Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju in Puttaparthi, a tiny hamlet in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, in 1926. His father was PeddaVenkappa Raju, who hailed from a middle class family. Sathyanarayana was born amidst wonderous signs and miracles. The name of His mother was Easwaramba (which means the mother of God).
Sathya was a natural vegetarian with a tender heart for all living things. Even as a small boy, Sathya never turned any beggars away from his mother's house. He would see to it that they always got something to eat.
Sathya began school in his little village. He was very bright and quick with learning and was popular among the other school children. He would produce all kinds of items from the palm of his hand, which attracted a gentle crowd of happy children around him.
At thirteen, a series of incredible wonderous events was to change the life of this amazing little boy and influence the entire world with his miraculous charities and abilities.
On the 23rd May, 1940, the 13-1/2 year old Sathya made the momentous declaration that He was Sai Baba. And on October 20, 1940, Sathya came back from school without attending His classes, threw away His books and declared: “I am no longer yours. My devotees are calling me. I have work to do and I am going”. It was only after this historic declaration that the world at large learned of this divine phenomenon.
The Purpose of Sai Baba’s Advent
Sai Baba has said that He has come to re-establish the rhythm of righteousness in the world and repair the ancient highway to God, which over the years has systematically deteriorated. In His own words, “This Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuminating the Atmic Reality (Atma – The Self) of each being, to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal and rise up to the Divine, which is the goal.”
Sathya Sai Baba, a Combination of Spirituality and Pure Love
Sai Baba is a great spiritual Master, famed for His simple and sweet exposition of the greatest and most intricate of spiritual truths which form the fundamental teachings of all the religions of the world. He has declared that He “has come not to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his own faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim and the Hindu a better Hindu.” His formula for man to lead a meaningful life is the five-fold path of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-Violence). Love for God, fear of sin and morality in society – these are His prescriptions for our ailing world.
Further, Sai Baba is an inexhaustible reservoir of pure love. His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools and colleges, free drinking water supply or free housing projects, all stand testimony to His selfless love and compassion for the needy and less privileged.
Educational Institutions and Humanitarian Activities
- Sri Sathya Sai Education offered totally free under Sri Sathya Sai University, established by Sai Baba, has campuses at Prasanthinilayam, near the abode of Bhagawan Baba; at Ananthapur and at Whitefield near Bangalore. The University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as professional and doctoral programmes. Value based integral education is offered with the sole aim of character building. Education in these institutions which have received A++ level, top grade among the Indian universities, is offered free for all, irrespective of caste, creed, status, religion, etc.
- Under the Sri Sathya Sai Drinking Water Supply Projects, pure and protected drinking water was supplied by Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust to quench the thirst of thousands of people in 731 villages of Anantapur District; 320 villages of Medak and Mehboobnagar Districts in Telengana region and perennial supply of drinking water to 10 million people in Chennai daily. The work involved laying of thousands of Kms of pipelines and building several reservoirs, overhead tanks etc.
- Sathya Sai Medical Institutions include besides Sri Sathya Sai General Hospitals at Puttaparthi and Whitefield, the Super Speciality Hospitals at Prasanthigram near Puttaparthi and at Whitefield near Bangalore. The Puttaparthi Hospital has 300 beds with 11 operation theatres. This hospital has departments of Cardiology, Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Opthalmology, Orthopaedics and Gastroenterology. The Whitefield Hospital is a 330-bed unit with state-of-the- art facilities. These hospitals provide the best of the best medical care to the poorest of the poor patients. The treatment including all surgical procedures, investigations, hospital-stay and medicines is provided entirely free to all patients.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is thus a beacon of hope in a world that is desperately seeking an end to the unrest and sorrow prevalent today. His message of “Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God” is a spiritual salve that will lead mankind from the darkness of ignorance to the light of immortality. Indeed, very rarely does such a divine power walk the earth. As one devotee said, “Bhagawan Baba is nothing but Love walking on two feet”.
Balakrishnan Valanath - Balakrishnan Valanath is an India-based writer from Kerala, the "God's Own Country". After graduating in Economics and Law, he spent many ...
Join the Conversation