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Sathya Sai Baba (born Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011)[1] was an Indian guru.[2][3] At the age of fourteen, he claimed that he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba,[4][5] and left his home to serve his devotees.[6][7] Sai Baba's believers credited him with miracles such as materialisations of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches, along with reports of miraculous healings, resurrections, clairvoyance, bilocation and was allegedly omnipotent and omniscient.[8] Multiple studies have concluded that his acts were based on sleight of hand or had other explanations that were not supernatural, although his devotees believe them to be signs of his divinity.[9][10][11] In 1972, Sathya Sai Baba founded the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust.[12] “to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement“.[13] Through this organisation, Sathya Sai Baba established a network of free super speciality hospitals[14][15] and general hospitals,[16] clinics,[17] drinking water projects,[18] a university,[19] auditoriums, ashrams, edtech platforms[20] and schools.[21][22][23] It has branches in over 40 countries,[24] run by one of its sister organizations - the Sri Sathya Sai Global Council.[25] Biography Early life Almost everything known about Sathya Sai Baba's early life stems from the hagiography that grew around him, narratives that hold special meaning[26] to his devotees and are considered by them to be evidence of his divine nature.[7][27][28] According to these sources, Sathyanarayana Raju was born on 23 November 1926 to Meesaraganda Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram, to a Bhatraju family,[29][30] a community of religious musicians and balladeers,[31][32] in the village of Puttaparthi which was the Madras Presidency of British India.[7][33][34] His birth was alleged by his mother Easwaramma to be of a miraculous conception.[4][7] He was the fourth among the five children of his parents. Sathya Sai Baba's siblings included elder brother Ratnakaram Seshama Raju (1911–1985), elder sisters Venkamma (1918–1993) and Parvathamma (1920–1998), and younger brother Janakiramaiah (1931–2003).[35] Reference: As a child, Sathya was described as “unusually intelligent“ and charitable, though not necessarily academically inclined, as his interests were of a more spiritual nature.[7][28] He was uncommonly talented in devotional music, dance and drama.[28][5] From a young age, he has been alleged to have been capable of materialising objects such as food and sweets out of thin air.[36] Proclamation Sathya Sai Baba at the age of 14, soon after proclaiming he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba On 8 March 1940, while living with his elder brother Seshama Raju in Uravakonda, a small town near Puttaparthi, 14-year-old Sathya was allegedly stung by a scorpion.[36] He lost consciousness for several hours[5] and in the next few days underwent a noticeable change in behaviour. There were “symptoms of laughing and weeping, eloquence and silence.“ It is claimed that then “he began to sing Sanskrit verses, a language of which it is alleged he had no prior knowledge.“[4] Doctors concluded his behaviour to be hysteria.[4] Concerned, his parents brought Sathya back home to Puttaparthi and took him to many priests, doctors and exorcists. One of the exorcists at Kadiri, a town near Puttaparthi, went to the extent of torturing him with the aim of curing him. On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household members and reportedly materialised sugar candy (prasad) and flowers for them. His father became furious at seeing this, thinking his son was bewitched. He took a stick and threatened to beat him if Sathya did not reveal who he really was, the young Sathya responded calmly and firmly “I am Sai Baba“, a reference to Sai Baba of Shirdi.[4][5] This was the first time he proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi – a saint who became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Maharashtra and had died eight years before Sathya was born.[4] It was then he came to be known as 'Sathya Sai Baba'.
