Sai Baba

Evaluating the Avatar

© Brian Allan 2002

Word count: 6,539

Although the basic tenets of mysticism are fundamental to all belief systems whether religions or not, there are profound differences both in style and content between those practised in the west and those of the east. There are numerous examples employed by equally numerous adepts ranging from, lowly impoverished Sadhu's to flamboyant and wealthy gurus. With the onset of increased spiritual awareness among young musicians most notably the Beatles, the1960's produced several gurus. Perhaps the best known of these was the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi founder of Transcendental Meditation, a technique that went on to become a world-wide, multi-million dollar industry. Many of the techniques taught by the Maharishi were hijacked; renamed and presented as money spinning, stress busting aids to big business. Although for many years a high profile character, in spite of the assertions of his followers even the Maharishi balked at some claims, e.g. that he was a descended divinity. This however did not prevent other high profile gurus emerging to cast an influence both good and bad over their devotees by proclaiming themselves God incarnate; such a man is Indian mystic and Guru, Sai Baba.

The mythology surrounding this man is quite phenomenal and his alleged abilities even more so. According to his devotees, he has the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, bi-locate, spontaneously create items e.g. jewellery and abundant quantities of a fine, grey coloured ash called Vibhuti from nothing, plus a whole range of other 'miracles'. He also places his own interpretation on traditional biblical scripture, although many of the passages referred to by Sai Baba cannot be found. His followers are quick to point out that since Sai Baba is a descended God, then he has insights not available to mortals. He can also indicate both in the Christian Bible and the Koran where Christ and Mohammed specifically prophesy his birth. As with Christ he reputedly materialised food to feed numerous guests at a function at his ashram. By his own admission, he is both omnipresent and omniscient, 'I am everything, everywhere, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, and so whatever I will instantly happens'. [Sandweiss, Spirit and Mind, p243] As you are probably aware, the only entity currently claiming omnipresence and omniscience is God himself, and for any human to do so strains all credulity, but in this instance we are not talking about a human being, we are talking about an alleged descended divinity.

His pronouncements regarding his own philosophy which are based on 'Love all, serve all', which, although presented as new, are very similar the philosophy common to all Eastern religions. These beliefs however valid and worthy are in this instance unimportant; for now we are more interested in his alleged miracles and the mechanism behind them. Typical of his claimed wonders are two instances of restoring the dead to life. To examine these claims we must attempt to see behind the façade created by his devoted followers and the many books written about him, books that present the stories of his miracles with no attempt at objectivity, but first a little about the man.

Sai Baba was born of an Immaculate Conception in the village of Puttaparthi in Southern India in 1926; his given name is Satyanarayana Raju and from birth, he allegedly displayed miraculous abilities, producing sweets and flowers from thin air. However, after the age of 13 he claimed to be the reincarnation of Shiridi Sai Baba, an Indian saint who died in 1918 and when asked to prove his claims threw Jasmine flowers onto the floor where they fell in the outline of the name Sai Baba. From then on, things progressed and he declared his own divinity and Godhood and set about taking his teachings to the public. In 1950, he set up a small ashram called Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Serenity) in his village. This has now grown into a small town of around ten thousand people with thousands more housed in the buildings and hotels that have sprung up around the ashram. The main events at Prasanthi Nilayam are twice daily 'darshan', when the guru emerges from his quarters situated close by the main temple and strolls among the multitudes of faithful devotees seated on the marble floor. It is during these strolls that blessings are bestowed, and Vibhuti is materialised for the chosen few. People, who arrive seeking an interview or advice, sit on the hard floor with the other pilgrims, waiting until they are selected by the Baba. Since his choice appears to be completely arbitrary this process can take weeks and in some cases months.

There are vast number of institutions and buildings around India all bearing his name. According to his organisation, there are currently between ten and fifty million followers and two thousand Sai Baba centres distributed around the world including many major cities in America and Europe. Sai Baba unlike other holy men and gurus has only left India once in the 1970's when he visited Uganda. In the several books and other publications concerning Sathya Sai Baba, much play is made regarding his alleged supernatural abilities, abilities that he seems quite happy to endorse. Since Sai Baba sets himself up as a divinity, we will begin with an appraisal of his claims that he twice restored life to the dead.

Case 1 Mr. V Radhakrishna

According to reports form one of Sai Baba's biographers Victor Kanu, the deceased, a Mr. Radakrishna had been dead for three days, by the third day normal processes had begun and signs of decomposition were present. According to Victor Kanu, 'At 2.30 pm Sai Baba arrived at the house and entered the room where the corpse was laid out closing the door behind him. After a few minutes he emerged from her room calling the people to enter, when they did so they saw Radaskrishna sitting up in bed looking very well and smiling. Baba said to the wife, 'I have given you your husband back to you. Now, give him a hot drink.' [Victor Kanu, Sai Baba, God Incarnate, p55]

Another of Sai Baba's biographers, Howard Murphet, gives a similar account, 'One evening, Radhakrishna went into a coma and his breathing was that of a dying man. Alarmed, the wife dashed off to see Swami, the latter come to the room, looked at the patient, said, (sic) 'Don't worry, everything will be all right,' and left. On the next day the patient was still unconscious, Mr. K S Hemchand the son in law, brought a male nurse of the district who, after failing to find any pulse and making other examinations, gave as his opinion that Mr Radhakrishna was so near death that there was no possibility of saving him.

About an hour after this the patient became very cold, the three anxious relatives heard what they thought was the 'death rattle' in his throat and watched him turning blue and stiff. Vijaya and her mother went to see Baba who was at the time upstairs in the dining room. When they told him Radhakrishna seemed to be dead, he laughed and walked away to his bedroom. Vijaya and her mother returned to the room of the dead man and waited. After a while, Swami came in and looked at the body but went away again without doing or saying anything. That was in the evening of the second day since Mr Radhakrishna had become unconscious. The whole of the next night passed while the three stayed awake and anxiously watched for any sign of returning life. There were no signs. Yet they still had faith that Baba would somehow or other, in his own way save Radhakrishna, for had he not said that everything would be all right'. [Howard Murphet, Sai Baba, Man of Miracles, pp132-134]

This account continues to present this 'facts' of the case with depositions being taken from Dr. V K Gokak who attests to the authenticity of the reports, 'During the latter part of the year 1953, Bhagvan (Sai Baba) brought back to life one V Radhakrishna, a well known citizen of Kuppum, whose body had started decomposing at Prasanthi Nilayam'. [V K Gokak, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, The Man and the Avatar] Another sworn testimony comes from a Dr. Haraldsson who also states that the 'dead' man was seriously ill with gastric problems, he could not pass urine and had sundry other complications. He continues to describe the apparent death followed by Sai Baba's alleged resurrection of Mr Radhakrishna; it is here that inconsistencies begin to emerge. Radhakrishna's daughter Vijaya recounts that, 'This was a very horrible and frightening night, like that of cosmic dissolution. Our father was uttering the names of departed people and was saying that he too would join them. Neither was his speech coherent nor was he conscious. He had long since stopped taking food'. [Haraldsson, Miracles are my Visiting Cards, pp248-249]

Another account from the Raja of Venkatigiri has Radhakrishna dead for six not three days and yet another account for one hour; neither did the Raja at anytime actually see Radhakrishna. Either Radhakrishna was dead or he was not and it seems increasingly likely that he was not. The standard of the accounts is contradictory and confusing. It should be recalled than Dr Haraldsson is describing events that transcribed twenty years previously and all the accounts fail to mention the presence of a doctor during this three-day period. The aforementioned Dr. Gokak was not physically present in the house when Sai Baba performed the 'miracle' and a doctor did not attend to pronounce Radhakrishna dead prior to the resurrection. We can see from this that unlike the original account by Victor Kanu, Radhakrishna was alive during this three-day period not dead as recorded by Kanu's account. The only evidence such as it is, comes from the partial accounts of the witnesses, all Sai Baba's followers and devotees.

Case 2 Mr. Walter Cowan

According to Sai Baba's biographers, on the 25th of December 1973, in the Connemara Hotel, Madras, India, Mr Walter Cowan an elderly American suffered a heart attack and died in his bedroom, the indefatigable Victor Kanu records that, 'He was pronounced dead by two separate and independent doctors: first the European hotel doctor at the Madras Hotel where Mr. Cowan died; the second, an Indian doctor at the hotel where the body was taken. The nurses prepared the body in their customary way. Mrs Cowan and her friend rushed to Sai Baba and found him seated on his chair. Before she could break the news to him, he said, 'Walter lives. Go back to the hospital. I will come at ten o'clock'. He went at the stated time and restored Walter Cowan to life.' [Victor Kanu, Sai Baba, God Incarnate, p 56]

A Dr S Sandweiss endorsed an account of the 'miracle' recorded by another devotee named John Hislop, and reports, 'Dr. John Hislop investigated the matter fully. At my request, Judge Damadar Rao of Madras interviewed the doctor who had attended Walter when he arrived at the hospital. The doctor's statement was that Walter was indeed dead when he examined him shortly after the ambulance arrived at the hospital, there was no sign of life'.

He pronounced Walter dead, and then stuffed his ears and nose with cotton. The body was covered with a sheet and moved to an empty room. The doctor then left the hospital and missed Sai Baba while he was there. Upon returning to the hospital after Sai Baba had left, the doctor found Walter alive. He was unable to explain this.' [Sandweiss, The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist pp101-102] (*Authors Note* Judge Rau is a follower of Sai Baba and now lives with his wife at Sai Baba's ashram)

Mr B. Premanand editor of 'The Indian Sceptic' carried out considerable investigative work into the incident and his reports make interesting reading, 'Cowan is alleged to have died at the Connemara Hotel. No mention is made of the house doctor of the Connemara Hotel, Dr. O G C Vaz, seeing Cowan.' [B. Premanand, Indian Sceptic no 13, 1989] Premanand went on to contact several people involved in this case, among them was Dr O. G. C. Vaz, who informed him that he had treated Walter Cowan for his illness from the 25th Dec 1971. When called to the Connemara Hotel on 25th Dec 1973 he reported that, 'He was complaining of some difficulty in breathing and pain in his chest. He was perfectly conscious in bed. At no time did I pronounce him dead then or later. I advised him to be admitted to Lady Wellington Nursing Home for observation, investigation and treatment and accordingly he was admitted there. With medications in the nursing home, he showed rapid improvement. That morning Mrs. Cowan requested me whether there was any objection for Sai Baba has spiritual guru to come and pray for him in the room for which I said he was most welcome and I was sitting there when Sai Baba was offering prayers. Mr Cowan was conscious then and also right through. (Sic)

I was surprised at the story that has gone round that he was dead at the hotel itself and his dead body was taken for admission the Lady Willingdon (sic) Nursing Home and was admitted there. No hospital or nursing home will ever admit a person after his death and his dead body will not be accepted into the ward…. They had been emphatically given the correct version that Mr. Cowan was not dead at all at any stage and he also had a normal recovery here. [B. Permanand, 'The Indian Sceptic' no 13 pp26-35]

There is more correspondence regarding this second 'miracle' including this letter from Dr. B. Krishna Rau from the Lady Willingdon (Sic) who comments, 'Mr Walter Cowan was admitted with congestive cardiac failure and in a very bad condition. He has NOT at anytime died in the (sic)-medical terminology. During his stay in the hospital, Sri Satya Sai Baba visited him when he was critically ill. As for his ears and nose being plugged with cotton is not correct, (sic) [B Permanand, 'The Indian Sceptic no 13),

Cowan's cardiologist also confirms that he was not dead and was admitted to the 'Trinity Acute Care Hospital' with a functioning heart and following a cardiac arrest contracted during treatment, was resuscitated using conventional medical procedures. Although confusing, it appears that on balance, devotees of Sai Baba including both of the Cowans colluded in at attempt to manufacture a miracle for the benefit Sai Baba publicity machine.

The Account of Dr. M Doraisingham

This story reveals the ability of Sai Baba to work his miracles by proxy through the intermediary of a photograph of the guru holding the 'Golden or Hiranyagarba Lingham', an artefact materialised by Sai Baba on May 5th 1991. The Hiranyagarba Lingham is an egg shaped object the Swami produced from his oesophagus during a conference at the Trayee Burundian Summer Course Assembly. According to the Swami, the object contains 'The entire universe in a microscopic form. It is a manifestation of the Trinity -Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (God as creator, sustainer, and destroyer.) It is also the Atmic (sic) consciousness (Holy Spirit) like a thread running through a pearl necklace. It is also the spiritual heart'. Baba said it was great blessing to receive a photograph of the Lingham and one should be kept in every house because his energy would work through it. A Professor Sampath was present when the artefact was materialised and was given it to keep during the Guru's talk. He had it in his possession for around one hour and during this time he became warm and, 'Was in a state of divine grace.' At the conclusion of his talk, Swami 'played a little joke on the professor'. He touched the professor's pocket as if to brush away some dust, and later while they drove home, he asked the professor to return the Golden Lingham; the professor searched both his person and the car seat for the item but could not find it. Baba gave a laugh and said he had sent the Lingham back where it has come from. A Dr Doraisingham who was told of this event explained that, 'Swami says that he created the universe at his own will and pleasure with the word Om. Here he again proves this fact by the creation of this microscopic universe with a wave of his hands in a few seconds by his supreme will. This is the incredible power of our supreme lord Sai'. The doctor then tells us that on June the 7th 1991 while travelling to visit Baba he came upon a dead child lying by the roadside held in its mother's arms. The child had fallen on to the road from an overcrowded van and been killed. The doctor had just been given a photograph of the Golden Lingham which he held against the child and chanted 'Om Sai Rama' several times while massaging the boy's chest and abdomen and praying to Baba: the dead child recovered. Several other 'miraculous' cures have been attributed to the Lingham Photograph. Incidentally, another interpretation of 'Lingham' is phallus, which is usually portrayed in parallel with the 'Yoni', which corresponds to the Vagina. In the case of Sai Baba and his 'micro universe', this version of the Lingham is seen as a variation of the phallus or at least maleness, i.e. the seed of the Cosmos.

Sai Baba's Telepathic Abilities

As with all claims made about Sai Baba, it is extremely difficult to separate fact from fiction, particularly when dealing with his alleged omniscience and omnipresence. At first, he apparently claimed he was simultaneously aware of all the knowledge emanating from everyone on the planet, but on closer examination this claim is refuted by one his spokesmen a Dr. V K Gokak who clarifies the situation by informing us that Westerners are unlikely to fully understand the premise of omniscience employed by Eastern Gurus, 'The idea that a master is all-knowing is taken to mean that he must know everything trivial about everything and everyone before hand, and that he should be able to act on it.' [Gokak, In Defence of Jesus Christ and other Avatars, p 17 Pub 1979, M. Ghulab Singh & Sons] From this, it appears implicit that although claiming omniscience he is not omniscient in the accepted sense of the word.

We are also told that Sai Baba was not educated in any normal manner and only attended school to pacify his parents, Gokak informs us that, 'Baba is not learned or highly educated. He is a non-matriculate playing with undergraduates in the Sathya Sai Colleges'. {Ibid} Another biographer, Kanu again, tells us, 'As a boy, Sai Baba had no need of schooling; he already knew everything'. [Victor Kanu, Sai Baba, God Incarnate] Kanu continues, 'At eight, he was sent to Higher Elementary School two and a half miles away from his house. He attended school solely to please his parents and not because he needed schooling, for he was all knowing'. [Ibid] Sai Baba himself seems to confirm Golak's interpretation in a reply to John Hislop, the secretary for his American operation. In conversation, Hislop asked Sai Baba why he required his disciples to actually write to him Concerning the goings on in various Sai Centres. While it would have been simple for him to say that he did not know the minutia of his organisation, he evaded the question by saying that it was therapeutic for his followers to write, which is revealed in the following conversation between Hislop and Sai Baba. It is perhaps instructive to learn that in spite of his alleged omniscience, Sai Baba does not have a good command of English and of necessity uses interpreters; he is also fluent in only four Indian dialects.

John Hislop: 'I write many letters to Swami about activities, problems and accomplishments in the American Sai Organisation, but often I think it is silly to describe problems and events, since I know from my own direct experience that Swami is omnipresent and knows all about these events'.

Sai Baba: 'There is much nonsense about Swami being omnipresent and omnipotent. People start to think they need do nothing, that Swami will do everything! Then they do not bother to do even their daily duty. In spiritual life, the relationship between you and Swami is heart to heart. Bu tin worldly life, swami has given you work to do. This requires work in the world, activity in the world. You are required to do your duty to the very limit of your task. So (sic) far as the writing is concerned, the writing of letters to Swami is for your satisfaction'.

John Hislop: 'For my satisfaction Swami?'

Sai Baba: 'Yes, for your satisfaction. You write to Swami and your mind then is set free of the matter. It is not that Swami does not know. Suppose you withhold some troublesome point. You will them have a guilty feeling. Bu you tell Swami and there is no guilty feeling. Do your duty fully and completely in the work which Swami has given you'. [John Hislop, My Baba and I, pp214-215]

Sai Baba continues to make assorted claims of omniscience through the official in-house magazine of his organisation 'Sanathana Sarathi', 'Remember that Swami knows all that is happening though He may appear as if he knew nothing. Recognise the difference between the Divine and the human. Divinity, although all knowing and all-powerful acts as if it does not know anything. The human being, though he is totally ignorant and incompetent, pretends to be all knowing and all-powerful. Students should realise that Swami knows all about their misbehaviour'. [Sanathana Sarathi, Vol. 32, No. 8, Aug1989, p211]. Despite obvious lapses, transparency and evasions in his own logic, evidently Sai Baba is sufficiently arrogant point out that mere humans are less than perfect. Among his other pronouncements are claims that both Jesus Christ and the Prophet Mohammed prophesied his birth.

Speaking on Christmas Day 1972 Sai Baba Tells us, 'There is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the time when Jesus was merging in the supreme principle of divinity, he communicated some news to his followers, which has been interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and by those who relish the piling of writings upon writings and meanings upon meanings, until it swells up into a meaningless mess. The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled into a conundrum. The statement is simple: "He who sent me among you will come again" and he pointed to the lamb. The lamb is merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the voice (the sound of bleating) ba ba; the announcement was the advent of Baba. "His name will be Truth" Christ declared (sic) Sathya means Truth. "He wears a robe of red, a blood red robe" Christ said. (sic) (Here Sai Baba pointed to the robe he was wearing). Christ said, "He will be short with a crown (of hair)." The lamb is the symbol and the sign of love. Christ did not declare he would come again, he said, "He who has sent me will come again". That ba ba is this Baba. [Victor Kanu, Sai Baba, God Incarnate, p5]

As it turns out, Christ did not say this anywhere in the New Testament, rather it represents a corruption of "Now I go to the one having sent me" [John: 15-5]. The biblical implication is that Jesus was the one sent by the father and he would come again. None of this matters to Sai Baba or his followers because their guru had clarified the situation by explaining the statement was manipulated and tangled into a conundrum, therefore by inference his interpretation is correct. Likewise, nowhere in the New Testament or Hebrew Scripture is the word 'lamb' only a metaphor for the sound of bleating. Of course, to the faithful of the guru, the same explanation is offered and accepted.

Sai Baba often quotes a prophecy purported to come from Mohammed as pertaining to him. The prophecy in question refers to 27 features that will distinguish a future teacher; he will be short, his hair will be profuse, his face clean-shaven, with a mole on his cheek and flaming clothes. He will give gifts that are light in weight and so forth. According to Sai Baba, the prophecy reads, 'Asked by his disciples whether he, Mohammed was not "the master of the world", he said he was not, and that no prophet of God who had ever come to this world had come with the power with which he had come'. [Sathya Sai Newsletter 1983] According to the literature produced by the Sai Baba organisation, the prophecy is found in the 14th edition of the discourses of Mohammed in 25 volumes called 'The Ocean of Light', in particular, vol13, 'Mehedi Moudi'. According to Islamic scholars, this is not part of any standard collection of the discourses of Mohammed, nor is it in the general tone of Mohammed's teaching. According to the Guru's sources, the book was found in a bookshop 'somewhere' in the Near East.

Regarding his ability to produce small items of jewellery, watches and so forth, he does this with a rare flourish and present them to his guests. It may seem a little pretty to mention this, but only his wealthy or otherwise important guests receive valuable 'materialisations' the rest have to make do with the grey powder called 'Vibhuti'. The substance, Vibhuti, is remarkable similar to grey talcum powder, it smells (and tastes) similar to a brand of sweets called 'Parma Violets'. One variation on the Vibhuti formula holds that the miraculous holy ash is actually produced in the ashram from a mixture of roasted cow dung and sandalwood. I have in my possession a small quantity that I received from one of his devotees, but failing scientific analyses, I would hazard a guess that it is in fact scented, grey talcum powder. The valuable gifts such as watches and jewellery have been demonstrated to be produced using sleight of hand; this was clearly shown during a television documentary on Indian mysticism when he was seen to palm a small article from below a tray. From a practical aspect, Baba claims gifts of jewellery and watches are bestowed because they will be worn and thus cause the Guru to be remembered. When asked about violating patent and copyright law governing watches etc, according to Sai Baba, 'I assure you there is no such thing. It would be cheating the company or breaching the patent if it were a case of transfer of the watch from one place or the other. But I do not transfer I totally create. Whatever I will instantly materialises. I know of no company that complained about any breach of patent'. [Samuel Sandweiss, Spirit and Mind, pub, Birthday Publishing, San Diego p241] That this comment only serves to further complicate the issue is obvious, but nevertheless, there is a body of literature devoted to the subject. Although, it does seem as though by allegedly creating the watches out of thin air, and all of them quality pieces Omega and Rolex etc. he is directly contravening both patent and copyright laws. It may seem trite and foolish to pursue or rationalise obvious nonsense such as this, but millions of otherwise sensible people actually believe it. More worrying is the fact that many of his devotees are in positions of responsibility within the Indian government and this fact is exploited to lend further credibility to the claims of Sai Baba and his followers. The implications are obvious; if learned, important and apparently intelligent people are prepared to accept the Guru's wonders as genuine manifestations of 'magic', then people of lesser intellectual capacity would not even consider doubting what they saw or heard. Perhaps the most unusual disciple is Don Mario Mazzoleni a former Vatican priest who wrote the book, 'A Catholic Priest Meets Sai Baba' in which he propounds his belief that Christ and Sai Baba are one and the same entity, God on Earth. The priest was eventually excommunicated in 1992 for refusing to withdraw his statements. There are also cultural reasons why Sai Baba has become such a phenomenon, Hinduism is founded on a pantheon of deities and therefore is not monotheistic. Since followers of this creed are prepared to accept the reality of multi-layered divinities, then it may be easier for them to believe Sai Baba's claims to Godhood.

There are however allegations hinting at a darker side of Sai Baba, almost in a reflection of the earlier chapters of this book, we find ourselves drawn back, perhaps inevitably, into the realm of extraterrestrial intelligences. Some observers suggest that for the past twenty years, the Guru has been influenced by and perhaps actually absorbed by malign entities originating from the star system of Orion. Devotees of Baba claim that marked differences in his both his appearance and manner have occurred in the past twenty years almost as if his body was host to two very different entities. One, the Divine Consciousness performed miracles, healed and radiated positive energy and the other, an entity called Lanta, is negative and causes him to cheat and falsify miracles in a deliberate attempt to destroy the faith of his millions of followers. This inhabiting entity has caused Sai Baba to face, amongst other things, allegations of the systematic sexual abuse of children. As 'proof' of his possession, comparisons are made between the marked differences in his general appearance a few years ago and his appearance now. One report describes the 'Gentleness, kind face and purity created by his divinity and the dark, sly, sullen countenance created by Lanta'. Curiously, only adherents of the 'Ascension Myth' have noticed these comparisons. The Ascension believers in common with those who believe in the reality of 'The 'Rapture' are convinced that the 'End Times' are with us now and we must cleanse the planet in preparation for the final battle, for Armageddon. According to these belief systems, when the end of the world comes, true believers will be carried bodily into the air and taken by a fleet of spacecraft to live out the remainder if their lives in a utopian society.

According to Dr. J Chiappalone, a metaphysician and leader of a cult in Queensland Australia, 'Before a particularly dangerous trip overseas to fight Reptilians, he physically materialised in order to discuss our trip. He then 'created' a ring for me, as protection to wear on the journey. I was not to begin wearing it until I landed in the USA. We flew to the USA and on the very first night, at 3am, in a locked motel room, I was stirred from my sleep by none other than Sai. We chatted and then he asked me where the protective ring was. My mind flashed to the bedside table, I had left it there. 'That is partly why I've come here tonight' he said. With that, he materialised another ring, and as he handed it to me, it was extremely hot, so much so that it left a mild burn on my palm. I wear this ring on my finger to this day'. [Extract of a letter from Dr J Chiappalone to Jeff Rense]

Stephanie Relfe PhD offers further evidence for the reality of Sai Baba's miracles by pointing out, 'One piece of evidence in favour of Sai Baba is the fact that the people who are spreading these bad stories get some of their facts wrong. The miracles ARE real. The proof? No one could afford to purchase the things Sai Baba has produced! I have met people who had rings made by Sai Baba. (When) they had the rings valued; the jewellers could not put a price on such perfect and such huge diamonds. Recently there was video made by an English TV company. They interviewed one of the top, if not the top pianist in England who has played for the Queen etc. On the video the pianist said he also had his ring valued and the jeweller said it was real. Anyone who thinks that the tons of gold and jewels Baba has manifested for people are fakes is not considering the facts. He made these things for many of the wealthy people of India a land full of gold and jewels. These people know the difference between real and gold and fake gold. If the gold and jewels were fake, you would have heard about it long before now'. [Stephanie Relfe PhD in a communication to Jeff Rense]

Former devotee David Bailey claims that apart from specially bought items for important visitors the items are, 'All worthless trinkets. Some are bought in Puttaparthi village, but mainly they come from Bangalore and Hyderabad. I made it my business to meet one of the jewellers concerned and have this information verified. I was told by Sai Baba and also by members of his inner circle, that my 'materialised' ring with its huge stone was a sixty-four faceted diamond of great commercial value'. [David Bailey, The Findings] Mr Bailey damaged the stone setting on the ring and took it to a jeweller in southern India for repair. The jeweller immediately recognised it as a 'Sai Baba ring', which was not gold, nor was the stone a diamond; it was in fact a zircon. The jeweller indicated that the ring did not have an open back like a conventional jewelled ring e.g. an engagement ring; the back was solid with a tiny piece of tinfoil inserted to make the zircon sparkle. Like the rings, the majority of the watches materialised A Welsh concert pianist, forty year old David Bailey became attracted to the philosophy and teachings of Baba in 1994 and quickly became a well known figure within the organisation. He travelled widely evangelising and performing on behalf of the guru until gradually he became disillusioned when he saw that the materialisations were due to basic sleight of hand and the healings were myths. The final blow came when whispers of paedophilia began to emerge from young devotees living in the ashram who were afraid both of being disbelieved and their own safety.

After initial disbelief, Bailey left the organisation and began piecing together evidence in an attempt to expose the wrongdoing. The evidence obtained was assembled into a document called 'The Findings' that serves as a record of chicanery, fraud, lies and sexual abuse plus embezzlement and financial irregularities relating to 'The Super Speciality Hospital' within the ashram. According to Bailey, one wing was not open due to 'Lack of funds', and the Renal Unit was closed. This is in spite of several huge donations, one of $49,000,000 and others running into tens of millions of dollars. While it is acknowledged that hospitals are neither cheap to build nor maintain, the cost of living and services in India are considerably less than in Britain, mainland Europe or the USA, therefore what happened to the money? Infection in the hospital is another problem, according to a doctor working there; 'Don't let anyone you care about attend the hospital because the lack of sanitation is shocking and the aseptic technique disgusting'. {David Bailey, The Findings]

The subject of child abuse is an entirely different matter and once again is blamed on the evil entity Lanta who supposedly inhabits Baba's body. In spite of increasing evidence to the contrary, his devotees deny that their Baba is guilty of serial paedophilia or other aberrant sexual practises, according to Bailey, 'Swami would take these young men and boys into the private interview room alone with him, then insist that they take their trousers down and he would massage them, often masturbating them, and/or insisting on oral sex and sometimes collecting their semen in his handkerchief. On my last visit to Puttaparthi, a male student came and asked me to help on behalf of his fellow students because they were desperately in need of someone to stop Swami sexually abusing them. I was told how Sai Baba had for years been demanding that these particular boys have oral sex and group sex for his pleasure. Their details matched what I had already been told so many times around the world. I asked him if this was acceptable practice in India and hid look of horror as he denied it spoke volumes'. [David Bailey, The Findings] Following accusations of sexual abuse involving Swedish film star Conny Larsson these allegations, the Sai School in Sweden closed. During this period, Indian devotees phoned Bailey telling him his accusations were correct but also insisting that 'since Baba is God, God can do anything he likes'. Although Bailey succeeds in presenting a plausible case of serious wrongdoing, which may or may not be justified, the west still ahs a great deal to learn about Eastern philosophy and mysticism. As I have made plain earlier in this book, there are powers of the mind and will we still do not comprehend. Even less do we understand the latent power hidden in sympathetic vibration and resonance. During meditation sessions, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity is regularly produced and occasionally other phenomena are observed. All this as achieved without the presence of a guru or spiritual leader. It is therefore reasonable to speculate that the presence of hundreds of people sitting together in meditation, some of them either natural or trained psychics, will produce various effects and none of them due to a guru, although should a spiritual leader be present he would naturally be credited with the anomaly.

Of course, this concept however is not strictly confined to the Hindu faith, there are many nominally Christian sects and cults that refuse to recognise the faults and foibles (usually sexual or financial) of their own spiritual leaders. While there is no doubt that Sai Baba and the industry built around him have benefited many people in a practical sense there is every reason to doubt his supposed miraculous feats and place them under the heading of sleight of hand, conjuring tricks and outright deception. There are many similarities between 'traditional' miracles proclaimed by the Christian Church and those attributed to Sai Baba, not the least the same biased investigative techniques and general gullibility of so called 'independent researchers'. The overwhelming impression is one of total and unquestioning belief in the divinity and Godhood of this man.

Still within the broad church of mysticism, we often find practises that may be seen as magical rather than mystical, but in reality there are not very different from the methods employed by 'traditional' mystics and shamans. The differences where they exist at all are in method, context and perception. Over millennia there were many who aspired to magical competence, but more recent examples achieved considerable publicity e.g. Eliphas Levi, Anton LaVey and Aliester Crowley, but of these the most interesting, or notorious, was Aliester Crowley.