Guest guest Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Miracles of welfare Sai Baba is winning hearts more with his down to earth developmental work than with his supernatural feats By N. Bhanutej/Puttaparthi In the 1940s, a young boy in the arid Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh talked of aeroplanes landing in his little village. Heads of State would seek his feet, he said. The droughtweary villagers laughed: " There is no bus to this village. What planes is he talking about? " Devotees who received vibhuti from Sai Baba or made eyecontact with him say the experience changed them for ever. The boy was unlike anybody his age. He rambled into verse, prompting his family to believe he had demonic powers. He sat villagers around him and launched into monologues. He produced ash out of thin air. But planes? That was a far cry. More than half a century later, his village, Puttaparthi, can land a Boeing747. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Governors, chief ministers, judges, scientists, academicians and cricket and movie stars touch his feet. Foreigners thirsting for Indian spirituality make a beeline for a glance of the man who, they believe, is an avatar of God. Sathyanarayana Raju, the village preacher, became Sathya Sai Baba. Sathyanarayana was born on November 23, 1926, to Pedda Venkama Raju and Eshwaramma, who belonged to the Bhatta Raju caste. In recent times, his devotees claim that he was born of immaculate conception. The boy had an inclination for the spiritual. He dropped out of school in the eighth standard. At 13, he declared that he was the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a revered sage in Maharashtra, who died in 1918. He announced that he had a mission in life; he did not belong to family. Known as Sai Baba, Baba or Swami, he charmed people with his talk. He performed 'miracles' to support his claims of divinity. With a wave of his hand, he could produce vibhuti (sacred ash) and other presents for his admirers: acts that earned him as many critics as devotees. All roads lead to Puttaparthi: Devotees from Indonesia A story told by his followers in Puttaparthi goes like this: as a child, Baba would pluck any fruit that his friends wanted from a tamarind tree on a hill near the Chitravathi river. Today, the hill is a pilgrim spot. Visitors write their wish on a piece of paper and string it to a branch of the tree, now called the Kalpavruksha. They believe Baba would make those wishes come true. Besides the miracles—he is said to have brought two dead people back to life—Baba preached love, peace, selflessness, service and other universal truisms like " Help Ever, Hurt Never " and " Love All, Serve All " . News of an orangerobed god with a Jimi Hendrix hairdo spread to the west. Westerners—disillusioned by an overdose of dollars, relationships and drugs—sought Prashanthi Nilayam (Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi) to rediscover the basics. One of Sai Baba's early followers, Dr John S. Hislop, wrote in his book My Baba and I (Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust): " I prayed that through his grace and kindness, he might touch my dry heart and make it alive and vibrant again. " Hislop, a teacher in Mexico, became one of the closest innercircle devotees of Sai Baba. Devotees claim that Baba's mere presence changes one's personality. Those who received vibhuti or made eyecontact with him say that they changed for ever. Hislop narrates in his book that, in 1973, Baba 'materialised' a figure of Christ on a wooden cross. Giving it to Hislop, Baba claimed that the wood was from the cross on which Jesus was crucified. When another devotee asked Baba about the crucifix, he said: " Yes, I made it for him [Hislop]. And when I went to look for the wood, every particle of the cross had disintegrated and had returned to the elements. I reached out to the elements and reconstituted sufficient material for a small cross. Very seldom does Swami interfere with nature, but occasionally, for a devotee, it will be done. " It is said that Baba produced such a crucifix for Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, as well. With Baba's meteoric rise in the 1970s, rationalists called him a trickster and challenged him to produce larger presents. Late Dr H. Narasimhaiah, former vicechancellor of Bangalore University, opened a debate by asking Baba to produce a melon instead of a ring. He constituted a factfinding committee to investigate Baba, and sought an interview with him. The late Dr Abraham Kovoor, who was president of the International Rationalists Association, was invited to Bangalore, where he produced ash with the wave of his hand. " We went to schools and colleges and demonstrated all the miracles that Sai Baba performed, " recalled Dr A. Ramalingam, retired head of botany department, Dharwad University, who was member of the association. " Devotees claimed that ash was dropping from Sai Baba's photographs. We showed that when mercuric chloride is applied on the aluminium frame of any portrait, ashlike residue starts falling from it. " From a handful in the 1960s, Sai Baba's following today is anywhere between one crore and five crore. Sai Baba did not answer his critics. Narasimhaiah did not get an interview. But in a discourse, Baba said: " It is beyond you to know how or why I create things. The objects that I create, I create them by my will, the same way I created the universe. " Even now, devotees elbow each other during the darshans, hoping to touch his feet or get invited to a private session where Sai Baba usually 'materialises' gifts. In 1978, the revolutionary balladeer Gaddar penned and popularised a song ridiculing Sai Baba. He told THE WEEK: " In India, you can exploit people in two ways. One, if you have the capital to invest. Two, you invest in the ignorance of the people and exploit them through superstition. " Though Gaddar's song became popular, the queues outside Prashanthi Nilayam and Brindavan, his ashram in Whitefield, Bangalore, kept growing longer. On November 23, 1992, the Deccan Chronicle carried a photograph from a TV footage of Baba taking a gold chain from his private staff before 'materialising' it. On June 6, 1993, six inmates—of the inner circle—of Prashanthi Nilayam died in Sai Baba's bedroom. Two of them had allegedly made an attempt on Baba's life. The other four were gunned down by the police, apparently in selfdefence. The facts of the case were never brought to light. The most serious of charges—of sexual abuse—came from several of his western young male devotees. A book by Tal Brooks titled Avatar of Night describes the author's quest for God, his seeking Sai Baba and his disillusionment when he was sexually exploited. With the advent of the Internet, disillusioned young men narrated more stories of abuse. Interestingly, there are devotees who justify the alleged sexual acts as Baba's way of 'correcting' the kundalini of the devotee. The Unesco, not willing to accept this explanation, withdrew from a conference on education in September 2000, which it was cosponsoring with the Sathya Sai Organisation in Puttaparthi. The grounds: " Deeply concerned about widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youth and children. " 'Baba was, is and shall be': Ratnakar However, from a handful of admirers in the 1960s, Sai Baba's following is today anywhere between one crore and five crore. Puttaparthi, where Baba spends nine months in a year (the other three months he is at Whitefield), can house 10,000 devotees at a time. The organisation has centres in over 160 countries. Said R.J. Ratnakar, Sai Baba's nephew and member of the Sathya Sai Central Trust: " This is the biggest NGO in the world after the United Nations. There may be bigger organisations in terms of money, but we are the biggest in terms of reach. " Nobody can put a finger on how much Sai Baba's organisation is worth today. However, the scale of its drinking water projects, hospitals and educational institutions gives an idea. The Sathya Sai Central Trust, which puts Baba's thoughts into action, has spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on drinking water projects and hospitals. Started in 1995, the Sathya Sai Water Supply project provides drinking water to 1.4 lakh people in 900 villages in Anantapur. The organisation even modernised the 70km canal that connected the Krishna waters from Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai. The Rs 250 crore super speciality hospital in Puttaparthi was established in 1991. Ten years later, another hospital for cardiology and neurology was set up in Bangalore at Rs 200 crore. Ratnakar claims that the hospitals have conducted 75,000 surgeries so far. Sceptics were silenced when Sai Baba built water pipelines, hospitals and educational institutions. " I don't care even if he is a fraud. He is better than any politician in this country, " said Leelavathi of Bangalore, whose husband underwent an open heart surgery at the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore. " Who can provide such treatment in a hospital? They perform free surgery and don't charge for the patient's food. Just for this, I am willing to accept that he [sai Baba] is God. " Sai Baba's transition—from a miracle man to building welfare projects such as water supply, health care and education—has earned him a new set of nonbelieving supporters. Seen in the context of a diminishing welfare state, his projects are a godsend to the masses. Gaddar, however, attributes the transformation to the mounting criticism. " Sai Baba had to change his line, " said Gaddar. " He produced water through pipelines, not through magic. He had to build hospitals to cure ailments instead of relying on his divine touch. " The 'new line' was evident in the responses of Sai Baba's new generation devotees as well. Said an innercircle devotee, when asked if he had ever seen Sai Baba perform a miracle: " Millions of people coming here find love and peace. Don't you see the miracle in that? " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2007 Report Share Posted August 12, 2007 Sairam, Thank you for all your mails with countless stories and teachings of our beloved saima. A very great service to keep us tuned and alert to Sai at every breath. Indira >swamy mahadevan <mahadevanvnswamy > > > Miracles of welfare >Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:19:18 -0700 (PDT) > > >Miracles of welfare > >Sai Baba is winning hearts more with his down to earth >developmental work than with his supernatural feats > >By N. Bhanutej/Puttaparthi > >In the 1940s, a young boy in the arid Anantapur >district in Andhra Pradesh talked of aeroplanes >landing in his little village. Heads of State would >seek his feet, he said. The droughtweary villagers >laughed: " There is no bus to this village. What planes >is he talking about? " > >Devotees who received vibhuti from Sai Baba or made >eyecontact with him say the experience changed them >for ever. > >The boy was unlike anybody his age. He rambled into >verse, prompting his family to believe he had demonic >powers. He sat villagers around him and launched into >monologues. He produced ash out of thin air. But >planes? That was a far cry. > >More than half a century later, his village, >Puttaparthi, can land a Boeing747. Presidents, Prime >Ministers, Governors, chief ministers, judges, >scientists, academicians and cricket and movie stars >touch his feet. Foreigners thirsting for Indian >spirituality make a beeline for a glance of the man >who, they believe, is an avatar of God. Sathyanarayana >Raju, the village preacher, became Sathya Sai Baba. > >Sathyanarayana was born on November 23, 1926, to Pedda >Venkama Raju and Eshwaramma, who belonged to the >Bhatta Raju caste. In recent times, his devotees claim >that he was born of immaculate conception. > >The boy had an inclination for the spiritual. He >dropped out of school in the eighth standard. At 13, >he declared that he was the reincarnation of Sai Baba >of Shirdi, a revered sage in Maharashtra, who died in >1918. He announced that he had a mission in life; he >did not belong to family. > >Known as Sai Baba, Baba or Swami, he charmed people >with his talk. He performed 'miracles' to support his >claims of divinity. With a wave of his hand, he could >produce vibhuti (sacred ash) and other presents for >his admirers: acts that earned him as many critics as >devotees. > >All roads lead to Puttaparthi: >Devotees from Indonesia > >A story told by his followers in Puttaparthi goes like >this: as a child, Baba would pluck any fruit that his >friends wanted from a tamarind tree on a hill near the >Chitravathi river. Today, the hill is a pilgrim spot. >Visitors write their wish on a piece of paper and >string it to a branch of the tree, now called the >Kalpavruksha. They believe Baba would make those >wishes come true. > >Besides the miracles—he is said to have brought two >dead people back to life—Baba preached love, peace, >selflessness, service and other universal truisms like > " Help Ever, Hurt Never " and " Love All, Serve All " . > >News of an orangerobed god with a Jimi Hendrix hairdo >spread to the west. Westerners—disillusioned by an >overdose of dollars, relationships and drugs—sought >Prashanthi Nilayam (Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi) to >rediscover the basics. One of Sai Baba's early >followers, Dr John S. Hislop, wrote in his book My >Baba and I (Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications >Trust): " I prayed that through his grace and kindness, >he might touch my dry heart and make it alive and >vibrant again. " Hislop, a teacher in Mexico, became >one of the closest innercircle devotees of Sai Baba. >Devotees claim that Baba's mere presence changes one's >personality. Those who received vibhuti or made >eyecontact with him say that they changed for ever. > >Hislop narrates in his book that, in 1973, Baba >'materialised' a figure of Christ on a wooden cross. >Giving it to Hislop, Baba claimed that the wood was >from the cross on which Jesus was crucified. When >another devotee asked Baba about the crucifix, he >said: " Yes, I made it for him [Hislop]. And when I >went to look for the wood, every particle of the cross >had disintegrated and had returned to the elements. I >reached out to the elements and reconstituted >sufficient material for a small cross. Very seldom >does Swami interfere with nature, but occasionally, >for a devotee, it will be done. " It is said that Baba >produced such a crucifix for Sarah Ferguson, the >Duchess of York, as well. > >With Baba's meteoric rise in the 1970s, rationalists >called him a trickster and challenged him to produce >larger presents. Late Dr H. Narasimhaiah, former >vicechancellor of Bangalore University, opened a >debate by asking Baba to produce a melon instead of a >ring. He constituted a factfinding committee to >investigate Baba, and sought an interview with him. >The late Dr Abraham Kovoor, who was president of the >International Rationalists Association, was invited to >Bangalore, where he produced ash with the wave of his >hand. > > " We went to schools and colleges and demonstrated all >the miracles that Sai Baba performed, " recalled Dr A. >Ramalingam, retired head of botany department, Dharwad >University, who was member of the association. > " Devotees claimed that ash was dropping from Sai >Baba's photographs. We showed that when mercuric >chloride is applied on the aluminium frame of any >portrait, ashlike residue starts falling from it. " > >From a handful in the 1960s, Sai Baba's following >today is anywhere between one crore and five crore. > >Sai Baba did not answer his critics. Narasimhaiah did >not get an interview. But in a discourse, Baba said: > " It is beyond you to know how or why I create things. >The objects that I create, I create them by my will, >the same way I created the universe. " > >Even now, devotees elbow each other during the >darshans, hoping to touch his feet or get invited to a >private session where Sai Baba usually 'materialises' >gifts. > >In 1978, the revolutionary balladeer Gaddar penned and >popularised a song ridiculing Sai Baba. He told THE >WEEK: " In India, you can exploit people in two ways. >One, if you have the capital to invest. Two, you >invest in the ignorance of the people and exploit them >through superstition. " Though Gaddar's song became >popular, the queues outside Prashanthi Nilayam and >Brindavan, his ashram in Whitefield, Bangalore, kept >growing longer. > >On November 23, 1992, the Deccan Chronicle carried a >photograph from a TV footage of Baba taking a gold >chain from his private staff before 'materialising' >it. On June 6, 1993, six inmates—of the inner >circle—of Prashanthi Nilayam died in Sai Baba's >bedroom. Two of them had allegedly made an attempt on >Baba's life. The other four were gunned down by the >police, apparently in selfdefence. The facts of the >case were never brought to light. > >The most serious of charges—of sexual abuse—came from >several of his western young male devotees. A book by >Tal Brooks titled Avatar of Night describes the >author's quest for God, his seeking Sai Baba and his >disillusionment when he was sexually exploited. With >the advent of the Internet, disillusioned young men >narrated more stories of abuse. Interestingly, there >are devotees who justify the alleged sexual acts as >Baba's way of 'correcting' the kundalini of the >devotee. > >The Unesco, not willing to accept this explanation, >withdrew from a conference on education in September >2000, which it was cosponsoring with the Sathya Sai >Organisation in Puttaparthi. The grounds: " Deeply >concerned about widely reported allegations of sexual >abuse involving youth and children. " > >'Baba was, is and shall be': Ratnakar > >However, from a handful of admirers in the 1960s, Sai >Baba's following is today anywhere between one crore >and five crore. Puttaparthi, where Baba spends nine >months in a year (the other three months he is at >Whitefield), can house 10,000 devotees at a time. The >organisation has centres in over 160 countries. Said >R.J. Ratnakar, Sai Baba's nephew and member of the >Sathya Sai Central Trust: " This is the biggest NGO in >the world after the United Nations. There may be >bigger organisations in terms of money, but we are the >biggest in terms of reach. " > >Nobody can put a finger on how much Sai Baba's >organisation is worth today. However, the scale of its >drinking water projects, hospitals and educational >institutions gives an idea. The Sathya Sai Central >Trust, which puts Baba's thoughts into action, has >spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on drinking water projects >and hospitals. > >Started in 1995, the Sathya Sai Water Supply project >provides drinking water to 1.4 lakh people in 900 >villages in Anantapur. The organisation even >modernised the 70km canal that connected the Krishna >waters from Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh to >Chennai. > >The Rs 250 crore super speciality hospital in >Puttaparthi was established in 1991. Ten years later, >another hospital for cardiology and neurology was set >up in Bangalore at Rs 200 crore. Ratnakar claims that >the hospitals have conducted 75,000 surgeries so far. > >Sceptics were silenced when Sai Baba built water >pipelines, hospitals and educational institutions. " I >don't care even if he is a fraud. He is better than >any politician in this country, " said Leelavathi of >Bangalore, whose husband underwent an open heart >surgery at the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical >Sciences, Bangalore. " Who can provide such treatment >in a hospital? They perform free surgery and don't >charge for the patient's food. Just for this, I am >willing to accept that he [sai Baba] is God. " > >Sai Baba's transition—from a miracle man to building >welfare projects such as water supply, health care and >education—has earned him a new set of nonbelieving >supporters. Seen in the context of a diminishing >welfare state, his projects are a godsend to the >masses. Gaddar, however, attributes the transformation >to the mounting criticism. " Sai Baba had to change his >line, " said Gaddar. " He produced water through >pipelines, not through magic. He had to build >hospitals to cure ailments instead of relying on his >divine touch. " > >The 'new line' was evident in the responses of Sai >Baba's new generation devotees as well. Said an >innercircle devotee, when asked if he had ever seen >Sai Baba perform a miracle: " Millions of people coming >here find love and peace. Don't you see the miracle in >that? " > > > > > _______________ Best Shaadi proposals by email. Register now. http://ss1.richmedia.in/recurl.asp?pid=106 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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