Allegations against Sathya Sai Baba

The Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba is the subject of many allegations and intense controversy.

One of Sathya Sai Baba's most long-standing critics is the Indian atheist and skeptic Basava Premanand who has published several critical books about him with telling titles such as "Lure of miracles" and "Divine Octopus". [1] He has also attempted to bring Sathya Sai Baba to court alleging his violation of the Gold Control Act. [2] To date, Premanand has been unable to succeed legally and claims he was even arrested by the police in Puttaparthi for a demonstration in the village.

In 1976 Dr. H. Narasimhaiah who was a member of a private miracle committee set to debunk all superstitious religious belief, publicly challenged Sathya Sai Baba to perform his miracles under controlled circumstances, a challenge which Sathya Sai Baba ignored. [3] The controversy that was the consequence of this incident helped make Sathya Sai Baba even more well known in India. [4] Sathya Sai Baba said in one of his rare interviews that he found the attitude of the committee improper. [5] In 1994 another skeptic, Dr. Dale Beyerstein from Canada, published a study that proved that Sathya Sai Baba's claims of omniscience and omnipotence are untrue. That work is online and free to download. It may be noted that Beyerstein never studied the Baba in person.[6]

While the popularity of the Baba grew despite such distant critics as Beyerstein, infamy close at hand also grew. On 6 June, 1993 six members of the main ashram Prashanti Nilayam were killed in Sathya Sai Baba's house. Four of them, visiting assailants armed with knives, first killed two house residents and themselves were then shot dead by the police. Initial reports by the police and media provide conflicting views. Some newspapers said this was a failed attempt on the life of Sathya Sai Baba. Others claimed it was a terrorist plot. Two members of the plot escaped and were later arrested and freed after testifying where bombs and poisons had been planted by them in the ashram. Later sources claim the murders were attributed to internal squabbles in Prashanti Nilayam. Basava Premanand then went to court accusing the police and the government of destroying evidence. The appeal was dismissed as lacking in evidence, a result it may be noted which follows every Premanand attempt to put Sai Baba in court.

Perhaps the most scandolous accusation by western ex-members, first voiced in print by Tal Brooke in 1976, is that Sai Baba is a homosexual paedophile and that he sexually abuses his young male followers and the students from his schools and the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning during private interviews. [7], [8] Critics say that, though most of the victims of Baba's sexual abuse are over eighteen, the alleged sex is not between consenting adults because many of these victims feel they have to fulfill Baba's wishes. These victims believe, at least initially, that Baba's acts have a spiritual meaning, for example to raise the kundalini or to help with sexual problems. Or they can't escape the sexual abuse because of social reasons, for example when all their friends and family are followers. [9]

A few of these first-hand testimonies are maintained on the Internet. [10] However, some of these testimonies have been written down under a fake name or partial surname so as to "protect the privacy" of the young men and boys involved. While in some cases these young men are willing to talk to serious enquirers, to date none have moved their complaints to a court of law.

While such critics as the Iranian-American Said Khorramshahgal and others have put their signed first-hand complaints in the public purview online, there are far more second and third hand testimonies which lack full names [11], the testimonies of whom have been compiled by a critical group headed by David Bailey, Glen Meloy, Al Rahm, Rick Raines, and Hari Sampath. [12] From the perspective of a follower this sexual attack assertion may be a very serious allegation because if proven factually in court, any sexual activity by the guru would at best indicate and at worst prove that Sathya Sai Baba is not the desireless saint that he claims to be.

In and after the year 2000 the allegations against the guru became louder, mainly because a Welsh musician, David Bailey, and his wife Faye Bailey became ex-followers and then published their experiences and opinions, as well as those second and third hand tales of other ex-followers in a document called The Findings. This document was soon published on the Internet and an Expose Committee was formed in secret. Until that committee, followers were generally unaware of any specifics about sexual or monetary allegation or found them vague and unconvincing. Some followers were shocked and became ex-followers after reading The Findings, a document which was sent by the committee to every known Sai Baba group and devotee. Most who became ex-followers left silently but some, like the Australian Barry Pittard, a former teacher at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of higher learning, and Al Rahm of the USA then became vocal activists. Their activities include emailing or telephoning devotees, newspapers, and politicians, and supporting websites to encourage others against Sathya Sai Baba.

Further, the Australian scholar and ex-follower Brian Steel accuses the Sathya Sai Baba organization of editing the discourses to `improve' them, a matter which he asserts to be rather peculiar for the discourses of a person who claims to be truth incarnate and omniscient. Besides, he asserts, that followers are given, at least, the impression, if not explictly told, that the discourses as published in English in the Sathya Sai Speaks series, are literal translations of the original Telegu discourses.

Ex-follower and retired philosophy professor Robert Priddy from Norway also accuses Sai Baba of having contradictions in his teachings and, in general, having major discrepancies between word and deed in a variety of subjects. He accuses the Sathya Sai Organisation of being unnecessarily secretive and authoritarian

He also pointed out that Sathya Sai Baba's assertions about magnetism differ greatly from generally accepted science.

Other critics claim that the materializations are fake and are done by sleight of hand as, they say, can be seen on footage available on the Internet. [13] Apart from the footage there are many testimonies even from devotees of Baba using magician's tricks to perform his "materializations".

Some followers ultimately felt that they had to leave because they found the answers that they got unsatisfactory or unconvincing. These ex-followers include Ella Evers [14], Matthijs van der Meer [15], David Bailey, and Robert Priddy. The Russian follower and member of the organisation Serguei Badaev was expelled from the organisation because of asking pertinent questions about the allegations. [16] There is also one testimony by Terry Gallagher in which he says that he personally asked Sathya Sai Baba about the truth of the allegation but he got no answer from him. [17]. As noted by Priddy in his webpages, thirty-three ex-followers have requested their local Sai organization to make a public investigation of the allegations.

Ex-followers like the American Glen Meloy accuse him of being a cult leader who uses mind control, and propaganda and who has created a personality cult. Other critics say that one of the many examples of lies and propaganda is his claim that he was born on 23 November, 1926, for the most part to identify himself as the divine as asserted by Sri Aurobindo. On 24 November, 1926 the Indian guru Aurobindo said that the Divine had descended on earth. Kasturi says that Sathya Sai Baba said that referred to the Baba. Later, school records revealed several different birthdates for the boy, and some critics have deduced Kasturi endorsed by Baba made up the date to suit the saying. [18]

Debating the allegations

The followers point to the small number of first hand non-anonymous testimonies of sexual abuse by Sathya Sai Baba. Consequently, they say, the allegations are not proven and Sathya Sai Baba is, like everybody else, innocent until proven otherwise. Sathya Sai Baba himself has been maligned with such claims for over fifty years yet to date has not given any detailed rebuttal of the allegations. He has said in the Christmas discourse of the year 2000 that people who tell negative stories about him have been bribed or do this out of jealousy because of his fame. Besides, he says that it always been the fate of saints and avatar to be exposed to calumny. [19]

Critics accuse the guru of keeping his followers ignorant about the allegations. Followers in reply then accuse critics of being duplicitous and mean-spirited. Sathya Sai Baba says that his followers should not rely on hearsay found on the Internet but focus instead on the innernet by which he perhaps means that they should follow their own spiritual practices and leave gossip to gossipers.

Followers also argue that a person who has the ability to perform miracles can never be a sinner because from the traditional Hindu literature it is a well known fact that the ability to perform miracles diminishes if a person sins. And after all, even some ex-followers do believe him to perform miracles. It may be true that some materializations are what critics would consider fake but followers say that this is Sathya Sai Baba's leela (divine play) or a test of faith, or a teaching method. Besides, thousands of uninvestigated miracles could remain as true as always. In turn, critics say that even one fake miracle proves that the guru is a fraud.

Believers say that one should judge a prophet by his fruits as Jesus said according to the Bible. [20] The fruits in terms of charity are a fact and the fruits of personal transformations are their personal experiences. These fruits are good and are certain for the followers. The allegations would be serious, if true, but are not proven according to them. Critics say that one should include the unpleasant experiences of the young who allegedly have been sexually abused and the disillusionment of ex-followers though these are difficult to prove. Besides, critics say that the allegations are so serious that they should at least be investigated by the police or impartial experts.

Skeptics argue that the burden of proof for his miracles and his many extraordinary claims are on him. They consider his refusal to show his miracles in controlled circumstances as ample evidence that he is a fraud, because any magician can perform similar "materializations" as the guru.

With regards to the swami's assertions that differ from science, followers suggest that it may be science, not Sai Baba, that is ignorant, while noting that some Hindu teachers indicate that magnetism will only be widely fully understood during the Treta and Sathya Yuga ages and not in the immediate future.

Followers purport Sathya Sai Baba's group is not a cult because it displays many atypical characteristics. These characteristics include charity and tolerance towards other faiths. Also, it does not claim to be the only way to God and truth, and does not advocate proselytizing. They point out that often cults will expect their adherents to abandon worldly duties and to severe ties with their families, which is something Sathya Sai Baba has explicitly said not to do. Nor does Sathya Sai Baba portray the world and life outside the organisation as evil. Besides they say that faith in Sathya Sai Baba should not be blind. Sathya Sai Baba explicity invites people to investigate his authenticity. [22] Partial faith in, and idenfication with Sathya Sai Baba is tolerated.

Followers find it implausible that the allegations would be justified because Sathya Sai Baba has never been successfully prosecuted. They assert that if this is due to a conspiracy or corruption or influence by Sathya Sai Baba on politicians, as critics believe, then the burden of proof of this assertion is on those critics.

References

Bibliography

Beyerstein, Dale Dr. (1994) Sai Baba's miracles: an overview available online
Brooke, Tal Avatar of the Night [1]
Brown, Mick The Spiritual Tourist (1998) ISBN 1-58234-034-X Bloomsbury Publising
Haraldsson, Erlendur PhD Miracles are my visiting cards - An investigative inquiry on Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian mystic with the gift of foresight believed to perform modern miracles (1997 revised and updated edition) ISBN 81-86822-32-1
Hislop, John My Baba and I
Kasturi, Narayana Sathyam Sivam Sundaran Part I, II, III & IV available online in Microsoft Word format
Murphet, Howard Man of Miracles (1971)
Padmanaban, R. Love is My Form Sai Towers (October 2000)
Premanand, Basava The Murders in Sai Baba's bedroom
Sandweiss, Samuel H. The holy man ..... and the psychiatrist (1975)
Sathya Sai Baba Many online books
Sathya Sai Baba Gita vahini, online book
Sathya Sai Baba Rama Katha Rasavahini, translated into English by Narayana Kasturi available online
Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Speaks, Volumes I-. Many of these public discourses have been published on the internet Adobe acrobat PDF files
Schulman, Arnold Baba (1971) Out of print but available in some public libraries