close friend of Hal Honig. Jed later exposed Sai Baba (testifying on the Danish film ‘Seduced’) for oiling him on the genitals. Read his statement here and/or see his video testimony on the Danish National TV documentary here.

Here are shown a few of Hal Honig’s self-delusions and fantasy world. Perhaps he was bitten by a cobra during one of his countless expensive visits to the ashrams?

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Hari Sampath, former insider on myths by Sathya Sai authorities

Here I repost a most informative article written years ago by a long-serving security official at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram. He got an insider view of much that went on due to his position in security, not least though knowing members of the Sathya Sai Central Trust. Here is a comment about Hari Sampath from the internet…

When the sex abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba from around the globe began to break on the Internet, Hari Sampath took steps to expose the entire set-up further. He created a website (sathyasaivictims.com) and contacted a large number of them, obtaining sworn testimonies and affidavits in that connection. He also brought a petition to the Supreme Court of India, which was summarily dismissed by the corrupt judges under the aegis of P.N. Bhagwati (former top jurist in India). Due to the infiltration of the judiciary and high courts by Sai devotee judges, it was futile to proceed further since the High Court in Andhra Pradesh (to which the Supreme Court referred the plaintiff) was under the control of a person who had been Sai Baba’s driver some years previously! Besides, the Government of India was actively protecting Sai Baba from any legal processes. This means Sathya Sai Baba was never brought to book as no institution powerful enough could stand against his array of foot-worshipping devotee among heads of state, government and the judiciary.

Myths Promoted by the Organisation by Hari Sampath

I had heard all the myths in my earlier years as a “devotee” of Sai Baba. In my later years, I was a volunteer and had the opportunity to work in the Ashram intelligence and security wing. This put me in contact with a lot of senior volunteers and Ashram residents who had been around for long. By talking to them about the specific circumstances of the so-called miracles I was able to find out what had exactly happened in all of the above cases.

In this context I wish to inform everyone about a few things that the Ashram intelligence does. As stories of Sai Baba’s miracles are really huge in numbers, there have been several instances where some people had tried to make money by “arranging” Sai Baba “miracles” and saying that by worshipping in this house or that, all problems will be solved and it is Sai Baba who has appointed this “agent” etc. This is rather common in the southern states of India.

The Ashram intelligence had developed a mechanism by which they investigate the source of these “miracles” and check out the motives of the persons behind them. This is also done to prevent Sai Baba from being associated with any “miracles” that may possibly be exposed as fraud at a later date, and give Sai Baba bad publicity. Of course, the original intention of the Ashram intelligence wing is to protect the “genuineness” of Sai Baba’s “miracles”, and prevent unscrupulous elements from “using” Sai Baba’s name. Most of the people involved with intelligence and security at the Ashram really believe in Sai Baba’s divinity and so they act like this. In fact this setup exists specifically on Sai Baba’s orders, and I have personally investigated so many “miracles” myself. But what is most important is, during these processes of investigation, I have come across so many “genuine miracles”, attested and approved of by Sai Baba , that I know personally to be totally mistaken cases, and often deliberately “arranged” by the inner coterie themselves.

Naturally, in these instances, I could not take it up to the higher authorities in the Sai Baba org, as they themselves were guilty of arranging “miracles” and Sai Baba himself is perfectly aware of all this. There are hundreds of “famous miracles” that I had personally verified to be cases of MISTAKE by the people experiencing them, and actively promoted by the Sathey Sai org., and also several more “miracles” that are a result of misinformation spread by over enthusiastic devotees, who do not even bother to check facts properly.

The Sai Org’s strategy is very clear on how to approach this.

1. If some outsider is trying to “use” Sai Baba’s name to make money, they simply ask the intelligence wing to investigate, and confirm it and put out a notice in Sanathana Sarathi, or make general announcements. This also gives the impression of other “miracles” approved by Sai Baba as being genuine.

2. If it is case of mistaken “miracles” spread by over enthusiastic devotees, then the Ashram intelligence reports it as such, and the Org officials “allow” it to stay and circulate, thereby gaining “good publicity” for Sai Baba’s “miracles” , while at the same time the Org can always dissociate from the stories if they were seen to be mistaken cases by the devotees and public later.

3. In the case of a “miracle” that was arranged by the Org itself, and usually this is done very carefully by trusted inner coterie members and targeted at wealthy western devotees or someone working on a book, if the Intelligence wing happens to uncover this, the instructions were to simply turn away and not talk to anyone about it. The explanation always was “Sai Baba is God and we cannot understand all these things, so ignore it”.

I am sure that all of you would be able to relate to the manner in which the Sai Baba org controls things, as you yourself may have seen examples of all the above things, somewhere, sometime.

See also:- Sai Baba protected by the Supreme Court of India
Account by Hari Sampath about the working of the Sai Baba scam
Hari Sampath reliable witness on Sathya Sai Baba
Hari Sampath: Sai Baba’s karma and retribution.

Bon Giovanni & Ram Das Awle – two very disturbed minds

Ram Das Awle is an outright supporter of perverse sexual abuse, and justifies Sathya Sai Baba’s sexual abuse – in which he believes took place – and if you don’t believe it read his web page (of which the original has been preserved in secure copies in case he tries to delete or change this very damaging material. Another devotee of Sai Baba in intense denial is Bon Giovanni, whose craftily-named website ‘Sai Critic’ (it is all really Sai defense) is an attempt to defuse criticism of Sai Baba. He endorses Ram Das Awle too, by having posted his writings on his own site.

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR WEB PAGE ON GIOVANNI —Though I never met Bon Giovanni, this photo of him was sent to me. If indeed he looks like that, then I would never ever have bought a used car from him either.

Early on during the exposé, Bon Giovanni defended his having posted a set of lies about me – making accusations that many others have directed against Sai Baba, namely of male sexual abuse. Such a primitive-minded and lying response all because of my many well-documented criticisms!  I was held to have sexually abused students who were said to have visited me to hear my talks about Sathya Sai Baba. I never gave talks about Sai Baba, nor was I visited by any students from abroad in that connection. Needless to say, I am no sexual abuser, but a happily married man. So Giovanni and Awle have marked themselves as person totally without moral judgement and decency.

Ram Das Awle writes about me, too, on a Sai Critic page, though he avoids giving my name for some reason – probably not to let Google find my name there and draw further attention to me and himself. He writes:-
“One thing to keep in mind: the gifts Baba give reflect the qualities of the people to whom they are given.  Furthermore, what we see in the Sai Mirror (and receive therefrom) reflects primarily our own minds.  Baba often manifests diamond rings, with surprisingly large diamonds set beautifully in gold; some of these rings have been valued at over a quarter of a million dollars.  Yet one man, who has now taken to globally scandalizing Baba, also received a ring from Him – and when he took it to a jeweler for valuation, he was told it was not a diamond at all but merely a well-cut lump of glass!  Is it any wonder Baba gave such a ring to one who would prove a completely false devotee?
Of this I am sure: if Baba does occasionally engage in a bit of ‘sleight of hand’, it is only another piece of His maya – specifically designed to create negative rumors that will test His devotees and keep unripe souls from recognizing Who He is.  Those who think they have ‘caught the magician at his tricks’ have actually been fooled by the Avatar’s maya, and in the process proved themselves as yet unworthy to behold the glory of the living Incarnation of God.” (source ref)

This is all rationalization, because Awle does not account for the fact that I met Sathya Sai Baba on many occasions (including in 5 private interviews) and that he said of me in public with witnesses present that “He is good, good, very good” and “He has a very good mind” as two examples of his opinion of me (but then I am not easily flattered). Also he told the interviewees that the stone in the ring he pretended to ‘make’ for me was explicitly “better than a diamond”. But 16 years or so later it was shown by a top professional jeweler to be a synthetic sapphire, worth very little too. Is that better than a diamond? Awle can twist things to extremes but no one will really believe him. Moreover, Sai Baba blessed the book I wrote about him, before I was roughly awakened to his murder involvement by his very close servitor, V.K. Narasimhan. Had Sai Baba known this in advance, he would surely never have let me get such close access as an observational basis for learning the depth and breadth of his deceptions. Besides, the ‘diamonds’ Sai Baba gives away have always been shown to be false gems so far and none have been assayed by professionals and proven genuine!

The extreme defenders of Sai Baba’s deceits like Bon Giovanni and – also sexual abuses as in the cases of  Ram Das Awle, Gerald Moreno and Lisa de Witt – often demonstrate for us how true are the following words of the researcher of hypnosis and subliminal programming, Dick Sutphen: “Those who have been brainwashed will usually passionately defend their manipulators, claiming they have simply been “shown the light” …or have been transformed in miraculous ways.” (from ‘The Battle for your Mind’). See Harassment charge against Bon G. on Keralite person’s website

Here is another example of what kind of mentality a large number of Sathya Sai Baba followers have

K. RAM MANOHAR – x vayuputra39@gmail.com 122.164.250.24

Submitted on 2011/08/11 at 2:06 pm The sexual abuse by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is only an another form of expression of His Love towards His fellow devotees all across the globe. There must be some good results coming on their way to all those who came in close contact with Swami. THEIR SPIRITUAL WELLNESS IS ASSURED AS WELL AS MATERIAL LIFE.

No comment to preposterous statements is merited.                    Note The Sai Critic site was closed down in 2013:-

Warnings against Sathya Sai Baba impostors

Both in India and around the world there are many who try to claim association with Sathya Sai Baba or his institutions for their own ends, not least  to obtain donations or to gain popularity, status etc.   Interestingly, his warnings that all these claims are bogus were repeated at intervals against ever new claimants in the monthly journal Sanathana Sarathi (see scans of some of these warnings below – click on the thumbnail images).  Sai Baba and his officials were very active trying to ensure that all the money flowed to them alone, which was fair enough where his name was being used to attract funds.​

Sai Krishna	Srirangapatnam
		General K.A. Taylor

CLICK ON ANY THUMBNAIL IMAGE TO ZOOM IN

Sathya Sai Baba always claimed that he never conveyed any kind of spiritual illumination, ‘shaktipat‘ or kundalini awakening teaching. It is admitted by his officials that he did oiling of the genitals of boys and young men (and many claim he did a lot more besides,  none of whom report having benefited from this by way of any illumination! On the contrary. many of those who are free to inform the public because they live outside India have provided evidence on oath and affidavits of being sexually abused.

Seekers of boons, powers, endorsements…  While many of those who want to be healers have good motives and even the wish to help others selflessly, quite a few claimed that Sai Baba has confirmed their having received powers to heal others from him in interviews. There is some evidence that he says this too, but then again a lot also seems to be wishful thinking. To cap it all, Sai Baba (at least outwardly) denied that he gave any powers to anyone,  and he NEVER confirmed that he has blessed anyone with healing powers. nor did he endorse anyone as a healer! Despite this, he frequently ‘produced’ so-called lingams of various shapes, colours and sizes which he gave to devotees and told them that they contained healing powers and were to be used to help heal other people.

Many others say that Sai Baba spoke (or speaks) through them. To ‘channel’ Sai Baba is a favourite among clairvoyants, New Age mini-gurus and even ordinary followers who have some feeling of his presence have claimed this. Sai Baba repeatedly warned:-  “Take it from Me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media”  (Sathya Sai Speaks new ed. Vol. 2, p. 167). In 1997, after putting the matter of the misuse of Sai Baba’s name to him in person, Dr. Michael Goldstein, the current head of  the Sathya Sai Organisation in the Western hemisphere, appealed and warned  everyone that Sai Baba “has not conferred upon anyone special powers to lead us, to heal us or to solve our problems. Swami has not given anyone special authority to intervene in our lives. Swami has not appointed anyone to be an intermediary in our heart-to-heart relationship with Him. Let us not be gullible in accepting such false claims.”

Hinduism: the Vedas, river worship, fair skin and cows

In his insightful blog on Sathya Sai Baba’s claim to be the famous ‘Saint of Shirdi’ reincarnated,  Barry Pittard remarks on the highly speculative and not least superstitious culture that makes claims acceptable to so many:

“Of all countries, India is the place where (other than in lunatic asylums of which all our countries have their types) a great many take claims of ‘divine’ realization very seriously. India is the place of instinctive veneration. Including of cricket, film, political and other stars.”

Pittard reminds us that, fortunately:

“More thoughtful Hindus fully appreciate the allegorical nature of these gods and goddesses. They see the stories associated with them such as an educated westerner might understand Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, or the characters in Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe or Tolkien – representations of primal forces at work in the human psyche. However, we need to consider the reality in the lives of millions of Indians of a heightened state of mythopoetic conditioning and imagination. And of associated rituals, festivals, allowances and proscriptions. All of this along with the ubiquitous supports of temple worship, pilgrimage, funeral and marriage ceremonies, yoga, and so forth. All of this from the very cradle. All of this, as it were, in the air, and everywhere. In the home. In the veneration for the cow. In the astrology. In the priestcraft. In vegetarianism. These norms – daily, and not at a church on Sunday or a synagogue on Saturday – are, perhaps, as alive today as they always were.”

They see the stories associated with their countless Deities, Avatars, saint or Godmen and women, as

“representations of primal forces at work in the human psyche.” “Religious figures attract huge crowds – again the incredible wordiness. Again, eager faces looking up for someone great who speaks to someone small. Some religious figures do not even have to speak; they are, simply, to be seen. In whatever the form, somehow, mysteriously, Grace happens, Merit accrues. The varieties of choice are vast. In anquish, many thoughtful Indians despair of India’s immemorial running after supposed gods, demigods and demagogues.”

To this I would report the view of probably the most erudite polymath of C20 India, N.C. Chaudhuri, that there are four ancient and irrational attachments of the Hindus (who are the dominant majority in India) which have been held sacred from the earliest times: the Vedas, fair complexion, veneration of rivers and cow worship.

from 'The Continent of Circe' by N.C. Chaudhuri, p. 180

The Vedas: According to scholars of history, the (four chief) Vedas were a set of prayers and hymns to God – never originally being God-revealed scripture at all. Though possible revised, their language is dead, but even today the rituals are recited by priests at marriages, funerals and the like and not least at many official (even governmental) functions. The later doctrine introduced about the Vedas that they exist ‘eternally’ and were saved from a world-enveloping deluge is sheer myth, of course.

from 'The Continent of Circe' p. 184-5

Fair complexion is preferred by a majority of Indians to darker skin tones. The lighter the better and the more prosperous in marriage. Much has been written about the origin and persistence of this degradation of people in India (the discriminated Dalits – once called ‘untouchables’ or sudras – and most of the pre-Hindu tribes that have survived are notably dark-skinned). The British rulers were very fair and greatly colour prejudiced, but the ‘white sahibs’ had to be obeyed by Indians who otherwise despised them but themselves failed to correct the colour mote in their own eyes.

ibid p. 188

River cultism: The veneration of rivers in religion and cyclical bathing festivals are still visited at auspicious times even by presidents and prime ministers. When the Prime Minister and President visited the Kumbha Mela at Allahabad in 1954 – thus diverting police away from crowd control – the result was a major tragedy with hundreds of deaths. The supposed amazing qualities of the Ganges and its water is but one of many extremes of the river cult. Chaudhuri traces river worship back to pre-religious times and considers that the identification of Indian rivers with Gods and Godesses happened because of the popularity of rivers in that otherwise dry, parched and – above all – dust ridden country… not the other way round.

ibid 197-8

Cow worship is still prevalent everywhere among Hindus in the shape of a non-beef diet and regular worship of cows at festivals and in religious literature. It is still also being most dangerous to harm or kill a cow that roams the streets where Hindus are prevalent. Killing of cows was normal in Vedic times when guests visited and for sacrifices… so non-violence against animals has no Vedic authority. That evolved later.

Fall-out since the death of Sathya Sai Baba

The following information was sent to me two days ago from a Russian source:-
“A man from Russia went to Puttaparthi about a year ago. He wanted Sathya Sai Baba to bless some symbols and projects connected with a project he was promoting. He desperately needed a place on the veranda to contact Sai Baba to ask him for blessing and so he asked the all-Russia coordinator for help. He was refused. He got very angry with this Sai-VIP and warned him that if he did not help him to get a place on the veranda, he would tell everything to Sai Baba dissidents and the information would be posted on a critical site. Next day he was sitting on the veranda.

From time to time I get some information about the people with whom we were together before leaving Sai Baba. Almost all of them stopped visiting the centre and its office activities. The man who got onto the veranda told me recently that he was not going to visit Prashanti Nilayam in the future because it would not have any sense for him. “Sai Baba is not there now”,  he said. Another couple of Russian devotees who live in the ashram for a long period left Puttaparthi for the north of India. Another Russian lady who we knew from 1997 said that the ashram is empty spiritually without SSB and now she is traveling across India visiting other ashrams. There are evidently increasingly difficult differences among Sai Baba followers.”

Search interest on Sathya Sai Baba via Google has steadily been going down for the last 3 months. In September the number of searches is about half of what was in July. http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=Sathya%20Sai%20Baba&date=today%203-m&cmpt=q

Sai Ma – contenders for the title ‘Sai Mother’

The first contender for the title ‘Sai Ma’ (i.e. “Mother Sai” or also “mother of Sai” was a Mrs. Nareng. Her claims have been definitively rejected by Sathya Sai Baba through his editor, V.K. Narasimhan, in the journal Sanathana Sarathi as can be seen below.

An Australian devotee who lived around the Sai Baba ashrams and wrote a book Little Heart, Unique Graciousness, Prasanthi Nilayam, Saindra, 1994, with “mystical visions and conversations reported by an elderly English lady who claims to have been Radha’s brother in a previous incarnation.” This woman hung around Sai Baba ashrams, living outside and never getting his attention or interviews. She compensated by claiming a “inner view” vouchsafed by Sai Baba himself. He never gave the slightest sign that he accepted her claim. She gathered all the followers of Sai Baba she could, pretending to be able to give spiritual messages and advice, as has been the case of many such bogus ‘channelers’ of Sai Baba (who firmly, repeatedly and most strongly denied he has any mediums or spokespersons whatever).

Another contender for the title ‘Sai Ma’ (also spelt Sai Maa) is French citizen Chalander Sai Ma (see here) who was a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba (hence the ‘Sai’ in her name, a name not used before Sai Baba of Shirdi introduced it). She is reportedly involved with methods promoted by Deepak Chopra and endorses indoctrination into the usual doubtful and unsupported Hindu guru speculations about self-realization, such as represented in the West by the insufferable book  ‘A Course in Miracles’. She is promoted as a blessed Indian saint, and does seem to do good humanitarian work, apart from the obvious doubtfulness of any claim to sainthood (usually only self-professed, then taken up by some followers). 

The Sai Ma promoted by Professor Satya Pal Ruhela was rebutted as follows:-

Sathya Sai Baba’s political protégés and VIPs

While still in the Sathya Sai Organization, we from Oslo were continually forced to notice that Sai Baba attracted not only good, sensible and pure persons, but also many of poor understanding and personal ambition (whether one called it ‘spiritual ambition’ or raw desire for special blessings, privilege and power). The people Sai Baba chose as his VIP’s (a group I avoided and never wanted to join, despite offers) were mostly either disagreeable or outright obnoxious self-important and pushy persons. Those persons have all remained followers, except those who have died.(I can firmly exclude Kasturi, Narasimhan and Mr. Hejmadi and a few other UK leaders from the bad VIP category!). When VIP’s behaviour and underhand dealings, embezzlement and worse were pointed out to him by some courageous person at an interview, he would say that they were ‘shades at the foot of the candle’ or that he kept them close because he wanted to control them… and further named them ‘VIPers’ (always raised a laugh, that!). The fact is that they had all shown that they would do his bidding whatever it was, would never question or doubt anything whatever… always hoping it would benefit themselves, no doubt. He had once nurtured his devotee like despot Idi Amin and also the criminal Italian President, Craxi, as well as saving the corrupt Indian PM Narasimha Rao from conviction and a long sentence… to name just some of the best known instances.

As India Today reported: “From Indira Gandhi to P.V. Narasimha Rao to A.B. Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, almost every prime minister paid obeisance to Sai Baba. It has been a routine affair for Presidents of India – from Shankar Dayal Sharma to Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil – to visit Puttaparthi and spend time with him.”

All part of the more or less highly corrupt nest-feathering elite of India whose system is now being challenged by Anna Hazare and a large segment of India’s population! Against Mahatma Gandhi’s revered principle, Sathya Sai welcomes ‘blood money’ and even sat through in a public announcement of donors giving at least one crore at his 70th Birthday celebrations (such as Bhangarappa, a known corrupt Karnataka politician, who gave ten million rupees, and two famous Indian ‘liquor barons’, one of whom, Mr. Reddy, was murdered in Madras in 1996 only a week or so after a personal visit by Sai Baba accompanied by V.K. Narasimhan). His involvement with corrupt politicians is well documented – he reportedly saved Narasimha Rao from prison (Rao fled to his feet with thanks as soon as the verdict came). Tit-for-tat, N. Rao and A.B. Vajpayee protected him from prosecutions.

Altogether, a wide assortment of impostors and many very pushy and self-centered people of virtually all degrees sought Sai Baba in the hope of thriving under his banner. I shall report on some of the more successful charlatans in a blog tomorrow.

See also P.V.Narasimha Rao. Stopped Doordarshan film of Sai Baba ‘Miracle’