Śri Sathya Sai Baba, born as Sathyanarayana Raju (23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011, was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be – and his followers believed him to be – the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and Muslim beliefs. The materialisation of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches by Sathya Sai Baba were a source of both fame and controversy; devotees considered them signs of divinity, while skeptics viewed them as simple conjuring tricks.By the latter half of the twentieth century, Sai Baba was enjoying tremendous popularity around the world, with widespread faith, fame, criticism and controversies transforming him into a cultural icon. His photographs are displayed in millions of homes and on the dashboards of cars, and lockets bearing his photo are worn by many as a symbol of good luck.
I first came across him in 1962, an 11 year old boy watching this saffron-robed spiritual leader when on his monthly visit to Poona, where he stayed with a devotee just down the road from my house. I have seen invalid patients brought on cots to meet the Baba and ask for his blessings. I can’t say for sure whether they were cured or not. I’ve seen the vibhuti manifestation first hand. In that era, there were no wrist watches or other valuables.
On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, a small town near Puttaparthi, Sathya was apparently stung by a scorpion. He lost consciousness for several hours. Within the next few days there was a noticeable change in Sathya's behavior. On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised prasad and flowers for his family members. He then proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi, who had died in 1918.
Later that year, Sathya Sai Baba declared that he had no worldly relationship with anyone and, around this time, devotees began to gather to him. In 1940, he began to travel to Madras and elsewhere in South India and soon had a large regional following.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba, after recovering from a stroke and four severe heart attacks, stated that after his death, whenever that be, he would be reborn as another spiritual leader eight years later, in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. He survived those major coronary problems for 48 years! In 2003, he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped, and both the boy and stool fell on him. After that, he gave darshan from a car or his porte chair. His perambulations were limited to short but repeated walks of about five minutes each.
On 28 March 2011, Sathya Sai Baba was admitted to the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi, following respiration-related problems. After nearly a month of hospitalisation, during which his condition progressively deteriorated, Sai Baba died on 24 April at 7:40 IST, aged 84. This was 12 years earlier than his own prediction.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The BABA of SANK
An amazing fact of life is that the older you get, the more you turn to religion. People who sneer at faith healers when in the prime of their life, queue up outside these very same mendicants’ doors when seriously ill. Distance and time are taken out of the equation.
India has its share of faith healers and charlatans. The two biggest draws are both called Sai Babas, the term ‘Sai’ meaning Saint. One is the Sai Baba (deceased) of Shirdi, a village located approximately 300 km. East of Mumbai (Bombay). The other is the Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, now a prominent town in South-central India, who looks far younger than his age of 83. I will write about each Sai Baba and how to get to where the pilgrimage spots are in detail in subsequent blogs.
There is a third Baba, of whom very little is known. He has no recognizable name, just the Baba of Sank.He too performs miracles, like healing the moribund, the insane and the sick. He performs his miracles on only ONE night every year. This auspicious night is that of the first new moon in September. That night is less than two months away. On that night, thousands of devotees from all over the state throng his temple in the village of Sank, some 70 km. from Gwalior or 240 km. from Agra. It is not easy to reach the small village on a normal day, but, on the night of the miracles, the hordes of people thronging the route makes the task much easier. If you are planning to go there, remember to take some fruits with you or have your supper early. The water at the temple is safe, but you could take a bottle or two of mineral water along. Expect an 18-20 hour sleepless trip, but, believe me, sleep will be farthest from your mind.
There are two ways of getting to the Baba’s temple. Take an afternoon train from Delhi to Agra or Gwalior. The latter is preferable, as it is closer to the pilgrimage site. If traveling from Agra, which city everybody has heard about, hire a taxi for Morena. If the taxi driver is unsure of how to get there, tell him to take you towards Gwalior. An hour or so later, you will cross Dholpur, on the banks of the river Chambal. Another 20 minutes and you will see masses of people at a small railway station, Sank, on your left. Cross over and simply follow the crowd. The road is bad, but not dusty. 10 km. and an hour later and you would have reached. Gwalior taxi drivers know the route and you have an hour’s drive to get to Sank. En route, you will cross a small town called Morena. Continue to Sank, now on your right and again, just follow the crowd all the way to the temple. You could well be number 2,500 in the winding queue, with thousands behind you.
The Baba comes out of his temple close to midnight. He squats on a coir mat and village drummers start to beat their drums. I have been very close to the Baba and seen first hand what transpires. He goes into a deep reverie and bursts out of it like a maniac. He then calls for those waiting for him and sees them in small groups of five or six. He recites some strange incantation, which, as he once told me, was first used by the Goddess Kunti at that very temple circa 2500 BC. Often, he picks up a feather duster made of peacock tails and cleans the odd devotee. His trance lasts for almost half an hour and when he comes out of it, he moves back into the temple. He normally returns in ten minutes, chatting freely till the drums begin again. This cycle goes on till dawn. Unusually enough, nobody goes back without a ‘darshan’ (meeting) of the Baba. I will be posting a blog about Goddess Kunti soon.
If you are keen on visiting the Baba, get ready now. There aren't many days left. Returning from the temple is easy and getting back to Delhi is not too much of a problem, with a large number of trains in the early morning hours.
India has its share of faith healers and charlatans. The two biggest draws are both called Sai Babas, the term ‘Sai’ meaning Saint. One is the Sai Baba (deceased) of Shirdi, a village located approximately 300 km. East of Mumbai (Bombay). The other is the Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, now a prominent town in South-central India, who looks far younger than his age of 83. I will write about each Sai Baba and how to get to where the pilgrimage spots are in detail in subsequent blogs.
There is a third Baba, of whom very little is known. He has no recognizable name, just the Baba of Sank.He too performs miracles, like healing the moribund, the insane and the sick. He performs his miracles on only ONE night every year. This auspicious night is that of the first new moon in September. That night is less than two months away. On that night, thousands of devotees from all over the state throng his temple in the village of Sank, some 70 km. from Gwalior or 240 km. from Agra. It is not easy to reach the small village on a normal day, but, on the night of the miracles, the hordes of people thronging the route makes the task much easier. If you are planning to go there, remember to take some fruits with you or have your supper early. The water at the temple is safe, but you could take a bottle or two of mineral water along. Expect an 18-20 hour sleepless trip, but, believe me, sleep will be farthest from your mind.
There are two ways of getting to the Baba’s temple. Take an afternoon train from Delhi to Agra or Gwalior. The latter is preferable, as it is closer to the pilgrimage site. If traveling from Agra, which city everybody has heard about, hire a taxi for Morena. If the taxi driver is unsure of how to get there, tell him to take you towards Gwalior. An hour or so later, you will cross Dholpur, on the banks of the river Chambal. Another 20 minutes and you will see masses of people at a small railway station, Sank, on your left. Cross over and simply follow the crowd. The road is bad, but not dusty. 10 km. and an hour later and you would have reached. Gwalior taxi drivers know the route and you have an hour’s drive to get to Sank. En route, you will cross a small town called Morena. Continue to Sank, now on your right and again, just follow the crowd all the way to the temple. You could well be number 2,500 in the winding queue, with thousands behind you.
The Baba comes out of his temple close to midnight. He squats on a coir mat and village drummers start to beat their drums. I have been very close to the Baba and seen first hand what transpires. He goes into a deep reverie and bursts out of it like a maniac. He then calls for those waiting for him and sees them in small groups of five or six. He recites some strange incantation, which, as he once told me, was first used by the Goddess Kunti at that very temple circa 2500 BC. Often, he picks up a feather duster made of peacock tails and cleans the odd devotee. His trance lasts for almost half an hour and when he comes out of it, he moves back into the temple. He normally returns in ten minutes, chatting freely till the drums begin again. This cycle goes on till dawn. Unusually enough, nobody goes back without a ‘darshan’ (meeting) of the Baba. I will be posting a blog about Goddess Kunti soon.
If you are keen on visiting the Baba, get ready now. There aren't many days left. Returning from the temple is easy and getting back to Delhi is not too much of a problem, with a large number of trains in the early morning hours.
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