Sai Baba EXPOSED!: December 2006

25 December 2006

Sai Baba: Riding His White Horse

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

'KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'"

Sound familiar? Yes, that's from the Bible, Revelations 19.11-16 to be precise. This is a staple of Sai literature by way of their incorrigible attempts to prove that Sathya Sai Baba is the Messiah and his coming was foretold in ancient scriptures. Without complicating the present issue, we may also observe that such claims of messiahship extend to other religions besides Christianity.

I say incorrigible because history bears witness to the justification of the vilest acts that were legitimised by the twisting of scripture. Irregardless of the intent of Revelations 19, Sai devotees interpret all of the scriptural qualities as being present in the person of Sai Baba, not least the fact that the Baba himself is responsible for this. Let us take a look at his own words of Christmas Day, 1972:

"There is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the moment when Jesus was merging in the Supreme Principle of Divinity, He communicated some news to his followers ... The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement of Christ is simple: 'He who sent me among you will come again!' and he pointed to a Lamb. The Lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the Voice - Ba-Ba; the announcement was the Advent of Baba. 'His Name will be Truth,' Christ declared. Sathya means Truth. 'He will wear a robe of red, a bloodred robe.' (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was wearing!). 'He will be short, with a crown (of hair). The Lamb is the sign and symbol of Love.' Christ did not declare that he will come again. He said, 'He who made me will come again.' That Ba-ba is this Baba and Sai, the short, curly-hair-crowned red-robed Baba, is come."

No, there is no use rubbing your eyes in disbelief, he really did say that in front of a packed crowd of Westerners on Christmas Day. Talk about seizing opportunities, just check out the way that he is not content with declaring himself the Messiah (Christ come again) but insists upon being recognised as GOD, He who supposedly sent Christ into the world.

One thing that I absolutely love about Sai devotees is the way they manage to take everything completely out of context while keeping a straight face. By this I am referring to the 'Rider of the White Horse' mentioned in Revelations; Verses 19-21 speak of both a 'beast' and a 'false prophet' who will war with the horse's rider (ostensibly the Messiah) and be defeated by him by a sword that emerges out of the rider's mouth. All's fair in love and weirdness as some may say, but who are these beasts and false prophets running around all over the place? For that we must turn to Revelations 13 (of course, which other number would work?) to find out all about the Beast and the infamous '666' number. Yup, it's our old friend the Anti-Christ.

Now if Sai Baba is identifying himself as the rider on the white horse mentioned in the Bible, what does it mean to suggest that he will be responsible for the killing of the Anti-Christ? What does it say about Sai Baba's leanings towards Fundamentalist Christianity? What does it say about Sai Baa-baa's apparent endorsement of mythical and devilish figures? What does it say about Sai BlahBlah's infinite capacity to talk crap?

In any case, isn't it ironic how Sai Baba is viewed in some quarters as being the Anti-Christ incarnate? With all his relentless self-flattery about being the very same God who sent Jesus Christ, he can't even get his story straight about that. Constant confusion is par for the course with this Baba, and it was one of the reasons why I felt unable to continue following him in good conscience. Sai Baba could perhaps redeem himself and return to his former glory as Superbaba again if only he made the effort, bearing in mind that claims to be God or Jesus have lost their novelty when they are made by practically every drunk, drug addict or schizophrenic. There's an idea I'll submit to him for his New Year's Resolutions; Think up some more creative ways to keep a grip on your dwindling followers by re-asserting your godhood and absolute control over their lives. If in doubt, hire a good PR consultant.

Happy Holidays. :-)

24 December 2006

Sai Baba Caught In British Controversy

The Hindustan Times has published a follow-up of sorts to the recent Guardian and DNA articles about the 200-boys Sai Youth trip to Sai Baba, and the embarrassing connection to the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Some extra information has been added:

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Satya Sai Baba caught in British controversy

Indo-Asian News Service

London, December 22, 2006

Satya Sai Baba, one of India's best known spiritual leaders, has triggered a fresh controversy in Britain after association with The Duke of Edinburgh's Award charity involving young people.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a London-headquartered charity whose patron is Prince Philip.

It gives three kinds of awards (bronze, silver and gold) to anyone aged between 14-25 for achievements in four categories: community service, skills, physical recreation and expeditions. Each year it is estimated that over 2,25,000 youngsters vie for the honour in Britain alone.

This year, when the charity celebrates its 50th year, it has chosen to send about 200 young volunteers to India to work with the Sri Satya Sai Organisation.

However, the feat, pulled off by Sai Youth UK, a division of the parent body, has created a furore. Several people, including some of the Satya Sai Baba's former Western disciples, questioned the decision in view of the mixed reputation the godman enjoys. Sai's devotees deny the allegations.

The Guardian was the first to raise its voice saying the award scheme had chosen as its accredited partner a spiritual group "whose 'living god' founder has been accused of sexually abusing young boys".

Satya Sai Baba hit bad press in Britain two years ago when a BBC programme, The Secret Swami, interviewed young Western disciples who alleged that the godman had sexually coerced them.

The Guardian quoted Tom Sackville, a former Home Office minister and chairman of Fair, a cult-watching and victim support group, as saying: "It is appallingly naive for the award scheme to involve young people and the royal family with an organisation whose leader is accused of paedophilia. Parents who plan to send their children on this pilgrimage... should be aware of the danger their children are being exposed to."

The daily also said Michael Gave, a conservative MP, planned to write to the charity to say it should monitor the organisations they chose as partners more strictly.

"As a society we need a more determined effort to identify and expose those religious cults and extremists that pose a direct threat to people, so that they do not enjoy patronage that should be directed elsewhere," he was quoted as saying.

In the 1990s, when Prince Charles visited India, he had expressed a desire to visit the Sai Baba but was quietly dissuaded by the British Embassy in New Delhi.

Since The Guardian's article, it was reported that there was mounting pressure on the charity to distance itself from the Sai group.

However, charity spokesperson Shona Taylor did not answer repeated queries as to whether the volunteers had left for India and how they could be contacted.

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Also carried at: KeralaNext.Com, India4u.Com, Nerve.In, IBNLive.Com ("Brit Boys To Keep Off Sai Baba's Reach"), and WorldWide Religious News.

05 December 2006

Sai Baba on Gender Equality

Sai Baba is not well known for his views on gender equality. In private he harbours views that are repressive and controlling, despite externally allowing celebrations such as "Ladies Day" in his ashram in order to give an impression of equal rights.

Some extracts from past Ladies Day discourses do well to illustrate his views on this matter:

"Today women, because they are educated, compete with men to take up jobs. There is nothing wrong in going for a job. However, they must take care of their home needs before taking up a job. When wife and husband go to offices, who will look after their children at home? As the mother is not at home to guide them properly, the children go astray. If both the parents go out for jobs, they may be able to satisfy their desire for money, but there is every possibility of their children getting spoiled, as there will be nobody at home to discipline them. Whatever moral values you have learnt, you have to teach your children." (19th Nov. 2002)

Sai Baba is a proponent of the traditional Indian view that women must stay at home and look after the children, and only gives permission for women to work in the case of dire financial need. In private he has told his close disciple, Prof. Anil Kumar, that women are good for nothing except cooking and cleaning.

"Today we find many children with bad character and bad behavior. The reason for this can be attributed to the bad thoughts of their mothers." (19th Nov. 2000)

That's right, he blames the parents just like everyone else!