(b. Satya Narayana
Peddi Venkappa Raju, 1926)
Modern Hindu teacher and religious figure who presides as
religious teacher (guru) over millions of devotees (bhakta), both Indian and
foreign.
He was born in the small village of Puttaparthi in the state
of Andhra Pradesh, where his main ashram is still located.
He first claimed to be an incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a
Maharashtrian saint, at thirteen—a move that gave him religious authority and
obviated the need to accept a human guru and a spiritual lineage.
Sathya Sai Baba has since stated that he will be
reincarnated a third time, thus eliminating awkward questions about a
successor.
His fame rests upon his supposed magic powers, particularly
the ability to heal and to materialize objects from thin air.
Sai Baba has many middle and upper-class Indian devotees,
whom he obliges to perform service (seva) to others.
Some observers are highly skeptical about his reputed powers
and about Sai Baba in general.
For further information see Lawrence Babb, “Sathya Sai
Baba’s Saintly Play,” in John Stratton Hawley (ed.), Saints and Virtues, 1987;
“Sathya Sai Baba and the Lesson of Trust,” in Redemptive Encounters, 1987; and
“Sathya Sai Baba’s Miracles,” in T. N. Madan (ed.), Religion in India, 1991.
