spiritual4u

The Library Of Spiritual Science

BIOGRAPHY

Sathyanarayana Raju Pundek was born to Peddavenkappa and Easwaramma Raju in a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that instruments played on their own accord in his household. His mother found herself pregnant after dreaming of the Hindu Lord Sathyanarayana Swamy and after a huge sphere of blue light rolled in and made her faint.

The young Sathyanarayana was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and for his compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly. The young Sathya is reported to have composed bhajans spontaneously.

On March 8, 1940, he started behaving as if a scorpion had stung in his foot. He exhibited strange behavior after this and entered a coma state. After some time, he got up and his behavior worried his parents - he didn't want to eat, he would often keep silent for a long time, recited ancient shlokas or elaborated on holy Hindu scriptures. In May 1940, he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of the fakir and Saint Sai Baba of Shirdi (d. 1918) and subsequently took the fakir's name, Sai Baba.

On 20 October 1940 at the age of 14, Sai Baba threw away his books and announced, "My devotees are calling me. I have my work." He then spent the next three days under a tree in the garden of an excise inspector (government officer) and many people gathered around him. Sai Baba taught them bhajans. From then on Sai Baba claimed to be the avatar of the age, i.e. a divine incarnation of god sent to Earth to bring about spiritual renewal. He has consistently maintained this position ever since.

In 1963, during a discourse, Sai Baba made statements claiming to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti. He also claimed that Sai Baba of Shirdi was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation, Prema Sai Baba, would be a reincarnation of Shakti. He publicly repeated this claim in 1976. Sai Baba states that Prema Sai Baba will be born in Mysore State.

In the late 1960s Sathya Sai Baba began to gain popularity among Western spiritual seekers. He traveled only once outside India to visit North East Africa in 1968.

In 1960, Sathya Sai Baba said that he would be in this mortal Human form for another 59 years.

TEACHINGS

Sathya Sai Baba advocates the following five basic human values: sathya (truth), dharma (right conduct, living in accordance with natural law), ahimsa (non-violence), prema (love for God and all his creatures) and shantih (peace).

Other primary teachings are:

* Service and charity (seva) to others.
* Love for all creatures and objects.
* Putting a ceiling (limit) on one's desires.
* Sadhana (Spiritual discipline).
* Celibacy after age of fifty.
* Everything that has been created is maya (illusion), only God is real.
* Every creature and object is God in form, though most do not experience this as their
reality.
* Vegetarianism, moderate and sattvik diet.
* Abstinence from drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and taking drugs.
* Detachment from the material world.
* Meditation, preferably at 3:00 or 4:00 A.M.
* Meditation (dhyan). Sai Baba teaches four techniques: repetition of the name of God,
visualizing the form of God, sitting in silence, and jyoti (Flame/Light meditation).
* Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
* Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God.
* Developing virtues (prashanti) and eschewing vices of character.
* Japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
* Reverence for parents, teachers and elders.
* Sense control
* Highly committed devotees use the phrase "Sai Ram" as a salutation.
* Women should strive to realize stri-dharma, the inherent virtues of womanhood.
* Altruism

Sathya Sai Baba's teachings are said to be realized by observing the following four principles:

* 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

Miracles & Healing

Sathya Sai Baba's followers report miracles and healings of various kinds tperformed by him. Sathya Sai Baba's devotees believe that he relieves his devotees by transfering their pain to himself. Daily, he is observed to manifest vibuthi (holy ash), and sometimes food and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches.

In devotees' houses all around the world, there are claims from observers, journalists and devotees that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, Siva lingams, statues of deities (brass and gold), Sugar Candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems, colored string, writings in ash and various other substances spontaneously manifest and materialize on the walls, furniture, pictures and altars of Sathya Sai Baba.