Sathya Sai Baba

(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.