Name used by two different charismatic
Hindu teachers, now distinguished by
the addition of other names. The earlier
of the two is Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918), so
named for the town in the state of
Maharashtra where he lived much of his
life. The latter figure, Sathya (“true”) Sai
Baba (b. 1926), is a modern Hindu
religious figure of the type known as a
godman, who claims to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.