Sathya Sai Baba is an Indian saint who lives at
Puttaparthi,
Andhra Pradesh, who has several million devotees all over the world. His abode is called
Prasanthi Nilayam (abode of supreme peace) and there are numerous hospitals, educational institutions, ashrams and charitable agencies of the Sathya Sai Baba Organization in India. The Sathya Sai University is also run by this Organization. There is an airport at Puttaparthi to assist the large number of devotees who come to pay homage to their
Guru every year.
According to Sathya Sai Baba’s official biography compiled by N. Kasturi, he was born at Puttaparthi as Sathya Narayana Raju in 1926. At the age of 13-14 he proclaimed that he is an incarnation of a Muslim saint,
Shirdi Sai Baba. Since then the number of his devotees has steadily grown, on account of his spiritual teachings and the many miracles for which he has become internationally renowned. He famously produces holy ash, ornaments and so on from thin air for his devotees.
Sathya Sai Baba aims at restoring spirituality and Dharma in the contemporary dark age of
Kali yuga. It is not his mission to establish a new religion; his teachings incorporate the precepts of all religions. To signify this, his logo includes the symbols of Cross, Crescent and Star, Star of David as well as the Hindu Aum and the Buddhist Wheel. The numerous publications of the Prasanthi Books and Publications Trust serve to popularize sathya sai's teachings all round the globe.
The activities of Sai devotees include singing bhajans (hymns) and initiating charitable programs. Though, over the years, there has been much scandal around Sathya Sai Baba and his group, he is still venerated an incarnation of God all around the world.
