A comment was sent in by the usual defender of Sai Baba hiding behind anonymity. (He sent under the identifier ‘notperfectbut’ – see comment no. 3). Only now, after my having mailed back, do I post it, along with my mail and the subsequent responses.
He concluded his semi-rational comment with the following bitter diatribe against me – I think it demonstrates his quality:-
“Considering what Sai Baba’s reputation is now, and how it continues to grow (e.g. having two 2 seperate special supplements distributed by the “Times of India” commemorating his 85th Birthday, 1200 official centers on over 140 countries, etc.), it’s interesting that you still feel the need to persist in this futile silliness. But, I guess if you are determined to carve out a very, very, very minor footnote in history for yourself, as one of the most passionate of those who simply didn’t and/or couldn’t get it, and who totally missed the boat: go for it!
You are destined to be pitied, mocked and scorned throughout the ages, just as those who did the same to Rama, Krishna and Christ… I guess there’s a fool of historic proportions born (at least) every Yuga!”
So do I get the prominent place in history Margolin would reserve for me – known down through the ages as a pitiful, mocked, scorned fool of “historic proportions” or just a very, very, very minor footnote? I couldn’t care less as long I I help the vulnerable to realize the deceptions, massive break of trust, unreliability and untruthfulness of Sathya Sai Baba and those around him on his gravy train (whether the material or the imagined ‘spiritual’ self-service)
So, evidently incensed by my e-mail reply to him, the sender accused me of lacking integrity for not posting his unsigned attack… so he gave his name – Richard Margolin (hoping this would score him Brownie points in the great uncertain hereafter? Or rather because he is as vindictive and derogatory as the run-of-the-mill office-bearer and other devotees?). He has at least now ‘earned’ the posting of his comments… but also – with his spewing bile rather than the overflowing love supposedly due by devotees to all their ‘brothers’ – he neatly demonstrates his failings as a ‘spiritual aspirant’ and Sai Baba follower. He even held a top office in the Organization! That is par for the course.
Mr. Margolin shows hypocrisy well up on the Richter scale when he replied to my mail (see below) “Since you did not have the courage, class or integrity to post my comment, you are not entitled to an item by item response, beyond the above (not even that. really. But I’ve learn generosity among many other things in my 20 years). ” Generosity indeed, what a parody! I do have courage, integrity… but what does he mean by ‘class’… what he himself demonstrates? Is it some American college standard, not class as British (I hope) BTW, he can’t spell properly, writes confusedly as I shall demonstrate, and certainly can’t do independent research work due to his one-sided doctrinal bias and general level of articulation! He wrote:-
“I’ve read a good deal of Sai Baba’s writings and discourses and am not familiar with him saying that he doesn’t heal himself becasue there are so many who can’t heal themselves. Would you be able to provide a reference for that? I’ve read that when he takes on an illness of someone (as opposed to healing directly which he has done of course countless times) he won’t heal himself because it would be selfish. And the history of taking on others’ illnesses goes way, way back. Here is an except from Howard Murphet’s “Wan of Miracles”, written about half a century ago. The number of these “instances”, have continued to the present day, and the most recent is no different:
“Satya Sai Baba has likewise drawn to himself and suffered physical pains on behalf of his devotees. N. Kasturi says in his book on Baba’s life that once, a doctor from near Madura wrote to him saying that he had been suffering pain and bleeding in an ear, but that the trouble had vanished suddenly in a miraculous manner. Kasturi said that the letter from the doctor reached him “just when Baba himself was ‘free’, from a slightly bleeding ear and some earache, which he had announced as having been ‘taken over’ from a devotee who was suffering the agony”. Kasturi further states that “Satya Sai Baba has taken upon himself and suffered mumps, typhoid fever, delivery pains and the scalding burns of his devotees”. A striking example of this type of compassionate phenomenon was described to me by a number of witnesses who were present in the ashram at the time of the happening. On the evening of June 28th 1963, Baba asked Mr. Kasturi to announce at the ashram that no more interviews would be granted for the week. Neither Kasturi nor anyone else understood or could guess the reason for this. But they soon found out. On Saturday, 29th of July at 6.30 a.m. Baba suddenly fell unconscious. Initially the devotees close around him thought that he had gone into a trance, as he had often done in the past when travelling in his subtle body to bring badly needed aid to some devotee somewhere. These trances had been known to last a few hours, but this time Swami remained unconscious for much longer.
His devotees became apprehensive and began to arrange for medical aid. In addition to a doctor at the ashram hospital Dr. Prasannasimba Rao, Assistant Director of Medical Services of Mysore State, was called from Bangalore. He writes, after describing the symptoms fully, “The differential diagnosis of such conditions … pinned me down to that of tuberculous meningitis, with perhaps a tuberculoma, silent for a long time. ” When the doctor tried to give the treatment that seemed indicated, Baba regained some awareness, it seemed, and refused the injections and other medical assistance. He stated later that the trouble would pass in five days’ time.
During those five days he had four severe heart attacks, his left side was paralysed – stiff, useless, insensitive; the sight of his left eye and his speech were also badly affected.
On Thursday, July 4th, five days after the attack started, Swami became sufficiently clear and strong to announce that the clot in his brain had been dissolved, and there would be no more heart attacks. However the left side of his body was still paralysed and his speech was thick and feeble. His followers believed that it would take several months for him to recoup his good health.
During the period of his suffering Baba had indicated to those attending him that one devotee at a distance was about to be affected by a stroke and heart attacks so severe that they would have killed him. So Baba had taken on the illness with all its symptoms of paralysis, heart seizures, high temperature, partial loss of eyesight, severe physical pains, and so on. His disciples understood and accepted this explanation.
But Guru Poornima, a religious festival day, was approaching, and many visitors were congregating in the ashram. The visitors were very upset and dejected at stories they were hearing of Baba’s condition. Not knowing the cause – or not believing it – they began to doubt “if Baba is God in human form,” they said to one another, “why is he also afflicted with physical ailments? Why does he not cure himself?” On the evening of Guru Poornima Day, July 6th, came the final scene. Practically carried by several disciples, Baba came down the circular stairs from his bedroom to the crowded prayer hall below. The whole left side of his body was still paralysed and his speech was a feeble, scarcely intelligible mumble.
A doctor present describes the scene thus: “His gait was the characteristic hemiplegic one, the paralytic left leg being dragged in a semicircle, the toes scraping the floor. Seeing Baba in that condition, even the bravest wept aloud.” For a few minutes Swami sat in his chair on the dais before the assembled people, some five thousand inside and outside the hall. Silent, sorrowful, deeply moved they all were. Then Baba gestured for water. Some was brought in a tumbler, and Raja Reddy held it up to the twisted lips. Baba drank a few drops; then dipping his right fingertips into the water, he sprinkled a few drops onto his paralysed left hand and leg. Next he stroked his left hand with the right, and followed this by stroking his stiff left leg with both hands. The hearts of the watchers leapt at the sight, with dawning hope.
Mr. T.A. Ramanatha Reddy, the government engineer whom I knew at Horsley Hills, was in one of the front rows and very close to Baba. He said, “In a second Swami’s leg, eye, and all his left side became normal. It was a sight for the gods to see his sudden recovery, and the devotees present witnessed the greatness of his divine power . . . ” Mr. N. Kasturi describes it in this way, “He rose and we could hear his divine voice calling us, as was ever his wont . . . He had begun his Guru Poornima discourse! People did not believe their eyes and ears. But when they realised that Baba was standing before them, speaking, they jumped about in joy, they danced, they shouted, they wept; some were so overcome with ecstatic gratitude that they laughed hysterically and ran wild among the crowd rushing in.” Baba was on his feet speaking for over an hour. Then he sang a number of bhajan songs, and finally climbed the stairs unaided. That night he ate his normal meal, and the following days saw him back in his usual vigorous, hearty health, carrying on a full programme of activities. The deadly stroke which had come at his bidding departed within the period he foretold, and left no tell-tale signs behind. “
In the Discourse Swami gave that night he referred to this episode, “This is not Swami’s illness. This is an illness which swami has taken on in order to save someone else. Swami has no illness nor will he get ill at any time. You must all be happy.; that alone will make Swami happy. If you grieve Swami will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food.” “Sai Baba Man of Miracles”, Pg 128-129, by Howard Murphet
Considering what Sai Baba’s reputation is now, and how it continues to grow (e.g. having two 2 seperate special supplements distributed by the “Times of India” commemorating his 85th Birthday, 1200 official centers on over 140 countries, etc.), it’s interesting that you still feel the need to persist in this futile silliness. But, I guess if you are determined to carve out a very, very, very minor footnote in history for yourself, as one of the most passionate of those who simply didn’t and/or couldn’t get it, and who totally missed the boat: go for it!
You are destined to be pitied, mocked and scorned throughout the ages, just as those who did the same to Rama, Krishna and Christ… I guess there’s a fool of historic proportions born (at least) every Yuga!:)
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To the above, Robert Priddy replied by e-mail as follows:-
—–Original Message—– From: Robert Priddy To: aaroncapgroup Sent: Sat, Apr 2, 2011 10:51 am
Sai Baba has stated that he will not heal himself on several occasions – such as when he had a hairline fracture of the hip in 1988 (I was at the first interview he gave after that). See Sanathana Sarathi September 1988, p 226.
Whoever you are, you have not studied the matter at all thoroughly, I assure you most sincerely. I certainly have – I indexed every word Sai Baba put out until 2000 and know all the relevant writings until then, at least. So your comment forwarding the usual old over-cooked-up mythology was just sending coals to Newcastle in my case. It is dangerous to wear rose-tinted glasses and only look at the bright side of the coin… I did that indeed. Now I am only concerned to present the other side (to help rebalance the image SB has), having done too much propaganda for Sai Baba for decades. One-sidedness is bias, disbalance and misses the truth.
For a start, for example see this: http://www.saibaba-x.org.uk/2/Healing_Cures_Faith_-_Sai_Baba.htm I knew V.K. Narasimhan (the editor of Sanathana, in which I wrote many articles) very well indeed . He told me – among many otherwise undisclosed facts about Sai Baba – that he had not in 20 years close observation seen one SINGLE healing by Sai Baba, and he was always with Sai Baba at many interviews, daily talks to students and so on. Further, he had been assured by Sai Baba, who applied vibuti to his eye himself, that his eye would be healed after an operation. He lost the sight in it. I am aware that – using SB as an emotional catylyst – healing does tsake place, as it does with countless other such ‘catalysts’, or objects of intense concentration, longing and prayer. Even bits of wood or imaginary spirits!
Narasimhan eventually unloaded his conscience to me in private as to how the 1993 murderrs were brought about by Sai Baba’s younger brother blackmail of the police… imagine my shock. It took 4 more years before it all sank in, so deluded was I (like yourself). Narasimhan tried to get SB to explain events, but stated loudly to me – for all to hear around him – he was NOT CONVINCING, NOT CONVINCING. He alone among all servitors could confront SB with critical questions… his importance to SB was so great (in having go so many top figures to visit etc.).
I devoted 18 years of my life to full-time service work and sadhana for SB – as national leader on Norway. I wrote a popular book about Sai Baba, which he blessed (so what!)… so I am bound to expose what I now know. I did not want to be in the public eye – far nicer to have a quiet, secure life – but I have a duty to all those who seek my advice and help and beg me to continue. The number of people who have suffered due to Sathya Sai Baba and his coterie’s massive deceptions and not least his sexual abuses (I know several persons well who have suffered this! Plus many who write to me in full confidence… it is APPALLING what he has done!) That he has still a huge following in India is due to the utter corruption of that calamitous land where bribery, kick-backs and cover-up is the order of the day. I have over 50 years of experience of Indians and India, and it took about 40 before I realised the utter depths to which that country’s leadership and most of its officials have now sunk.
I can predict with near certainty that you cannot respond intelligently to these points, for the self-indoctrination is almost always so deep and realization of the facts costs so much personally that it cannot be discarded overnight. My process of reawakening and daring to question took many years! Be careful who you call ‘silly’, it can rebound, as the man said. Why are nearly all you devotees so afraid to stand up and put your name to your final derogatory comment?
No need to reply, my questions are rhetorical. I am not inclined to hear any more of your parroting of others and tabloid-level derision. Good luck anyhow. RP
PS If you really take Murphet, Hislop or Krystal and suchlike on trust as reliable, then you are in grave error. Here are some reasons:-
Sai Inner Views and Insights – Howard Murphet and Howard Murphet and Sai Baba as ‘Man of Miracles’
Hislop- leader of International Sathya Sai Organization denied hard testimony
FURTHER COMMENT: The Indian press has been pressured by Sathya Sai Baba and his cronies at the top of government and the judiciary – to publish only positive materials about Sai Baba. The Times of India is hardly a very reputable source, anyhow, as history has shown. As to Brian Steele, he has no more time for you… anyone can see by searching how he characterises him on his web pages. You who believe that Sathya Sai Baba appeared on the moon (supposedly giving his much trumpeted Vishvarupa darsan, as officially claimed), evidently, because you forwarded a report to that effect! You must be cognitively misaligned to a degree… or why did Margolin not NASA or any astronomical observatory or thousands of amateur astronomers notice this.
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The reply to me was as follows:-
From: richardmmargolin@aol.com Date: 3 April 2011 02:58:46 CEST
My name is Richard Margolin and I was president of the Manhattan Sai Baba Center for 4 years, and have been a devotee for 20 years. I have too many experiences to enumerate, as do members of my family (who are not technically devotees). I personally know individuals who have had healings, some close personal friends, as well as many, many, many others (we had speakers every month at our center for 4 years). The number of items materialized for people I know is beyond counting (including 5 carat diamond rings and a broach which should be in the Tower of London with the Queen’s jewelry), ad infinituum. I personally have two pictures of Swami in my apartment with quite a bit of ash under the glass (and I am quite clear about why it happened), and I know many others (some of my best friends in fact) who do as well. It may actually be more unusual not to have at least some ash on a picture of Baba in Manhattan…
Even your buddy Brian Steele (with whom I had an extended correspondence) told me that at the time (about 7 years ago) he had compiled a bibliography of some 600 books about Swami, in English alone. These books, as you know, have almost nothing but miracles and experiences. The ex-Baba cult likes to dismiss all of theses as works by gullible fools, despite the fact that the Sai Organization probably has the highest percentage of educated professionals as members than any other spiritual organization in the world. The late, great, Dr. Morton Klass (http://nytimes.com/2001/05/03/obituaries/03KLAS.html), who is the only bona fide scholar I’m aware of who has studied the Sai Organization in any meaningful, intelligent way, called it “an elite revitalization movement”.
COMMENT BY PRIDDY: I should add that, unlike Margolin himself, it so happens that I was for 20 years a tenured researcher and lecturer at the University of Oslo and I have studied the Sathya Sai Organization very extensively both from within as a participant observer and national office-bearer and as regards its social structure and function from a sociological disciplinary approach. Margolin should read the work of Tulasi Srinivas – a recognised U.S. scholar who has studies the Sathya Sai movement (‘Winged Faith’) who has quite a lot to say about its failings and the scandals, though she is ethnically biased and has many Sai devotee friends – she even quotes my work, though incorrectly and inadequately in the interests of academic aloofness when real issues of life are involved. The academics (not one truly distinguished prize winner or recognized major scientist, historian or anything similar) who STILL – after the evidence, testimony and intensive analysis and research into the deception since 2000 – support Sathya Sai Baba are surely indoctrinated and trapped in all in which they have investigated their former prestige. It takes more than most academics have in them to say – ‘I was entirely mistaken ‘- and retrack! A great deal usually hangs on such matters… so one needs some uncommon courage, though I say it myself! See some information about the academic isolation of Sai Baba and his coterie here.
Since you did not have the courage, class or integrity to post my comment, you are not entitled to an item by item response, beyond the above (not even that. really. But I’ve learn generosity among many other things in my 20 years). But, your first point alone proves it would be a waste of time anyway since I did not say he didn’t refuse to heal himself. I said he did refuse, but because it would be selfish, not because there were too many people who couldn’t afford to heal themselves, as you said.
Comment: Further, Sathya Sai Baba has – in several reports – said that he would be selfish to heal himself when he does not heal others who are suffering greatly. I cannot be bothered to dig through 600 books to find those reports, though I have provided one quote – scanned from his approved journal Sanathana Sarathi – where he makes a statement much in accordance with this.This pretty much is typical of the rest of your “points” and I’m not going to wast my time with this type of twisted, bogus, twaddle.
But I’m happy you have a hobby. As Krishna said of Sispula, with whom He merged after Krishna’s decapitating of him: at least he thought about Me constantly. This does seem like your only hope of salvation.
Best of luck… Richard M. Margolin
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From: Robert Priddy Date: 3 April 2011 05:55:09 CEST To: richardmmargolin@aol.com
So now you give your name… that is something. Now you talk of ‘integrity’ and show you hoped I’d publish your original (deluded) and derisory comment. But I do not publish anonymous comments that are derogatory. Besides, no official Sai site ever posts a SINGLE critical comment… and only a couple of low-life character assassinators post critical comments so they can rail against them and stalk the person who does.
I see you can’t face reality… any more than you could reply to the countless exposures of Sathya Sai Baba’s lies and deceits documented from his own words and the countless reports of such that I and other reputable persons have brought to public notice. All reasonable people – especially independent such – can see that you are cult-indoctrinated to a degree. I have and know all of most of the books you mention… it makes no difference in the last analysis. It is impossible to get around the sexual abuses,. for a start. I know several person well who have been sexually abused by Sai Baba! But I have also been contacted (by numerous ex-students who have confided in me (because they can see I am to be trusted, which is crucial due to the assassinations that have taken place at the ashram.. more than you know about evidently). I first became a real devotee in 1983. You write about salvation? You are clearly a ‘true believer’ in all that speculation. Only those who can’t face life without irrationally hopeful crutches need that.
Twenty years is far from enough time to get to the bottom of Sathya Sai Baba, not if you have not dared investigate the sexual abuses and the murders. The Manhatten Centre was the lair of the hypocrite Hal Honig, if I’m not mistaken. Perhaps you were one of his acolytes?
As to ‘Best of luck’… you’re the one who’s going to need it. Robert Priddy
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See about Hal Honig – the close Sai Baba devotee – and his reported sexual antics Will Sai Baba Keep Hal Honig Smiling?
Notice how Richard Margolin fails to respond to my points about sexual abuse, and his conceited or patronising and invalid ‘reason’ – basically, that I am not worth it! He harbours hopes for me, as his words shows: “As Krishna said of Sispula, with whom He merged after Krishna’s decapitating of him: at least he thought about Me constantly.” All an expression of Margolin’s pseudo-emulation of devotees compassionate love for all, no doubt. Here, he apparently positively wants me to have a place in history, not just a footnote! The last thing anyone should want is to ‘merge’ with a reputed paedophile, I’d say. I do not think about Sathya Sai Baba himself much at all, not much of him either… I am concentrated on helping those he has abused and vilified, on his lies and his failures, cover-ups, involvements in murder… not on him as any kind of spiritual figure or what he claims to be.
Last but not least, Sathya Sai Baba has never been shown to have given away a single GENUINE diamond of any value. There is NOT ONE professional assay to prove that! On the contrary, there are many who have had his large white and green ‘diamonds’ assayed and they are found to be anything but genuine (search the many exposé postings and you’ll see). I had my 6 carat green stone ring (supposed to be a diamond ‘materialized’ by Sai Baba in 1986 for me in an interview) assayed by Queen Margarethe’s jeweler in Copenhagen, and it turned out to be a synthetic sapphire of very low value, its brilliance enhanced by green tinsel paper behind the stone in a closed setting. See http://www.saibaba-x.org.uk/7/Sathya_Sai_Baba_green_diamond_proven_a_fake.htm
Mr. Margolin exceeds himself again in a comment he posted to this blogsite see my reply and his comment here
Sathya Sai Baba has declared that He will usher in a new era of Love, Peace, Righteousness, and Truth. This “Golden Age,” as He calls it, is destined to begin soon with an event (or series of events) that will draw world attention to His Divinity. 
He stated, 5 days before all hell broke loose in Mumbai:-
Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed 
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