Author: Bill Aitken
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 259
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0670058076
Description
Born to a poor family in the village of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh, Sathyanarayan Raju was a bright, talented and confident boy whose charitable nature and religiosity belied his tender age. Deeply suspicious of his spiritual precociousness, his father made him go through a traumatic exorcism. But the boy already had a devoted band of followers and, when he was thirteen, announced that he was the Shirdi Sai Baba reborn. Today, Sri Sathya Sai Baba has an estimated thirty million followers worldwide.
Acclaimed travel writer and self-described spiritual nomad Bill Aithen tells us why so many-royalty, wealthy industrialists, influential politicians, as well as the poor-flock to Puttaparthi. Sai Baba's message, he revels, can be summed up in one world: love. It is as simple as it is profound, not unlike how his devotees see the Sai himself-the embodiment of deep spirituality wedded to simplicity, elegance and grace.
Yet, the Sai phenomenon is less about producing vibhuti from thin air and more about modern-day miracles. Miracles like free schools and universities, super-speciality hospitals which provide free treatment to all and revolutionary projects like the one which has brought drinking water to a million villagers in drought-prone Rayalaseema.
Aitken is a rarity-a genuine spiritual seeker with a keen eye for cant and superstition. His study is neither a hagiographic exercise in myth-making nor a dry, objective account of the Sai's life. While never shy of expressing his deep love and reverence for Sai Baba, he squarely confronts the controversies and criticisms which inevitably dog those who claim acquaintance with the holy. The result of many years of inquiry and research, this biography bears testimony to the enduring relevance of the sacred in our times.
Contents
PREFACE
A Means to Grace
Love as the Guide
Deccan Setting
Religious Influences
The Remarkable Fakir of Shirdi
Exalting Those of Low Estate
Waxing Strong in Spirit
God in Three Persons
Hear Ye The Word
In Tune With The Infinite
Daily Round, Common Task
For Mine Eyes Have Seen
Filling the Hungry with Good Things
Lessons Above Contemplation
Scattering the Round In Heart
Epilogue
Index