Sathya Sai Baba was an Indian Guru who claimed that he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. He left home at the age of fourteen and decided to serve his devotees. He is also known as Sai Baba, Swami, Sathya Sai Baba, Bhagavan, or simply as Baba to millions worldwide. His followers credit him with miracles like miraculous healings, and resurrections, and for being omnipotent and omniscient.
Sathya Sai Baba opened the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in 1972 to allow his followers to undertake service activities. He also established several free super specialty hospitals, general hospitals, clinics, drinking water projects, a university, and more.
Sathya Sai Baba’s early life
Whatever we know about Sathya Sai Baba’s life, stems from the hagiography that grew around him. As per sources, Sathyanarayana Raju was born in November 1926, to Meesaraganda Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram. He was the fourth among the five children of his parents – Ratnakaram Seshama Raju (1911–1985), elder sisters Venkamma (1918–1993) and Parvathamma (1920–1998), and younger brother Janakiramaiah (1931–2003). As a kid, Sathya Sai Baba was unusually intelligent and had an inclination towards bhakti.
On March 8, 1940, Sathya Sai Baba was stung by a scorpion and he lost consciousness and he allegedly began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language he didn’t know about before.
Sathya Sai Baba’s career
In 1940, Sathya Sai Baba decided to call his family and reportedly materialised sugar candy (prasad) and flowers for them. His father got angry, thinking he has nee possessed. This is when he told them that he is the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba – A saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Maharashtra and had died eight years before Sathya was born.
In 1994, his devotees built a mandir near Puttaparthi village. It is referred to as the ‘Old Mandir’. It is said that Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks in 1963. Later, he healed himself in front of thousands of followers. He also announced that he will reborn an incarnation named Prema Sai Baba in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.
Sathya Sai Baba’s death
On March 28, 2011, he was admitted to a hospital following respiration-related problems, and nearly after a month of hospitalisation, he died on April 24 at the age of 84.
Sathya Sai Baba’s connection with celebrities
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar are the followers of Sathya Sai Baba. That’s not all, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Shivraj Patel, MK Stalin, and Chandrababu Naidu also believes in Sathya Sai Baba.