Who is SaiBaba
His Life
Sathya Sai is one of the most revered Spiritual Masters living in the world today. He has been silently transforming the world by re-establishing the eternal values of Truth, Love, Righteousness, Peace and Non-Violence in everyday living. His teachings are universal to all religions, yet he is not seeking to start a new religion. Rather he urges us to go to the roots of our own faith whatever it may be, to rediscover the universal Truth therein.
Sathya Sai Baba was born on November 23, 1926, in Puttaparthi, a remote village in the state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. He is the fourth child of a humble and pious couple, who named Him Sathya Narayana Raju. As a child, He demonstrated exceptional qualities of wisdom, compassion, and generosity. When He was seven years old, He composed devotional songs that were sung in religious festivals. At the age of fourteen, He announced that His name was Sathya Sai Baba and proclaimed His mission: to bring about the spiritual regeneration of humanity by demonstrating and teaching the highest principles of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence. With that announcement, He left His childhood home and began His mission.
From an early age, Sathya Sai Baba began demonstrating extraordinary powers. He quickly became known for the miracles that He performed such as materializing objects, especially a holy ash called vibhuti, assisting people in distress, and letting those who came to Him for advice know that He was aware of even the most intimate details of their lives. Yet, He has always maintained that His miracles are to be treated only as His calling cards. They are for the purpose of inspiring and encouraging people to begin their own spiritual journey of personal transformation.
In 1950, His devotees built a temple and residential quarters about a mile away from His birthplace in the village. He named this ashram 'Prashanti Nilayam' (Abode of Peace). Today, this ashram can accommodate and feed many thousands of devotees who come to see and hear Sathya Sai Baba. Under His care and guidance, Puttaparthi has evolved to have high quality schools, an accredited university, a spiritual museum, a well-equipped modern hospital, and an airport.
Sathya Sai Baba's followers regard Him as an incarnation of God in human form (Avatar). He is the ideal of goodness: One who manifests all human virtues in their purity and perfection; One who shows power, wisdom and knowledge beyond the comprehension of humans; and One in whom immense powers lie at His will.
He is also known as Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Swami, Bhagavan, or simply as Baba to millions of people in the world. His followers come from all faiths and races and meet regularly for devotional singing, to study His teachings, and to engage in service activities in order to practice His message of Love and Peace to unite all mankind.
His Miracles
From early childhood to the present day, countless miracles have been performed by Him, including materialisations of physical objects, healing the sick, and even resurrecting the dead. Even as a boy of seven he materialised objects, composed devotional songs and wrote scripts for morality plays.
He transcends the dimensions of space and time by blessing and healing sufferers and seekers, even in far off places. Such miracles are not mere hearsay but have been observed and attested to by thousands of people, reported in hundreds of books and recorded on films.
At the time of his birth many favourable omens were seen in the house. Even as a boy of 7, He composed hymns and wrote scripts and songs for religious dramas and morality plays. From early childhood to the present day, countless miracles have been performed by Him. He materialized or produced from thin air by the mere wave of His palm, a variety of objects.
However, He himself considers His miracles to be of no importance: He calls them His "calling-cards" and explains that they are natural to him. He says "I give you what you want so that you should want what I have come to give -- namely liberation itself".
Indeed, the greatest miracle of all is the change wrought in the lives of the millions of people who have come in contact with Sai Baba and His teachings. He says that His task is to revive the Good Life through the awareness of the Divinity of Man. He never asks us for blind faith.
He encourages investigation and says that true faith can only grow on the root of inquiry. Nor does He ask us to forsake our devotion to the Form of God which has become dear to us. In essence, God is Formless, and only takes Form to save and give a focus for our devotion.
Sai Baba was born on November 23, 1926, in Puttaparthi, 160 km from Bangalore in India. He has established an Ashram (spiritual retreat) there, which is now called Prashanti Nilayam (the Abode of Highest Peace). It has schools, colleges, a university and a super specialty hospital.
Since childhood, Sai Baba has demonstrated the virtues of compassion, selfless service, humility and respect for elders. Although He does not have any schooling beyond Grade VIII, He does have unparalleled knowledge of all fields, be it science, spirituality or philosophy.
His Teachings
The teachings of Sai Baba are universal. He has declared, "The entire Mankind is my Family. There is no one in the world who does not belong to Me. I shall not give you up even if you keep afar. I will not forsake even those who deny Me. Those who stay, as well as those who stay away will be drawn near and saved".
Sathya Sai Baba can only be described as the personification of pure, selfless love, the embodiment of peace and bliss, the essence of all goodness. In his teachings he befriends all faiths and emphasises the unity of all religions in the oneness of Divinity. In His personal manner, Sathya Sai Baba displays a majestic grace, and at the same time, an exquisite joyfulness.
Sai Baba says "Love is God, God is love." Love more and more people, transform love into Service, into Worship; that is the highest spiritual practice. Swami's basic teachings can be summarised in eight words, as follows:
"Love All, Serve All, Help Ever, Hurt Never."
Sai Baba has emphasised the supreme importance of pure love. He says, "I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have come to tell you of this universal unitary faith, this path of Love. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the One and Only God, that all names in all languages, and all forms man can conceive, denote the one and only God. Cultivate the attitude of oneness between people of all creeds, all countries, and all continents. This is the message of Love I bring."
He manifests every noble human quality that mankind admires and He incorporates every divine quality of an Avatar.
Wherever Baba is, whether He is in Brindavan (near Bangalore) or at Prasanthi Nilayam He finds Himself surrounded by thousands of aspirants eager to secure a glimpse of Him and hear a few words of His Divine Message. The Sathya Sai Message is simple: Love all, Serve all.
Sathya Sai Baba says that He has come for all mankind and not for any particular community, religion, country, or interest. His teachings are universal and not sectarian, attracting devotees and seekers of all faiths and nationalities. He proclaims:
"Let the different faiths exist and let the glory of God be sung in all languages and tunes. That should be the ideal. Respect the differences between the faiths and recognize them as valid as long as they do not extinguish the flames of unity. If each person lives the ideals propounded by the founders of their religion, unaffected by greed or hate, then the world will be a happy and peaceful habitation for mankind."
Sathya Sai Baba teaches that man's basic nature is divine and that the purpose of life is the realization of this divinity. This will occur, He says, by leading a moral life, by rendering selfless service to those in need, by engaging in devotional practices, and by developing love, respect, and compassion for all life. As one strives to transform the worldly life of self-centred desires and attachments into a higher spiritual life of selflessness and devotion, the foundation is built for receiving God's Grace. It is this Grace that will reveal our true nature to each of us.
He reminds us that mankind is unique among all of God's Creation; human beings are capable of recognizing that they emanate from God. We have the capacity to commune with God by turning inward. Ultimately, it is our destiny to merge with God. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that all religions are expressions of these same universal principles.
"All men are of one lineage, of one divine origin.
Therefore, recognize the divinity in each being and
banish all limiting thoughts and projections."
"There is only one Caste, the Caste of Humanity;
There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love;
There is only one Language, the Language of the Heart;
There is only One God and He is Omnipresent."
Sathya Sai Baba does not recommend that we become ascetics and retreat from the world. Instead, He teaches us that the world is our school, that the five human values (Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Non-violence) are our curriculum, and that the realization of the unity of Godliness in the diversity of Creation is our ultimate lesson.
"Love in thought is Truth;
Love in action is Right Conduct;
Love in understanding is Peace;
Love in feeling is Non-violence."
There are thousands of service units in the Sathya Sai Organizations in different countries. These are situated in every Continent, and are spread over almost all the nations, from New Zealand to Iceland, from Trinidad to Thailand.
His followers, everywhere, are attempting to put Baba's message into practice in their daily lives, in their social relations and spiritual exercises. They profess loyalty to different religions and find that their loyalty is reinforced by faith in Baba's message of love and service.
Sai Baba has established a model education system based on universal human values. He says spiritual education is our birthright. His schools do not charge fees, and there are no dues to belong to any Sai Centre worldwide, nor any demand to donate money.
The Sathya Sai Organisation has thousands of Centres worldwide whose members follow a code of conduct and attempt to put Sai Baba's teachings into practice, mainly through selfless service to their local communities
Sathya Sai Baba urges all His devotees to comply with the "Nine-Point Code of Conduct" and to practice a "Ceiling on Desires" for their spiritual development, as described below:
The Nine-Point Code of Conduct
- Daily meditation and prayer
- Group devotional singing or prayer with family members once a week
- Participation in Sai Spiritual Education by children of the family.
- Participation in community service work and other programs of the organization.
- Regular attendance at the Center's devotional meetings.
- Regular study of Sathya Sai Baba literature.
- The use of soft, loving speech with everyone.
- Not speaking ill of others, especially in their absence.
- Practicing placing a ceiling on desires "consciously and continuously striving to eliminate the tendency to waste time, money, food, and energy" and utilizing the savings for service of mankind.
Ceiling on Desires
Sathya Sai Baba teaches that one should not waste time, food, money, or energy. A program called "Ceiling on Desires" has been created to encourage aspirants to practice these principles.
"The object of the program is to prevent waste of money, time, food or other resources and to use all these for the welfare of the people. The money that is saved need not be kept for the Sathya Sai organizations. It may be used in the best way you choose for the benefit of others. Do not waste time. Time wasted is life wasted. Time is God. Sanctify all the time at your disposal by undertaking service activities in a pure and unselfish spirit."
Sathya Sai Baba also emphasizes that man has important obligations to society. He stresses the importance of performing one's duty in society for the benefit of all. It is the society that can provide an environment and a foundation for people to grow spiritually more easily. His teachings on serving society are summarized in His "the ten guiding principles":
The Ten Guiding Principles
- Love and Serve your country. Do not be critical of others' countries.
"Have a sense of pride in your motherland. Just as your mother has given birth to you, so too the land has given birth to you. Whatever country you belong to, you should have a sense of patriotism. You should not indulge in criticizing other countries or people belonging to other nations. Having trust and faith in your own country, you won't try to put down any other country. Never bring grief or sorrow to your country. To have pride in one's own motherland is important." - Honour and respect all religions as pathways to God.
"Never have hatred toward any religion. Honour and respect all religions equally. Even as you are a citizen of your motherland but respect all countries, also respect all religions equally." - Love all humanity as part of your family.
"Develop a sense of the brotherhood of man. Look upon each person as your own brother. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. All of us belong to the human race, so everyone is equal. Therefore, love each one equally." - Keep home and surroundings clean.
"Keep your own house and its surroundings pure and clean. This hygiene will keep you healthy and benefit your worldly life." - Help the needy with food, clothing, and shelter. Help them become self-reliant when possible.
"Be discriminating when dispensing charity. In the name of charity or philanthropy, we tend to do injustice to this country. Charity does not mean that the land should be full of beggars. We can provide some support and means for the beggars, but provide food, clothing, and other conveniences in such a way that you are not encouraging laziness and begging." - Be examples of honesty. Do not participate in any corruption such as bribery.
"Never give or take a bribe. Giving bribes, or accepting bribes, is contrary to the very name of the Sri Sathya Sai organizations. Bear this in mind continuously." - Curb jealousy, hatred and envy.
"We must seek ways to solve difficulties such as hatred, envy, and jealousy. To curb this sense of envy and jealousy, we must develop a broader outlook. Do not differentiate on the basis of race, caste, creed, or country. Follow your cultural and religious customs in your own home, but do not attempt to impose them on society. Rather than this, love each person as your own brother, not seeing him as belonging to another creed, religion, or country." - Develop self-reliance.
"Members of the Sri Sathya Sai Organizations should do things by themselves; they should not depend on others. You may be very wealthy and have servants and assistants to help in a few tasks, but your own work you must do yourself. If you wish to be of service to society, serve yourself first. One who will not serve society has no right to belong to a Sri Sathya Sai organization." - Observe your country's laws and be exemplary citizens.
"Never ever go against the law of the land. Follow the letter of the law. The members of the Sri Sathya Sai organizations should follow the law in spirit also, and be models for the government." - Adore God, abhor sin.
"You must love God and avoid sin. Love God incessantly. As long as you keep committing sins, God will never be yours."
His Work
Sathya Sai Baba strongly emphasizes selfless service to those in need as the highest means for enhancing one's own spiritual growth and development. He teaches that it is not enough to simply do good works,but of equal importance is one's attitude during the service activity. The service worker must have an attitude of humility and appreciation for the opportunity to do any service activity. The opportunity itself is a gift from God. One should not dwell on the good that they are doing, or that activity will strengthen one's ego rather than help to reduce it.
"Selfless service is the fragrant flower of altruistic love. It is not to be performed for the satisfaction of the person rendering the service or the person at whose bidding it is done. Man should regard selfless service as the purpose for which he was given life. This feeling should flow through his very nerves and bloodstream and permeate every cell of his body. Whatever the work we do, we should do it as an offering to God for His pleasures. We should take up service activities for the purification of our own hearts."
"When you offer a meal to a hungry child, or a blanket to a shivering brother on the pavement, you are placing a gift of God into the hand of another gift of God."
"God serves; He allows you to claim that you have served! Without His will, no single blade of grass can quiver in the breeze. Fill every moment with gratitude to the Giver and the recipient of all gifts."
Sathya Sai Baba Centers around the world are performing selfless service projects such as feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the aged, helping build schools and reaching out to those in need. You are welcome to join in the service projects. Please speak with the service coordinator if you wish to participate.
"A person should strive to use every talent and skill they have, not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole world. Understand that society is the source of whatever pleasure one derives and whatever wealth one achieves in life. We owe everything to society and should be grateful to society for all that we receive from it. We have to repay this debt by helping at least as many people as we can. With a genuine keenness or readiness to serve others, one can attain happiness in any group or community, and the very eagerness to serve others will endow you with the power and skill necessary for the required service. Nowadays, we tend to regard it as derogatory to serve, but there is great worth in service. People have become so selfish that they no longer care for others, or anything other than their own welfare. When one constantly thinks only of one's own body, one's own family and one's own comfort, one is a truly selfish person. The only way to cleanse such hard-heartedness is through service to humanity".
"Only selfless service can encourage a person to reach the higher state of humanity. Selfless service alone gives the needed strength and courage to awaken the sleeping humanity in one's heart. All service should be regarded as an offering to God, and every opportunity to serve should be welcomed as a gift from God. When service is done in this spirit, it will lead to self- realization".
"Engage yourselves in service activity. Consider social service as service to God. This is the best way to earn God's Love. Love all and serve all. Your entire life will be sanctified thereby. The ideal of service has the ability to remove the ego; it promotes love and affection; it takes one away from worldly attachments and puts one on the path of the Divine. It can give widespread pleasure and happiness for all mankind. In fact, service is the first step along the spiritual path, for "service to man is service to God."
Great importance is given to service in the Sai Organization. All office-bearers and active workers pledge themselves to show their love for God by serving their fellow-man, for at least 4 hours a week. Some of this time may be allotted to performing the many duties required for the efficient working of the Sai Centre itself, but some of it should also be for service to the society at large. Both aspects are important.
Service has been defined as "Love made manifest". Baba repeatedly asks us to expand our hearts to include all humanity. He tells us that to care only for our own interests and those of our families is a constriction of our heart. Such constriction eventually results in loneliness and unhappiness -- as indeed we can see all around us, for it is the malady of the present age.
The cure that Baba has given us for this malady is service. Service slowly and steadily broadens one's heart, bringing with it an unexpected feeling of happiness, and it begins to transform the community around us as well. The service activity which one may, at first, have started with a certain reluctance, soon becomes a labour of love: one's heart has broadened to include others; and the more people one loves, the happier one becomes. this is a spiritual truth that we need to re-discover. Our service will have benefited others, but it will have benefited us also.
Baba tells us that when we serve another, we should remind ourselves that we are serving the Divinity within that other. This is something that we frequently forget, for it needs a very big mental re-adjustment. Don't worry about it -- just serve! But the very least that is demanded of us in this context is to RESPECT the person we are serving. That includes respecting their beliefs; in fact, it means reaching their spiritual Self through their beliefs, not ours. It means putting oneself in their shoes; cheering them up if possible, but seeing things from their point of view. You are merely God's instrument and you are NOT an emissary of Sathya Sai Baba.
"...If you lift the hand to serve, to help, to console, to encourage another man you are lifting it for God, because in every man is God."
"Be of service to others, for that is giving yourself to Me. For whatever you give, I will repay you thrice, Nay I shall repay you ten-fold. Try Me and you will see. I say to those who know the joy of giving, look back! Yes, look back and see how each time you felt that nothing but a miracle could save you, keep you alive, fill your larder, save your son, stop a disaster - has not that miracle happened? Divine guidance is always at the side of the giver. Yes, I will give to those who give of themselves, untold Joy and Bliss; and what is more, I will lead them by the hand along those petal strewn paths of Eternal Joy."
"Every deed performed, do it in My Name. Every person who passes near your pat, give them the sweetness of your smile. Give freely of the nectar of your cup of happiness, of kindness, of Blissfulness. Give the warmth of your love. Extend your hand as I extend Mine to you."