The Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba is claimed to have been born in 1926 as Sathyanarayana Raju, in or across the river from the village Puttaparthi in the state Andhra Pradesh of India. Devotees honor his birthday as November 23, 1926. Some critics like Hari Sampath state that his school register proves that he was born in 1929 though according to former follower Brian Steel this may just be an error. His mission started in the 1940s. Accoring to his official biography written by Narayana Kasturi that contains no references and very little source information, he was stung by a scorpion in May 1940 and then displayed trance states and he claimed to be the reincarnation of the fakir Sai Baba. Sai Baba publicly stated that the date on which he refused to continue to go to school and threw away his schoolbooks on his way to school was Monday October 20, 1940. However, that date was actually a Sunday. [1] He subsequently changed his name into Sai Baba. According to Brian Steel, he continued to go to school until 1943.

Many visitors to Puttaparthi were stimulated by stories of miracles allegedly performed by Baba. He then became even more popular due to the character and integrity of those who told their own tales in print on their return to their native place. Many visitors also report Baba came to them in a dream before they even knew who he was. It was only later through a series of events they learned who he was. Stories like this attracted early spiritual seekers from the West, such as Americans, Dr. John Hislop, famous Hollywood screenwriter Arnold Schulman, psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Sandweiss, as well as the Australian Howard Murphet, all of whom visited the guru, examined him and his teachings and activities, and then wrote books about their experiences. In turn, these books inspired other spiritual seekers to visit and examine Sathya Sai Baba in person. As a result, many foreign dignitaries and even famous people began to visit Sai Baba, and still do to this day.

The guru became increasingly popular and by the late 1960s westerners started to visit him. As of 2004 there are estimated to be well over 1 million devotees, predominantly among Indians and people of Indian ethnic origin. In Nordic countries and the Netherlands, numbers fell after 2000 due to negative publicity about Baba, and subsequently also in Australia after the showing there by SBS of the Danish film "Seduced by Sai Baba."

At present several hundred positive books have been published about Sathya Sai Baba. Some quarters of the Indian government consider Sai Baba to be a 'national treasure'.

Bibliography

• Love is my form published by Sai Towers
• Kasturi Narayana Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol. I-IV official biography also availabe online

External websites

• 1940-1945: the Need to Revise the Official Sathya Sai Baba Story by Brian Steel former follower
• SATHYA SAI BABA THRIVES ON AND PROMOTES RUMOURS part one by Robert Priddy