Sai Baba EXPOSED!

Sai Baba's Karma & Retribution

2007-08-08T03:35:00.000+01:00

A veteran of the Sai Exposé from it's earliest days, Hari Sampath, has provided this report and his own reflections on Sai Baba's current situation:

Sathya Sai Baba's extremely negative karma accumulated for long has been slowly catching up with him and approaching fruition. The countless victims of this fraud, victims of false promises, sexual abuse, cheating, deception and every known act of Adharma had been put to physical , mental, emotional and spiritual misery for a lifetime, and the combined effect of these people's misery is certainly recoiling back on the collosal fraud Sai Baba.

Most people will remember that in the early days in the 1940's an old saintly man was brought to sb by his disciples. This man was considered a Guru locally, and had 2 stumps for his legs and was carried around by his disciples. Sai Baba publicly scolded him for that and instead of expressing even basic human sympathy, chided him for being a burden on his disciples by being dependent on them to be carried around. Now the wheel has come a full cycle and the poor, accursed wretched soul Sai Baba himself is being carried, wheeled around, and dependent on his personal staff for even performing basic physical functions.

So many thousands of people , promised "divine cures" and stuck to wheelchairs etc , having been cheated by this fraud and even abandoning conventional medical treatment for disabilities like Dorothy/Pink Twins among many others, people without physical vision, hearing, paralysis, mental ill health, and so many other types of physical disabilites, had been cheated deliberately by this false messiah of deception, and Sai Baba's karma has caught up.

Now he is reduced to a gibbering, senile, drooling, old fool, in a pathetic condition in full view of the world. He is dependent on his staff even for eating food, going to the toilet etc, what a cruel fate he has invited upon himself. His situation is so pathetic that he has asked his devotees to pray for him and also conduct healing yagnas etc.

The hand that promised to lift a "range of mountains" can't even cut a cake now or wear his dress properly when it slips !

The feet that promised to walk across the skies is unable to even hobble across the hall for a few feet !

While I do feel somewhat sorry for this pathetic condition, I also realise he has inflicted many many times more on innocent sincere seekers of God, who trusted him and were promised solace from all problems, only to be cruelly cheated for the most selfish of reasons by Sai Baba. At least God has been kind in dealing with Sai Baba in that there are people to attend to him and he has material comforts, but then these folks are also doing so so that they may share the loot gathered over years and for their own selfish ends.

Its got to a point that even the SSO officials and gangsters are sick of waiting on him hand and foot, and apart from the outward civil behavior in public, I know that in private they are quite rude to Sai Baba knowing he is an exhausted incapable senile old man, and also he had been putting many of these officials through his spiritual/divine bullying for years, now they are happy to get back at him. I believe these personal staff sometimes don't even respond promptly to Sai Baba asking to go to the toilet, resulting in even bed wetting at times. How terrible and sad. Just like an old, aged senile relative being barely tolerated because of his bank balance and hopes of being remembered in the will and legacy.

These people are just hoping Sai Baba dies soon, but I don't think he will die soon, because afterall the god of death is Dharmaraja or Yama, who himself wouldn't want to come anywhere near sb soon to put him out of his misery, such an extreme case of adharma is Sai Baba.

I in fact feel that Sai Baba's misery has just started and after losing his legs and one hand, soon he will lose his hearing, speech, eyesight and mental sanity, one by one, and his misery will be shown to the whole world, and he will be exposed for what he truly is : the retribution for a lifetime of massive fraud, debauchery, trickery and self seeking, for name and fame as God, resulting in an old age drooling, gibbering, legless, blind, speechless, paralysed and broken, and humiliated old wretch.

His life will indeed be a message to humankind. And it will end only when God finally acts mercifully to put him out of his misery.

It was not said lightly that "he whom the Gods want to destroy, they make him mad first", and we would see this too.

Hari Sampath

Sai Baba's Tattvavada Troubles 2

2007-08-07T05:11:00.000+01:00

While reviewing Sai Baba's Tattvavada Troubles, I realised that I could undertake a little more in-depth clarification of some of the pertinent issues and explain why this is of significant importance for devotees of Sai Baba.

I have always held that Sai Baba's devotees are largely uneducated about the fundamentals of Vedantic philosophy and of the vast body of knowledge that exists in regards to spirituality. Of course, this is not a fault per se on their part but I rather think that simple reliance on Sai Baba's teachings and a blind belief that they represent the sum total of Vedantic philosophy is extremely foolish. As such, it would be of considerable benefit for Sai devotees to familiarise themselves with the very basics of philosophy if only to increase the scope of their education. It may very well involve breakdowns and renewals, but all for the better.

In the days of yore, young students would be sent to gurukulas (residential boarding schools) and be taught under the instruction of a guru for several years, in which they would learn the classics of Vedanta dialectics and gain some kind of qualification before attempting to speak on any subject. It befuddles me completely when I see Sai devotees discussing lofty spiritual issues with no clear indication of their qualifications on the subject. Needless to say, the reasoning they display in such discussion tends to reveal that they don't know what they are talking about. It may no longer be necessary for such long-winded processes such as attending gurukulas but the very minimum I would expect is for someone to have some basic understanding of the fundamental precepts of each school of Vedanta before attempting to speak on other elaborate issues.

In any case with all this talk of "poorna" avatars and the like, it is interesting to see that Sai Baba himself is largely responsible for the emphasis on this subject, stating that the hallmark of a poorna avatar lies in his possessing sixteen particular qualities (kalas). The first time I read of this idea was in Dr. Samuel Sandweiss' first book, 'Holy Man and the Psychiatrist', and he didn't seem very clear on what these sixteen qualities were. In fact, not very many of the Sai devotees I spoke to were very sure about it. I distinctly remember being asked about it even in Sai Baba's ashram on my first trip there, so it seems they don't know either! I eventually found an unclear mention from Sai Baba himself:

“Now again, amongst the descending Avatars, there are POORNA AVATARS. Poorna Avatars are the Masters of the sixteen kalas. The fifteen kalas are : The five Karmendriyas or working organs which have to do with talking, taking, walking, rejecting (exertion) and eating. The five Jnanendriyas or sense organs: hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell, and Panch Mahabhootas or the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, space. The 16^th Kala: the all - knowing Paramatma (the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent aspect)." - John S. Hislop, 'Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba'.

In any case, it is repeatedly mentioned in Sai literature that a poorna avatar is defined by the possession of all sixteen kalas, though how one may determine this in the case of Sai Baba remains unknown. However in the light of how this concept is seen within the Dvaita Vedanta philosophy it is safe to say that it would be treated derisively at best. The late Dr. B.N.K. Sharma was a devout Dvaitin and a scholarly academic who undertook valuable research in the subject and produced works of a superior quality in the field of Vedantic philosophy. I recently spotted his brief discussion of this subject in his famous work, 'Philosophy of Sri Madhvacharya':

"The Supreme Lord of all creation remains wrapped up in His glory and bliss at a time when the entire universe is in a state of nebulous chaos (Rig Veda 10.129.2-3). Later, He puts on a multiplicity of forms to evolve the universe through different stages. These forms, though innumerable, are nevertheless identical with one another, save for their numerical distinction. The first in the order of divine manifestations is the quarternion of Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarsana, popularly known as the Catur-Vyuha, credited with redemptive, creative, sustaining and destructive functions.

"The Supreme further differentiates itself into ten (familiar avatars) or twelve, hundred, thousand and so on ... But there is one important different that in Madhva's view, these various manifestations are absolutely on a par with one another. There is no gradation among them in respect of powers or potentialities. Madhva is vehemently opposed to the idea of making any invidious distinctions among these manifestations of God or putting some on a higher pedestal than others. There is no room for 'svagatabheda' (internal difference) in the Supreme (neha nanasti kincana). It is the same Infinite in every manifestation ... To Madhva all avatars are of equal merit and status. There is no question of degree of fullness among them, no 'partial' and 'complete' avataras. He takes his uncompromising stand on the authority of the Upanisads and Pancaratric texts ... He has thus no partiality or preference for any particular avatar of God and treats all of them as equal in rank, attributes and powers". - 'Philosophy of Sri Madhvacharya', p. 353-355.

Sri Madhvacharya is traditionally believed to be an incarnation 0f the deity Vayu in much the same way as Sri Sankaracharya (the founder of a rival school, Advaita Vedanta) is believed to be an incarnation of Shiva, though it would surprise me greatly if any Sai devotees knew this fact. Equally interesting is that Madhvacharya quotes a well-known verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (5.1) in support of his contention of 'equal' avatars, a verse that is known very well to Sai devotees and is frequently quoted in discourses by Sai Baba himself:

pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrnāt pūrṇamudacyate |
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ||

"The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance."

Though this translation was chosen in order to provide a broader meaning, the specific import of this terse statement relates to the innate 'completeness' of anything that emanates from the Complete Whole, in this case God. In other words, avatars are not regarded as "smaller portions" of the Supreme Lord, they are fully "complete" in themselves and are as complete as the Supreme Lord.

This in turn provides more and more evidence to support my contention that Sai Baba devotees are essentially uneducated about all of these things. In spite of repeating such mantras frequently, they appear to have little knowledge of the meaning of the same (despite Sai Baba's repeated urgings to chant with full knowledge of meanings!) or of their significance in dialectical positionings within Vedantic exegesis. I even wonder if Sai Baba himself knows the meaning of what he chants and tells others to chant; if he did or if he paid more attention to Vedanta dialectics he wouldn't make spurious claims to "full" avatarhood or even that his brand of spiritual teaching is all-inclusive! After all, how can Sai Baba claim anything "special" about his status when his claim doesn't even exist in the Dvaita Vedanta religious paradigm? :-)

Sai Baba's Tattvavada Troubles

2007-08-06T03:39:00.000+01:00

In discussing the premise of poorna avatars and how they relate to the Sai Baba schematic paradigm, it might be interesting to briefly discuss the concept for those who are unfamiliar with it: Hindu theology holds that incarnations of God appear on earth at critical moments when there is a serious threat to the natural order and divine intervention is necessary to avert the threat or destroy it completely. There have been many such incarnations (called 'avatars') throughout human history, which has led to ten of them being listed as the prominent and known as the Dashavatars. Of these ten, Rama and Krishna are perhaps the most popular deities in the Hindu pantheon and are known as 'poorna' avatars (also, 'purna avatars'), the reason being that they are believed to have fully displayed the fullness of power of God's glory during their incarnate mission. Poorna means 'full' or 'complete'.

One may wonder why there is a distinction between all the avatars. A popular answer is given is that other avatars advented for a particular purpose, and when that purpose was achieved they returned to their abodes. A good example of this would be Matsya, an incarnation of Vishnu who appeared as a fish to protect the endangered scriptures when the world was suffering devastating floods. The lives of Rama and Krishna were in sharp contrast to Matsya and others in which they lived full humanlike lives from apparent "birth" to "passing" (Hindu theology holds that avatars are never "born" and never "die", they simply appear to do so). And in so doing, Rama and Krishna performed natural miracles and feats that bespoke of the full glory of God, things that other avatars did not do during their own advents.

For the sake of brevity, I am being deliberately superficial and shallow in describing these concepts, as we would not want to unnecessarily enlarge this article. In any case I suppose that the general ideas about poorna avatars are now clear.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Sai Baba also claims to be a poorna avatar. Of course, nothing else would be appropriate enough to describe his great magnificence. :-) Sai Baba's 'poorna' status is supposed to be exemplified via the sensational nature of his "astounding miracles", welfare works, all-inclusive spiritual teachings, and the like. After all, wouldn't GOD be perfectly capable of transmitting new holy teachings for the benefit of the world, which explain absolutely everything?

Here comes the crunch: Dvaita Vedanta is one of the three major philosophical schools of Hindu theology, the other two being Vishishtadvaita Vedanta and Advaita Vedanta. Whereas seekers of Eastern spirituality are likely to have heard of or be influenced by Advaita above all, Dvaita (also known as Tattvavada) has an increasing reputation for having formed its conclusions on a strong basis of sound reasoning, admirable rigorousness and textual clarity. In other words, Dvaita followers have extremely good reasons for believing the way they do, and Dvaita holds that there is no such thing as poorna avatars. :-)

The reason for this is rather simple: Since avatars are descents of one deity, Vishnu, it naturally follows that they are all emanations of his and would naturally possess all of his potencies. In theory, it is possible for Matsya and other "minor" avatars to exhibit and fully display all the astounding powers of God displayed by the 'poornas' like Rama and Krishna, and the reason for why they didn't do so is really because there was no call to do so. Otherwise it is regarded that each and every incarnation of Vishnu is possessed of 'full' and 'complete' power and are thus equal to each other. There is no gradation among the incarnations of Vishnu as they are all him.

Not everyone will agree with this, but there you have it: the viewpoint of Dvaita Vedanta on this subject. This leads us to the natural consequence that Sathya Sai Baba's claims to 'poorna' avatarhood will have no credibility among the followers of Dvaita Vedanta and they are not likely to brook such nonsense either.

At the very least, this is a perfect example of how Sathya Sai Baba's divine and supposedly all-inclusive teachings are incompatible with Dvaita Vedanta philosophy. :-) One of the Baba's oft-quoted platitudes urges Hindus to be better Hindus, Christians to be better Christians, Muslims to be better Muslims, and so on. This will not apply for the Dvaita Vedantin, as Sai Baba's meaningless witterings about 'poorna' avatars will hold no weight with such people. After all, how can Sai Baba claim anything "special" about his status when his claim doesn't even exist in their religious paradigm? :-)

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For further discussion of these issues, please see Sai Baba's Tattvavada Troubles 2.

Sai Baba - A Pointless Guru?

2007-07-20T02:55:00.000+01:00

I caught this extract from MotherTalkers.Com:

Years ago I was involved with a man who was a guru-phile. He was always looking for God in human form, someone to worship and stand in the presence of. Someone to set up little altars for. I didn't share his psychology; my cynicism is like a mothball around the neck, keeping me guru-free. For awhile my boyfriend glommed onto Sai Baba, a goofy orange-robed guru with a 'fro who performed miracles. His miracles--like making great quantities of ash billow out of an empty urn--didn't seem useful to me. If God were to manifest as a human, surely he wouldn't waste his time performing lame magic tricks. Like, who needs ash?

Indeed. Who needs ash?!

"I'll Be Back."

2007-04-10T01:59:00.000+01:00

Dear readers and friends,

As you may already know, this blog has not been updated with any new articles in several months. The main reason for this is that I am now at a sensitive stage in my personal life that requires more time and commitment than I can presently afford to update this site. I would like to thank those who have written to me in support and encouragement of my efforts to expose Sathya Sai Baba and his massive deceptions, and also to enquire about my whereabouts. I am still largely unavailable via email and such although comments to postings will continue to be published.

I also need to consider the fact that spending a a significant amount of time on Sai Baba topics tends to overtake other hobbies and interests of mine, so it is beneficial every once in a while to take a well-earned break. Please feel free to read and review the archives; there is much to read, discover and expand upon, even I look to them occasionally to gain inspiration for a new topic. You may also like to look over a new blog run by Barry Pittard that is updated regularly with fantastic articles:

Call For Media and Goverment Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba

I will certainly return to this blog when I have gathered up even more energy and resources that are needed for this task, and to present a whole range of hard-hitting exposés that will continue to display Sathya Sai Baba to the world as an utterly hopeless conman, cheat, fraud, liar and deceiver.

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet! ;-)

Sai Baba Slammed By Newsweek

2007-04-10T01:58:00.000+01:00

Although I just said I'm too busy for these matters, I found this gem that is too good to pass up. Enjoy!

Samuel H. Sandweiss, M.D. published his first book about his experiences with Sathya Sai Baba, entitled: 'Sai Baba: The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist'. It has since remained a favourite in Sai literature and a staple product in the Baba's own ashram bookshop. Apart from a graphic description of the Baba's fraudulent miracles personally witnessed and rationalised by Sandweiss, I noticed an observation near the end of the book about how Sandweiss spotted a photo of Sai Baba in Newsweek magazine. Well actually, it was a photo of a yogi, and a picture of Sai Baba just happened to be in the corner of that yogi-picture. Sandweiss chuckled to himself as he mused over that extent of the Baba's media exposure to the West, and how he believed it was all in the Baba's hands.

That was in 1976.

It took until April 2007 for Sai Baba to earn a mention in Newsweek, and which is still generally a passing mention and not a public and positive article about him. Rather, a recent article entitled 'The God Debate' features a discussion between atheist Sam Harris and Christian pastor Rick Warren. You can guess what they argued about - the existence of God. Quite a profound subject for some people where you wouldn't normally expect someone like Sai Baba to get a look-in. But there he is, mentioned right there smack-dab in the middle of the debate, in a key point by Harris about the authenticity of Jesus Christ's miracles:

Harris: Now, there are many testimonials about miracles, every bit as amazing as the miracles of Jesus, in other literature of the world's religions. Even contemporary miracles. There are millions of people who believe that Sathya Sai Baba, the south Indian guru, was born of a virgin, has raised the dead and materializes objects. I mean, you can watch some of his miracles on YouTube. Prepare to be underwhelmed. He's a stage magician. As a Christian, you can say Sathya Sai Baba's miracle stories are not interesting, let's not pay attention to them, but if you set them within the prescientific religious milieu of the first-century Roman Empire, suddenly miracle stories become especially compelling.

Oh dear. Yet another major media source lambasts Sai Baba's extremely poor and pathetic magic show as an excercise in futility and showbusiness. And this time the humiliation is greater as it didn't even require a dedicated article to make the point. What is only necessary to observe is how Sai Baba's "miracles" are now openly derided and mocked as uninteresting and stage-managed, things we have been saying all along. It's about time the world was informed about the Baba's cheap parlour tricks through responsible news media like Newsweek inasmuch as serious allegations of child sexual abuse perpetrated by him are now being documented for posterity in college textbooks.

Isn't it time that the old goat takes the hint and buzzes off? He can ride off into the sunset on his wheelchair, incoherently muttering some inchoate and senescent ramblings before looking back, displaying two fingers to the camera before breaking into maniacal giggles.

Sai Baba: Riding His White Horse

2006-12-25T03:45:00.000Z

"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. :-)

Sai Baba Caught In British Controversy

2006-12-24T04:16:00.000Z

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.

Sai Baba on Gender Equality

2006-12-05T18:08:00.000Z

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!

Sanghvi's Truth About Sai Baba

2006-11-29T04:55:00.000Z

Vir Sanghvi, a journalist for the leading Indian newspaper - Hindustan Times - has published a scathing exposé of Sathya Sai Baba to mark the occasion of the Baba's 81st Birthday. Read on:

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COUNTERPOINT - The Truth About Sathya Sai Baba

If Sathya Sai Baba is a sort of God come down to earth to help us, credulous humans, then why doesn’t he use his powers for the public good? What’s the point of materialising a sandesh when you need to materialise mounds of rice for the poor?

Vir Sanghvi

So, The Sathya Sai Baba turns 80 this week. The celebrations have already begun. TV channels show us footage of an Afro haired old man in a saffron robe being wheeled out for the adoration of teeming devotees. And naturally, all the old staples of the Sai Baba story have been pulled out: the ‘miracles’, the claim to be the reincarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi, the assassination attempts (two that I know of), the legion of celebrity devotees (including, apparently, former President R Venkataraman and current incumbent Abdul Kalam — perhaps there is a vibhuti corner in Rashtrapati Bhavan), and, alas, the sordid controversy about the old boy’s behaviour with little boys.

As you may have guessed from my tone, I am not big on the Sathya Sai Baba (I have more time for the Shirdi original), but I am continually amazed by the unwillingness of his devotees to concede that there is any truth to the many allegations made against the Baba during his long career as king of the godmen.

The homosexual abuse allegations are now too numerous to dispute. (Enter ‘Sathya Sai Baba’ and ‘homosexuality’ on a Google search and you will get an astonishing 18,000 references.) I am prepared to believe that at least some of the young men who claim to have been fondled or otherwise assaulted by the Baba are liars. But can every single person who claims to have been fondled be a liar? By now, the list of complainants runs into triple figures. And that’s just the Westerners. (The Indians seem less able to speak out against the Baba.) Surely, there is a case for the old boy to answer?

Bizarrely, none of the fondling-of-devotees stuff seems to perturb any of the Baba’s high-profile followers. And, when you ask the many senior politicians, who turn up at the Puttaparthi ashram to fling themselves at the Holy One’s feet, whether they are legitimising the Baba’s activities, the only responses you get follow predictable lines: “Even Jesus had to face criticism” etc etc.

Then, there’s the business of the ‘miracles’. There’s enough evidence to suggest (eye-witness accounts mainly) that Sai Baba can materialise rings, expensive watches, sacred ash and the odd locket almost at will. It is also true that portraits of Sai Baba have been known to ‘weep’ even when the swami is far away. And, the Baba has been able to regurgitate a shivling from his insides on days of special significance. It is clear that no ordinary man can do any of these things. But does it follow that, by virtue of these ‘miracles’, the Baba is some kind of God as many of his devotees argue?

There are two objections to this claim. The first is that while sacred ash may be unavailable to the average Joe, there are large numbers of people to whom it is as easily accessible as it is to the Holy One.

I refer, of course, to stage magicians.

The sad reality of the Sai Baba’s ‘miracles’ is that every single one of them can easily be duplicated by even a moderately talented conjuror. In the old days (dating back to the 1960s), when scepticism was first expressed about Sai Baba’s ‘magic’ powers, critics asked why it was that the watches he produced, seemingly out of thin air, all said ‘Made in Switzerland’ and why they tended to be much advertised brands. (Rich devotees got Omegas, the poor just got sacred ash.) Sai Baba’s defenders retorted that the great man had never claimed to be a holy watchmaker. His skill did not lie in creating watches or rings. These already existed. All the Baba did was to invisibly teleport them through solid matter till they reached his sacred fingers.

Problem: this is exactly what magicians claim to do. No magician claims to have created the rabbit that emerges from the hat. He claims to have teleported it. And so, what is so special about a man whose tricks are roughly on par with K. Lal but well below the standard of David Blaine or David Copperfield?

Sai Baba devotees are sensitive to the ‘Afro-haired conjuror’ sneer. Over a decade ago, the magician PC Sorcar was refused entry into Sai Baba’s presence. He went under a false name and when the Baba miraculously produced a sandesh, Sorcar returned the compliment by miraculously producing a rasgulla. The Baba began shouting and Sorcar was physically evicted from the ashram. The magician wrote about the encounter in Sunday magazine. But since then, he has come under so much pressure from the Sai Baba lobby that he’s reluctant to repeat the experience. No matter. There are enough people who can do the same tricks. Sanal Edamaraku of the Indian Rationalist Association, who does not even claim to be a magician, will cheerfully reproduce any of the old boy’s ‘miracles’ on demand.

The second objection to the Baba’s ‘miracles’ is also fundamental. His devotees now take the revised position that the Omega watches are merely his ‘calling cards’ meant to show ordinary mortals how cosmic he is. The real God-like stuff, they say, consists of the Baba’s ability to see into the future, to change destiny and to heal the human body. All this is highly dubious. If he can heal other people, then why doesn’t he just heal himself first, and kick away that wheelchair? If he can see into the future, how come he failed to predict the two assassination attempts? And if he can change destiny, why doesn’t he start by changing that Google search that portrays him as a bit of a sicko?

I am familiar with all the arguments against my position. There’s the traditional one of how the Baba does not want to interfere with the karmic cycle of good and evil. Well, in that case, he should stop pretending that he can heal people and remove karmic sickness. The moment he bends the laws of nature, he is already mucking about with the karmic cycle anyway. Then, there’s the he-does-so-much-charity argument. I do not for a moment dispute that he spends many of the crores his devotees shower on him for very good causes. And I accept that he has built hospitals, colleges (and, incongruously enough, a planetarium) for the people of Puttaparthi. But all that this proves is that he’s a philanthropist of some description. Nor is religious philanthropy novel to Hinduism. The Ramakrishna Mission does much more than the Sai Baba has ever done or ever will. (Actually, it’s done more work in Calcutta than Mother Teresa’s better-publicised missionaries — but that’s another story.) However, none of its monks claims to be God. And they don’t need to produce Omega watches out of thin air. They are too busy helping the poor.

But, my basic objection is this: if this man is a sort of God come down to earth to help us, credulous humans, then why doesn’t he use his powers for the public good? What’s the point of materialising a sandesh when you need to materialise mounds of rice for the poor? Why bother giving some crooked politician an Omega watch when you can stop the Tsunami? Why do these Godlike powers never extend to any more than mere conjuring tricks? Why do they never translate into anything that is substantial and truly helpful?

If this is the best that God can do, then surely PC Sorcar is God too?

Mail your responses to counterpoint@hindustantimes.com

81st Birthday Report (England)

2006-11-25T04:45:00.000Z

Don't ask me why, but I just thought it would be fun to attend the 81st Birthday (2006) celebrations here in London. From the moment I walked into the place I knew I had made a bad decision. I was shocked and appalled to find that, in the six or so years that I've been an ex-devotee, nothing has changed. If you were a devotee then you might have found it a "blissful experience". If you're like me, you'd have been bored out of your skull with the same old platitudes and "shit". Disorganisation, chaos, long awkward silences, minor power failures, sound system failures, embarrasing pleas for patience, it went on and on while my legs were mangled to bits through a torturous four-plus hours of sitting on the floor. You'd think that with these people being Sai devotees, this is the one day in the year where they should excel and indulge their faith in him to the grandest possible extent! And, to be fair, they have performed better in previous years so what went wrong?

First they got a couple of adolescent teenagers to introduce the show; him dressed in a suit and tie with a long and goofy hairstyle dripping with gel and a half-broken voice, her miles shorter than him and desperately trying to act and sound like an adult. Here's a tip: Do NOT work with children or animals! As anyone in showbusiness will tell you. Then some Indian lady took the mic and started talking energetically and telling fast-paced jokes in a lame bid to sound cool. And she was a bit on the plump side shall we say. She introduced a dance program to be performed by students from the Sai School of Harrow while the poor kids posed in their starting positions for a full ten minutes before they figured out that the sound system wasn't working for the music to start. Then they were taken off the stage so that the "technician" could fix the problem, and we were led straight into the next item: A live report on the birthday celebrations from Puttaparthi.

This means that she called someone there on her mobile phone and placed the mic to the speaker, so we could all hear about some basketball game that had been played in the new Indoor Stadium that had been built especially for the occasion. Whoop-de-doo, I am regularly informed about happenings in Puttaparthi and I knew about these events weeks in advance. Nothing new, it's not like they placed a call to Sai Baba himself or something! Your sound system is hardly working, you take the kids off the stage and then you yap your head off on the phone talking about some bloody basketball game. Cue more lame jokes about how the speaker should climb up on the roof of the Poornachandra Auditorium so that Sai Baba receives the goodwill and best wishes from the UK devotees. Aww sweet, not.

When the kids were taken off the stage, I couldn't help disguising my audible chuckle as a cough. I wasn't laughing at them but at the situation. Mixed with that chuckle was an undercurrent of indignation; I was reminded of why I had left Sai Baba and his Organisation in the first place, because his devotees are so hopelessly inept and disorganised that they couldn't even bring themselves to worship him properly. Presuming that Sai Baba is God, don't you think that his birthday celebrations should be planned and practised well in advance to meticulous detail? Did they even rehearse anything? What if Sai Baba had been personally present, would they have been so lacking then? Nothing has changed in the six years I have been an ex-devotee, I can't believe that these guys can sit there and act as if everything is happening by divine will. They were just so oblivious and apathetic to what was going on, silently tolerating the mishaps ("Swami says we should be unruffled by pleasure and pain, even on his burfday"). It is largely because of the conduct of devotees that I left Sai Baba, it is just so embarrassing to be associated with them when they act so foolishly trying to hold an event. And don't make me start on the non-existent philosophical debates!

So while everyone was waiting for the sound system to be fixed, the volunteers started handing out covered plastic plates of food. The food wasn't bad, typical Indian fare, but the fat lady wouldn't let up, asking various people to come forward and tell the crowd of some experience of Baba's presence that they've had. Now look, I've heard about it not being over until the fat lady sings but that doesn't mean that she has to yap her head off while we're eating! Every five seconds someone says something nice and the audience claps because of some wonderfully goofy experience they've had that "proves" Swami's "omnipresence". For Christ's sake, just leave us alone and let us eat! It was nice of them to provide food though. In past years it has ranged from nothing at all to a cheese sandwich and apple, so this was almost like a small meal which was quite nice considering that a lot of people had given up their evening (and probably their dinners) to come and sit here on the floor for hours listening to a fat lady squawking excitedly about some dratted basketball game.

The highlight of the evening was a concert by Ravi Nasery (aka Ravi Raj Nasery), a singer from India who has composed and sung many of the currently popular Sai bhjans. I've got to admit that I was interested in hearing him sing as I still have a couple of his tapes around somewhere, and he does have a very nice voice. In this way this birthday event was also different from previous years; the usual fare would be a bhajan session, a couple of dance and drama performances, a special guest or two waffling on and on about how they kissed Swami's feet before the whole thing ends and they kick us out. This event was almost all taken up by Nasery. The sound system did get fixed in time for the schoolkids to do their dance, but it looks like they had too many plugs in too few sockets which caused occasional power failures. At least three times during Nasery's concert the power went off and the mics became silent which made him look a bit of an idiot on stage, singing passionately while no one could hear him. And this even happened at the climactic moment of a song, sadly I couldn't help smirking about the ineptitude behind that too.

But on the whole it was quite nice. Nasery sang all the old favourites that I have on tape plus a few new songs. I couldn't enjoy them as much as I would like to have done because, after fours hours of sitting on the floor, my legs were shot to shit. Plus-sides included getting a photo taken of myself with Nasery as well as an autograph too. Just to stick the knife in, I also got photos taken of myself with top-level Sai devotees. ;-)

One of the most poignant things about this occasion is that, while Nasery was singing, a movie of Sai Baba was being shown on a large projector screen. I later found out that this was a very recent video brought by somebody who had just returned from the ashram a week ago. As such, it was a video record of Sai Baba's recent travels around South Indian cities by aeroplane and suchlike, as well as the usual darshan footage. As expected, this was also a record of a strange episode in the Avatar's life: his being wheelchair-bound. It was so damn strange to see him continuing as if nothing had ever happened and that everything was normal apart from the wheelchair. It also showed how devotees continue to pleadingly hold out letters to him for him to take, and he is being wheeled around by a small mafia of white-clad devotees.

Reports of Sai Baba's now being able to stand are exaggerated. Yes, he can stand and walk a few steps but only with the support of a student. Imagine a very old person walking and stumbling when they're without their walking stick? That's exactly how Sai Baba is when he uses a young boy as a walking stick (and probably for other purposes too). He has become a very weak old man, speaking haltingly and delicately, every move being supervised and planned. As I was watching the devotees in the movie still fawn on him adoringly, as well as the devotees in the hall with me, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell is going on in their heads? How can they deal with this, their beloved God, in a wheelchair and suffering like a geriatric? Doesn't it niggle them in their hearts, doesn't it nag away at the back of their minds? They drown themselves in self-serving platitudes about how merciful he is to take on someone else's karma, when the Baba has publicly revealed that he is not suffering anybody's karma except his own, reaping the results of his slip in the bathroom earlier this year.

It's one thing seeing the latest pictures from the ashram on websites, but it's quite another to see him on video. Sai Baba has changed for the worse, there is no doubt. While his plans to usher in the Golden Age appear to have been shelved, he sits and cries his eyes out about being an invalid. And his devotees continue to love him as before. Where have they left their brains and their critical thinking faculties? I feel nothing but pity for those who cannot open their eyes to see nor their ears to hear.

The Truth Behind Sai Baba's Homosexuality

2006-11-23T16:30:00.000Z

A shocking discovery of Sai Baba's various personality disorders reveals a trend of femininity. The Baba himself had indicated this by making a sensational public declaration in 1963 of being a dual incarnation of Shiva and Shakti, male and female Hindu divinities. In a later speech made in 1974, he expanded further on this:

"Giving the appearance of a strange person, having a basket-like hair on his head, showing no signs which indicate any particular religion or sect, with no specific mark on his face indicative of any particular caste, he appears quickly in a moment and vanishes equally quickly, then suddenly comes into your presence, wearing a robe that comes right down to his feet and sometimes covers the feet and sometimes does not cover the feet. Inherent beauty and attractiveness are obvious in his playing and singing. These are the aspects of Shiva Shakti that are contained in him. Neither his hair nor any particular mark on his body nor the kind of robes that he wears give any clue to his divinity. All these signs point to the young Sathya Sai as he appears in his external form. He always smiles. In him, you will find the aspects of Shiva and Shakti. How is it possible for anyone to understand the secret of Sathya Sai whose form answers this description?"- Summer Showers in Brindavan 1974, 'Who is Sathya Sai Baba?'

The incorporation of masculine and feminine elements in one's personality is correctly known as androgyny, a quality that was noticed in Sai Baba as far back as 1970 by Tal Brooke, who was sexually molested by the Baba and who proceeded to write the first landmark exposure book: Avatar Of Night. At the outset I should mention that this article focuses on the Baba's feminine aspect in the light of continuing and devastating claims of homosexual paedophilia on his part, and Sai Baba's own androgynous tendencies have been brought to light by 'Love Is My Form', a well-researched biography.

Indeed, from the age of five onwards, it was observed thus:

"Sathya never hesitated to assist his family in household chores. He would help his sister Venkamma cook and go shopping for his father, returning with four-donkey-loads of provisions ... Sometimes Sathya was even called Aadamari Sathyakka (Sathya the elder sister), as he would help his parents in cleaning the house; fetching water from the well and doing other chores that were considered girls' work in those days." - LIMF, p. 39.

A clarificatory footnote elsewhere expands on why preoccupations with "worship, rituals and music sometimes had made others feel that he was often too genteel and not one of them." Devotees would seize on this as evidence of Sai Baba's (then Sathyanarayana Raju) divine otherworldliness except for the fact that his gentility is clarified as referring to his being appelled as "'ammani', because he was dancing, cleaning houses, bringing water, wearing saris and so on, like ladies did" (LIMF, p. 560). And although I am loathe to say this, it has been observed that a significant proportion of homosexuals exhibit feminine behaviour not unlike that described above, and close relationships with female family members often feature strongly. And so it was with Raju and his elder sister, Venkamma, of whose closeness to each other was especially prominent in his childhood and youth. As Raju loved to take part in dances and dramas, his lithe form often qualified him to take on female roles almost all of the time. Venkamma and another sister, Parvathamma, frequently took responsibility for his cosmetics and costumes, often clothing him in their own saris for the part.

This was especially noted in an instance in the mid-1930s whereby a popular dance artist, Rishyendramani, went touring around South India to entertain towns and villages with her impressive show. She was famous for feats such as dancing to music while picking up handkerchiefs off the floor with her teeth. Once when Rishyendramani and her troupe were due to perform at Raju's Annual School Day function, a last-minute announcement informed that the artiste would not be appearing and the event was cancelled. To prevent the disappointmentment of the crowd, Raju rushed into action and decked himself in fancy clothes and enabled an announcement to say that the artiste had turned up after all. Due to his lithe form he was able to pass for a young female, and reportedly improved upon Rishyendramani's feats to the delight of the crowd. The funny part was when the District Board President wished to present a prize of a silk sari to the 'artiste', asking for 'her' to come up on stage to receive it. Raju had changed back into his male clothes by then but walked towards the stage to claim his prize. He was stopped by officials and the situation was defused when a senior teacher informed that it was actually he who had saved the day and thus he deserved a prize, though it is unknown whether he received the sari!

What this tells us is that, by now, Raju had identified with females closely enough to take his prize in spite of having his deception unravelled. Any average individual who had done such a charitable and altruistic act to help in a time of disaster might have fought shy of admitting that they had to dress up as a female to do so, but not for Raju apparently. It should be noted that it is quite common in some Indian drama performances for the actors to switch gender roles; a play on Radha and Krishna may sometimes feature a female in the (male) role of Krishna. In any case Raju's relishing of female roles seem to be a prominent feature, as he often starred in female roles in dramas that he wrote himself.

This whole business with saris was first brought to my attention in 1997 when I purchased the book 'Recapitulation of Baba's Divine Teachings' by Grace J. McMartin in the ashram bookshop. The following image was published within it with an accompanying history provided by the preface's author, Pramod Kumar Suri:

The story behind this image follows, with significant cleanup from myself:

"I am reminded of the actual miracle of Bhagavan [Sai Baba] performed five decades ago with Mrs. Thippamma of Anantapur. Thippamma offered prayers and prasadam in a tray and paid obeisances. When she raised her head, she saw Swami standing in front of her. Mrs. Thippamma asked Swami, 'Just now I offered prasadam to a lady goddess and paid respects, where is she?' Swami waved His divine hand and materialised the photo of 'Swami wearing a sari' and asked, 'Was it this you saw?' This rare photo is being printed in this book."

As a devotee, I did not think much about it at the time since this was apparently a materialised photograph, although I did have some suspicions about it's being so unusual. Upon reading all of the anecdotes above I was forced to take another look at the picture and see it in a different light. What surprised me was that this same picture was also printed in LIMF (cleaned up and clearer) with significant differences to the story!

As per the LIMF account:

"The families of Gummagatta Thippamma, Yadalam Nagamma and Subbamma assembled at the mandir with Kudumulu and other items to perform Gouri Puja in Baba's presence ... The ladies petitioned to offer the [valedictory offering] to Easwaramma. Baba said, 'Why Easwaramma? I will receive it myself.' They were confused and looked at each other. By the time they looked back at Baba, he had transformed himself into a lady wearing a white sari, bedecked with a lot of jewellery, flowers and kumkum ... They touched her feet and received her blessings. After receiving the [valedictions], she transformed herself back into Baba.

"Thippamma expressed her desire to see the lady again. Baba materialised for her a photo of him as the same 'lady' and gave it to her. (To prove that he was the very same Gouri Devi, he hassumed the form of the lady that had received the [offering].) He said, 'I am not that Parvathi of those days.' In the photograph was a 'modern' Parvathi - dressed in a silk sari and adorned with necklaces and bangles. Characteristic of Baba's humour, she was wearing a pair of glasses too! Thippamma bowed down at the feet of Baba shedding tears of happiness and contentment." - LIMF, p. 523.

If that didn't blow your mind enough, we are observing a notable outbreak of transvestism in Sai Baba's lifestyle. A more in-depth look is needed at his childhood but, suffice to say, continued bullying at school, an aptitude for female-oriented tasks, regular performances in female roles and cruel beatings inflicted on him at home may have affected his psychosexual development in a major way for these cross-dressing tendencies to exhibit themselves at the most inopportune of times. Of course I don't believe that either of this photograph was "materialised"! It so obviously leads us to conclude that Sathya Sai Baba had dressed up as a woman and posed for these pictures.

-------------------------------------

What follows herein is a brief photographic record of various incidents in Raju's young life that invariably reveal more evidence of Raju's patent effeminacy. These are not the only indications of his burgeoning androgynous and effeminate characteristics; as with the above photographs, these two photos were snapped during a visit to the palace of the then King and Queen of Chincholi, Karur, in June 1949, at a time when Raju was openly advertising himself as an avatar on a mission to save the world:

Bangles and pearl necklaces? Need any more be said? Unfortunately yes.

In 1958 the Prashanti Nilayam temple had completed construction and was ready to be inaugurated. The date for the opening was 23rd November of that year and it was a momentous celebration. After years of living in a dilapidated shed in the village that was full to the brim with visiting devotees all the year round, Sai Baba finally had his own grand temple (paid for by wealthy benefactors) to live in and call his own. How did he dress for the opening ceremony and procession from the old shed to the new temple?

(Click to enlarge)

It seems that Sai Baba was rather a habitual wearer of saris and other feminine clothes. Eyewitness accounts of devotees present during the ten-day Dassera festivals (dedicated to the Divine Mother) in the mid-1940s have given testimony to the fact that for each day of the festival Sai Baba wore a different colour of sari and was paraded in public on a palanquin. It is not without cause that many who have seen him for the first time mistook him to be a woman, explicitly citing his long hair and robe as causing that impression.

And let's face it: the long orange robe that Sai Baba wears is not that much of a fashionable style among most of India's gurus, who almost always retain traditional styles of dress. Early photos of the Baba in his robes invariably reveal that they were oversized to say the least. And when you consider that the word 'robe' is rather flattering (and misleading), a more apt name for his choice of costume is dress!

To think that all this time Sai Baba, the Androgynous Avatar, has been beautifying himself with cosmetics, hair dye, and effeminately posing for photos wearing long dresses for pretty much all of his career in an odd bid to satisfy his cravings for transvestism and generally behaving like a drag queen. In the light of all these cold and hard facts, it's no surprise that the Baba has been the butt of jokes (pun intended) and speculations about being a practising homosexual. Happy 81st Birthday, Swamini!

The Truth About The Sai Baba Rock

2006-11-23T01:18:00.000Z

A popular episode in Sai Baba's life relates to when, after sensationally declaring that he was renouncing material life and beginning his mission to save the world (six months after he had declared himself to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba), he proceeded to the garden of a local devotee's house - Anjaneyulu, a Salt (Excise) Inspector and wealthy man - and sat on a large rock there. Here's the official version of the story from N. Kasturi, Sai Baba's authorised biographer, which has been replicated in several later accounts of his life:

"People came into the garden from all directions bringing flowers and fruits. The grove resounded to the voices of hundreds, singing in chorus the lines that Sathya Sai taught them. The first prayer that He taught them that day was, as many still remember:

'Meditate in thy mind on the Feet of the Guru. This can take you across the difficult sea of existence in birth after birth.'

"... Three days passed thus in that garden, three days of worship. A photographer came who wanted Sai Baba to remove a crude stone that was right in front of Him, but Baba did not pay heed to that prayer. The photographer took the picture nevertheless, and lo, the stone had become an image of Sai Baba of Shirdi! But only in the photograph, not for all the people who had assembled there." - Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Part 1, 'The Serpent Hill'.

Or so they say. Take a good look at that picture, it is renowned throughout Sai literature as being the 'first photograph' of the "Avatar" after officially embarking on his mission, widely believed to have taken place on 20th October, 1940. Sathya Sai Baba himself told it like it was:

"At that time, the Commissioner’s son ran inside, brought a camera and clicked a photo. In the picture, Shirdi Sai could be seen in front of Swami." - Summer discourse, 2000.

We now know that this took place in 1943 thanks to new research. What the above narrative doesn't say is how there was something of a strong culture of Shirdi Sai worship in Uravakonda too, just like in Puttaparthi. 'Love Is My Form', a well-researched devotional biography, informs us that Anjaneyulu was a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba and was requested by the young Sathya Sai (then known as Sathyanarayana Raju) to procure a small statue of Shirdi Sai Baba from the nearest marketplace. This took place on 9th March 1943:

"Anjaneyulu ... created a personal shrine for [Shirdi] Sai Baba in his garden, spreading a tigerskin on a boulder and placing the statue there for puja [worship] every Thursday. The boulder later became a landmark with the name Sai Baba Gundu (Sai Baba Rock)." - LIMF, p. 134.

Needless to say, Raju attended these Shirdi Sai worship services regularly just as he used to do in Puttaparthi, which shows that - contrary to official information - the fame of Shirdi Sai Baba was so much widespread that it was possible for the residents of remote backwoods villages like Puttaparthi and Uravakonda to procure pictures and small statues of the Baba. And Anjaneyulu's statue is still being worshipped in the personal shrine of Goddumarri Sai Maruthi, his youngest son. Interestingly, LIMF doesn't mention a single word about the "Shirdi statue declaration miracle" that is described in official sources although that same photo is carried within it's pages (the picture above is scanned from LIMF), even when the narrative reaches the point at which Raju threw away his schoolbooks and announced his mission.

Given that LIMF has explained the truth behind the Shirdi statue and how it had been present on the Gundu for months before Raju threw his tantrum, there is yet another reason to believe why the popular story is a fraud. The international website of the Sathya Sai Organisation carries an old photo in it's picture gallery of this event that is still there at the time of writing:

Immediately the difference is obvious: the camera is at a slightly different angle and young Raju is looking even further away from the camera than in the other photo. The background is different and there is no tigerskin on the boulder. It is possible that the two photos were taken on the same day, however, and that this discounts the "miracle" even further. If Raju refused to move out of the way because of a crude and obstructive stone with the intention of performing a miracle (that the stone would transform into a small statue of Shirdi Sai Baba), how can this be possible for two different photos? To my knowledge this alternative photo has never been published before (it's not in LIMF!) so very few could have known of it's existence, while the large majority believes the official narrative of the miracle.

To highlight the differences between the two photos, I created this composite:

The uncovering of this bald lie represents yet another mephistophelian working of the Puttaparthi Propaganda Machine generated by the dynamic duo, Kasturi and Sai Baba, in a shameless and deceptive attempt to divinise each and every mundane event of his life in order to impress and attract followers. The arrogation of Shirdi Sai Baba's legacy has continued throughout his life and continues to be bowdlerised and plundered.

The Truth About Sai Baba's Birthplace

2006-11-23T00:30:00.000Z

When I first became acquainted with the Sathya Sai Baba sex controversy in 2000, I came across some information that he had not been born in his home village of Puttaparthi as popularly described, but that he had been born in Karnatanagapalli - a nearby village located across the local river. A photo (currently unavailable) of the birth site was also provided, and it was alleged that Sai Baba had been born there because it was the local custom for pregnant women to travel to their home villages to give birth. Whispers about this have circulated even amongst devotees for several decades; I personally conversed with the wife of a Sai Organisation National Co-Ordinator about this matter when we were both in Puttaparthi. As I was a devotee at the time, I dismissed it all as malicious bunk.

I was extremely surprised to come across this information again during recent readings of 'Love Is My Form', a devotional and well-researched biography that - for obvious reasons - unwittingly smashes many of the myths and legends that surround Sai Baba. It seems that the circumstances of Sai Baba's birth is no exception, hence a fitting topic to be discussed today on his "official" birthday of 23rd November.

As I've discussed the topic of the Baba's supposed immaculate conception before, I'll just briefly note the glaring discrepancy between the testimonies of Sai Baba and his mother Easwaramma regarding whether it was a blue or white light that glided into her stomach and how this signified the entrance of the Baba into her womb. Here's the official version by Easwaramma about how it happened:

"Mother said, 'She [Easwaramma's mother-in-law] had dreamt of Satyanarayana Deva and she had cautioned me that I should not be frightened if something happens to me through the Will of God. That morning when I was at the well drawing water, a big ball of blue light came rolling towards me and I fainted and fell. I felt it glided into me.' Swami turned to Rama Sharma with a smile. 'There you have the answer! I was not begotten. It was Pravesha [divine conception], not Prasava [human intercourse]." - Source.

It should be of public interest that Vengamma, Easwaramma's youngest sister, presented a very different account of what happened. Needless to say, it differs significantly:

"Pedda Venkama Raju [Sai Baba's father] owned a few cows. One day, Easwaramma went to collect some grass for the cows, from the fields across the Chitravathi river. It was hot and she was very thirsty. She collected the grass, made it into a bundle and was returning across the Chitravathi riverbed. She put the bundle aside and sat down to rest on the riverbank. She dug a hole in the sand to get some water. Some dirty water surfaced, which she threw away. She then scooped up some clear water with both hands and was about to drink when she saw a luminescence merge into the surface of the water and finally become a part of it. She did not know what to do, and was very thirsty. Thinking of God and keeping faith in Him, she drank the water. The luminescence was so powerful that, in spite of the glare of the hot sun, she could still see it. She returned home and reported the incident to her mother-in-law. Shortly thereafter, she found herself 'expecting' again." - Vengamma, as told to R. Padmanabhan, 'Love Is My Form,' p. 19.

Hot sun? Burning thirst? Luminescence? Ever heard of a mirage?

Ccould have been a hallucination too. That aside, there's no reason not to believe this interesting testimony either! It is a raw and contemporaneous account given by a family member who is perfectly qualified to describe what actually happened. And that's not the last we've heard from Vengamma; she also happens to be a reliable source for claiming Sai Baba's real birthplace as Karnatanagapalli! As in LIMF:

"Easwaramma spent her confinement in her mother's house at Karnatanagapalli village. Her mother's family maintains that Sathya [Sai Baba] was born there." - LIMF, p. 21.

Footnotes affirmatively furnish readers with the information that, according to the local customs, pregnant women stay at their previous family homes to give birth. This is in marked contrast to the statements of the official hagiographies that maintain Easwaramma stayed in Puttaparthi throughout the duration of her pregnancy, even mentioning that she was engaged in formal worship rituals before she started experiencing labour pains. This is also corroborated by Chandramouli Raju (Easwaramma's brother) and his son Ganapathi Raju, who remembers his father telling him of these events on several occasions.

As LIMF is a devotional work, it unimpressively attempts to explain away these problems:

"Since the two families had always been very close and resided in adjacent villages, it is quite possible that they may have mistaken one for the other. Moreover, the flooding of the Chitravathi made movement from one bank to the other a frequent affair. The third day after the child was born, the family feared that the Chitravathi River would flood, and Easwaramma moved to Puttaparthi with the child." - LIMF, p. 21.

Hardly likely. No matter how much fun one may make of country bumpkins, the least one can expect from them is for them to know perfectly well in which villages they reside! In their clumsy attempt to resolve the conflict the editors of LIMF have unwittingly confirmed that Sathya Sai Baba was born in Karnatanagapalli. After all, where was Easwaramma coming from with a child to escape a supposed flood?

Ganapathi Raju also testified that, years later, Sathya Sai Baba supervised the construction of a bhajan hall on the site of Easwaramma's family home in Karnatanagapalli. It was a colour version of this picture that I saw back in 2000 when I first encountered this matter of controversy. The clear implication of this is the Baba's tacit acknowledgement of this venue as his birthplace and a subtle tribute to his maternal family. Why would he do this when had also supervised the construction of a "birthplace temple" in Puttaparthi circa. 1980 and installed an idol of the god Shiva, supposedly on the spot where he was born? It should be noted that he was loathe for years to construct a birthsite building in Puttaparthi in spite of the numerous requests and prayers from devotees to do so. 'Baba Satya Sai' by Ra. Ganapati, originally published in Tamil in 1976, mentioned that the birthplace then was in a state of "shambles", and that requests for a commemorative column there by devotees in celebration of Sai Baba's golden jubilee (1975) went unacknowledged, in spite of the fact that the huge world-religions pillar was being constructed within the ashram at the time.

In consideration of all of these facts, one might wonder why exactly Sai Baba seems intent on insisting that he was born in Puttaparthi, as the reasons are not immediately clear. What's going on here that we don't know about? Why are members of Sai Baba's maternal family still claiming to this day that he was born in Karnatanagapalli? At the very least we can say that he has much to hide and that this represents the latest uncovering of yet another strange episode in his dubious past.

Sai Baba's 81st Birthday Triple-Whammy!

2006-11-23T00:15:00.000Z

Dear Swamini,

many happy returns of the day to you on your 81st Birthday, even though we all know that you are really 78. May you continue to entertain and amuse us for many more years, and please grant us the courage, strength and determination that is necessary to continue exposing you as a fraud, a sham, and a coward. We hope that you will be merciful enough to allow us to serve you in this way. Please accept some humble tokens of my unending love and gratitude, I hope this triple-whammy of a present will bring great joy to you as much as it has done for us:

Kind regards,

His Holiness Swami Saiexposedananda

Puttaparthi BAN On Meat And Liquor

2006-11-18T03:36:00.000Z

ANANTAPUR: The Puttaparthi police have banned consumption of liquor and non-vegetarian food within a radius of 9 km around Puttaparthi to maintain holiness of the international spiritual centre. Even though the ban was announced four days ago, the authorities have been treading a cautious path on the new rule.

Puttaparthi security wing DSP Gangaraju told TOI on Monday that police and ashram authorities decided to prohibit liquor and non-vegetarian food in and around Puttaparthi on the line of Tirumala. He, however, clarified that they were not harassing people and were only counselling them to maintain the holiness of the spiritual centre. At least 12 of the 15 owners of the liquor belt shops running in the surrounding villages have been counselled to stop selling liquor. Meanwhile, hotels outside the Ganesh Gate have also been asked to stop serving non-vegetarian food.

Officials said Puttaparthi town with a population of 20,000 never had a liquor shop, but visitors used to be served by the local belt shops.

Meanwhile, president A P J Abdul Kalam is likely to participate in the 81st birthday celebrations of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi on November 23. Official sources, however, said that the President's programme was yet to be finalised.

The President would be the chief guest for the annual convocation ceremony of Sri Satya Sai Deemed University on November 22. He will also participate in the birthday celebrations of the Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam on November 23. The President is also likely to inaugurate an indoor stadium constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore.

Sai Baba Exposed says: How cute. And a lovely 9km too! As if the radius wasn't a bit much, how fitting that it is nine kilometres - Sai Baba's favourite number?

And what was that about "officials" stating that Puttaparthi never had a liquor shop? What officials? Ashram officials? I wouldn't be surprised at these blatant liars. I was in Puttaparthi once and, after deciding to stoll outside the ashram to visit the local bookshop, I was accosted by a small child who couldn't have been older than six. He was repeating something to me over and over again in a low voice, and I ignored him because I thought he was begging for money as is typical in India. Only when I paid a little attention to what he was saying - "beer, beer" - did I realise that he was inviting me to a local liquor shop to drink alcohol!

As I was a devotee at the time I immediately refused to take him up on it and quickly proceeded to the bookstore. I was shocked to my core; how could liquor and meat be openly served in the "Kingdom of Heaven" where "God" personally resides? And yes, I discovered on my first trip to his ashram (back in 1993) that there was a non-vegetarian restaurant in the village. So now, in the run-up to Sai Baba's birthday (November 23rd) it looks like Puttaparthi police have been harangued by ashram authorities to ban the sale of alcohol and meat. The impression I got from this article was that this is some sort of temporary measure to "maintain the sanctity" of the village in view of the upcoming celebrations, but on a closer reading I see no mention of any temporary provisions. It looks permanent!

As usual you can expect the devotees to fully approve of this strategy. Here's a comment from one such that I found on another forum:

"I am glad to read this news item. True, we need to educate the people living there about the ill-effects of consuming alchoholic drinks and other pollutants like drugs etc. Also we need to educate all concerned about cleanliness and the need for keeping Puttaparthy spick and span. While the police is expected to do their duty in enforcing prohibition, the Sai devotees have also a responsibility for bringing necessary transformation in the hearts of those who are given to such addictions. Police can, at best, put an end to public drinking places and the sale of country and sophisticated liquor within a radius of 9 Kilometers. But how about drinking privately at homes by residents of Puttaparthy? How can the police nab such drinkers who are not a source of nuisance. Pl. think."

What-ho! As anyone knowledgeable about American history will know, the US Govt. already tried this in the Prohibition era, and what was the result? Massive lawbreaking and arrests all over the place; no matter how hard the law was enforced, people will find a way to continue indulging in their habits. If these Sai Baba goons think that they are on the way to achieving something great then they had better think again. "Please think", it won't work! And what's the problem about consuming alcohol within one's own home in Puttaparthi? Since when did devotees start leaning towards fascism?

Although I understand the intentions behind this new rule even though I do not consider Puttaparthi as a holy place as much as I don't consider Sai Baba as a holy guru or avatar, I don't think that banning liquor and meat is the right way of going about things even if it is being enforced cautiously. For a start, there must surely be a human rights issue what to speak of trade and business revenues making a significant downturn. Puttaparthi also has a sizeable Muslim population who are not bound to be vegetarian like their Hindu fellowmen, so does this ban apply to them too?

In their fundamentalist and frothing-at-the-mouth rabid enthusiasm to follow Sai Baba's teachings, it's clear that the ashram authorities haven't thought this through properly and are only interested in cribbing up some good publicity for themselves. They desperately want to join the ranks of other well-established (and real) pilgrimage centres and are intent on improving their surroundings so that they can perhaps apply for privileged status if they haven't already done so.

Just one thing though: The Prashanti Nilayam Township is a separate entity from the Puttaparthi village. It is a legally-incorporated entity in itself and does not have connections with the village as such. Is this yet another example of Sai Baba and his goons poking their noses where they don't belong?

A Few Words Of Shirdi Praise...

2006-11-17T04:14:00.000Z

Although this was received some weeks ago, I have been terrible at keeping up with all of the positive (and negative) emails that I get in relation to this blog. In response to the recent and devastating Shirdi Lies exposé, I received this nice letter from a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba who had some very interesting points to make. Needless to say I am in agreement with their views. The sender has given permission to post their letter but chooses to retain anonymity:

---------------------------------------

Hello! (I don't know your name, excuse me).

I have had all my life devotion towards Shirdi Sai Baba. I agree with you that Satya Sai Baba is not the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Nath. Since I discovered your blog yesterday, I felt the need to share this thought with you:

Shirdi Sai Baba was an avatar. Avatars do not reincarnate. That's the very simple reason why Satya can't be Shirdi's reincarnation. Avatars come from the Absolute directly, they are not subject to reincarnation, nor are they beings that have evolved to mukti. They come already complete, from the Divine, not the result of a chain of births. Reincarnation and avatarhood are not compatible. God, the Supreme, manifests as an avatar, a man, and that's it. Again and again, but no reincarnation implied.

Satya could have said that he is an avatar, like Shirdi Baba was, like Krishna was, and so on. But saying that he is the reincarnation of Shirdi Baba shows his ignorance about what avatar is and means. If Shirdi Baba was God incarnated (avatar), what of him could reincarnate and be passed to another body? If that other body (Satya) is an avatar, what he needs from the past Shirdi Baba when he can do all and knows all? Reincarnation only operates on the basis of ignorance and limitation, does not apply to avatars. They come from the Supreme, are the Supreme and return to the Supreme.

Best regards
[Anonymous]

OM Sai Amita Parakrama

"We Do Not Care"

2006-11-08T08:00:00.000Z

(Read this in Russian!)

Readers might have noticed from the recent DNA article that Sai Baba and his ashram goons are ambivalent to serious questions of sexual abuse. What's new?

In 2001 the US State Dept. published a travel advisory for India that stated:

"U.S. citizens should be aware that there have been unconfirmed reports of inappropriate sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader at an ashram or religious retreat located in Andhra Pradesh. Most of the reports indicate that the subjects of these approaches have been young male devotees, including a number of U.S. citizens."

As State Dept. officials will confirm, this announcement does refer to Sathya Sai Baba. Five years later we have an unnamed public relations officer representing Sathya Sai Baba and making the following callous statement:

“We do not care what the advisory says. People and organisations can write whatever they want to believe. We have no more to say on this issue.”

No shit, Mr. Chakravarthi! If ever there was proof that the Sai Organisation is an isolated and secretive cult, you just provided it! It appals me how the Sai Organisation has been named and shamed by the United States administration, and a specific warning against him and his ashram is listed on their official website as a potential danger to US citizens, and these guys say they don't care.

This is consistent with their attitude to killing people too. In 1993 six people died in a police shootout at Sai Baba's ashram that was believed to have been an assassination attempt on the guru. Two of the dead were his disciples while the others were former students of the guru's educational institutions. This incident was hushed-up and swept under the carpet by a number of influential politicians and High Court judges, but not before the news had made it's way into the international media. Speaking to The Hindu newspaper, the then World Chairman of the Sai Organisation, Indulal Shah, had the following to say:

"The matter is purely internal and we do not wish to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it." - The Hindu, July 10th 1993

Excuse me? Six people died, and this guy tells the press that investigators should "buzz off" and keep their noses out of the ashram's "private affairs"?! What kind of harebrained attitude is this? I don't need to explain the importance of proper police investigations into the unexplained deaths of six people, much less the circumstances of their deaths by knives and gunshot wounds. And Indulal Shah is disturbed when the media come sniffing around? What does he expect? Sai Baba is arguably India's biggest and most popular guru, and when an event of this magnitude takes place it is inevitable that all eyes will be on Puttaparthi.

But no, the ashram authorities have never had a good record of press interaction when it comes to discussing Sai Baba's peculiar proclivities. When the Daily Telegraph ran a story into the allegations, they related how Chakravarthi had slammed the phone down on their reporter when asked for comment:

"When the Telegraph Magazine contacted K Chakravarthi, secretary of the Puttaparthi ashram, he said, 'We have no time for these matters. I have nothing to say' and terminated the call."

Cripes! "We have no wish", "we have no time", "we don't care", does any of this sound like wallowing in denial? It is this arrogant and irresponsible attitude that leads to many unsuspecting youths and boys being led into Sai Baba's inner apartments and asked to take their trousers off, and to be given the "boon" of an oiling on their genital area. With the "lucky ones" being afforded privileges of oral and/or anal sex with the guru, no police or judicial investigations bear fruit when all players in this deception engage in a conspiracy to hush it all up and deny it. Not even an internal investigation within the ashram. They just don't care.

DNA: A Holy Furore Rages In Britain

2006-11-05T07:29:00.000Z

Now DNA-India follows-up on the Guardian story:

---------------------------

A holy furore rages in Britain
Ginnie Mahajan/Brajesh Kumar
Sunday, November 05, 2006 02:00 IST

DELHI: Old allegations of sexual abuse of boys by spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba have created a fresh furore in Britain.

The issue snowballed after the British press reported that 200 boys would visit India on a month-long humanitarian pilgrimage starting November 13, organised by the Sai Youth Movement, a division of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation.

These boys are to receive the Duke of Edinburgh award for their humanitarian work. According to the Guardian, the British public is irked by two issues — safety of the boys at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram at Puttaparthi in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and the involvement of royalty with the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation.

The newspaper quotes a former home office minister Tom Sackville, who also runs a 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.”

Interestingly, the United States Department of State has a travel advisory against the Sathya Sai Organisation: “US citizens should be aware that there have been unconfirmed reports of inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader at an ashram or religious retreat located in Andhra Pradesh.” The Guardian says US state officials have confirmed that this is a direct reference to Sathya Sai Baba. There have been rumours for years that the spiritual guru, who calls himself an incarnation of god, molested young devotees during interviews. Both Indian and foreign visitors to the ashram have come on record to say how he has abused them.

The public relations officer of Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram, however, told DNA: “We do not care what the advisory says. People and organisations can write whatever they want to believe. We have no more to say on this issue. Yes, the boys are coming to India in about two weeks’ time.”

The visit coincides with Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th birthday. He had apparently given a ‘divine commandment’ to the Sai Youth Movement to visit him on the occasion.

Cybernoon: "Superstition; A Crutch"

2006-11-05T06:59:00.000Z

An interesting op-ed published by Cybernoon.Com about Sathya Sai Baba. It appears to be separate from the recent Guardian article but a very timely publication nevertheless, highlighting exactly why the Indian Government would be reluctant to arrest Sathya Sai Baba for his crimes.

----------------------------------------

Round Up - A.R.Kanangi

Superstition; a crutch
Saturday, November 04, 2006 8:59:12 IST

There is only a thin line between superstition and faith. People who are frightened and confused about life and death want a crutch, even if it is shaky. The new law on superstition, however, is necessary, as it will stop some horrible, cruel practices.

If the bill on superstition was passed 45 years ago, Satya Sai Baba would have attracted arrest. He was successfully cashing on the gullibility of people by claiming to be an avatar — endowed with supernatural powers. What he actually did was some cheap tricks like getting watches and kumkum from nowhere. Yogi L.S. Rao, a contemporary, wrote in a newspaper that the rascal knew how to impress people. A baba or sadhu had to first perform some miracles in order to attract attention. When once they were won over, nothing could change their faith.

Yogi Rao – from Bangalore – was a big hit with newsmen. The beedi-smoking yogi told me: "First you have to create an image, you can’t be a sadhu if you wear trousers and jacket. In India, you have to wear saffron or pale-orange brown clothes. No shirt – the torso remains exposed. And then, you must spread the word you went to the Himalayas and kept your head at the feet of the guru. Nobody will check of course whether you have actually been to the Himalayas. That Himalaya tag is very important. And then, armed with powers extraordinary, you descend to the plains and begin performing miracles. I can do better than that rascal. I can drink nitric acid, drink water and bring it out of the nose, walk on burning embers," the yogi said.

He did hold a demonstration before newsmen. It was so convincing. And then, he failed in one demonstration. He charged a fee for the public for the performance of a unique feat. It was at Versova – at that time almost deserted – that he dug a large pond. He said he would walk on water. He had a small kutir at the place. I was with him the previous night and I strongly advised him not to perform the water feat. He would not listen and strangely enough, he appeared to be quite confident.

Technical failure

Next day — in the evening — he stepped into the water and went down. There were loud protests, but everyone was pacified and told to collect the ticket money from a newspaper office. The crowd dispersed and the yogi looked at me pathetically and said: “The bubble burst in the arse. It was a technical failure.” A bubble in the arse?

Very few people went to the newspaper office to get back their money. The yogi made a neat pile and went to Bangalore. “Are you not doing something wrong — cheating people?” I asked him once. “It is not cheating. People want this. They want to believe in miracles. They are confused and afraid. They all want a crutch. I am doing this for a living. My life is simple, but I have to support three wives. That rascal down south is doing the same thing — but in a big way. He is scared of me because I can expose him.”

Yogi Rao was not the only one who could expose Satya Sai Baba. There was a rationalist in Bangalore, who at a big public meeting, did all the “miracles” of Sai Baba and proved they were all just tricks. We have thousands of babas in our country who perform all such miracles and earn their living. What will happen to them if the new bill is passed and becomes an act? It is a fact they are cheating and they need to be stopped.

No human being has seen a ghost, but go to a village, which at night is pitch dark and silent: ghosts – many and varied kinds – are said to roam round the village. The villagers say they can hear the frightening moans and wailing of the ghosts, the sound of the bells round the ankles of the ghost and sudden flashes of light etc. you tell the villagers there is no ghost on earth and they will not believe you. With ghosts ensconced in their minds, they become easy victims of unscrupulous village chiefs and hoodlums. When the fear of the ghosts is put into them, they are prepared to do anything.

And very loud rituals take place to force the villagers do what the chiefs want. A man with painted face and torso does a vigorous dance, salivating and muttering something all the time — until the Goddess or the ghost enters his body. Then he does a frightening act-shuddering from head to toe. Then he issues orders – calls out names and ask that it — the demon within him — be given rice, money. And he orders fiercely that someone the landlord does not like, must go out of the village for a month. And rebellious, cheeky, inconvenient young men are bashed up till they fall unconscious because demons inside them have to be punished. Every now and then, there are reports of women charged with practicing witchcraft being exposed to cruel punishment. The women are stripped naked and paraded through the village — getting beaten up all the time. Women receive such humiliating and cruel punishment because of false charges that they are practicing black magic, that rains do not come because the rain God does not like them, crops perish because of their very presence in the village.

The superstition with regard to “sati” sees quite a few women on the burning pyre with their husbands. It is nothing but murder, but thanks to prevailing superstition, the burning horror takes place. It looks like there is only a thin line between faith and superstition. A priest tells a man who has lost a dear relative that the latter cannot enter heaven until certain pujas are performed. The man has to feed Brahmins, pay the priest money and incur expenditure on certain other items. Will the priest be liable for arrest under the new act?

Out of over 100 crore people in the country, at least half of them are ignorant, illiterate and superstitious. Our country is fertile ground for superstition. Our knowledge of the superstitions is limited. Even rationalists are dumbfounded sometimes how actually action based on superstition results in harmonious, better collective living. There is nothing wrong with being superstitious, but what is wrong is its exploitation by unscrupulous men. And all of us — even the rationalists — are in some way on the other superstitious. There is nothing surprising about this. The life and death mystery frightens people. There is no answer. There are things beyond reason — many things we cannot explain. So we cling to superstition — like the sophisticated, educated folks rely on spirituality. Both indicate a certain helplessness, a certain attempt to find some meaning. A crutch.

Clean cheat

And today, we see the unique phenomenon of those who derive mileage from superstition and fears in the minds of innocent, gullible people, making it big. Once their own survival is ensured, they start building towns. They start colleges, hospitals, charity institutions, industrial units and other enterprises. They use the huge money they get from worshippers as well as from foreign sources to build a township. People then forget about the cheating and exploitation and give them a clean chit. It will be said they did not misuse the funds but utilised it for collective good. And if they did the tricks, they were done deliberately as per a definite vision. Nobody will arrest Satya Sai Baba today.

And I will end this piece with a Chinese joke. A China man was placing some rice at the grave of his relative in Beijing. A foreigner from Europe laughed derisively as he placed a bouquet at his friend’s grave and said: “Ho ho, will your dead relative come to eat the rice?” The China man replied: “Tell me whether your dead friend come to smell the flowers?”

Sai Youth Take BIG Hit From Guardian

2006-11-04T07:08:00.000Z

In May 2006 we brought you the news that the Sai Youth of UK were gearing up for a massive pilgrimage to the home base of Sathya Sai Baba, in full knowledge of the fact that any or all of them may suffer the grossest experience of homosexual paedophilia, and that it was the Baba himself who called for them to visit him this November. We also undertook an extremely brief and cursory analysis of Shitu Chudasama's Sadhana Plan for said trip.

Now we take extreme pleasure in noting how the recent Guardian article has completely blown apart all expectations and put Sai Baba and his crimes in the public eye yet again. It wasn't enough to suffer from an hour-length BBC documentary especially since a new angle has recently been cynically exploited by the Sai Organisation. Somehow or other they succeeded in their plan to win the Duke of Edinburgh Award and claim praise and encouragement from H.M. The Queen and, just as predicted, they went into a frenzy of self-glorification and patting their own backs for receiving "Royal Recognition". As due punishment for their misrepresentation of the facts, the Sai Organisation were forced to pull the page down and which now turns up a 'Page Not Found' error.

The thing which I like most about the Guardian article is the number of heavyweight names that are dropped; Tom Sackville (former UK Home Office minister), Michael Gove MP (Surrey Heath), Brig. Sir Miles Hunt-Davis (personal secretary to HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh), among others. And all of them driving themselves dizzy about their glaring oversight of how the British Royal Family came to be associated closely with an organisation that has a widely-accused homosexual paedophile and murderer as it's head. You can't beat it!

And let's remind ourselves of the Guardian's eminent status; it is not some backwoods village newspaper. This is a full-blown and extremely highbrow national newspaper, and which is why I am in fits of giggles when I read quotes like this:

"The trip coincides with Sai Baba's 80th birthday and has been arranged, organisers say, after he gave a divine commandment for the UK's Sai youth movement to visit him for the occasion."

Combined with the 'Backstory' section at the end of the article, British elitists will be reading this and thinking that Sai Baba is completely nuts! Divine commandment? I love it! And this is just the Internet edition that is out before the print edition, who knows how different it will be with a full spread on Page 3? :-)

And what did Michael Gove say?

"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."

Right on the money! Shitu Chudasama weakly responded by saying that the paedophilia allegations were "totally unfounded" and bleated further:

"We hope to have an interview with Sai Baba but it's not guaranteed. If he wants to see us, he'll call us."

WHAT?!?!

Reality check: Who gives a monkey's over whether Sai Baba will "call" them on a whim when the UK Sai Organisation has just suffered their biggest attack since the acclaimed BBC documentary? This is their idea of PR: "we hope to be called for a non-guaranteed interview"? Chee.

What to speak of the fact that - yet again - Sai Baba's ill name is splashed all over the pages of of a highbrow British newspaper on suspicion of homosexual paedophilia, compounded by the very public ignominy of having members of the Royal Family dragged into this classless and sordid affair. And to top it all off, the latest news holds that their trip to Sai Baba is still going full steam ahead despite the widespread concern effected by the news report. An announcement on the Sai Youth (UK) website notes the following:

Yep, the Final Meeting for the National UK Pilgrimage is being held tomorrow, Sunday 5th October 2006 at the following address:

Stanburn First School
Abercorn Road
Stanmore
Middlesex
HA7 2PJ

Telephone Number: +44 208 9541423
Fax Number: +44 208 954 3227

Meeting times: 18.00-22.00

And which is none other than the Sai School of Harrow! Should be an interesting meeting. What I'd give to be a fly on the wall there. No prizes for guessing what'll be on the agenda.

Guardian's Sensational Sai Scandal!

2006-11-04T04:03:00.000Z

(Click to enlarge)

The Indian living god, the paedophilia claims and the Duke of Edinburgh awards

· Sexual abuse accusations against group's leader
· 80th birthday invitation to hundreds of youngsters

Paul Lewis
Saturday November 4, 2006
The Guardian

A spiritual group whose "living god" founder has been accused of sexually abusing young boys has become an accredited partner of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, the Guardian can reveal.

Last night pressure was mounting on the charity to break its links with the group whose followers are devoted to the preachings of 79-year-old holy man, Sai Baba. About 200 young people will fly to India in two weeks' time on a humanitarian pilgrimage run by Sai Youth UK, a division of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation. The teenagers and young men earn their Duke of Edinburgh awards for humanitarian work, chiefly distributing medical aid. The trip coincides with Sai Baba's 80th birthday and has been arranged, organisers say, after he gave a divine commandment for the UK's Sai youth movement to visit him for the occasion.

For decades male former devotees have alleged that the guru molested them during so-called "interviews". During the last youth pilgrimage, in 2004, young people were granted group interviews with the guru after administering medical aid to villages surrounding Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, although there was no evidence of abuse. Large numbers of young men have travelled from across the world to study alongside and meet the guru. His supporters say their encounter was spiritually enriching. Others, including participants in a BBC programme, The Secret Swami, two years ago, accuse him of abuse, claiming he massaged their testicles with oil and coerced them into oral sex.

Sai Baba has never been charged over the sex abuse allegations. However, the US State Department issued a travel warning after reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" which, officials later confirmed was a reference to Sai Baba. Tom Sackville, a former Home Office minister and chairman of FAIR, a cult-watching and victim support group, said: "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 month's pilgrimage ... should be aware of the danger their children are being exposed to."

But Peter Westgarth, chief executive of the charity, last night faced down calls to terminate his organisation's relationship with the Sai organisation. He said: "This is not the only religion accused of paedophilia. Young people who are participating on these trips are doing so because they choose to," he said. "The awards accredit the good work they do for poor people in India. We make no judgment about their religion. We would no sooner intervene here than we would the Church Lads' and Girls' Brigade."

The Conservative MP Michael Gove said he would write to the charity asking it to consider a stricter monitoring of the organisations they they work with. "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 said.

Shitu Chudasama, Sai's UK national youth coordinator, defended the trip, saying it was primarily a humanitarian mission to help impoverished people, saying that the sex abuse claims were "totally unfounded". He added: "We hope to have an interview with Sai Baba but it's not guaranteed. If he wants to see us, he'll call us."

Sai Organisation's UK branch has also came into contact with royals through the awards, something Buckingham Palace was made aware of in September. In correspondence seen by the Guardian, Brigadier Sir Miles Hunt-Davis, Prince Philip's private secretary, wrote: "[We] are very keen to get this sorted out properly and finally." He said trustees of the award would undertake legal advice before deciding how to proceed. In July the Sai Organisation received a certificate for their "invaluable contribution" to the awards at a Buckingham Palace garden party. A news story which appeared on a Sai Baba website after the ceremony was removed after an intervention by Peter Westgarth, who said the event had been misrepresented.

In the posting, Mr Chudasama recounted the moment he delivered a speech to "various dignitaries, diplomats, ministers [and] famous celebrities" at the palace. "I was the last speaker called up, and suddenly a confidence, a joy, engulfed my being," he said. "I attributed everything to our founder Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. As I spoke I watched the sea of faces, they were hanging from my every word and there was a look of excitement on their faces as if to say 'why have we not heard of this organisation before?'." Mr Chudasama also attended a private audience with Prince Philip at St James's Palace last year. "Prince Philip showed a very keen interest in our youth and asked many questions," Mr Chudasama wrote in a Sai newsletter. "I also had the opportunity to mention ... that we drew our inspiration and motivation from our founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba; he paused for a few seconds and then said: "Very good".

Backstory

Sathya Sai Baba, who has an estimated 30 million followers worldwide, is possibly India's most controversial holy man. He gained a following in his teens when he claimed to have divine powers and, later, said he was an incarnation of God. His teachings are benign - his most famous mantra is "Love All, Serve All" - and he encourages followers, which include many of India's political elite, to undertake humanitarian work. He purports to be able to miraculously conjure sacred ash and expensive jewellery into the palm of his hand, as if out of thin air. Opponents dismiss his miracles as party tricks. The Sai Organisation claims to have more than 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres in more than 100 countries.

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This article has three follow-ups:

Sai Youth Take BIG Hit From Guardian
DNA: A Holy Furore Rages In Britain
"We Do Not Care"

Wheelchair Blues Boogie!

2006-10-26T18:55:00.000+01:00

To think that devotees of Sathya Sai Baba hardly know how to react when their Aged Avatar of the Age is consigned to a wheelchair, except of course with the usual brainwashed explanations of "taking on someone else's karma" and whatnot, they are now glorifying these "wheelchair pastimes" of the Lord by playing around with Photoshop and coming out with some pretty snazzy results!

Check it out:

Sai Org's Deception & Propaganda Exposed 3

2006-10-26T18:37:00.000+01:00

THE SATHYA SAI ORGANISATION'S DECEPTION AND
PROPAGANDA EXPOSED

PART THREE

(Part One, Two)

The foes of the 'open society' (Sir Karl Popper's term) are those who use its very openness to achieve their closed and devious ends. Sai Baba and his highly authoritarian and cultist organisation have such ends, which critics have tried to make known. Its foremost leaders silence all those who question it- and never face substantive criticisms. For the first time - after six years of pained and guilty silence - since hundreds of long-term devotees left it in disgust - the Sathya Sai Organisation has found it necessary to try to defuse the debate about Sathya Sai Baba's alleged crimes, deceits and fraudulence. Dr. Venkataraman's tendentious cover-up article expresses untruths which have long circulated within the cult, giving an opportunity to confront him with facts and truth, as follows:-

[Comments by the undersigned are in blue text:]

THE INEVITABLE COLLAPSE OF CALUMNY
[by Dr. G. Venkataraman]

[Black text from Radio Sai Listener's Journal: Volume 4 - Issue 07 July 2006]

UNESCO Withdraws Its Criticism

Where the media advisory of the UNESCO was concerned, we took a different approach. The UNESCO is a part of the United Nations and India is in fact one of the founder members of the UN – it was a signatory to the original declaration, way back in 1944. We in Prashanti Nilayam took up the matter with the Government of India through suitable channels, and for its part, the Government, through its Ambassador in Paris, protested to the UNESCO.

Comment: This is a gross untruth! UNESCO has NOWHERE stated that it withdraws its criticism of Sathya Sai Baba by updating its website; there is no evidence of that on their website or anywhere else. Their official spokesperson, Sue Williams, stated to the BBC in mid-May 2004 that UNESCO (Paris) did not regret having posted this document adverse to Sai Baba and “certain of his organizers”! Further, the removal of the posting was the “result of a routine system purge”, a fact clearly stated by another UNESCO Office spokesperson, Isobel le Fournis.

Most noteworthy, however, is that, since UNESCO posted its advisory, there is no proof that UNESCO has sponsored or involved itself in any way in a single Sai Baba-related event anywhere in the world, despite the Sai Organisation’s intense lobbying through diplomatic and governmental channels! Unlike the Sathya Sai Organisation, UNESCO is most definitely not an amateur organization that bases its advisories on mere rumours, non-investigation or wishful guesswork!

I shall not go into the details here but merely say that the Indian Government took strong exception to the UNESCO posting a hostile media advisory, merely on the basis of hearsay, thereby maligning Sai Baba, who is a revered figure in India and has done enormous good to Indian Society. This strong protest worked and the UNESCO backtracked. This retraction by UNESCO was a big set back for the anti-Sai group

Comment: The label ‘anti-Sai group’ points to a common untruth promoted by many Sai devotees that we number only a handful. Instead, there are hundreds of disaffected former devotees and ex-leaders of the Organisation in many groupings. Most workers conduct activities well away from the Net because of security reasons. The UNESCO Advisory remains a huge setback for Sai Baba and those who defend him. It is independently available on-line. UNESCO posted its Advisory only after they had investigated the allegations and were satisfied that they were well founded!

but they now attacked from another angle, namely television. As you well know, most TV channels have sunk to depressingly low levels. It was no surprise therefore that some channels in some countries seized the opportunity to come out with negative programs on Swami.

Comment: Professional media critics and the general public did not deem the BBC to have “sunk to depressingly low levels". Indeed, the contrary was true!
Venkataraman, Indulal Shah, other Sai leaders and Sai Baba himself are alike in playing the ‘blame-the-media game’! When local Indian journalists investigated the murders of four devotees in Sai Baba’s apartment on June 6, 1993, Sai Baba ridiculed them. They published a number of perfectly reasonable questions on his role in relation to the incident (in his supposedly holy building). For example, they asked where he was during these events, and why the Central Trust or ashram authorities reported nothing to the police. However, Sai Baba’s officials hindered them at every point, and, some weeks later, Sai Baba attacked them in a public discourse for publishing "nothing but flights of the imagination" and for being "malicious". The eviction by Sai officials of the BBC crew from Prashanti Nilayam was but another in a long series of suppressive moves. Of course, nothing banishes “flights of the imagination” better than proper accountability and openness!

Sai Baba has often said never to criticize or slander others, and always to speak sweetly and softly with love. Yet his actions frequently belie his words. Being absent, those attacked in this way could not present their case. This behavior Sai Baba often calls ‘back-biting’.

Given the scepticism of many in the West about Gurus, such a program naturally commanded an audience, though not among viewers with discrimination. Hence, though we received complaints from many overseas devotees, we did not bother too much. It was not worth getting into arguments with third-rate TV channels.

Comment: The phrase “third rate TV channels” –encapsulates Venkataraman’s opinion of the world’s most respected news and comment provider since radio and television began! He imagines perhaps that his Radio Sai propaganda station is first rate – but it serves the most boring, verbose, repetitive, preachifying and syrupy hypocrisy! Western cultures have their own traditions of critical enquiry skepticism, and include issues about fraudulence and superstition about gurus. There can be little wonder about “skepticism in the West about Gurus”. There is plenty in the East too – happy to say.

The BBC Shames Itself

Things went into a different gear altogether when the BBC came out with an anti-Swami film. This was absolutely shocking because like the London Times, the BBC is an icon - in the broadcasting world that is. And yet, for reasons best known to it, the BBC produced a program that was not only poorly researched but also deplorably low in taste, quite in contrast to what it is known for.

Comment: As Venkatarman would have it, in the face of thousands of programs that maintain the BBC as an “icon”, suddenly it deviates and becomes “absolutely shocking”. Autocratic and corrupt regimes and organisations with much to hide invariably complain like this when the BBC exposes them after exhaustive research!

The Sad Case of Alaya Rahm

Central to BBC’s vilification campaign was one Alaya Rahm.

Comment: The BBC never carries out “vilification campaigns”. Only corrupt and unaccountable people or organizations would claim so. Venkataraman’s statement amounts to slander against the BBC! The fact is that the ashram officials treated the BBC team high-handedly, throwing them out because they dared to ask for responses to the worldwide allegations of sex abuse, etc. This eviction alone shows how secret and autocratic a cult the whole Sai hierarchy has become and how they use all the political power they can muster to suppress anyone who speaks up and cover up everything. It is a cult with despotic tendencies. That led the BBC to dig deeper and they uncovered a great deal, only a small part of which could be included in a coherent one-hour film. Indeed, there remain eighty plus hours of footage in storage.

In “The Secret Swami”, Venkataraman’s superior in the Prashanthi Council, Dr. Michael Goldstein, would not reply to civil, sensible questions, which are those a responsible public would wish to ask. The BBC wanted him to explain the notorious Hislop letters [signed copies of which they had with them] which mention Goldstein as a recipient along with other leaders in the US Sai Organisation (but we do not know if the US bosses confided in their ‘brothers’ among the top leadership in India). Therefore, the BBC filmed him with hidden cameras. It acted entirely within the law (including the libel laws of the many countries where the film screened, as Goldstein found out when he tried to pursue them legally) and in the public’s best interests. Dr. Venkataraman has no tenable case.

I have to mention the name of Alaya Rahm because he is the one who filed a case on January 6th, 2006, in the Superior Court of California, Orange County. It was a lawsuit in which the plaintiff sued for money damages. The Court set the case for trial April 28, 2006.

At this point, I shall quote, with permission of course, from a letter we have received from Brother Robert Baskin of California, who is himself a lawyer. He has full knowledge of this case and I think it is best to quote from his report since it would be factually and legally the most accurate account we can present. This is what Baskin says concerning what happened to this lawsuit.

“Although Alaya Rahm’s accusations received some publicity before he filed his lawsuit, his claims were not thoroughly investigated until after the lawsuit was filed. The legal proceeding provided a forum in which his claims could be thoroughly and critically examined. Through this process of investigation, it was discovered that the plaintiff and his family had spoken at a number of retreats and conferences between 1995 and 1999, during the time that the events were alleged to have occurred. Inconsistent with his later accusations, these conference talks, many of which were recorded and have been transcribed, contain no suggestion of any wrongdoing and the earlier words spoken by the plaintiff would appear to refute his later accusations.

Through the process of discovery during the handling of the lawsuit, witnesses were identified and interviewed who were present in the Ashram in India when the events were alleged to have occurred which formed the basis of the plaintiff’s lawsuit. One of these witnesses brought the plaintiff to India in 1995, accompanied the plaintiff to India in 1997, and was present for some of the alleged interviews. The deposition of this witness was taken as a process of discovery in this lawsuit. The witness testified that he had a close and confidential relationship with Alaya Rahm from 1995 to 1997, spoke with the plaintiff on a daily basis when he was in the ashram in 1995 and 1997, discussed the details of each of the plaintiff’s interviews during that period and that Alaya Rahm never suggested during this period of time that any misconduct or wrongdoing had occurred. The deposition of the witness was taken in March 2006. Alaya Rahm dismissed his case after the deposition was taken.

"No offers of settlement were made in this case and no money or any other consideration was paid for a dismissal of the lawsuit. This dismissal should be the conclusion of this lawsuit.”

I must at this point, express my deep and personal thanks to Brother Baskin for that succinct account.

Comment: The lawyer who advises the Sathya Sai Society, which set itself up to avoid accountability, is Robert M. Baskin. As such, “Brother Baskin” gives an account that twists and ignores facts in a very tendentious way. Alaya Rahm’s claims, fully supported by his mother and father, were NEVER thoroughly investigated! A wholly predjudiced Sathya Sai Society opposed them. One of its defendants was Dr. M. Goldstein, who the BBC soundly exposed (see the BBC’s “The Secret Swami”) for his rigid prejudice towards Alaya Rahm’s allegations. The Rahm family’s meeting with him in September in La Fayette in Arkansas 1999 is typical of this sort of inaction.

The untruthful deposition by the devotee of Sai Baba, Lewis Kreydick had no effect whatsoever on the decision of Alaya Rahm to withdraw his case. The withdrawal was purely because his attorney could not find any person or accountable body to answer to the Alaya Rahm’s suit. He fully maintains these claims. There is nothing proved against them.

I do not know what you think about it, but as far as I am concerned, this case withdrawal by Alaya Rahm, before the suit came up for formal hearing before a Judge, knocks the bottom out of all the allegations that have been circulated during the last several years.

Comment: Not one accuser, out of scores around the world, has withdrawn his allegations. Read the statement by the International JuST Group, the Rahm Family and the family’s lawyer.

And please remember that Rahm would not have dismissed his own case, if he thought he had a chance of winning. The fact is he had no case, none at all, at any time. For years, Alaya Rahm got away with wild allegations, and the BBC made much of it. Why? Because they were never put to the legal test.

Comment: Nor was Alaya Rahm’s case put to the legal test. For reasons former devotee lawyers in the USA and elsewhere are having trouble in understanding, Rahm’s attorney embarked on the case only to discover that there was no legally incorporated entity to sue.

Kreydick's main point is that Alaya never mentioned the abuses to him. In the television documentaries, Alaya stated that he believed, at the time of the abuses, that if he spoke about them his family would reject him. Lewis Kreydick’s deposition is that of a blindly subjective devotee who attempted to slur Alaya Rahm. Kreydick claimed that he was a close friend and advisor to Alaya and made constant speculations about Alaya's state of mind (repeatedly objected to by Rahm’s attorney), claiming he could not have been abused and unhappy because he was all smiles. The attempt was to sully Alaya’s character (and, disgracefully, that of his mother, too!). This was heartless. Kreydick’s testimony totally disregarded the situation that Alaya was going through a tremendous inner upheaval while having to put up a brave face. Experts in sexual abuse attest that abusees, in the face of a situation too painful to admit fully into consciousness, can hide the turmoil about a situation beneath smiles. Here was an individual, knowing the terrible consequences in a US court should anyone perjure themselves, striving to tell his story of a very confusing and traumatic sexual abuse by his former guru, whom he had been raised to regard as God.

Emboldened by the apparent wide acceptance of his claims in the West, Rahm then thought he could seek damages and filed a lawsuit. But his attempt has backfired and the chief accuser has realised that. Quietly, he has withdrawn the case.

Comment: This is calumny! Venkataraman - who claimed he never listened - does not know Alaya Rahm’s motives. Alaya Rahm’s and his family’s active support of the JuST Public Statement on the case is not an example of ‘quiet withdrawal’, nor that of his lawyer, William Brelsford, which is plain testimony to Alaya Rahm’s reason for self-withdrawal of his case. Furthermore, there is no evidence whatever that Alaya Rahm proceeded out of a selfish motive, though he did wish to make the Sathya Sai Organisation accountable, although hindered by legal technicalities. He was bravely trying to create a legal precedent for the scores of alleging victims of Sathya Sai Baba, also so they might more easily obtain just compensation for the destruction to their lives. An increasing number of the many Indian Sai alumni (whom we carefully check for their bona fides) contact us. They relate that Sai Baba has sexually abused them or their brothers or friends. Recovery from serious abuses and preparing for public and legal confrontations takes those affected a long time, inner struggle, organization and effort. This is proven by the decades it took for victims of sexual abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, the Hare Krishna (ISKCON) movement and many other institutions to come forth and take action, not least after major top-down cover-ups by top officials in these bodies very similar to those current in the Sai Organisation.

His lawyer, William Brelsford, makes plain Alaya’s reason for self-withdrawal of his case – obstructive legal technicalities. Recovery from serious abuses and preparing for public and legal confrontations takes a long time, and much organization and effort by the survivors. The dossier is growing and some day will illuminate all. The depths of the depravity amaze even us. They will not remain hidden forever. Yes, though very differently from the reasons Venkataraman gives, eventually the truth will out!

signed,

Barry Pittard (bpittard@optusnet.com.au)

Robert Priddy (rero@chello.no)

Note: Several paragraphs from Venkataraman’s article were omitted in the above since they required no comment.

Extra Sources:

BBC on Basava Premanand's claims against Sai Baba
George Orwell's 1984
Unresolved, quashed investigations of murders in Sai Baba's bedroom, 1993
International Sai Petition (over 1,100 signatures)

Sai Org's Deception & Propaganda Exposed 2

2006-10-26T18:10:00.000+01:00

THE SATHYA SAI ORGANISATION'S DECEPTION AND
PROPAGANDA EXPOSED

PART TWO

(Part 1)

The foes of the 'open society' (Sir Karl Popper's term) are those who use its very openness to achieve their closed and devious ends. Sai Baba and his highly authoritarian and cultist organisation have such ends, which critics have tried to make known. Its foremost leaders silence all those who question it- and never face substantive criticisms. For the first time - after six years of pained and guilty silence - since hundreds of long-term devotees left it in disgust - the Sathya Sai Organisation has found it necessary to try to defuse the debate about Sathya Sai Baba's alleged crimes, deceits and fraudulence. Dr. Venkataraman's tendentious cover-up article expresses untruths which have long circulated within the cult, giving an opportunity to confront him with facts and truth, as follows:-

[Comments by the undersigned are in bold blue text:]

THE INEVITABLE COLLAPSE OF CALUMNY

by Dr. G. Venkataraman

[text in black from Radio Sai Listener's journal: Volume 4 - Issue 07 JULY 2006]

The Eternal Struggle Between Good And Evil

The Indian scriptures say that practically every Avatar has had enemies.

Comment: Most of the world does not accept Sai Baba as an avatar, nor ever will, as any student of religion knows. Despite his claims that in his own lifetime that he will first transform his own backyard, India, and then the rest of the world he will never succeed. His claims - such as that he will never look old - become daily ever more absurd as he becomes sicker-looking. He has undergone hip operations. His students and other aides have to prop him up. Several times, he has fallen over in full public view. He has walked around in circles, muttering incoherently. He has said - fully caught by BBC cameras! - that he had three tons of gold in him. This is to give but a few examples of his increasing physical and mental decay.

Many countries have laws stating that all are equal before the law. Those uninvited touchings - and much more invasive handling - of the genitals of young males that even many Sai devotees are forced to admit are true are not permitted by law. Only in most circumscribed medical circumstances may a medical doctor touch a person’s genitals. Sai Baba is not a doctor. He is answerable to the law, if only successive corrupt regimes in India did not protect him. Simply to “march ahead ignoring the background noise” is a central tenet of the authoritarian top-down Sai Organisation. No genuine feedback is accepted from rank-and-file members, who have relinquished all rights regarding it according to the Organization’s Charter and to whom even the slightest criticism is banned. We have thoroughly documented this from official sources. Statements by virtually every official and major document in the Sai Organization’s massive website propaganda make this clear.

I will not go into the details, but during every Incarnation there are enemies who challenge the Avatar in various ways. Sometimes, they even attack physically. Apparently, the enemies symbolise the evil on earth, and a struggle between the good and the evil is needed from time to time to establish the Eternal Truth that in the end, Good always triumphs over Evil.

Comment: This is sheer anathema again! If Venkatarman persists in calling former devotees ‘evil’, perhaps one day enough Sai devotees who know the quality of many who have left the Sai Organization will realise his bare-faced untruthfulness. To use one’s right to freedom of speech against provably false claims and criminal actions is not ‘evil’; on the contrary, it is just and right, hence good!

In the Krishna Avatar, for example, there was a demon called Jarasanda who repeatedly attacked Mathura, the city that was the capital of Krishna’s kingdom at that time. In fact, to protect His people, Krishna moved from Mathura to Dwaraka. Krishna was God Almighty in human form. He commanded all the Powers of God. If you recall, He revealed Himself as the Supreme Lord to Arjuna in the battlefield. And yet, why is it that the same Krishna did not dispose of Jarasanda, which He surely could have done in a jiffy? Well, those are the mystifying aspects of the Avatar! Such aspects are present in every Avatar. By the way, to complete this story, it was finally left to the hefty Pandava Bhima, to tear Jarasanda to pieces, literally.

Comment: Venkataraman clearly reveals his unspoken wish – and that of similar Sai devotees – to see Sai Baba’s critics torn to pieces, literally! How very loving and spiritual of him. To stamp people as demons, as he and his his supposedly compassionate Lord and master do, is to revert to primitive superstitions. No truly educated, rational person today would accept this perverse worldview.

Not many realise that attacks on Swami have always been there, almost from the time Swami declared His Avatarhood. If you read the accounts of people who used to travel to Puttaparthi in the good old days, they always tell us how the locals were quite hostile to Swami.

Comment: Now one can understand there were doubtless some very good reasons! The devotee Smt. Vijayamma’s account of Sai Baba’s relentless and continued beatings of her two-year old baby are just one point in case. Moreover, that Sai Baba was in a homosexual partnership even then is very evident from her text too!

For them, a little boy who used to be one of them simply could not be God. How on earth was that possible, they asked. But that phase soon passed off, and now we see how that very same Swami is being venerated by the people of those very same villages, who were once so hostile to Him.

Comment: It is in their economic interest - his becoming a major tourist attraction has raised their standard of living greatly. To try to oppose him now - when he controls the police, and has Supreme Court and High Court judges, Prime Ministers and Presidents and various government Ministers in his hand - would be far beyond any villager. So why, given their dire health problems, do they not swarm to his hospitals as they do to hospitals elsewhere in India? Relative to their size and opulence, his hospitals have very few patients. Are they not primarily Sai Baba promotional showpieces for the world and for use mainly by rich Indian and foreign devotees?

Later, came Vedic scholars who scoffed at Swami. How could this young man who never spent even a single day in Veda Patashala [Vedic school] know anything about the Vedas, they asked. But soon they realised that this was no ordinary young man but the One who was the very form of the Vedas, or Veda Pursusha, as He is known in ancient Indian scriptures.

Comment: Many Vedic scholars in India do not think that Sathya Sai Baba is God incarnate. The attempt to claim otherwise must be deeply offensive to many Indians.

In the sixties and seventies, it was Swami’s miracles that came under heavy attack. A whole bunch of rationalists pooh-poohed Him, challenging Swami to do this and that, so as to convince them. Swami has not come to convince anybody about His Divinity. Rather He has incarnated to tell man, “O man! Realise you are Divine and start acting Divine if not at least as a human. Do not be a slave to your senses and behave like an animal or worse still, like a devil.”

Comment: “Behaving like the devil”, or that ‘the devil’ exists, are totally discredited ideas among educated people. Among Christian sects, they take the form of fundamentalist Bible-thumping ideas, but each culture has its own weak-minded variants.

The rationalists made a lot of noise but the world soon got tired of them. However, some serious intellectuals like Murphet, Hislop, and Sandweiss came with open minds and realised that Swami was the Embodiment of Pure Consciousness.

Comment: Venkataraman cites those whose assumptions themselves are under well-founded and strong critical scrutiny. Whatever competence they may have gained in their own professions, they are not recognized as scholars in religious studies or as probing intellectuals commenting on great public questions. Sai Baba elevated Murphet, Hislop and Sandweiss to a pantheon-like position among his devotees.

The Blitz Interview

In mentioning all these names, I must not forget Rusi Karanjia, a self-declared atheist and Marxist, who published from Bombay, the then highly-popular weekly BLITZ.

Karanjia wrote many things against Swami until someone asked him, “How can you write about something when you have not checked the facts? Have you ever met Sai Baba? Have you checked out whether what you are publishing as facts are really facts and represent the truth?”

Comment: Indeed! Painstaking checking of facts at the expense of much time and energy by many Sai critics is why a range of agencies, and gave valuable time to the of the alleging victims – for example, Interpol, FBI, the Australian Federal Police, the German State Prosecutor’s Office, UNESCO, the State Department, and other governments, civic and religious institutions and many newspapers world-wide. When he generalizes about critics of Sai Baba, Venkataraman shows no evidence of checking his facts.

When his journalistic credentials were challenged, Karanjia came to Puttaparthi and Swami graciously granted him many interviews.

Being the journalist that he was, Karanjia asked many probing questions and Swami answered them all, patiently. Karanjia had to admit that he was mistaken and he wrote a book not only retracting all his earlier biased and critical opinions, but went so far as to describe Swami as the living God walking on earth! By the way, to my knowledge, with the exception of Karanjia, Swami has never granted interviews to pressmen in this fashion.

Comment: Why does Sai Baba refuse all other press interviews? We submit that questions from the independent press would be searching and would soon expose him.

For devotees, it is always a matter of great astonishment that the Lord could have enemies. “Why Swami,” many of them asked, “do You have enemies?” Swami always gave the same Comment: “It is only when there is darkness that people appreciate the value of light.”

In the same way, Avatars need enemies so that people understand better the difference between Good and Evil. In short, the appearance of villains in the Lord’s Story is preordained, and we need not be overly surprised by it.

Comment: Like the defenders of so many other personality cult leaders who come under serious and honest questioning, Venkataraman identifies critics as villains and enemies, his only basis being a false perception of all as fate predetermined by Sathya Sai Baba! Critics include many former Sai Organisation leaders who write incisive articles such as Stephen Carthew , Terry Gallagher, Serguei Badaev, Reidun Priddy, Britt-Marie Andén, Conny Larsson, Timothy Conway. Other writers who, in Venkataraman’s amusing scheme of things are ‘preordained’, include Brian Steel, Jorge Reyesvera (Mexico), Sanjay Dadlani (UK), (Sweden), Alexandra Nagel (The Netherlands), Åsa Samsioe (Sweden), Dr. Dale Beyerstein (Canada) Paul Holbach (Italy), Basava Premanand, Dr. Nayendra Nayak (both India), and numerous other ex-devotees and known independent journalists such as Duncan Roads (Australia), Mick Brown, Dominic Kennedy, Tanya Datta (all UK). Then, of course, there were the revealing investigations of the former top favourite of Sai Baba and adored by many devotees, David Bailey (UK). He went to great lengths, and suffered great and despicable calumny from Sai devotees when he, with the support of his wife Faye, formerly a key figure in the Australian Sathya Sai Organization, self-sacrificially set about to find out and disseminate the facts.

One of Sathya Sai Baba’s favourite long-time devotees was Dr. Naresh Bhatia, former head of the blood bank at Sai Baba’s Super-Speciality Hospital at Puttaparthi. He confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that he had had sexual relations with Sai Baba for 15 or 16 years, and that he was aware that Sai Baba had had sexual relations with “many, many” of his students, and had brutally raped a minor whom Dr. Bhatia examined afterwards and referred to a physician in Bangalore. Strangely, he still believed Sai Baba to be God. Dr. Bhatia, a top favourite lecturer to students and foreigners, was banished and silenced, his previously acclaimed book ‘Dreams and Realities…’ being stopped directly by the US Sai publisher, Leela Press, on the order of the Organisation).

Let me now focus on the more recent events, because the Court case I referred to earlier is connected with these.

Now the Opposition Uses Powerful Media

Starting from somewhere around the late-nineties, began what might be called the fourth anti-Sai wave. Thanks to the internet, this time, it was global. In the past, the targets of attack were Swami’s Divinity, His knowledge of the Vedas and His miracles. This time, the detractors went to the extent of questioning Swami’s purity and character itself. During this period, I was always quite busy with my work, and I therefore heard very little about the non-stop chatter in the gossip circles.

Comment: Former devotees are not gossips but men and women from a large array of social, educational and professional backgrounds. Does Venkataraman think that his accusations would endure in a proper court of law, or among the educated public? Many leaders and devotees know the integrity of those who have left the Sai Organisation for ethical and moral reasons. Acts of concealment and falsification of such facts by Sai Baba and his leaders will forever condemn them.

From time to time, someone or the other would try to tell me something about this nonsense but I politely kept my distance since I neither had the time for this sort of thing, nor any patience to listen to falsehood.

Comment: It takes patience to listen to anything critical, and folly to deem a matter false before even listening.

The slander campaign started amongst a few disgruntled devotees, and soon spread to those eager for sleaze and scandal.

Comment: Here we have the same old hypocritical mantra “disgruntled” chanted about defectors - it is the standard widely-parroted Prashanthi misconception. Former devotees have no heart for sleaze or scandal, but only for proper investigation of the facts. Many have made detailed investigation of the facts but leaders who remain in the organization have not done so. In their hearts, most of them know the valid reasons why so many have now left Sai Baba.

In that sense, the anti-Sai campaign did not amount to much and could be ignored. However, encouraged by the prevailing social atmosphere, the people bent on vilifying Swami now got a toehold in important circles.

Comment: Defectors sought justifiable exposure of vast-scale fraudulence, and, on a historic dimension, the worst spiritual betrayal and moral hypocrisy. Using the stark testimony of Sai Baba’s own printed words, we have demonstrated dozens of Sai Baba’s patent lies, false promises, manipulation of individuals and the masses, and his tremendous betrayal of trust when he maintains that ‘Swami is pure’ and that he represents Truth. He has said that he has magnetic feet that the earth pulls so that he cannot walk (miraculously?). That he never suffers from any illness (yet he is visibly senile). That – in his own words – he can “cure uncurable diseases”, and yet many Sai devotees know that his promises have proved false, though they often rationalize by saying e.g., “Swami must have meant cure him/her permanently by taking them away to Heaven”. That he has said he spat out a three-ton Siva lingam, which actually came from a towel on his lap, and rested lightly on a tray afterwards - captured for all to see on the BBC film!

He has stated that he will - going yet further than Krishna - lift a chain of mountains and fly through the air. Now, Venkataraman (supposedly a man of science?) defends all this claptrap. Such published statements by Sathya Sai Baba with his self-proclaimed omiscience ensure he will be a sectarian curiosity and a laughing stock.

First, there was a very negative article that appeared in The Times of London.

Comment: Actually, it was three articles, all appearing on August 27, 2001, which Venkataraman’s colleague, India’s Air Chief Marshal (Rtd) and others tried to get the Times of London not to publish: 1. ‘Suicide, sex and the guru’, 18 by Dominic Kennedy. 2. 'I sought peace and couldn't find it' by Michael Dynes in Durban and Dominic Kennedy. 3. ‘Three die after putting faith in guru’, by Dominic Kennedy.

After this came an anti-Swami Media advisory by the UNESCO, and to cap it all, there was the film by the BBC. I am sure you all know about these things and so I shall not spend much time on them. For the present, let me just mention the following:

When the Times article appeared, I was shocked as were many others. Here was one of the leading newspapers of the world, and it was publishing negative material without even a casual inquiry about the accuracy of the content. Some of us wrote letters to the Editor, but, contrary to the usual practice of giving some space to those with differing opinions, none of these letters were published. So much for objectivity of the Press!

Comment: Unlike Radio Sai, The Times is a respected world press leader, with high standards of source checking. Does Venkataraman really believe that such a paper (and other respected media) would publish “without even a casual inquiry about the accuracy …”? Why should the Editor publish the Sai leaders’ attempted propaganda on behalf of an organisation not willing to investigate disturbing allegations? The Times would not retract, despite the initiative of the autocratic and unaccountable accountant, Indulal Shah and retired Indian Air Chief Marshal N. C. Suri to influence this newspaper. The Times and officials of important institutions (UNESCO, the State Department, etc.) acted upon the allegations only after strenuous investigation of credentials and documentation by former devotees.

The fact that the Times refused to extend media courtesy due to us did not mean the end of the matter. One could not simply remain silent when wild allegations were being made and atrocious aspersions were being cast in so-called responsible quarters. That was when our respected Mr. Indulal Shah took the initiative and met the then Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee.

As a result of this meeting, a statement was prepared that was later signed by Mr. Vajpayee, the Prime Minister, Justice Bhagavathi, former Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranganath Mishra, another former Chief Justice of India, Mr. Shah made sure that the letter was seen by the top leaders of Europe, including the then Prime Minister of Britain.

Comment: However, Exposé personnel in London convinced the Foreign Office to warn the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He then ignored the invitation from Sai Baba to visit him at Brindavan when Blair was visiting literally across the road at the new IT center there! See Blair’s letter on this matter!

The ‘respected’ Mr. Indulal Shah, chief functionary of the Sri Satya Sai World Trust went on record with The Hindu, 10-6-1993 as follows: “When press persons met, he said, ‘the matter is purely internal and we do not wish to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it.” In this statement, he perfectly reflected the despotic methods favoured by him and the Sathya Sai Organisation.

signed,

Barry Pittard (bpittard@optusnet.com.au)

Robert Priddy (rero@chello.no)

Note: Several paragraphs from Venkataraman’s article were omitted in the above since they required no comment.

Extra Sources:

BBC on Basava Premanand's claims against Sai Baba
George Orwell's 1984
Unresolved, quashed investigations of murders in Sai Baba's bedroom, 1993
International Sai Petition (over 1,100 signatures)

Traitor Chandrababu

2006-10-25T05:18:00.000+01:00

A new blog by "Tiger Rana" levels very serious allegations against N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Home Minister for Andhra Pradesh, India, and current leader of the opposition in the Andhra State Assembly and chief of the Telugu Desam Party.

Among other things, Naidu is criticised for his associations with Sonia Gandhi as well as known gangland criminals such as Dawood Ibrahim. Check it out:

Traitor Chandrababu

N. Chandrababu Naidu is a Sathya Sai Baba devotee.

WATCH Yourself, Baba!

2006-10-25T04:09:00.000+01:00

One of Sathya Sai Baba's most famous epithets refers to his 'WATCH' philosophy; 'W' for watching your Words, 'A' for watching your Actions, and so on for Thoughts, Character and Heart. In other words this is one of those rare pieces of wisdom that you think are pretty clever until you become sick to the back teeth of hearing it repeated mindlessly until you are comatose, as it has been done in the Sai Organisation.

An anonymous tipper left me a piece of info about a certain Frank Outlaw who said this:

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

As the tipper asked, who copied from whom? And that question may well be asked since Sai Baba has a rather disturbing habit of hijacking people's clever sayings and pretending that they are his own. Another humorous example is when Sai Baba wrote a letter to a devotee that contained a philosophical message. Nothing wrong with that coming from a self-proclaimed avatar, but the only problem is that the message was an almost verbatim quote of Swami Vivekananda! This is documented fully in the popular book 'Vision Of The Divine' by E.B. Fanibunda. The funny part is where the author reasoned that copyright issues do not arise since it was Sathya Sai Baba who "inspired" Vivekananda to write those words, and simply repeated "himself" when he wrote the letter!

The brainwashing of Sai devotees is truly a unique phenomenon that has to be experienced to be believed.

Sai Baba's School Records - A New Light 4

2006-10-20T23:56:00.000+01:00

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By way of a quick recap, we have been discussing the possibility of Sathya Sai Baba's true birthdate as being October 4 1929, and not November 23 1926 as we have all been led to believe. The latter date was chosen as a means of hijacking a cryptic statement and mentioned date by Sri Aurobindo - a renowned contemporaneous saint - that signified the descent of "Krishna consciousness" onto earth on November 24 1926. Sathya Sai Baba's records from three of the schools he attended universally agree on his date of birth being October 4 1929 without exception. The young Sai Baba (Sathyanarayana Raju) also spent long periods of time away from school.

In this section we'll discuss circumstantial evidence that point to 1929 as being the real year of birth as well as it's knock-on effects regarding other monumental events in Raju's life. The devotee editors of LIMF attempt to present an unconvincing argument to explain away the glaring date discrepancy by referring to the allegedly relaxed recording of census information in pre-Independence India and why dates and birth registrations were carried out much later after the fact. This conflicts with their earlier insinuation that Raju's family deliberately engaged in deception in order to facilitate his so-called career prospects by making him appear younger. Of course nobody would begrudge any parents their ambitions for their children, and indeed it is related that Raju's parents wished for him to be highly educated so that he could attain a prestigious job working for local government. This argument flies right out of the window when you consider that changing the birth year to 1929 (supposedly three years "younger" than his "original" year of 1926) did him a disservice after all; both the Bukkapatnam and Uravakonda records show that most of Raju's classmates were born in the early to mid-1930s. If the family were deliberately trying to fix his date, they should have thought about bringing it forward into the early 1930s so that Raju could be on a par with his own classmates, putting aside the possibility that their birthdates were faked too. With their "faked" date of 1929, they ended up making Raju look like one of the older children!

Other anecdotes come from a very popular book - 'Anyatha Saranam Nasthi' - by Smt. Vijayamma Hemchand revealing Sai Baba as being the unwitting source of the 1929 birthdate. Readers should note that Vijayamma and her family first visited Raju in 1945 at a time when he was openly promoting himself as an incarnation of God. They attained an exceptional level of closeness to the young Baba that has been documented elsewhere on this blog. As noted already by Brian Steel:

"In 1945 the little girl's cousins were strolling in the affluent Bangalore suburb of Malleswaram when they heard bhajans being sung and entered the house to listen. Sai Baba, who was present there, invited them to go to Puttaparthi (whose name they had never heard). When they returned to their town of Kuppam (south-east of Bangalore, but in today's Andhra Pradesh), the cousins told the girl's mother about their meeting. The latter was keen for them all to go, but the idea was vetoed by the father, who said: 'You tell me He is sixteen years old and claims to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai. This is all humbug'." (p. 12)

If Sathya Sai Baba was considered sixteen years of age in 1945, do the math:

1945 - 16 = 1929

It's almost magical when you factor in the new year of declaration. To wit, Sathya Sai Baba's biographers have always contended that he was fourteen years of age when his momentous declaration of May 23 1940 (as the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba among other things) took place. This is problematic as noted by Erlendur Haraldsson (an eminent devotee author), who contended that the biographers had either got the date of the declaration wrong or that Sathya Sai was thirteen at the time. Now that research has provided new evidence that this declaration took place in 1943, you can check the sums yourself:

1943 - 14 = 1929

Voila! It's amazing that such simple conclusions were under people's noses for so long. Vijayamma's book is good for one thing in particular by informing us that the first official celebration of Sathya Sai's birthday on November 23 took place in 1950, the year his ashram 'Prashanti Nilayam' was formally inaugurated:

"Till that day, prominence had not been given to Swami's Birthday. But that day we prayed to Swami to permit us to celebrate it." (p. 161)

Our recent Shirdi Lies exposé turned up the information that many of the momentous events took place in 1943, namely Raju's being bitten by a scorpion, his announcement of being 'Sai Baba', and then his formally leaving home and material attachments. Combined with the newly released school records that conclusively prove that he was a school student between 1936 and 1943, how is it that the official biography contains such appallingly inaccurate information about how these events took place in 1940? How could Raju be bitten by a scorpion in Uravakonda in March 1940 when he was still studying in the Puttaparthi Government-aided Elementary school and would transfer to Kamalapuram in the next three months? How could he declare himself as 'Sai Baba' and the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba in May 1940 when he was still in the Puttaparthi Elementary school as per the records? And how could he leave home (in Uravakonda) and be free of material attachments in October 1940 when he had gained admittance there in July 1943?

We are dealing with a two-pronged problem; if the events happened with a fourteen-year-old Raju in 1943 then this implies a birthdate of 1929, and if Raju was born in 1929 then this would make him fourteen years of age in 1943. The years 1926 and 1940 don't even figure since neither are supported by the documented and administrative evidence. LIMF tries to fob people off with the following:

"Indian spirituality tends to discourage numerous debates on scholarly details relating to time and space, for it is concerned with a realm beyond time and space. Sri Sathya Sai Baba also disapproves of such debates ... In this light it is not so mystifying that, right from the middle of the 1950s, biographers have accepted 1940 as the year of Declaration. Many important evidences were not readily accessible to researchers at the time - hence, this difference. The year of the Grand Declaration is officially taken as 1940. " - LIMF, p. 149

This argument also flies out of the window when you consider Kasturi's pre-eminent position as Sathya Sai Baba's authorised biographer and his having been granted unfettered access (from 1948 onwards) to the Baba himself in order to collect information, what to speak of being granted permission to speak to the Baba's relatives, friends, classmates and kinsfolk of the village. If it was so easy for the LIMF research team to acquire access to the Baba's school records, why couldn't Kasturi have done it at a time when they were still 'fresh', what to speak of including that information in his work? As we have shown elsewhere, Kasturi's reportage of the 'scorpion bite' incident was decidely sloppy.

Moreoever, we must not forget that we are dealing with an 'Avatar' in Sai Baba, the most powerful Avatar in the history of creation according to him. Consequently, and at least for the sake of his devotees, isn't it appropriate to hammer out all these details and get them correct so that a proper life history can be preserved? One would think that if Jesus Christ had such a great and dominating influence over people for them to divide Time itself into 'Before Christ' and 'Anno Domini' eras, how much more chance exists of a similar division taking place in honour of the great 'Sai Avatar'?

The intrinsic message of this series of articles is to highlight a grand deception and massive cover-up that is going on with Sathya Sai Baba. The usurpation of Sri Aurobindo's "Avatar date" was itself a shameless act in itself, but to proceed with a wholesale arrogation of Shirdi Sai Baba's name and fame and continue the deception for several decades is an action of breathless arrogance and complete disregard for truth and righteousness, ironically two of the values that 'Sathya' Sai Baba appears to stand for. It remains to be seen for how long Raju & Co. can keep up with the charade until the whole empire comes crumbling down by itself, creaking on it's own weak foundations.

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Sai Baba's School Records - A New Light 3

2006-10-20T23:52:00.000+01:00

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A major problem in trying to understand Sathya Sai Baba's life relates to relying heavily on 'official' material, such as the authorised 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram' hagiogaphy by N. Kasturi, whose authenticity and reliability have come under serious scrutiny. A common misconception relating to the young Sai Baba (as Sathyanarayana Raju) is the assumption of his continuance of education in nearby Bukkapatnam, all because it happens to be the neighbouring town. Meticulous research by way of analysing all of Raju's available school records show his education movements as follows:

Puttaparthi - Kamalapuram - Bukkapatnam - Uravakonda

The reason given to account for such upheaval relates to how Raju's parents entrusted the responsibility of his education to their eldest son, Seshama, who was a teacher by occupation and was himself frequently transferred around the district to teach. Consequently Raju followed his brother and lived in the same house along with him, his sister-in-law and her relatives. And so Raju was transferred from the Government-aided Elementary School in Puttaparthi to the Board Middle School in Kamalapuram. Thanks to Seshama's disruptive transfers, he was transferred from there to the Samithi Elementary School at Bukkapatnam. For the first time Raju's transfer certificate (from Kamalapuram to Bukkapatnam) has been released on the Internet and which furnishes us with the following salient information:

(Click to enlarge)

Name of the school which the pupil is leaving: B.M. School Kamalapuram
Name of the pupil: Ratnakaram Satyanarayana
Date of birth as entered in the admission register: 4.10.1929 (Fourth October Nineteen Twenty Nine)
Class or form in which the pupil was [unintelligible] at the time of leaving (in words): First Form
Date of admission or promotion to that class or form: 11.6.40
Date when the pupil actually left the school: 22.4.41
Date on which application for transfer certificate was made on behalf of the pupil by the parent or guardian: 20.6.41
Date of transfer certificate: 20.6.41

The significance here is of a second official administrative document listing Raju's birthdate as October 4 1929 and that this was declared as such on June 11 1940, the date of Raju's admission to the Kamalapuram school. To follow Seshama to Bukkapatnam and join the school there, Raju left Kamalapuram on April 22 1941, and that the transfer certificate was filed after the fact (June 20 1941), a period of just under two whole months. These figures fit in very nicely with the information contained in the Bukkapatnam record, namely that Raju's admission to the 8th Standard (Form One) took place on July 5 1941, a month and one week after he had left Kamalapuram, and just around two weeks after the transfer certificate was filed. There, again, Raju's birthdate of October 4 1929 was listed in the Bukkapatnam records.

After Seshama was transferred again, Raju was admitted into the Karibasavaswami District Board High School in Uravakonda. His records of admission there turn up more unusual and salient facts:

(Click to enlarge)

Student Number: 422
Name in full: R. Satyanarayana
House or village name: Rathanaharam
Parent: R.P. Venkappa
Residence: Puttaparthi
Ocupation of parent or guardian: Teacher
Date of admission: 1-7-43
Date of birth: 4-10-39 [See notes below]
Religion: Hindu
Caste: Rajapuri
Class on admission: III F.

With the appearance of a third official administrative document (again released for the first time on the Internet) we get the information that Raju was admitted to the Uravakonda school on July 1 1943 and straight into Form Three. This is an educational impossibility for Raju to skip an an entire year (Form Two) after apparently passing Form One at Bukkapatnam. LIMF posits that since over a year had passed between Raju's leaving of Bukkapatnam (April 6 1942) it was possible that he was personally tutored at home by Seshama. The birthdate here presents a curiosity of sorts; whereas the original entry stated October 4 1939 (and even spelled out as 'October Thirty nine'), a close look at the record reveals an apparent correction of October 4 1929, that too being spelled out as 'Fourth October Nineteen Twenty Nine'.

A partially legible note on the right side of the record appears to clarify this correction and states thus:

"Compared with --- original --- --- & date of birth corrected as 4.10.1929. (p. 32 of the --- regs.)"

As far as this note is legible, this correction was made on August 11 1976! The writer of that note has also appended it with his signature in two places, at the date correction and after the clarificatory note. It is a pity that people tend not to write too clearly and that time also tends to ravage sensitive documents, but it is a stupendous achievement that we have no less than three independent pieces of evidence that confirm Sathyanarayana Raju's birthdate as October 4 1929, and that the major pieces - further research notwithstanding - all fit neatly together.

This "controversy" can now be put to bed, but not before some further musings. You didn't really think it was over yet, did you? ;-)

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Sai Baba's School Records - A New Light 2

2006-10-20T23:40:00.000+01:00

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Criticisms of Sai Baba's Bukkapatnam school record usually employ a tactic of avoidance, the noted characteristic to deflect attention away from Baba's (then Sathyanarayana Raju) details by focusing on the details of others. In this way, the school record has suffered criticism over the untenable birthdates of other students. For a start, ten of the 12 students listed (in the cropped image, the full record lists sixteen students) all share a birthday of July 1st, that is, July 1st in the years 1925, 1926, 1933, 1934 and 1935. Along with this, the surname of 'Frakrodeem' (student no. 470) is 'Puttaparthi'. Critics contend that since Puttaparthi is the name of Raju's home village it cannot also be a surname. While Raju is listed as being admitted into the 8th Standard, every other student is shown as being admitted into the 1st Standard with two students listed as being 3-4 years older than Raju. In the words of the critic, "that simply is not possible!"

It is a clear improbability for 10 students in a small backwoods village to all share the same birthdate. Considering this along with some other minor discrepancies, considerable doubt has been thrown on the authenticity of the school record itself. In my opinion that is going too far, because the photostat of the school record is a true and correct scan of the original that is kept in the records of the Samithi Elementary School, Bukkapatnam. This doesn't assist in solving the puzzle of Raju's recorded birthdate of Ocotber 4 1929, and so the following extract from LIMF has been offered by critics and sceptics alike in an attempt at explanation:

"Sathya's date of birth in school records, however, is recorded as the 4th of October 1929 - and not the traditionally recognized date of the 23rd of November 1926. Talipineni Kesappa, son of Talipineni Ramappa maintains that Sathya was one year senior to him at school; therefore, Kesappa's date of birth being 11th of June 1927, Sathya's year of birth definitely is 1926. It has long been a practice in the schools to record a date of birth as being much later than the 'actual' date of birth - in order to facilitate career prospects. Sathya's parents wanted Sathya to become an educated officer. This, possibly could be the reason for the discrepancy. In addition, in 1926, people in remote villages like Puttaparthi, in pre-independent India, were not very particular about dates and birth registration was done much later." - LIMF, p. 68.

Critics have drawn attention to remarks made by Littler Mendelson Bacon & Dear PLLC (an India-related law firm):

"School records and 'birth records' issued by a hospital or church are insufficient substitutes for birth certificates ... Prior to 1970, however, reporting of births was voluntary."

All that may sound impressive but these are yet more devices to apologise for Raju's traditional birthdate (Nov. 23 1926). Critics also allege that since Raju (as 'Sathya Sai Baba') has made only one overseas visit to Africa, his passport would show a birthdate that can be held to be true since it is generally assumed that passports contain correct legal information. This is not strictly true: a member of my own family has an incorrectly recorded birthdate and their passport reflects this. This was most probably due to the pre-Independence situation in India when birthdates and other information were not strictly recorded, but the fact remains that this error has been perpetuated. In the same way this poor argument works negatively against Sathya Sai Baba; if people were really disinclined to record information correctly, who is to say that November 23 1926 is the correct birthdate since Raju and his family never recorded it as such?

All of these problems have a solution. :-)

Due to the pre-Independence situation of not keeping records correctly, is it at all surprising that that ten students share the same birthdate with differing years? Who knows whether the families of the students were not in posession of the knowledge, or whether it was down to a lazy school clerk who just rubber-stamped the papers and put them in his outbox?

Is it really that important if Frakrodeem's surname is 'Puttaparthi', the name of the village? Perhaps Frakodeem and/or his family wished to be known as in ancient times according to the land of their birth; 'Frakrodeem of Puttaparthi', as exists in classical literature. Alternatively, the sad situation in third-world India is that many poor people are largely illiterate and have no knowledge of their own family background and social strata, so it is again unsurprising that poor Frakrodeem may not have known his surname and just agreed to be known as a resident of the village. Or it could be that lazy clerk again who had deadlines and targets to meet.

When critics point out the discrepancy in the record of the difference between the 1st and 8th Standards, the reveal their appalling ignorance of conventional Indian education standards. I guess you just have to be brought up in India to know that the 8th Standard is also known as 'Form One', and that this is what is noted in the Bukkapatnam school record when other students are noted as being admitted in the "1st Standard". '1st Standard' and 'Form One' are two different things altogether. This is supported by the details in LIMF, and a fuller analysis of Raju's school years will be carried out at a later date. One would also be wise to note that, unlike in Western educational systems, students are not always categorised and taught by age but by educational achievement. In India it is entirely possible to be 'promoted' and 'demoted' according to exam results and other factors, and to be in a class with students of assorted ages. Of course the general trend is to 'maintain' one's position along with one's peers and to graduate and pass to the next class accordingly, as demotion to study the class again with the junior chaps would be humiliating. However in a backwoods and illiterate poor village like Puttaparthi and Bukkapatnam, the students cannot be expected to be as fastidious.

Anyhow we may note that the majority of the criticisms have been neutralised. All that remains is to explain how and why October 4 1929 is the true birthdate of Raju aka Sathya Sai Baba.

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Sai Baba's School Records - A New Light

2006-10-20T06:35:00.000+01:00

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For some years a simmering controversy on the subject of Sathya Sai Baba's true date of birth has continued to send ripples through the bearings of the whole Sai scandal. Before I proceed to relate my own findings and reflections on the same, I'll attempt to offer the readers a refresher regarding the background of this subject.

This issue was first broached by Hari Sampath in an article for ExBaba.Com, wherein the book 'Love Is My Form' (published 2000, henceforth referred to as 'LIMF') was used as a major source for this claim. To wit, a photostat in LIMF of Sai Baba's school records at Bukkapatnam (a town near his home village of Puttaparthi) was scanned and produced that appeared to evidence the following points:

Sai Baba (real name Sathyanarayana Raju) was born on October 4 1929.
According to Indian matriculation levels, Raju was in the 8th Standard at the time.
Raju was a student of the school on and around July 5 1941 as the date of the record itself is evidence of this, having been dated as such.
Mention is made of an exam scheduled for April 6 1942.

Raju is listed under Entry No. 466:

(Click to enlarge)

Why these facts are important is because, for one thing, since 1950 Raju's birthday has been celebrated on the date of November 23, 1926. Raju is also supposed to have declared his divinity in May 1940 and even went further as to leave home and become a 'full-time' avatar later that year (October 20, 1940). Clearly the dating of these events are contradicted by his school records. Although Sampath made it very clear in later addendums that he was personally convinced that the twin events of the declaration of divinity and the assumption of avatarhood were both false and never happened as real historical events, he stated that he brought all these facts to light in order to highlight the inconsistencies that exist between official administrative documents and the legend.

Following Sampath's arguments, one may ask of the significance of Novermber 23, 1926 and why that date was selected for birthday celebrations? The easy answer is Sri Aurobindo, who, on November 24, 1926, declared the following:

"November 24, 1926, was the descent of Krishna into the physical. A power infallible shall lead the thought. In earthly hearts kindle the Immortal's Fire, even the multitude shall hear the voice."

Unsurprisingly, Sai devotees have seized on this as proof of Sai Baba's divinity and identity with God (Krishna) with no exception, given their belief that Aurobindo was referring to the Baba who was supposedly born on the previous day (Nov. 23). The main problem with this idea is that the followers of Aurobindo widely believe that he was referring to the descent of "Krishna consciousness" into himself, being that he had been in a meditative trance for a long while and had emerged out of said trance on November 24 to inform his followers of his revelation. As an interesting aside, Aurobindo largely retired from public interactions from that date onwards and preferred to spend long periods of time in seclusion while communicating with his followers via letters. Incorrigible Sai devotees seize on that too, presenting it as an example of Aurobindo's taking of voluntary retirement after handing the reins over to "God incarnate"!

Be that as it may, the Aurobindo theory is the most likely explanation for the selection of November 23 1926 as the official birthday of Sathyanarayana Raju. Contemporaneous saints such as Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda and others were very famous in those days, so it is not unlikely that Raju & Co. had heard of Aurobindo and his cryptic pronouncement. What happened next appears to be a sordid example of gross misrepresentationa and a hijacking of a saint's inheritance by way of deliberate deception and wilful concoctions in order to support an "avatarhood" house of cards.

Of course, this theory along with it's supporting evidence cannot be expected to appeal to all. One vociferous critic, Gerald 'Joe' Moreno, had much to say in rebuttal although this is not to affirm said rebuttals as correct or worthy of response. For a start, Moreno made a big hue and cry over the status and price of LIMF, affirming that the text was a private venture that was not approved or authenticated by the Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust. Given that LIMF is a monumental research work that involved extensive interviewing of Sathya Sai Baba's surviving relatives, friends and classmates over a period of seven years, it is inevitable that new facts would turn up as they have done, and that this in itself does not invalidate the work itself. Complaining about the price of the work ($149.95 hardback, $55.11 paperback) was particularly laughable, especially Moreno's contention that it was "undeniable that the prime motive to make this volume series was money". As a point of interest, a former devotee has been kind enough to donate his copy of LIMF to me for free and I can personally testify to the sheer bulk of the book! It is indeed a work of extraordinary size, and I have trouble holding it in my arms to read it without any form of support.

Bearing this in mind, I think that the expensive price is entirely reasonable when considering the bulkiness of the volume. In the next part of this series, I'll address more of Moreno's shallow criticisms and explain how - in the light of new evidence - they will now be untenable.

One | Two | Three | Four

Sai Baba's School Records Index

2006-10-20T06:30:00.000+01:00

A Full Exposure of Sathya Sai Baba's date of birth and related issues and featuring never before released evidence of the Baba's school records. Complete re-evaluation of the facts in the light of new research that blows apart unquestioned and accepted histories related to the birth and school education of Sathyanarayana Raju aka Sathya Sai Baba.

A New Light - | Introduction | Bukkapatnam school record discussion | Reveals D.O.B. as October 4, 1929 | Discussion of Sri Aurobindo's cryptic remark | Aurobindo hijacked by Sai colluders | Gerald Moreno's criticisms ridiculed |

A New Light 2 - | Criticisms continued | Inconsistent entries on Bukkapatnam record | Bukkapatnam record is not fraudulent | Apologetic explanations for 1929 birthdate | Passports are not evidence of true birthdates | Explanation for Bukkapatnam inconsistent entries | 8th Standard is equal to 'Form One' | Indian education dissimilar to Western education |

A New Light 3 - | Actual sequence of Raju's education different from 'official' sources | Seshama Raju's frequent job transfers | First-time release of Kamalapuram transfer record | Reveals D.O.B. as October 4, 1929 (spelled out) | Transfer form filed after the fact | Raju transferred to Uravakonda | First-time release of Uravakonda school record | Reveals D.O.B. as October 4, 1939 (later corrected year to 1929) | Existence of all three independent evidences confirms 1929 birthdate |

A New Light 4 - | Recap of topic | Recap of apologetic explanations | Facilitation of Raju's career prospects is laughable | Vijayamma Hemchand appears to confirm 1929 birthdate | Problematic 'Declaration' date resolved with 1929 birthdate | First November 23rd Birthday celebration in 1950 | Discussion in light of Shirdi Lies | 1926 and 1940 dates declared an impossibility | Kasturi's sloppy research | Consideration of correct 'Avatar' birthday | Decades of systematic deception | Conclusion |

No more arguments.

Sathya Sai Baba was born on

October 4th 1929.

Needs To Get A Life

2006-10-15T05:00:00.000+01:00

Vinayak Krishna Gokak, eminent author and devotee had the following to say about Sathya Sai Baba in his book, 'The Man And The Avatar':

"Baba has no life of his own." - p. 39.

No kidding. But not to worry, here you go Swami. This one's on me:

Shashi Tharoor - What Went Wrong?

2006-10-13T04:27:00.000+01:00

Since we have adequately covered the Sai Baba angle on the Shashi Tharoor UN appointment saga, we felt that an editorial by a respected Indian journalist would help clarify matters and make it easier to understand why Tharoor's candidature was flawed from the beginning:

Shashi Tharoor's defeat was staring at Govt's face

- G. Parthasarathy

"The Manmohan Singh Government seems to have become increasingly accident prone in recent days. Ill-considered actions inevitably lead to disastrous results. We have seen the brazen and arrogant Pakistani reaction to our concerns about the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist groups, the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed in the 7/11 Mumbai bomb blasts. This was inevitable following ill-advised statements in Havana suggesting that Pakistan, like India, is a 'victim of terrorism' and the decision to set up a joint mechanism to deal with terrorism. Coming close on the heels of this setback, is yet another major international rebuff for India, with its candidate for the post of UN Secretary General, Shashi Tharoor, being forced to acknowledge defeat and withdraw his candidature.

"Tharoor found that he had consistently trailed behind his South Korean rival Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon in 'straw polls' of the 15 UN Security Council members. He eventually had his candidature rejected and killed by opposition from a Permanent Member of the Security Council. Professional diplomats in South Block with years of experience of the UN had, from the very outset, warned that Tharoor's candidature was doomed to failure. The candidature was announced with no prior consultations with our permanent mission to the UN and without consultations with even a single permanent member of the UN Security Council. Moreover, past experience has shown that any candidate who does not enjoy the support of either the US or China will find that the US and China will make common cause behind the scenes, to have him defeated. It was quite evident following Manmohan Singh's visit to St Petersburg that even a traditional friend like Russia was unwilling to publicly support Tharoor's candidature.

"When President Bush made it clear that he favoured a candidate from East Asia, it should have been evident that the Americans would not, in an ultimate analysis, back Tharoor. Tharoor would have been well advised to back off when he received only eight out of 15 positive votes in the third "straw poll". He instead chose to brazen it out and had to be forced out of the reckoning in the fourth poll when he faced a veto from a permanent member of the Security Council, with little doubt now that his candidature was killed by American opposition. It could, of course, be argued that no great harm has been caused by this episode. This would be a serious error of judgement. It took us nearly a decade to recover from the trouncing we received by 142 votes to 40 when we challenged Japan for a seat to the UN Security Council in 1996.

"Across the world, the word will go around that when push came to shove the Americans preferred to back a traditional ally, rather than a country they claim is a new found "strategic partner". And it will be noted that the Americans have had intensive backroom consultation with the Chinese on this issue, much to the embarrassment of India. What is most regrettable about this setback is that it comes after a decade of patient diplomacy had resulted in a new international profile for India with its membership of the East Asia Summit, its participation as a partner with major industrial powers at G-8 Summits, the establishment of the South Africa, Brazil, India Strategic Triangle and its resounding success in obtaining support this year for election to the UN Human Rights Commission.

"It is fashionable in the present dispensation for Government's cheer leaders in the media and elsewhere to ridicule the views of those with specialised experience in fields like diplomacy, national security or nuclear energy by labelling their views as being 'outdated' and not in consonance with the 'out-of-the-box' thinking that is supposed to lead to greater domestic and international glory for the country. One hopes that the Tharoor debacle will lead to the Government carefully weighing the pros and cons of its actions, rather than rushing to embrace 'out-of-the-box' initiatives in foreign policy-initiatives that can only embarrass the country."

Tharoor UN Nomination Flops

2006-10-10T05:56:00.000+01:00

This comes a bit late in the day, but 'tis worthwhile to report that Shashi Tharoor's candidature and nomination to the UN Secretary-General post (after it is vacated by Kofi Annan at the end of this yeaR) has comprehensively failed.

According to reports (5th October):

"The Security Council has conducted four straw polls, on 24 July, 14 September, 28 September and 2 October in which each of the 15 member states were asked whether they would 'encourage' or 'discourage' each of the official candidates (or if they had 'no opinion' on the candidate). Ban Ki-moon topped each of these polls. In the fourth poll, Ban emerged as the only candidate with the support of all five permanent members, each of whom has the power to veto candidates. After the vote, Shashi Tharoor, who finished second, withdrew his candidacy and China's Permanent Representative to the UN told reporters that 'it is quite clear from today's straw poll that Minister Ban Ki-moon is the candidate that the Security Council will recommend to the General Assembly'."

For the record, Tharoor ran a close second in each of the straw polls and finally withdrew from the race after the results of the fourth straw poll were revealed, telling reporters that he was “confident that Ban will win”.

On the 9th October, the Security Council announced its formal nomination of Ban Ki-moon (South Korean candidate) as Secretary General for a 5-year term to run from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011. After the withdrawal of Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Ban Ki-moon was the sole candidate for the position. His appointment will take effect after the 192 member General Assembly gives final approval.

This news will bring relief and joy to the worried and anxious hearts who feared the consequences brought about by Sai Baba's man in the UN wielding power like anything. Despite his questionable devotion to Sathya Sai Baba, Tharoor's nomination has proven unsuccessful and this yet another occasion where the goons of Puttaparthi will tear out their hair and scream in frustration, having lost yet another opportunity to publicise and boast of their attainments as well as the expected pride and preening about the man from Kerala rising to a position of global power.

Politicians and rising stars take note: Sai Baba brings bad luck. The last great politician who was claimed to be in receipt of the Baba's blessings was a certain Mr. Gore in the year 2000. And we all know what happened there...

Related articles:

Shashi Tharoor: The Sai Baba Connection
Even More Tharoor Tribulations
Rising Opposition To Shashi Tharoor
Vajpayee Endorses Shashi Tharoor
Rationalists Boo Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor: Next UN Sec-Gen?

Rege Rebuffs Sai Baba

2006-10-03T01:55:00.000+01:00

I wrote this a couple of months ago on a forum, but it seems especially relevant to post (with some slight edits) in light of the very recent devastating expose of Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES.

------------------------------------------

From a recent article sent to me by email:

"[Narasimha] Swamiji's picture was unveiled on 26th January, 1966 by Justice M. B. Rege in the Samadhi Mandir at Shirdi and was presented to Shirdi Sansthan and this portrait is kept along with those of other devotees."

For those who do not understand, B.V. Narasimha Swamiji became a fervent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba (after the Baba had passed away) and who spent the bulk of his life's work in collecting stories about Shirdi Baba from his direct disciples in order to publish books on the Baba, which included a four-part biography and a three-part compilation of devotees' experiences. He also founded the 'Sai Sudha' magazine and was responsible for the founding of the All India Sai Samaj, based in Madras. By any reckoning he was a very highly-placed and very important devotee.

The passage above explains that how, after Narasimha Swamiji's passing away, Justice M. B. Rege unveiled the Swami's portrait in the Samadhi Mandir at Shirdi so that Narasimha Swamiji is recognised forever as one of Shirdi Baba's dedicated disciples, even if he never met Shirdi Baba personally. The Swami himself passed away in 1956.

The important part is that this unveiling was done in 1966 which means that Rege was obviously alive at the time. Rege was a direct disciple of Shirdi Sai Baba and who associated with him many times. Rege's experiences are listed in the Sai Satcharita and other Shirdi literature. Ditto for Das Ganu and other direct disciples of Shirdi Baba.

Sathya Sai Baba declared himself the reincarnation of Shirdi Baba in 1940, when we now know that this happened in 1943. His temple, Prashanti Nilayam, was constructed in 1950. In 1961 he went on a massive pilgrimage to Badrinath, not forgetting his regular and constant visits to his devotees all over the country, including royal families, judges and other rich people that have been going since 1948 at the least. In short, he was actively promoting himself as the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. According to Sathya Sai's biographers, we are expected to believe that his fame grew far and wide.

Suffice to say, Narasimha Swamiji, Rege and Das Ganu among other direct disciples must have heard of Sathya's reincarnation claims, yet none of them believed it or declared that he was Shirdi's reincarnation.

Food for thought, don't you think?

Afterword:

I recently spotted this passage from the hagiography of RA. Ganapati, where he attempts to explain his reasonings for why Sathya is definitely a reincarnation of Shirdi Baba. See for yourself:

"If even some of the stalwarts of the Shirdi devotees like Rege and Narasimha Svami do not accept Parti Baba, this is to be taken as an inexplicable leela of his!" - Baba Satya Sai (Part 1), p. 154.

This type of reasoning is almost asinine and at the very least, betrays a complete ignorance of the Shirdi milieu. Justice M.B. Rege was a beloved devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba who embraced him on their first meeting, and the Baba lovingly considered Rege to be his 'Ankita' (child). Furthermore, Rege specifically extracted a promise from Shirdi Baba that the Baba would lovingly protect him and be with him in any future birth which he had to take, to which the Baba graciously promised that he would do.

Several Sathya Sai devotees, who are still alive today, are supposedly the living reincarnations of their Shirdi prototypes just like Sathya Sai is supposedly the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai. Indeed, Sathya Sai has revealed to a "chosen few" that they were with him in his "previous birth". When this mythology is being actively propagated and when Rege himself was still alive as late as 1966, at a time when Sathya Sai was actively promoting himself as the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai and as an avatar, one wonders why Rege was not 'called' to be his devotee?

Rege, of all people who had actively associated with the Baba of Shirdi and was his dedicated devotee, would have had the authority to confirm the authenticity of Sathya Sai one way or another. This is especially ironic in the light of Shirdi Sai Baba's personal promise to him. To wit, if Sathya Sai was really Shirdi Sai, he would have called Rege to him invariably as Shirdi Sai Baba used to famously declare that he drew his men to him just as a hunter catches pigeons with a wire-rope around their feet. Narasimha Swamiji is believed to have met the young Sathya Sai circa 1943 and observed his exhibition of miracle-mongering, but still penned his findings in his 'Life of Sai Baba' that no alleged reincarnation exhibited even a pinch of Shirdi Sai Baba's power, not least the fact that there is no need for any reincarnation as such since Shirdi Baba is still "active from his tomb".

Ganapati is unfortunately ignorant about these things due to his evident bias in favour of Sathya Sai, and to rationalise it away as a "leela" (play) of Sathya Sai's is decidedly unconvincing. I have spotted several phrases in Narasimha Swamiji's books that Ganapati has unashamedly lifted and spun in the same favour for Sathya Sai. This bespeaks of a disturbing trend of intellectual dishonesty that started with Kasturi and continues even today. Perhaps now that the truth is out, people with a critical and rational mind may be able to make use of this information and look at Sathya Sai Baba in an entirely new light. A sinister light.

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 5

2006-09-28T11:55:00.000+01:00

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

A shocking discovery in my research consisted of information about how Sathya Sai devotees are unashamedly using the name of known Shirdi authorities to acquire a measure of authenticity for their "avatar". More specifically, Venkamma and Seshama Raju (Sathya Sai's elder brother and sister) were jointly interviewed by V. Balu and Shakuntala Balu and were reported to have surrendered the following information about what occurred soon after Raju publicly declared himself as the reincarnation of Shirdi Baba:

"He [Raju] stayed in Uravakonda for some time more. People came from far and near to attend his bhajans. His fame spread like wild fire. Many sceptics came and were convinced. Mr. B.V. Narasimhaswamy, who wrote the life of Shirdi Sai Baba in detail and established the Sai Samaj in Madras, went to see Sathyam. He said to Seshama Raju, 'Though we do prachar [preaching] of [Shirdi] Sai Baba, we have not been as effective as this boy in spreading the name of Sai Baba. Whether he is an incarnation or not of Sai Baba, only time will tell.' He also wrote about this in the Sai Sudha magazine." - Divine Glory, p. 146.

No matter how you look at this, this story certainly serves as an example of almost shameless publicity-seeking. We have previously noted the status of Narasimha Swamiji in the firmament of the Shirdi sky, providing a brief description of his life achievements while we were at it, and suffice to say that it is largely down to his efforts that the name of Shirdi Sai Baba spread throughout India on account of his enthusiastic preaching and construction of temples in the Baba's honour, also founding and editing the 'Sai Sudha' magazine.

A prominent feature of the Swamiji's activities entailed travelling far and wide to meet with those who had directly met with Shirdi Sai Baba and experienced his miracles and presence first-hand. Part and parcel of this was to meet with several "reincarnations" who, by the early 1920s (Shirdi Sai Baba died in 1918), were already sprouting up here and there. In his famous four-volume biography of Shirdi Sai, Narasimha Swami relates how he personally met several such reincarnations and exposed them as frauds without mentioning if one of them was Raju. Further research is necessary to clarify the issue of the alleged article in Sai Sudha, but for now we may note that the general policy among the Shirdi milieu is that the Baba has not been reincarnated as we have observed on several occasions. As recently as 1982, a certain Narayana Baba of Hyderabad claimed that Shirdi Sai Baba had not reincarnated:

"He says the disembodied soul of his guru (that is, Sai Baba) talks to him. He sits before a framed photograph of the Sai Baba of Shirdi and looks at it for enlightenment... With the help of his guru's spirit, he is even able to materialise rings, lockets, and vibhuti [ash] from thin air. When asked how he produces these things he declares that the spirit of his departed guru gives them in his hands, so that when he opens his fists the object is there." - Ruhela, 'Sai Baba And His Message', p. 133-34.

The object of this series of articles was to engender a deep and penetrating analysis of [Sathya] Sai Baba's Shirdi Lies in the light of new discoveries. While we await the results of continuing research on these and other lines of enquiry, we hope that we have been largely successful in bringing this information to the public and helping them to re-evaluate their understandings of the Sai Baba phenomenon. By way of a short recap, we have shown how Sathya Sai and his official biographies initiated false impressions about his 'self-knowledge' while not disclosing the culture of Shirdi devotion that was prevalent in Puttaparthi; the testimonies of several old devotees who witnessed Raju engaging in Shirdi worship on a substantial scale; a brief recapitulation of the scorpion incident which is inconsistent in places and revealed evidence of Shirdi Sai Baba as being a separate figure; a short review of the tangled explanations offered to explain the transformation of Raju into 'Sai Baba'; and a short discussion about the possibility of a reincarnation. Considering that Sathya Sai's empire is based on the foundations of his declaration of his identity with Shirdi Sai, it's no mean feat to declare that - with the uncovering of these devastating facts - those foundations will now crumble.

To round off these essays we will conclude with the wise and considered words of that doyen of Shirdi, His Holiness B.V. Narasimha Swamiji, by whose efforts the name of Shirdi Sai Baba has largely spread to every corner of India:

"The question has several times been raised whether Sri Sai Baba arranged for and left a successor to his position. He was Guru on certain lines to vast numbers of people who looked to him at Shirdi for governing their entire lives. Naturally one would expect that such a person with such vast and mighty powers would provide his devotees with some means for their future guidance. Usually a Guru forms a Math or an Ashram and trains up, some time before he passes away, a pupil and even introduces him to those dependent on that Math or Ashram ... Every experience of every devotee that comes to him now makes him feel that he is dealing with Divinity, a good Guardian Angel, or Ishta Devata [chosen deity], if he likes to term him so. So Baba's assurance of the continuance of his protecting personality after Mahasamadhi is a sufficient reason why Baba did not mind the absence of any person to get into his Gadi [seat] at Shirdi and continue his Guruparampara [lineage of gurus] there. It is not necessary to discuss the claims of X, Y or Z, who occasionally put forward the chaim that he is the successor of Sai Baba. A few of such claims seem to have been put forward. But they were all pooh-poohed and there is no set of Sai Bhaktas that we are aware of who are deliberately saying and holding to the position that X, Y or Z was the successor to Baba's Gadi.

"That however, is a different matter from the question whether there is now any living person who has to be identified with Sai Baba. Just as the Avatars left Nava Naths as their representatives on earth, sometimes people come forward and say 'I am an Avatar of Sai Baba'. This sort of claim has been put forward in various places at various times. It is not necessary to narrate all of them even if that were possible ... But these have occasionally been mentioned in the columns of the 'Sai Sudha' or other papers and invariably on investigation, it has been noted that any person, claiming to be Sai Baba, does not show even a very small fraction of Baba's nature. Mere power to read thought, mere clairvoyance, mere production of articles from empty box and hands and mere devotion to Sai or God, will not constitute one into an Avatar of Sai. So, we might conclude this chapter by saying that Sai left no successor to his seat, that there was no seat to succeed to, (as God's seat can never be vacant) and that there is no person living who can be recognised by all as having the entire Sai spirit or Soul in his body, that is, who can be regarded as the Avatar of Sai.

"That question arises because of the statements of Sai Baba to several of his devotees ... Kaka Dixit (H.S. Dixit) seems to have said, 'Baba said that he would suddenly appear as a boy of eight and show himself, that is, his power and nature'. We have not till now discovered any boy of eight, who had Baba's wonderful nature and powers. Even if he should take birth somewhere, his Apantaratma Rupa is still there and still helping. Therefore the question of our finding any person now who is the Avatar of Baba need not be further discussed. It is sufficient to say that those who are anxious to benefit by Sai Baba will be very wise if they confine themselves to the well known history of Sai Baba; and if they adopt the usual and well known methods for contacting Sai Baba of Shirdi, who is now no other than God himself, they would succeed, and they need not be panting to discover if there is any Avatar of Sai Baba or anyone who is entitled to call himself the successor of Sai Baba for the Shirdi Gadi. God's seat we repeat is never vacant. Sai Baba was and is God always immersed in the God idea, and carrying out God's lilas when he was in the flesh. His Ritambhara Prajna or Antarjnana, as it was called, his control over men's minds and material objects at any distance, his power to appear and do anything anywhere, can only be called divine. These powers we read of in his lilas before 1918, and we read of the same also after 1918.

"Sri Sai Baba's kindness in stirring up people's minds to contact him now seems to extend itself in various places in remarkable forms and ways which are not always understood by us, but which are to spread faith in Baba. What Sai Baba did at Coimbatore in 1943, at Ramachandrapuram in 1950-54, at Ahmedabad in 1953, and at Thotapalli Hills in 1954 and in so many other places, have been brought to public notice and have greatly increased the number of Sai bhaktas. These recent lilas ... have strengthened people's fath in Baba and are bound soon to make Sai faith reach all the distant corners of this country, a faith that deals with Sai Baba as God and not as a human being holding a position that has to be filled up by a successor." - Life of Sai Baba Vol. II, p. 336-49

We couldn't have put it better.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 4

2006-09-28T11:38:00.000+01:00

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

As a reminder, the reason for spending enough time in discussing Raju's 'scorpion trauma' is because it is widely believed to be the turning point in his life. Bearing in mind the new facts about the Shirdi culture present in Puttaparthi way before Raju debuted on the guru scene, we have to re-evaluate all of the pre-Annunciation reports and insinuations of Shirdi connections in that light.

There are reports of his altruism even as a toddler of three years of age, by way of providing the local beggars with food and clothes. Upon Raju's indiscriminate giving of food and being threatened with starvation himself, he patently refused to eat in spite of the apologetic coaxing he received. Despite going without food for several days in this way, Raju appeared to show no signs of starvation and claimed that he had been fed sumptuously by an 'old man' whose identity was never discovered.

Sai devotees generally flirt with one of two explanations for this:

Raju simply 'fed himself' on account of his own inherent and avataric miraculous power, talking of an 'old man' in order to put his relatives off the scent, or
An 'old man' (none other than Shirdi Sai Baba) really did feed Raju, coming to him in an extra-corporeal form invisible to human eyes.

The first would make sense only in the belief of Raju's divinity; as an 'avatar' he could naturally look after himself and need not have gone hungry. The second option operates on the understanding that the young Raju was the recipient of some miraculous good fortune wherein the discarnate spirit of Shirdi Sai Baba was looking for a fortunate soul in whom to invest his powers and instate as his de-facto successor.

Unsurprisingly, the idea of Shirdi Baba's taking possession of Raju was mused upon by none other than Seshama Raju, and was seriously considered in a greater depth within the hagiographical work of Ra. Ganapati. Raju's aside to Kasibatla Sriram Murthy clearly indicates that something was happening beyond his control, and that he was confident of his protection by the Baba of Shirdi. Ironically, many of Raju's critics complaine that he is the one who has taken 'possession' of Shirdi Baba's name and fame, and in the midst of refuting these accusations, Ganapati first discusses the putative explanation and provides his refutative reasonings:

"Then there is the question of how the boy came to know and misuse the name of the Super-saint [Shirdi Sai Baba], a stranger in those parts then. The reply given by his critics runs like this: Whether by the [merit] of former births or due to the inexplicable compassion of Shirdi Sai, Satya [Raju] had been the recipient of that divine saint's grace right from childhood. Perhaps Sai had bestowed a little of his supernatural powers on the boy. Giving Satya milk and rice, curing him of his fever and swollen eyes (announcing his presence, as it were, with the distinctly heard steps of the sandals) - these were instances of Grace of the old Saint. Does it not follow that the two were different then, and the Saint had blessed Satya? The supernatural powers that the boy demonstrated should have been his gift. Satya the donee, had now twisted the truth and proclaimed himself the donor, Sai Baba.

"Let us ponder over this. Would Shirdi Baba have gifted such powers indisciminately onto undeserving hands? ... We came across Kusa Bau earlier. A close devotee of Shirdi Sai, he obtained certain powers like materialising sweets. But Baba stopped this and said, 'In future when you invoke me, only vibhuti will appear in your hands, nothing else.' Thereafter, Kusa Bau lost his powers of materialising sweets. Does not the Kusa Bau episode have it's application here? ... The Shirdi devotees who ought to have the conviction that their Baba's power have not terminated with his Mahasamadhi [exit from the body], will do well to ponder over this point.

"A doubt remains. Was not Shirdi Baba apparently independent of Satyawhen he came to feed the latter with milk-rice and cure the boy's eye-trouble? Then, how could Satya claim oneness with him?Is there an explanation for this? Yes, certainly. Jesus normally called himself the son of God. But at the end of his preachings, he said, 'I and my Father are one.' Samarth Ramdas is the avatar of Hanuman, but he received initiation at the hands of Hanuman himself! Why? This is true of Shirdi Baba too! He described himself differently as the disciple of Kabir, and also as the avatar of Kabir! ... Likewise, Shirdi Sai had given of his grace as a grandfather to the Satya form though it was his own rebirth. Ultimately, he consummated the role of the grandson." - Baba Satya Sai (Part 1), p. 157-159.

This is a very obtuse, tangled and unsatisfactory explanation for why it is possible for the powerful spirit of Shirdi Sai Baba to take possession of the young Raju and continue his works through him. Not only would this be an unacceptable proposal for Shirdi devotees, but also to most people. Sensible and rational people who are logical and down-to-earth do not believe in things like reincarnation, spirit possession, miraculous materialisations and the like.

For starters, Sathya Sai devotees make a big issue out of a popular story involving Hari Sitaram Dixit, a close devotee of the Shirdi Baba. As evidenced in a compilation printed by Narasimha Swamiji, 'Sri Sai Baba's Charters & Sayings', Shirdi Baba had apparently confided to Dixit that he would come again as a boy of eight years of age. Sathya Sai seizes on this and claims that Dixit had a weak memory and misheard what 'he' said in his 'former incarnation', that he would appear again in eight years rather than as an eight-year-old boy. This makes more sense when you consider that Shirdi Baba passed away in 1918 and Raju was born in 1926, but one cannot help noticing how this explanation is very convenient and self-serving to Raju's cause. Moreover, additional information has come to light that generates considerable suspicion on 1926 as the supposed year of Raju's birth, but that's another story.

Dixit had no problem remembering every other of his notable experiences when narrating them to Narasimha Swami for posterity, so this type of reasoning is a slight on the both of them for suggesting that they have misrecorded the words and intention of Shirdi Baba. Moreover, Shirdi Baba was well known for making very abstrract and cryptic remarks about anything and everything, and the bulk of Shirdi literature testifies to that! So this is another reason why Sathya Sai's "mishearing" explanation can be doubted on perfectly reasonable grounds.

Any amount of self-serving reasoning by Ganapati or other authors favourable to Sathya Sai needs to be taken with a pinch of salt; Ganapati's first mistake was to be influenced by the idea that Shirdi Sai Baba was a "stranger in those parts" as he says, which we have already seen was untrue. How Raju would know about the Shirdi saint is explained by the bhajan sessions he used to attend as well as the possible deep study of the Satcharita, so much so that he was able to correct people's misinterpretations. The rest of it is pure speculation; Ganapati's error was creating a hagiography that was built on an earlier hagiography, as he himself wrote in the introduction to his work that he had extensively consulted with Narayana Kasturi - Sathya Sai's authorised biographer - in order to formulate his work. There is very little evidence that Ganapati performed any independent research except for that which serves the cause of propagating the name of Sathya Sai, because one of the big problems with all of these quaint reasonings is that the people who made them did not know enough about Shirdi Sai Baba in the first place, and why it is virtually impossible to accept Raju as a reincarnation.

We shall attempt to expand on this in the next instalment but, as an aside, it is no wonder that due to their attitude, devotees of Sathya Sai are not perceived respectfully by Shirdi Sai devotees due to their reckless aggrandisement of Shirdi Sai Baba's name and fame. As recently as January 2006, Shirdi devotees launched a punitive legal action against the devotees of Sathya Sai, specifically aimed at halting their claims of reincarnation. The Shirdi Sansthan has also publicly disavowed any claimed reincarnations by reaffirming that the Shirdi Baba had no successor and no reincarnation.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 3

2006-09-28T10:36:00.000+01:00

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

It is at this point that we come to the incident of 8th March, 1940, where the young Raju was believed to have suffered a near-fatal scorpion bite. He was living at Uravakonda, a town approximately 139km from Puttaparthi, with his elder brother (Seshama Raju) and his family to continue his schooling. Uravakonda was notable for it's proliferation of venomous snakes and scorpions and a strong superstition abounded that stings effected in the area would cause certain death.

Raju was different. He leapt in the air with a piercing shriek while holding his right toe. Although no scorpion was found, he fell into a deep sleep for the whole of the next day and woke briefly only to fall into an unconscious state exactly 24 hours after the previous day's bite. His limbs became stiff, he didn't speak and his breathing was very faint. Several doctors were brought to try and effect a recovery and numerous acts of worship were performed at local village temples to propitiate the deities, but to no avail. After a coconut was broken at the local Muthyalamma temple, Sathya woke briefly to declare that the coconut had broken into five pieces before again falling into his near-comatose condition.

As described in the official biographies, this incident is widely accepted as a turning-point whereupon further trials and tribulations were undergone before the young Sathyanarayana Raju transformed into the Sathya Sai Baba that we know today. While some have questioned whether this process was due to the effect of the scorpion bite, Sathya Sai Baba has registered his rebuttal:

"You might have heard some people say that I became Sai Baba when a scorpion stung me! Well, I challenge any one of you to get stung by scorpions and transform yourself into Sai Baba. No, the scorpion had nothing to do with it! In fact, there was no scorpion at all!" - 23 February 1958

The real truth is very different. Raju's elder sister, Venkamma, left behind her unpublished diaries where she had described all of these incidents and which were consulted during the research phase for LIMF. It is surprising to find significant diverging between the official hagiographic accounts and a 'live' contemporaneous narrative. Sticking to the essential points, Venkamma's report furnishes us with the fact that Raju himself claimed to have been bitten by a scorpion while he was in the bathroom and that this happened on the night of 4th March 1943, which was incidentally the occasion of the Shivaratri festival. Rather than sleeping the whole day, Raju was sent out to the local market by his elder brother to procure the vegetables for the evening meal. Shortly before dinner he told Venkamma that he would visit the nearby Sunkulamma temple, and was served his dinner upon his return from there. Instead of eating his food, he became physically immobile and fell to the ground when touched concernedly by Venkamma. Only then did the hysteria around Raju's coma start.

Even then this was not all; Raju oscillated between consciousness and unconsciousness, and approximately twelve hours after the second fall he broke into high literary expositions of classical literature that were unknown to him as a mere schoolboy. His behaviour had also undergone a severe change. He was no longer the fun-loving and cheerful prankster, but became decidedly 'other-worldly', muttering sacred incantations and random incohererencies that made no sense to his close observers. His periodic but extremely violent epileptic seizures caused Raju's family to believe that he was possessed by an 'evil spirit' and so he was taken to various witch-doctors and exorcists in the hope of removing the 'demon', one of which put him through horrendous torture. Throughout the process of having his head shaven, four 'X' marks drilled across his scalp, a highly acidic paste (consisting of turmeric, chillies, pepper powder, lemon juice and garlic) being vigorously rubbed into the open wounds, having 101 pots of freezing cold water being poured on his head from a certain height and having his head and eyes swell beyond recognition, he was allegedly calm and unruffled through it all.

After these exorcisms proved largely unsuccessful, Raju was taken home by his family and, after continuing with his alternated bouts of other-worldliness and disturbing behaviour, the day commonly referred to in the official biographies as 'Annunciation Day' dawned, 23 May 1940. It was on this day that Sathyanarayana Raju formally and publicly debuted as 'Sai Baba'.

Except that it was really 1943. And during one of the conscious periods which he underwent after the scorpion bite, Raju had made possibly the most intriguing and cryptic statement to Kasibatla Sriram Murthy, a neighbour:

"Don't worry. Sai Baba will take care." - LIMF, p. 100.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 2

2006-09-28T03:33:00.000+01:00

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

The influence of Shirdi Sai Baba started to become prevalent in Raju's own activities only after his move to study at the Samithi Elementary School in Bukkapatnam, which is located across the Chitravathi river four miles away from Puttaparthi. Bukkapatnam is home to an extended temple complex - with separate shrines dedicated to Lakshminarayanaswami (Vishnu), Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman - and is located directly opposite Raju's school and at which Raju spent almost all of his free time with friends. There was another temple dedicated to the goddess Chowdamma located outside the town which was also a favourite haunt of Raju's, where he often ate his lunch in solitude. G.V. Sathyanarayana and T. Kesappa, two classmates of the young Raju, testify that after lunch he would be lost in thought while gazing constantly at a small picture of Shirdi Sai Baba which he always carried with him.

LIMF contains the following unattributed story: Gummagatta Suba Rao, a local government clerk, lived with his wife, Thippamma, in one of the rooms of the Lakshminarayanaswami temple complex. As part of fulfilling her daily religious duties it was Thippama's habit to circumambulate the temples, and she occasionally noticed Raju sitting behind the inner shrine in the Hanuman temple. Her suspicions raised, she hid herself one day in order to observe Raju. After a picture of Shirdi Baba picture was materialised and worshipped by Raju, Thippamma saw the boy light camphor on his palm and offer arati to the picture. He then materialised fruits and powdered dried ginger mixed with powdered sugar as an offering to the deity, ostensibly of Hanuman. A footnote informs us that this ginger preparation is similar to that of sanctified food given in the actual Shirdi shrine.

In spite of the verifiability (or not) of this story, it begs the question as to why mention of Shirdi Sai Baba is made in connection with the young Raju as far back as 1941, when Raju was believed to be just eleven years old (working from the school-registered birthdate of 10th October 1929). We have previously noted Sathya Sai Baba's testimony that no one knew of Shirdi Sai Baba in the immediate area of Puttaparthi until he declared himself as the latter's reincarnation in 1943. Indeed, a culture of Shirdi Sai worship existed in Puttaparthi contary to Sathya Sai's contention:

"Thippamma's daughter, Nagalakshmi, would perform Shirdi Sai Baba worship at home. Sathya would stay after school, sitting in a corner of Subba Rao's puja room until the worship was completed. He would then take prasadam and leave." - LIMF, P. 71.

Supporting evidence for this is contained in a footnote that informs us that a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba (for woshipping purposes) was gained by Sathyavathamma, Nagalakshmi's sister, who had obtained it from the famous Narasimha Swamiji of Mylapore, Madras, and to whom she had been for training. For those who are unfamiliar with B.V. Narasimha Swamiji, he became a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba (after the Baba had passed away) and who spent the bulk of his life in visiting devotees and collecting stories about Shirdi Baba from his direct disciples in order to publish books on the Baba, which included a four-volume biography and a three-volume compilation of devotees' experiences. He also founded the 'Sai Sudha' magazine and was responsible for opening many Shirdi Sai temples which he collectively maintained under the umbrella organisation, the All-India Sai Samaj, based in Madras. He notably preached powerfully in South India, and is arguably Shirdi Baba's greatest ambassador and is highly revered in Shirdi circles even today.

Taking this into consideration, it can be seen clearly how the posthumous influence of Shirdi Sai Baba could filter into Puttaparthi due to word-of-mouth and indirect affiliations with famous Shirdi figures. This could also explain how the young Raju was able to procure pictures of the deceased saint. The Shirdi influence was so patent that LIMF surprises us with the revelation that two of Raju's own uncles were openly known as Shirdi Sai devotees!

"The practice of Shirdi worship was becoming common in Puttaparthi. Raju's uncles, Venkatarama Raju and Venkatasubba Raju were worshippers of Sai Baba of Shirdi, long before Raju announced himself as being 'that' Sai Baba. Venkatasubba Raju bought a Shirdi Baba portrait and started offering worship before it. During the worship, Raju used to sit behind him and, on many occasions, would fall into a trance. Venkatasubba Raju often read aloud the biography of Sai Baba. Whenever he erred while reading, Raju would point out the mistake and explain where the mistake was, including page number, stanza or line." - LIMF, p. 117.

How could Raju have known of the Sri Sai Satcharita in detail? One rational answer, and also the obvious one, would be that he spent an inordinate amount of time studying it. As a schoolboy, Raju was naturally accustomed to studying and was thus well placed to swot up on the Shirdi milieu, given his tendency to spend long periods of time in solitude worshipping the Baba of Shirdi! Indeed his classmate, T. Kesappa, recalled that during such times Raju never meditated but used to recite the 'Shirdi Sai Dandakam', an ostensible Shirdi liturgy. Another classmate, R. Venkataramudu, has the following to say:

"Even in school days he used to bring flowers and perform worship to Shirdi Sai. He had pasted Shirdi Baba pictures in all his books and also carried one in his pocket. Sometimes he would move his hands in the air as he does now. Sometimes he was seen lost to this material world." - LIMF, p. 78.

This is corroborated by Sankara Chinna Obulesu, also a classmate:

"He was like us in many ways but we knew he was also different, since he was often lost to the world, chanting or muttering things holy. He had a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba. He would invoke gods and goddesses and we knew he was pure." - LIMF, p. 79.

It should be noted that the practice of keeping a picture of a deity in one's pocket is extremely prevalent especially in South India, and is often taken as a public exhibition of one's devotion to that particular saint or deity. This means that the young Raju's keeping a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba in his shirt pocket signifies his dedication and public adoration to the saint.

All of these hitherto-unknown anecdotes tell us is that in spite of the revisionist biographers and Sathya Sai Baba's own unfortunate misrepresentations of the situation, there was a strong culture of Shirdi worship in Puttaparthi that, in all likelihood, made a significant contribution to the young Raju's delusions of grandeur. In spite of foggy biographical timelines, Love Is My Form has managed to surprise us all with it's unearthing of newly-discovered facts and figures meant to illuminate a mysterious period in the history of this dubious "avatar".

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES

2006-09-27T23:30:00.000+01:00

One | Two | Three | Four | Five

To get to the heart of this issue, I have relied almost wholly on an independently-researched biography of Sathya Sai Baba, 'Love Is My Form' (hereafter referred to as 'LIMF'), which was produced by a team of devotees to commemorate his 75th birthday. The work is scintillating in the amount of new information turned up, old sites revisited and the sheer number of the Baba's contemporaries being interviewed about his history. Unless directly stated and to avoid confusion, Shirdi Sai Baba will be referred to by his full name whereas Sathya Sai Baba will be referred to by his civil surname ('Raju') and nickname ('Sathya').

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Much has been made of Sathya Sai Baba's declaration to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, and rightly so since everyone is in agreement over the fact that the proclamation was a pivotal event in the Puttaparthi Baba's life. The basic story goes like this: On the 23rd May 1940, the young Sathyanarayana Raju woke up and drew a sizeable crowd to him and proceeded to materialise various eatables for them. Raju had been exhibiting extremely strange behaviour for the previous couple of weeks after suffering an alleged scorpion bite, his moods having ranged from bitter weeping to manic laughter after being in a comatose state for several days.

The moods and the materialisations were increasing gradually with each passing day until this day, when Raju's father, Venkappa, could take no more. Brandishing a stick, he pushed and shoved his way through the crowd and stood before his son. Prof. Narayana Kasturi (Sathya Sai Baba's authorised biographer) relates the scene as follows:

Arming himself with a stick, he moved a step nearer and threatened to beat it out of him. "Are you a God, or a ghost or a madcap? Tell me!" he shouted. Prompt came the answer, the announcement, that had been held back so long, "I am Sai Baba."

Further argument became impossible Venkapa Raju was stunned into silence; the stick slid from his hands. He stood staring at Sathya, trying to grasp the implications of that announcement, "I am Sai Baba." But, Sathya continued, " I belong to Apasthamba Suthra; I am of the Bharadwaja Gothra; I am Sai Baba; I have come to ward off all your troubles; keep your houses clean and pure." ... The elder brother, Seshama Raju went near him, and asked, "What do you mean by 'Sai Baba'?" He did not reply, but only said this much: "Your Venkavadhootha prayed that I be born in your family; so, I came." - Sathyam Sivam Sundaram 1, Chapter 5.

These events are described further in another of Kasturi's works - 'Easwaramma - The Chosen Mother' - with major revisions that allow much more verbosity on the father's part:

"Someone in the crowd turned to Venkapa. 'Sathya gets sugar candy in his palm from nowhere when he waves his hand. He gets flowers that are already strung. Look! He gave me these. Everyone got something.' Venkapa was outraged. 'Sugar! Flowers! The cheat! Everything, a trick!' he yelled. 'This must be the last!' and pushed himself towards the boy. Easwaramma [Sai Baba's mother] stood alone on the edge of the crowd. She closed her eyes tight , not to see the stick coming down on Sathya's head. She prayed to the village gods.

"Venkapa reached Sathya. 'Stop this stupid drama! Tell me, are you a ghost or a rogue or a madcap? Are you a God? Are you Narasimha or Narayana?' 'I AM SAI BABA!' said Sathya, calm and fearless, for he spoke the Truth! Easwaramma gasped. This was someone no one knew! 'Sai Baba?' his father queried, 'Sai Baba?' The lathi [cane] had fallen from his hands but he went on angrily. 'You may be Sai Baba or Hai Baba. It doesn't concern us. But you had better leave this boy and this place!' He was apparently addressing the spirit he thought dwelt in his son ... But there was yet another problem to worry the family and every curious man and woman of Puttaparthi: who or what was this 'Sai Baba'?"

Further into the story we find a statement that describes the reaction of the Puttaparthi villagers as one of "fear and amazement" to the mention of the name 'Sai Baba'. Enquiries into the meaning of this name led them to the house of a government officer who lived in nearby Penukonda and who was a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba, who promptly denounced the young upstart as a victim of mental derangement.

The general mood of the biographies present Puttaparthi and it's cultural milieu as a typical backwoods village isolated from the outside world, symbolically (even literally) represented by it's geographical locale, a valley surrounded with high hills. As such, the name and fame of Shirdi Sai Baba could not penetrate this inaccessible village and nobody knew who he was. The biographical literature acts as if Raju's declaration was a stunning event for precisely this reason; since no one knew of Shirdi Sai Baba, 'who is this strange figure who has possessed this little boy, our darling?'

Hagiographers like Ra. Ganapati ('Baba Satya Sai') inform us that several years prior to his declaration, Raju formed a club amongst his schoolmates known as the 'Pandhari Bhajan Group', whose main aim was to walk through the streets of Puttaparthi and surrounding villages singing loud hymns in praise of Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur. As Raju composed almost all of the hymns himself, it is related that several cryptic references to Shirdi and the Baba who lived there abounded throughout them. Again, we are informed that although the villagers relished the public sing-songs, they were puzzled by the Shirdi references.

In rounding off this introduction, we can take note of the most emphatic statement of Shirdi ignorance in Puttaparthi, incidentally made by Sathya Sai Baba in the only full-length interview that he has given to the media in 1976:

Q: What makes you so sure that you are Shirdi Baba incarnate?

Baba: The knowledge of My own authentic experience, of course. Since no one who knew Shirdi Baba is alive today, there is no evidence except My own knowledge and experience. The very fact that I announced that I am Shirdi Baba 40 years ago, when I was only 10 and when nobody in this part of the South had known or even heard of Shirdi Baba proves this fact.

Sai Baba Shirdi Lies Index

2006-09-27T23:21:00.000+01:00

A Full Exposure of Sathya Sai Baba's claims to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918). Complete re-evaluation of the facts in the light of new evidence that blows apart unquestioned and accepted histories in the hagiographic milieu of Puttaparthi.

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES - | Introduction | Kasturi's storytelling | Shirdi Sai Baba unknown in Puttaparthi | Sathya Sai Baba interviewed declaring his identity with Shirdi Sai |

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 2 - | Sathyanarayana Raju worshipping Shirdi Sai in 1941 | Raju attending Shirdi Sai bhajan sessions | Puttaparthi villagers "trained" under Narasimha Swamiji | Raju's two uncles openly worshipping Shirdi Baba | Classmates testify Raju's worship of Shirdi Baba | A strong culture of Shirdi worship in Puttaparthi |

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 3 - | Raju bitten by a scorpion in 1940 | A turning-point in Raju's life | Sathya Sai Baba denies scorpion bite | Raju's sister confirms scorpion bite in 1943 | Raju's suffering and epileptic seizures | Raju taken for exorcisms | Raju affirms he is under Sai Baba's protection |

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 4 - | Raju's brother muses on Shirdi Sai possession | Ra. Ganapati muses further on possession | H.S. Dixit on Shirdi Sai's return after 8 years (or not) | Sathya Sai claims Dixit misreportage | Ganapati musing unacceptable due to self-serving convenience | Sathya Sai devotees' ignorance of Shirdi culture and practice | January 2006 punitive legal action |

Sai Baba's Shirdi LIES 5 - | Shocking discovery of Shirdi name misused | Raju's brother & sister claim Narasimha Swami visit | Brief description of Narasimha Swami's activities | Narayana Baba says Shirdi Baba not reincarnated | Brief recap of last four articles | Sathya Sai's empire foundations to crumble | Narasimha Swami on Shirdi succession | Narasimha Swami indicates Raju not a reincarnation | Narasimha Swami discusses Dixit's 8-year claim | Narasimha Swami regards posthumous Shirdi miracles as evidence of Shirdi Sai's ever-living presence | Narasimha Swami concludes no successor for Shirdi Sai Baba |

Shashi Tharoor Disowns Sai Baba

2006-09-27T05:35:00.000+01:00

In a recent interview with Visi Tilak (hosted at Beliefnet), prospective UN Secretary-General candidate (India) Shashi Tharoor has voiced his refutation of the Rationalist International's call for the withdrawal of his candidature, claiming that he is not a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba.

Among other things, Tharoor admits that he is a practicing Hindu. One wonders to what extent one can praise Sai Baba in gushing terms (as Tharoor did in his 2002 contribution to the International Herald Tribune) while claiming non-devotion; in his article, he described his impressions of Sai Baba that he gained during a personal audience with him. And as if that was not enough, the Baba proceeded to "materialise" a gold nava-graha (nine gem) ring for him. While Tharoor claims that his mother is a devotee, we can also note that the Baba proceeded to materialise a small ash casket for her.

It's no wonder, thus, that after having his positively-slanted IHT article published in the face of numerous complaints about extremely serious allegations regarding Sai Baba's leanings towards homosexual paedophilia, involvement in murders and other disturbing issues, one could not be blamed for believing that Tharoor is a Sai devotee. It wasn't without grounds that Rationalist International called on the Indian Government to withdraw his candidature for the UN Sec-Gen job, for even Puttaparthilive.Com (a site run by residents of Sai Baba's home village) openly declared Tharoor as a devotee while fully endorsing and supporting his UN nomination.

We cannot help thinking that this is a cynical ploy by which, after Rationalist International's trenchant brouhaha as well as the ongoing commentary on this blog, Tharoor's mood has been adversely affected by such reporting and that his latest comments - in spite of his bias in favour of Sai Baba - represent a considered move to distance himself from the Baba and all of his associated scandals so that his UN candidature may prove successful. After all, the political community are already of the opinion that his successful nomination in light of India's rising status in world affair may effect a type of political nepotism, so it is unlikely that he will attain the post on those grounds.With this latest Tharoor development, it looks like this is one game that Sai Baba just won't win.

Sensational Update:

Tharoor UN Nomination Flops

Related articles:

Shashi Tharoor: The Sai Baba Connection
Even More Tharoor Tribulations
Rising Opposition To Shashi Tharoor
Vajpayee Endorses Shashi Tharoor
Rationalists Boo Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor: Next UN Sec-Gen?

More Books!

2006-09-25T02:20:00.000+01:00

I recently met a high-ranking former devotee who unloaded a very large part of his Sai book collection onto me, thinking that I may find them of value. And how! Due to this person's years of service in the Sai Organisation, they have acquired a wealth of rare and out-of-print literature that I will be able to use in my analyses and investigations of Sai Baba's cultural milieu.

I was almost salivating over these books due to their rarity and also their potential to make waves, but as I leafed through them all later that night I became utterly convinced of my position regarding Sathya Sai Baba. Le tme make it very clear; these books (and any other collection of Sai books too) are very useful in their potential, but after overdosing on them in just a couple of hours I became convinced that Sai Baba's books are, to put it mildly, nothing but shallow shit.

I even repeated that term several times today while informing other people of my recent acquisition, highlighting the sugar-coated and saccharine sweetness in these books that can make the reader as sick as a parrot. I was also astounded at myself; how on earth could I ever have fallen for this crap? I was twelve years old when I became a devotee, a mere child, so I guess I could be forgiven for believing in all these Sai fairy stories just as much as a toddler can be forgiven for believing in Santa Claus. But sheesh, how could adults, supposedly rational and sensible, fall for this utterly embarrassing piffle?

A lot of former devotees may have asked themselves this question in many different ways, and I would be interested in hearing how they answered these questions (so please feel free to leave comments at the end of this blog), but it left me feeling an enormous amount of pity for those who still believe in this weakened old man with perverse sexual cravings and a lust for fame. Interestingly enough, I met an old friend today who had been a very close pal when I was a devotee. Because he was with a friend (they are both devotees), I didn't want to make a fuss and so gave him the impression that I was still a devotee. He informed me that even though he is still a devotee, he is less committed and visits Sai Centres on a monthly basis rather than weekly as he used to do. What to speak of the fact that he hadn't been to see Sai Baba since 1997, the year of the first World Youth Conference when we were both there.

Because I was close to this person and am still very fond of him, I decided that should I catch him alone the next time I meet him then I would inform him of my current situation and take him into my confidence. I'd be risking our friendship which is surprisingly still close even though I haven't seen him for about six years, but I'd rather remain committed to my own idea of helping devotees to think critically for themselves about all of the problems surrounding Sai Baba, and to make their own decisions over whether to stay or whether to leave such a pointless lifestyle. Not interested in converting people, but just bringing information that is hidden in plain view and allowing them to think for themselves.

Pointless, because the one thing that I absolutely detest about Sai devotees is their blind faith. Indeed, many pay lip-service to the fact that faith should not be made on a blind basis, but my mother was specifically told by her female compatriots at the ashram that the best thing to do in regards to Sai Baba was to have blind faith in his divinity. Even then I was utterly shocked that supposed long-term ashramites would advise this and I insisted to my mother that such advice was defective and should be rejected. It just goes to show what kind of crazy people (and their crazy opinions) Sai Baba surrounds himself with. What are we supposed to have blind faith in, exactly? How could any rational and reasonable adult believe that a blue light glided into Easwaramma's stomach? Or that Sai Baba never sleeps?

So these books are like I say, more shallow than hollow. Yes these books do present some gems that will prove extremely useful, but after just leafing through all of them I felt like a brain-dead zombie. I guess this is what Sai devotees must feel like inside; zombies, slowly and spookily walking with arms outstretched and hungry to bite every non-zombie they can find in order to make them like themselves.

Sai Baba Rebirth Refuted

2006-09-25T01:44:00.000+01:00

Sathya Sai council refutes news [ 2006-9-22 ]

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept.21: Sri Sathya Sai Central Council Nepal has condemned the news published under the headline "Rebirth of Saibaba"in a newspaper few days ago.

The council has refuted a news item carried by the newspaper stating the rebirth of Sai Baba has taken place in Nepal.

Saibaba is living at Puttaparti of Annantapur district of India and he is of 80 now, so the news is mockery in itself as it has stated his rebirth, the release has said. The Council has also informed the followers of Saibaba not to believe such erroneous news report.

Comment: As if things couldn't get any sillier. Whoever submitted the report of Sai Baba's rebirth must have had some inkling of what he was doing. We'd love to think that Sai devotees are getting ahead of themselves and finding the reincarnation of Sai Baba before he's even kicked the bucket! There are already whispers going around that the future Prema Sai's parentage is in doubt, which we will report soon. In the meantime, we'd like to advise devotees that they had better wait until their leader dies before they get around to carving up the money pie. We appreciate their greed to get their paws on the amassed billions of dollars but there is also such a thing as good manners.

Hush Hush!

2006-09-24T05:48:00.000+01:00

Which European country contains a Sai Organisation that is quivering with fear and on it's knees, worrying over it's future due to dwindling members and disgusted marginal members who healthily doubt Swami's divinity thanks to the sheer number of allegations and reports over Swami's sexual abuses?

Don't pass this tidbit on. ;-)

Sai Org's Deception & Propaganda Exposed

2006-09-22T05:11:00.000+01:00

THE SATHYA SAI ORGANISATION'S DECEPTION AND PROPAGANDA EXPOSED

Part One

The foes of the 'open society' (Sir Karl Popper's term) are those who use its very openness to achieve their closed and devious ends. Sai Baba and his highly authoritarian and cultist organisation have such ends, which critics have tried to make known. Its foremost leaders silence all those who question it- and never face substantive criticisms. For the first time - after six years of pained and guilty silence - since hundreds of long-term devotees left it in disgust - the Sathya Sai Organisation has found it necessary to try to defuse the debate about Sathya Sai Baba's alleged crimes, deceits and fraudulence. Dr. Venkataraman's tendentious cover-up article expresses untruths which have long circulated within the cult, giving an opportunity to confront him with facts and truth, as follows:-

[Comments by the undersigned are in bold blue text:]

THE INEVITABLE COLLAPSE OF CALUMNY
[by Dr. G. Venkataraman]

[Black text from Radio Sai Listener's journal: Volume 4 - Issue 07 JULY 2006]

Introduction

Readers might recall that sometime ago, we made a special announcement over both Radio Sai and in Heart2Heart, entitled Truth Always Triumphs. At that time, we promised we would give full details later. The time has come to do that. We hope you would take time off to study this article carefully, and encourage others whom you know to do so. Our main purpose in making this request is to enable you to appreciate how complex the Divine Drama is and how it always goes through ups and downs, all entirely by Divine design!

In the worldwide Sathya Sai Organisation, Dr G. Venkataraman is second in command only to Dr Michael Goldstein, Head of the Prashanthi Council. It is noteworthy that such a high-ranking figure in an extremely publicity-shy organisation has twice referred, in a newsletter read round the world, to Alaya Rahm's lawsuit against the directors of the Sathya Sai Society of America. He is a "true believer" - and nothing that Sai Baba ever does can be, for him, questioned or other than pure and just!

In this context, it is well to remember that when the Anantapur Drinking Water Project was in progress, the Central Trust which was executing the Project, had to borrow money from banks, because it was short of cash. On the face of it, this might appear very strange. God is the source of all wealth; how come He has to borrow, when He comes down in human form? Surely, there must have been a reason.

Comment: Despite Sai Baba and his worldwide organisation's constant claims to be extremely frugal with money, their extravagant promotions belie the truth of their claims. There are wasteful projects galore. For example, there are museums and other lavish buildings simply to glorify Sai Baba himself. See for yourself here. What Venkataraman cannot contemplate is that Sai Baba overestimated how much he could spend!

Obstacles, obstructions and oppositions there always will be even when one tries to do good. The Ramayana has many illustrations of that. But the same Ramayana also tells us that with purity any obstacle can be overcome. That is also the inner meaning of the folklore about Siva drinking the poison that emerged when the Devas and the Asuras churned the Cosmic Ocean looking for nectar.

Comment: This shows how ardent believers in Sai Baba often operate within an ancient and subjective belief system from which to interpret everything that happens today. Over six decades of Sai Baba's preaching his doctrine and rituals remain essentially an adapted form of Hinduism but one rejected by a wide cross-section of Hindus. Many speak of Sai Baba's vast pomp and ceremony as, for example, "a national circus". His perpetual focus on Hindu scriptures belies the much-promoted claim of his mission's 'universality' (i.e. the 'Sarva dharma' 'message', which asserts the equality of the world's major religions).

Now that it is all over, (Comment: What's all over, the Ramayana era?) we request that you reflect deeply, even as you read some of this historical material, which necessarily is influenced by the sentiments of the times. However, in a historical context, we must leave aside the background of momentary passions and look objectively at how the drama started, how it evolved and how it concluded. Such reflections can give us much food for thought!

Comment: Venkataraman and Sai Baba's other leaders have failed to look with even remotest objectivity at the reasons so many have left the Sathya Sai Organisation. Unconscionably and repeatedly, its leaders have refused a proper hearing to those anguished individuals and their families - or many former members - who have told them about Sai Baba's sexual and other abuses. These leaders have not been truthful about the integrity of those former devotees and their rightful and - righteous - claims. This cultic aspect of the Sathya Sai Organisation alerts third party investigators, such as the world's most responsible media, to the credibility of the former devotees' claims. Journalists and their research teams quickly notice the secretive, evasive nature of Sai Baba and his leaders.

Leading media and other organizations such as UNESCO and the U.S. State Department have been very stringent in their expectations of sound evidence from organised former devotees around the world. Those who have researched the worldwide allegations against Sathya Sai Baba include the BBC, DR (Denmark), ATUL (Argentina), SBS (Australia), ABC (Australia), and print media in India, the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, Australia etc. They quickly discovered for themselves the dishonesty and elusiveness of Sai Baba and his leaders. For example, this was why the BBC's legal department permitted its 'The Secret Swami' team to clandestinely film DR Michael Goldstein, allowing millions in many countries to see him show no respect for the accountability and transparency that citizens and responsible organizations today expect. They also saw Goldstein act nastily in a way that is the very antithesis of a spiritual leader.

It suits Venkataraman - who refers to Goldstein as "Brother" to suppress this telling aspect, as he also does with other self-damning statements by Sai Baba and Isaac Tigrett in 'The Secret Swami'. The BBC interviewer Tanya Datta says to Tigrett "But even if it was proven to you that Sai Baba was a paedophile and a serial sex abuser, you're saying it wouldn't change the fact that he is your guru". Tigrett replies, "Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He could go out and murder someone tomorrow…"

We have made every endeavour to maintain high standards, and hope we have succeeded.

Comment: "High standards" would include acknowledging a fact of great ethical and moral importance. This is that many honourable devotees once in high standing in the Sathya Sai Organisation have done their best to see that those making the allegations are properly and fairly heard. Those who have investigated and spoken out include those who held prominent roles, such as Rick Raines, Richard Nelson, Al Rahm, Shirley Pike, Ella Evers, Dr. Timothy Conway, Glen Meloy, Serguei Badaev, Dave Lyons, William Lo, Hariram Jayaram, Terry Gallagher, Stephen Carthew, David Bailey, Britt-Marie Anden, Conny Larsson etc.

In the absence of proper and, these days, typical standards of organisational openness and accountability, there has been a large and principled exodus from the Sathya Sai Organization. Why do Goldstein, Venkataraman and the other key leaders conceal this from their congregations, and those political or religious leaders and the wider public they try so hard to cultivate and fetch to their keynote events?

It is not surprising, then, that the unaccountable ashram authorities and International Chairman met their match when they ejected the BBC for asking reasonable questions after filming there. The result was a worldwide exposure of the cultist nature of it all. Every major British newspaper reviewed the documentary as being well-balanced and revealing journalism!

TRUTH ALWAYS TRIUMPHS
TRANSCRIPT OF A SPECIAL BROADCAST
ON THE ALAYA RAHM CASE

By Prof. G Venkataraman

Comment: The fact that an organisation as secretive as Sai Baba's has now been forced to speak about the Alaya Rahm case on its international radio program and on its Heart2Heart website shows how heavily under siege it is. For years the leaders have failed to confront, or in any serious manner to refute, the many testimonies about Sai Baba's abusive sexual behaviour. They ignore cogent criticisms of his many published untruths and of his ignorance of basic facts in the history of religion, general and nuclear physics, astronomy, geology, medicine, etc.

This picture of desperation intensifies when we observe the enormously costly, and previously forbidden, promotional/recruiting efforts the organisation conducts using donated funds in various countries where they always play down all Sai Baba's many unfortunate character traits and fraudulent statements. One may mention their recruiting drives made at great expense in the hire of the most prestigious venues - such as Cooper's Union, New York; La Mirada Theatre; Los Angeles County, Hilton Ballroom; Sheraton Hotel & Towers, both Chicago; Copley International Conference Center, San Diego; Town Hall, Melbourne; Super Dome, Sydney, etc. But Venkataraman, with back-up from the facile attorney Robert Baskin now dares come out into the open, mistakenly asserting that the Alaya Rahm's self-dismissal of his case against the Society is a triumphant vindication of the Sai forces.

Case Against Swami Withdrawn

Loving Sai Ram and greetings from Prashanti Nilayam. I presume that by now you would have either heard our special announcement over Radio Sai or seen our special message sent via the Sai Inspires service, about how Truth Always Triumphs. I am referring to the case filed in a California Court based on false allegations against Swami that was subsequently withdrawn by the plaintiff 'with prejudice', meaning that the plaintiff cannot file that case again in any Court in America or in India.

Comment: In a statement by the Rahm family, their attorney and the International JuST Group, we read: "No court found Alaya's allegations to be false. Simply, the suit could not continue on a technicality, and the claims of sexual abuse stand irrefutably true, just as before". Dr. Venkataraman is himself making a false allegation! Attorney William Brelsford Esq., seeing formidable legal obstacles set by the defendants, and not least working against a statute of limitations deadline, advised Alaya Rahm to self-dismiss the case. Along with other difficulties encountered, his attorney has explained, June 29th, 2006, to Alaya Rahm and his family:

"We were successful at the demurrer stage in establishing that a duty would be owed by the Society in the event they sponsored and/or endorsed the trips that Alaya went on when he was abused by Sai Baba. As it turns out, the Society is not the "hub" of all of Sai Baba's corporate activities. Rather, the Society, pursuant to declarations under penalty of perjury, confirmed they are a bookstore... nothing more. Accordingly, we do not have the necessary factual requirements to establish liability on the Society/Book center."

Today, I would like to offer some reflections on this event. I feel this "closure" is required because in a sense, we owe this to many who have repeatedly written to us expressing their deep concern about attacks on Swami, and asking us to do something about it.

Comment: Criticisms, however sharp, are not 'attacks'! What Sai devotee does not know that the Sathya Sai Organisation in the USA is far more than a bookstore? Where is the truthfulness that they claim as one of their core values?

Those around the world - victims, families, and their supporters - also want closure. But, in dereliction of its duty of care, the Sathya Sai Organization has refused fair and reasonable treatment of those who have come to them and given shocking accounts of various forms of abuse at the hands of Sai Baba and some of those around him. Many more victims have held back, realizing the futility of finding support from the organization.

Before I start, I think I should say something about my own views on the matter. There are many who have always wondered why we are not responding when Swami is being tarnished. On the other hand, there is a small minority that has always felt: "Let the dogs bark. Why bother?" I take a slightly different view of the matter; my own feeling is that we here can neither remain completely aloof nor be continually belligerent and go on the counter offensive at the drop of a hat. We are of the opinion that depending on the circumstances, different responses are needed at different times, to suit the occasion.

Comment: Former devotees are not "dogs" that "bark". Sai Baba and his leaders know this well. That they do not disclose key facts to devotees is reprehensible. The allegations come from many who are held in high esteem for their integrity, skill and human decency, and who have given many years of devoted service and financial contributions to the ideals which Sai Baba has preached but betrayed.

It is not a matter of being "aloof" or "belligerent" or anywhere in between. It is about listening with commonsense and common decency to those many decent persons in many countries who have made the allegations. Refusal to have proper mechanisms in place for the hearing of complaints has put the Sai Organization in the rear guard in today's demand for accountability. On April 3, 2003, the then Australian head of the Sathya Sai Organisation of Australia, T. Sri Ramanathan, phoned to threaten dire legal consequences for me (all bluff and bullying, of course) if I did not "cease and desist". I suggested that any organisation, including his, is wise to have a workable complaints mechanism, otherwise unaddressed grievances are bound to create problems. He said I was "clouding the issue" and that the only issue was "Swami's glory". There was no need, he said, for such a mechanism in the Sai Organisation, which is "special and different to any other organisation." It was, he said, "a divine organisation".

Survivors of abuse will not share their stories with those who do not show them love, respect and understanding - or at least some degree of professionalism.

Former devotees have put in many years of devoted service and made financial contributions to the ideals that Sai Baba has preached but betrayed. That Sai devotees can relegate this knowledge to some penumbra of their conscience does not speak well for them. Naturally, Chapter 4 of George Orwell's "1984" will never be an item in a Sathya Sai Study Circle. It is about the stifling of conscience in a totalitarian milieu. As an antidote to the cultic grip, those leaving the Sai Organisation might well consider reading it.

Let me begin with the general observation that both the good and bad that we see in this world are part of a ceaseless Cosmic Shadow Play. At the objective and Spiritual level, we certainly must be detached, recognising both good and evil as a part of this endless Divine Drama. Yet, at the worldly level, we simply cannot march ahead ignoring the background noise. We have a role to play, and play that role we must; only, we must take proper care to ensure that whatever we do is done properly, as God would want us to. In passing, I might add that we plan shortly, to offer additional perspective about all this in H2H. So maybe you should look out for that also.

Comment: Many Sai students, both Indian and foreign, went to David Bailey both during and after he taught Music at Sai Baba's Puttaparthi university. He has recorded that they related to him anguished stories of Sai Baba subjecting them to major homosexual abuses. Under conditions of great confidentiality, former students, staff and others contact former devotees, including ourselves, both in India and abroad, with their accounts.

There is repeated confirmation that most leading Indian Sai officials and teachers know of the abuses. Some of them are recorded as making statements such as, 'Svami can rape and kill if he likes, he is God!' Isaac Tigrett has openly stated the same type of view. The same view - that Sai is God and can rape as he sees fit - Ram Das Awle on his website holds that Sai Baba is God and can rape as he sees fit, and he claims to be able to explain and justify the sexual abuses and to have received Sai Baba's blessings for this!. Though Ram Das Awle's text has been propagated by e-mail widely throughout the Sai movement no official in the Sai Organisation or ashram has ever seen fit to refute Awle's claim that Sai does abuse homosexually. Venkataraman denies account alleging victim accounts, but why not refute the still-devoted Awle too? His and his colleagues' silence on such a vital issue supports our information that this view is commonly held that Sai Baba qua God can do absolutely anything and it must be for the best. There is e-mail and other evidence that influential Sai devotees (including Sai 'VIPs' Dr. M. Goldstein, Yaani Drucker, Phyllis Krystal and others) have expressed similar views.

Not least since the June 6, 1993 police, killings of four ex-students in Sai Baba's private quarters when he was nearby, none of them will any longer speak to any officials who still deny the facts, for obvious reasons. However, time heals and strengthens; therefore, the abuse survivors, and some of their families and supporters are contacting us with a view to the future.

signed,

Barry Pittard (bpittard@optusnet.com.au)

Robert Priddy (rero@chello.no)

Footnotes: active links to documentation

'True believer'– definition from Wikipedia
Wasteful Projects listed and described and
Photos of Sai luxury apartments etc.
Dr. M. Goldstein exposed by the BBC angrily displaying a totalitarian attitude
Isaac Tigrett’s video clip on the BBC
UK Press reviews of ‘The Secret Swami’ all the top news journals in UK!
Sai Baba’s self-published ignorance of the sciences, history, geology, astronomy
Spending spree by the Sai Org. at the Sydney Super Dome
Statement by the Rahm family & the International JuST Group
Transcript of Tigrett’s statements on BBC
Devotee Ram Das Awle’s supposedly ‘Clear View’ of the rapes he admits!

Extra sources:

Gujarat CM Meets Sai Baba

2006-09-22T03:54:00.000+01:00

Prasanthi Nilayam, Sept. 20: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had the darshan of Sathya Sai Baba on Wednesday. He reached Puttaparthi in a special flight at 3.50 pm. He drove straight to Prasanthi Nilay-am and reached Sai Kulwant Hall.

He spent about an hour with Sathya Sai Baba and had a special discussion with him. He came to Puttaparthi along with his family. In fact, he is supposed to be here by 2 pm but came two hours behind schedule. As a result, he cut short his trip for one hour. After the darshan, he straight return-ed to the airport and retur-ned in the special flight to Gujarat.

Earlier, he was accorded a warm reception at Puttaparthi airport. Penukonda RDO Nageswara Rao, district BJP president Pundarikaksha Reddy, former Kadiri MLA Parthasarathy, Yuva Morcha state executive member Nagendra Reddy and others welcomed him at the airport. Mr Ashok Bhat and Mr Anand Ben Patil accompanied the chief minister.

Heavy bandobust was arranged for the Gujarat chief minister’s visit. Dharmavaram DSP Sivayya led the security along with three SI and special police force. The entire airport was in heavy security cordon for the Gujarat Chief Minister’s visit.

Source: Deccan.Com [Link no longer available]

Letter From A German Citizen

2006-09-21T05:09:00.000+01:00

I received this from a German citizen who is himself a former devotee with many interesting stories to tell. The following has been posted with permission, and I have corrected the spelling mistakes and capitalised some letters where necessary:

Since I was a child, accidents occur to me so obviously that I was often shocked. I survived as child an accident with a tractor without blessings, fell from a tree sharply near with the head against a stone, had asthmatic shocks on medicaments, deformed my head by another accident, that could also have led to a break of neck when that murder attack came. I went with my bike through the forest down the hill with my friend at the age of 16. We both enjoyed very much those ridings with high speed. Never before we thought of stopping, when riding down the hill, when my friend said: "I have to piss." So had I and we stopped.

When we came out of the bushes, we saw a wire right across the way in the height of the neck. If we would have stopped 3 seconds later, we would have been killed both. At that moment I started to search for God. I tested my Christian religion, but there was the feeling that everybody would like to have a better contact to God but didn´t know how to make progress or had surrendered or even had no interest. So I felt alone. Very much alone.

In television I saw the film Holocaust and I couldn't believe what had happened in our country. Such pain, that we had caused. How was that possible? How could the Germans let a dictator lead them to mass murder? No explanation of the teachers could reach me, until I read the book of Alice Miller: At the beginning there was education. There she explained about the fact, that there had been 200 years that literature told the people to break the will of a child within the first 2 years. Many Germans did so, because they wanted a child that is easy to lead. That fitted in my feelings. How often let Germans their child cry alone in the bed or demonstrate a cruelness in another way?

As I wanted to serve the world, I began to study economic engineering, when they showed the polution of Windscale (now they call it Sellafield) with plutonium in a democratic country. The amount of dead children within the first year was twenty times higher in this region than everywhere else in Great Britain. So, I was demonstrating against the planned fabric in Germany to do the same. Then in a discussion between Conservatives and Green Party, the possibility to get electricity in a harmless way by combined heat and power units was mentioned. I had to go this way. 15 years later a factory came out with a good product for every small house and I was the seller. But during the same time I developed through crises a deep depression and was near suicide. Because my father had chosen Sai Baba in his depression I also did, even though my father had stopped believing in Sai Baba before he suffocated after having numberless strokes.

Now it happened that because of the rising number of clients, each year the product chp became 12% more expansive, so that it wasn´t economical for the customers any more. To keep the amount of sold product at the same level, sellers had to learn how to lie. Some didn´t have to learn, because they were expert for whole of their lives. But some like me had to learn it, if they would not like to lose their job. Because I had invested really much money and time into that new thing I wanted to go to the training. The trainer was Manfred Müller-Gransee, a customer of CHP himself, who knew everything about economical risks with the product. And he was a very good psychologist. He told us everything we had to mention, if we want to sell the product, like little stories at the beginning of a lecture, the important 10 minutes at the beginning and the end and the process of thinking. We should not allow the client to think to long, because if we would do so, we would lose the contract. Too much independent information in the internet or the neighbor.

As I had to feed my children I tried to adopt the new concept. But after a few weeks I recognized, that I hated myself for what I was doing. I had to leave the whole carrier chp to save my soul. I was workless but I had friends.Especially in my Sai Baba group. After half a year someone told me that there would be a new master of the Sai Organisation in Germany. His name was Manfred Müller-Gransee. I couldn´t believe it! I discussed a lot with the chief of SSB Germany and he turned to me as if I would be jealous for the job. He changed his arguments three times, when he mentioned my deep knowledge of Manfred Müller-Gransee´s deeds and lectures. At the end he said: "And now, I have the decision to try to change it or to leave the organisation, or what should I do? No, I won´t do anything." Up to now he doesn´t want me to quote his position to the cheater. A lot of rationalizing without feeling of the truth or interest in the truth was felt by me.

Other members of the SSB-Organisation were shocked, when I told them that he smoked. "He isn´t allowed to smoke. It is a very big sin," they said.

For me, everything became more and more ridiculous. I started to have second thoughts about even Sai Baba. If there is a cheater on top in Germany, how will it be in India? In our meetings they observed my strong will for clearness as I read also Yogananda and Bhagavad Gita. They tried me to believe, that Sathya Sai Baba had chosen a card for me with the words: 'Don´t be the zero you have been through lives and lives. Don´t be a zero - be a hero! Stop thinking - start loving God with your heart'.

Because I had had a reincarnation therapy I knew my former existents. I went to my former son without telling him about my belief in former lives (he is a strong Catholic). He told me, that I had been addicted to a form of sect in my former life.

Then I began to search in the Internet. After 3 days I knew, that I was in a sect in this live, too. And that it was a criminal movement in India. I had several calls by telephone with Robert Priddy and Conny Larsson. I read his book: 'Behind the mask of the clown', that he gave me at once.

I started my own live, when I recognized, that I had solved a small problem of my former live: the longing for sects. Maybe I will be able to change my profession into a psychotherapist for reincarnation and familiy settings by Hellinger. Religion will always be important in my life, as I am sure that we all are God. Only because our souls have been tortured in various lives we have lost the trust in peace, harmony and the possibility to meet all the needs of the souls in the world.

It seems to my like a race: Will we be able to understand that there is no bad in the world and has never been and that all bad behavior is caused by a tortured soul (even Adolf Hitler's) or will we have destroyed ourselves before?

There is not much time left for sitting and chanting. We should try to act as soon as possible:

Construct a functioning round table of religions in the UNO and every city, like Dalai Lama taught us.
Inform everybody about the importance of knowledge of the soul.
Search the most effective way for healing the soul.

The rest is on the word document for better correcting my english.

See you.

[Anonymous]

5 Reasons NOT To Like Hard Rock Cafe

2006-09-19T05:30:00.000+01:00

One blogger from the UK tells us exactly what he thinks about the Hard Rock Café and why he does not like it. Check it out for yourselves. No prizes for guessing one of the main reasons:

Labyrinth.

1. Hypocrisy
Hard Rock Café operates behind a persona of left-wing hippie values, festooning its walls with such slogans as 'save the planet', 'be kind' and 'love all, serve all' (of which, more later). And yet, the ethos of the place is quite the opposite: whether or not it started with the ideals of the sixties, it is self-evident now that it has become the sort of bloated corporate monster that was anathema to the counter-culture it claims to embody. Hard Rock Café is a paragon of the most American of values (ironic, since the first franchise was in London) - of beef, beer and capitalism.

2. 'Flair'
One of the side-plots of the film Office Space concerned a waitress's frustration at the insistence of her pathetic boss that she wear at least eight pieces of 'flair' - badges and other items that ostensibly allow her to express her personality. The possibility that she might express herself through not wearing any adorning herself with knick-knacks like an overdressed Christmas tree is never considered. The whole idea is a transparently phoney, contrived and practised way of attempting to create style or atmosphere out of thin air - and yet it is an idea clearly used in Hard Rock Café. Shallow, pointless and as full of charm as a crushed coke can.

3. Exploitative Prices
i.e. 'We can charge more, so we will. Hey guys, isn't Hard Rock Café cool? Everyone loves Hard Rock Café! Would you like a cool Hard Rock Café sandwich for only ten quid? It's so much better than an ordinary sandwich because you eat it surrounded by old guitars and loud, bad music! Want a souvenir glass? How about a world-famous T-shirt? No?'

4. Exploitative Uniforms
I mean... waitresses dressed as nurses. Need I say more?

5. Sathya Sai Baba (a.k.a. Honest Sai, the Afro Slug-God - right)
'Love all, serve all' reads the cafe's motto - straight from the flabby mouth of the self-proclaimed prophet, miracle-worker and all-round god Sai Baba. Indeed, this humble cafe is actually driven by a spiritual message... but wait, Sai Baba might not be as genuine as he claims! Quite apart from a few sub-vaudevillian 'miracles', the like of which would embarrass a four-year old with Paul Daniels' My First Magic Set, there remains the minor detail of the odd... pederasty scandal. Does this worry Isaac Tigrett, one of the two co-founders of Hard Rock Café, a man who regularly contributes large sums of money to the charitable Sai fund? No, his faith is unshakeable:

Isaac Tigrett: [the father of one of the boys accusing Sai Baba of abuse] talked to me and I said; look, I'm sorry if this happened to your family, to your son, whatever, anyone would be sympathetic, anybody. I said; but it’s not changing my feelings about Sai Baba, it just isn’t.

Tanya Datta: But even if it was proven to you that Sai Baba was a paedophile and a serial sex abuser, you’re saying it wouldn’t change the fact that he is your guru.

I: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He could go out and murder someone tomorrow, as I said, it’s not going to change my evolution, it’s not going to change the good things that have come out of my relationship down there.

T: Does that mean that some part of you believes there could be some truth to the rumours?

I: Oh, absolutely I believe there is truth to the rumours.

T: You believe there is truth to the rumours?

I: Sure, there probably is, probably is.

(From a BBC interview)
~

Yes. Anyway. Won't go there again. Apologies for the general tone of all this... I am regrettably afflicted with the cynicism of the very young and the very naïve.

Yep, our old buddy Sai Baba does tend to put a lot of people off their coffee these days...

Gerald Moreno: Fighting A Losing War

2006-09-18T05:55:00.000+01:00

Although the title of this post is actually a correct summation of our favourite critic's passionate hate campaign, we note that it is directly relevant to his response to our previous posting: Tackling A Krishna Problem.

A sample from his latest diatribe should be sufficient to prove the point:

"Furthermore, Sri Krishna and Sri Balaram got personally involved in a failed diplomacy attempt that resulted in (if true) the bloodiest war in recorded history in which millions of men were said to have died in a matter of 18 days and rivers of blood flowed from the carnage! Needless to say, both Krishna and Balaram were directly involved with the diplomats of the day and could not avert the war. As a matter of fact, devotees of Lord Krishna (like Sanjay) actually try to justify the Kurukshetra war by resorting to the same "spiritual" mumbo-jumbo that Sanjay blithely ranted about.

"For such an atrocity to happen casts valid doubts on Lord Krishna's ability to warn or protect his country despite his personal involvement with the diplomats of the day and despite the claims that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom an atomic particle supports and sustains the entire Universe!"

It should be noted that Gerald Moreno has repeated the same sentiments in different ways within his hateful stalkblogs and websites, the main points being that Krishna (as God) "failed" in his mission to avert the Mahabharata war despite His personal intervention to the Kurus on behalf of the Pandavas. The thing to remember with Moreno is that he tends to unsuccessfully cover himself with an "if" clause. Just see how he refers to the Mahabharata War as being the most bloodiest disaster ever to happen in the history of the world, if it happened. Rivers of blood flowed and the entire armies on both sides perished needlessly, if accounts are to be believed.

Considering Moreno's appalling history (See Sarvadharma Imbroglio and 16,000 Wives essays) in defending the philosophical ideas of his pervert guru, Sai Baba, I'm surprised that he still hasn't learnt to quit while he is still behind. This is one of those times when the onus is on Moreno to pick a position and stick with it: Did the Mahabharata War occur in real history or not?

This is an important question not for us, but for Moreno. If Gerald believes that the Mahabharata War happened, then he will have to stand up in public and face ridicule for belief in a "mythical" war of which no records exist. If Moreno believed that the Mahabharata War never happened, then what on earth is he talking about and how do any of his points about Krishna's "failure" apply to Sathya Sai Baba? The lynchpin of his whole argument rests on his answer to this question, and we can guess why, can't we?

Because Sai Baba preaches about
the truths of the Mahabharata War
in his books, discourses, and other media.

Yes, you heard me right. Moreno's big hero is himself an avid believer and preacher of the Mahabharata War, frequently making references to this event in his discourses. Combined with Moreno's flip-flopping on the question of whether the war ever actually happened, talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place! :-)

In a talk with R.K. Karanjia, the only full-length interview Sai Baba has ever granted to the media:

"The Mahabharata war was a different issue altogether. Lord Krishna decreed it and, in fact, led Arjuna to the battlefield in order to rid the world of evil men and ungodly forces." - September 1976

And in a very famous discourse entitled "Who is Sai?", the Baba had the following to say:

"My power is immeasurable; My truth is inexplicable, unfathomable ... Let me tell you that emphatic declarations of the truth by Avathars were made so clearly and so unmistakably only by Krishna. In spite of the declaration, you will notice in the career of the same Krishna that he underwent defeat in his efforts and endeavors, on a few occasions; you must also note that those defeats too were part of the drama that he had planned and that he himself directed. For example, when many kings pleaded with him to avert the war with the Kauravas, he confessed that his mission to the Kaurava Court for ensuring peace had 'failed'! But, he had not willed that it should succeed! He had decided that war would be waged! His mission was intended to publish the greed and iniquity of the Kauravas and to condemn them before the whole world." - 9 June 1974

We gladly note that in spite of previous failures to understand Sai Baba's teachings, Gerald Moreno would do extremely well to find a quiet corner and sit down with a random book from the 'Sathya Sai Speaks' series of discourses in order to better understand the teachings of his master.

Leave aside the fact that Sai Baba completely contradicts Moreno's contentions about Krishna's "failure", we may also note that Moreno has shot himself in both feet. The second quote above can be taken to an interpretation that allows the Expose campaign of the Baba's former followers to continue at full speed. According to Baba's own logic, his attempts to scream wildly at his supposedly prodigal children have no effect as per his own will. Consequently his ineffectual speech is just a show of going through the motions. They are a part of the drama that he has directed and thus we should be given freedom to play our part, and our critics can just buzz off. :-)

And since we are in knowledge of the fact that several senior leaders of the Sai Organisations are actively involved in behind-the-scenes work in refuting the Expose achievements in direct contravention of Sai Baba's orders, we can further note that this is nothing but pure hypocrisy.

And just in case you're wondering, Gerald Moreno's response to tackling his Krishna problem offered no philosophical or theological substance as fully expected. For a start, he mutilated my post and responded only to the part that suited him best, casting aside the rest. Specifically he highlighted my (admittedly insufficient) explanation of karmic interactions being the unerlying cause of conflicts and deliberately misrepresented my position as "defending" Sai Baba! My argument that, as an avatar, Sai Baba is fully responsible for the welfare of the world according to his own statements was completely ignored by Moreno. My point still stands and has not been addressed.

What else is left to do when the Avatar's own defenders are so intellectually dishonest that the bullets that they attempt to shoot at detractors only backfire and take out their own eyes? As observed earlier, they would do well to quit while they're still behind. :-)

Gerald Moreno: Tackling A Krishna Problem

2006-09-13T07:03:00.000+01:00

Background: Gerald Moreno, our biggest fan, has in the past made several very critical and insulting statements about the Hindu religion and it's divinities. More specificially, he has maliciously attacked Lord Krishna in a twisted bid to malign me, since he is so consumed in his hatred for me that he derives a great pleasure in denigrating my religious beliefs. In so doing, he hardly realises that he has shot himself in both feet. Given his mad dash to become renowned as Sai Baba's premier defence puppet in the matter of widespread allegations of homosexual paedophilia, murders, etc., he little realises that his hateful efforts to criticise people's religious beliefs have in fact felled a pillar in the teachings of his hero. It is well-known that Sai Baba preaches religious inclusivity, including Hinduism as a major player in his 'sarvadharma' logo and even advocates it as a perfect model for the entire world to follow. Conveniently ignoring this, Moreno has in fact become renowned for being made to look like an utter clown when contradicting and acting against the principles of his matinée idol. Please see articles on the Sarvadharma Imbroglio and the 16,000 Wives to see examples of this. Having not learned from his painful lessons, his latest effort serves to highlight yet another aspect of his overwhelming ignorance in spiritual matters. It is because this blog is primarily dedicated to philosophical matters that I take great pleasure in outlining these events as they happen.

Moreno recently posted an article entitled, 'Lord Krishna's Inability To Protect His Devotees?'. He referenced a news story relating to a grenade that was thrown into a Krishna temple in India on Janmashtami 2006 (Krishna's birthday festival), resulting in 5 deaths and 40 injuries. After posting this, he quickly got to the point:

"Although this attack is horrifying, and should not be trivialized in any way, I can't help to wonder how Sanjay's arguments against Sathya Sai Baba come into play when applied to violent acts perpetuated against the Hare Krishna's?"

Whew! And there was me wondering what on earth a bomb attack on a Krishna temple had to do with me, and why such an article should appear on Moreno's obsessional and hateful stalkblog against me! It turns out that he is not actually expressing any concern about the tragedy, but simply uses it as another opportunity to relish attacking me at the cost of 4 dead Indian citizens. Shame on Moreno.

But let us carry on; Moreno then took issue with statements I had made in relations to the Al-Qaeda bombing of the Mumbai railway system that took place in July of this year. He quoted me thus:

"For this atrocity to happen the day after the festival of Guru Poornima itself casts doubts upon the ability of Sai Baba to warn and protect his own country from terrorism,.."

Notice how the sentence trails off? What Moreno forgets to tell everyone is that he selectively quoted me, conveniently quoting only the part that suits the premise of his article. Here is what I said in full:

"For this atrocity to happen the day after the festival of Guru Poornima itself casts doubts upon the ability of Sai Baba to warn and protect his own country from terrorism, despite his frequent meetings with Cabinet ministers and other government representatives."

Tsk tsk. Delving further into Moreno's rant, we'll see the precise reason why he desired to avoid quoting the latter part of my statement in a queer bid to defend Sathya Sai Baba:

"Putting aside the glaring fact that Lord Krishna (the 'real' God, to Sanjay) was unable to warn or protect his country from the terrorist blasts in Mumbai, one can't help to notice how Sanjay flip-flops and ignores violence when directed towards the Hare Krishna's (of which he is a congregational member) and the implications thereof about his savior, Bhagavan Sri Krsna.

"If Lord Krishna is really God (as Sanjay contends), then why did Sri Krishna allow others to die so horribly?"

You know, Gerald Moreno claims to have been a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba for seven years (between the ages of 18-25). He also claims to have been influenced by a wide variety of gurus and saints including Shirdi Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Premananda, and others. Although he has now decided to favour agnosticism, there is no denying that exposure to a wide variety of teachers would have similarly exposed him to a wide variety of teachings. Comments and questions like the one above really astound me; How is it that Moreno asks a question that is amateurish beyond belief?

First of all, I never "contended" anything, nor did I make any mention of Krishna in my article about the Mumbai bombings. Nor have I "ignored" any such violent incidents. I have made no mention of these things anywhere. We already noticed it - Moreno is here guilty of setting up a strawman argument for the purpose of needlessly attacking me, expecting me to respond to things that are beyond my purview. And to end it with a ridiculously amateurish "spiritual" question will likely bring a chuckle to spiritual aspirants all over the world. But let us plow further through Moreno's jungle of misconceptions:

Reflecting on Sanjay's words, in relation to the Iskcon attack (with a slight modification):

"For this atrocity to happen on Janmasthami Day itself, casts doubt upon Lord Krishna's ability to warn or protect his devotees or country from terrorism and attacks."

This is exactly the problem with Sanjay. His critiques are one-sided and highly selective. When wagging his tongue and frothing at the mouth, Sanjay fails to divulge the relevance of his critiques to his own belief system. No doubt, he does this in order to mislead others with his propaganda. Anti-Sai Activists do the same thing. They point out numerous world-wide atrocities and blame Sathya Sai Baba because he claims to be God. However, since Anti-Sai Activists do not consider Sathya Sai Baba to be God, all of their critiques and citations of atrocities fall flat at the door-step of their own chosen God concept! If Lord Krishna could not protect his own devotees who gathered at a temple dedicated to him (no less than during his birthday celebrations), what hope does Sanjay have in being saved from his perversities, obscenities and absurdities? I think the chances are slim to none.

Erm,.. where do I start?

Moreno is very fond of deflecting criticisms of Sai Baba by highlighting the fact that the same objections "lie at the door of their own God-concept". Indeed, he has repeated himself so many times that some of his catchphrases should earn their place in the annals of japa-mantras. At first glance, Moreno's argument appears to have some merit but it is a person with only a cursory understanding of Hinduism/Vedanta who would attribute any such merit. Contrary to Moreno's strongly-held ideas, Vedanta philosophy does not agree with the premise of God being "blamed" for any calamity and catastrophe that occurs leaving alone the fact that much mainstream criticism of God for being "unconcerned" with world affairs and personal tragedies is unwarranted in the overwhelming majority of cases.

To understand this further, let's take a look at Lord Krishna's words in India's best-loved scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita:

"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again." (8.15-16)

Elsewhere:

"O Dhananjaya [Arjuna], all this work cannot bind Me. I am ever detached, seated as though neutral." (9.9)

Readers should please bear in mind that I am presenting these quotes in an extremely reductionist form and that the topic is certainly more complicated than to be restricted to just three verses, but it is possible to say that these three quoted verses represent the bare bones of the doctrine as a whole. Essentially speaking, the material world is intrinsically a place of misery and suffering whereby personal and environmental tragedies occur from time to time as a matter of course. It is in the nature of things to rise and fall, suffer upheaval and enjoy calm, and such happenings occur via the mechanisms of personal and mass karma too. Whereas God's involvement can be invoked, the general situation is that nature is like a self-actuating machine that functions according to it's intrinsic blueprint while God is seated detached and neutral.

Personal tragedies are usually the result of man's inhumanity to (or interaction with) man, a favourite saying of Sai Baba's. Environmental catastrophes are almost always believed to be the result of man's misuse of natural resources. There is essentially a karmic repercussion behind every occurrence, good and bad. With all of these karmic connections interacting with each other on a personal, national and worldwide scale, this idea gains credence among spiritual aspirants as a workable method of understanding the problems of life. Consequently, Moreno's argument about how criticisms of Sathya Sai Baba should similarly apply to the "God-concepts" of other people do not hold water. Why?

Why well, because we're forgetting the small matter of Sai Baba claiming to be an avatar (incarnation of God) and his repeated declarations that he has advented with the sole purpose 0f saving humanity from self-imposed destruction. There are many such statements from the Baba, but I believe that just the one will suffice:

"For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of evil-doers and for establishing righteousness on a firm footing, I incarnate from age to age. Whenever disharmony (asanthi) overwhelms the world, the Lord will incarnate in human form to establish the modes of earning peace (prasanthi) and to reeducate the human community in the paths of peace. At the present time, strife and discord have robbed peace and unity from the family, the school, the society, the religions, the cities, and the state. The arrival of the Lord is also anxiously awaited by saints and sages. Spiritual aspirants (sadhus) prayed and I have come ... Many hesitate to believe that things will improve, that life will be happy for all and full of joy, and that the golden age will recur. Let me assure you that this divine body (dharmaswarupa) has not come in vain. It will succeed in averting the crisis that has come upon humanity." - 23 November 1968

Sounds like a helluva job, to say the least!

Whether or not you believe that Sai Baba is God, the fact still remains that he has stated on numerous occasions that improvements in the world's condition will be brought about as a result of his influence. When Sai Baba openly claims to have directly advented with the express purpose of solving the world's problems at large, a criticism of his non-participation or initiative is bona-fide. Gerald Moreno will find many of these facts unpalatable due to his self-consuming hatred of Sai Baba's critics and his devoted defence of Sai Baba, but he will have to deal with it. Objections towards Sai Baba's influence in the world and catastrophic events (or lack thereof) still stand on account of his self-admitted responsibility for them. Desperately trying to lay the blame at the feet of other God-concepts (as Moreno loves to do) is mere deflection of the issues that remain as serious concerns for Sai Baba's integrity and honesty.

In the context of terrorist incidents, Sai Baba himself is noted for his frequent meetings with Indian politicians at the highest levels, occasionally meeting with the heads of state of other countries. After all, his devotees boast about these events often enough! In a deceptive bid to selectively quote me, Moreno attempted to do away with this prickly political clause in a misguided attempt to deride me and which backfired spectacularly. The point stands: "For this atrocity to happen ... casts doubt upon the ability of Sai Baba to warn and protect his own country from terrorism, despite his frequent meetings with Cabinet ministers and other government representatives."

One would have expected more from Sai devotees but unfortunately they prove and continue to prove their almost total ignorance of spiritual matters, leave alone trying to defend Sai Baba and failing miserably while at it. :-)

More Weapons Seized In Andhra

2006-09-12T04:55:00.000+01:00

Published: Monday, 11 September, 2006, 10:54 AM Doha Time

HYDERABAD: For the second successive day, police in Andhra Pradesh yesterday recovered consignments of arms and explosives from transport companies meant for Maoist guerrillas.

A day after seizing 875 rocket shells, 27 rocket launchers and other arms, the police Saturday recovered three bags full of gelatine sticks from Kranti transport company in Puttaparthi in Anantapur district.

The explosives were recovered during statewide raids being conducted by police on the offices and warehouses of Kranti and other transport companies. One Venkatrami Reddy, to whom the parcel was sent from Chityala in Nalgonda district, has been arrested. He is being interrogated.

Meanwhile, police in Guntur district have launched a hunt for two people who allegedly received consignments of rocket shells and launchers about two months ago. During the investigations launched after Friday’s seizures, police found that two parcels containing the arms were delivered to them in Macherla in Guntur district through Kranti transport.

A person who identified himself as Rami Reddy sent the consignments from Nellore district. He told the transport company that the bags contained electrical equipments. The consignments sent to one V Reddy were received several days later on his behalf by another person who identified himself as Aslam.

Police suspect that the rocket shells, launchers and other arms could have reached Maoists.

On Friday they seized the arms and ammunition from Mahabubanagar and Prakasam districts. Police chief Swaranjit Sen claimed that it was the single largest number of rockets recovered in the country.

The sophisticated rockets, sent from Tamil Nadu in May this year to Vijayawada, and from there to different places in Andhra Pradesh, were meant for Maoists in the Nallamalla forests.

Police claimed that with this seizure they had thwarted the Maoists’ plan to attack police stations and VIPs in five districts surrounding the dense forests. The Maoists could have hit targets, including moving targets like helicopters and VIP convoys from a distance of one kilometre with these weapons.

The police said the rocket missiles, which were ready to be filled with explosives, were meant to be transported to Nallamalla forests, the stronghold of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist. Many Maoists including their top leaders are believed to be hiding in the dense forests spread over five districts including Mahabubnagar.

The seizure follows the killing in July of a Maoist leader and seven other rebels in the Nallamalla forests of Prakasam district. Maoist violence has claimed over 6,000 lives in the state over the last three decades including those of 2,500 civilians, policemen and politicians.

Maoist had last year attacked the Durgi police station in Guntur district with rocket launchers. However, no one was injured in the attack. – Agencies