Some saw him as God, and some as a cunning magician. Everyone sees what they are ready to understand and accept. I don't think I would like to fantasize about this complex topic … rather let everyone follow their own intuitive feeling, let everyone find their own answer to the question, who is Sathya Sai Baba?
It is hardly possible to understand this with the mind, for this you need to go into the depths of your spiritual heart and gain understanding there. Sometimes it seems to me that I know who he is, and sometimes I come into contact with a deep feeling of the impossibility to fully understanding his greatness and infinity. Why even fantasize about something that is beyond human understanding.
There is a famous saying of Sathya Sai Baba’s, which I was fortunate to hear several times from his lips: “Yes, I am God, but you are also Gods, the difference is that I remember that I am God, and you have forgotten.”
Everyone is God. The difference is only in the degree to which we realize our true divine nature. These wise words of Sathya Sai Baba most exhaustively explain how he perceived himself and all people.
God is the totality of all individual souls – we are all one in God. Each person carries a great potential for divine creativity. This truth Sathya Sai Baba perfectly embodied in his life.
How can one understand that Sathya Sai Baba is a divine incarnation? Can we be sure that he is God born on Earth? What are the criteria by which it is possible to recognize an Avatar?
First of all, one can only come to personal and independent realization that this is even possible. Experiences gained within one’s life can then only prompt reflection to stimulate and help you understand your own spiritual practice. Realization of the truth can only happen within your spiritual heart. In order for awareness to occur, it is necessary to independently go through the path of reflection and contemplation, possible doubts and, ultimately, deep awareness.
By the time I first met Sathya Sai Baba, I was already aware of various yoga traditions and spiritual teachers. I was seriously practicing meditation and studying Vedic philosophy. Back in Moscow, when I saw the video recording of Sathya Sai Baba and learned the stories of his amazing life, I instantly felt his colossal energy power.
Several of my friends told me he was the Avatar of our age. It was difficult for me to understand what this meant, but it was clear Sathya Sai Baba was a supreme being, incomprehensible to my mind.
At that time, to me, the god, Shiva, was the personification of all spiritual realizations and transcendental wisdom. When I first saw videos of Sathya Sai Baba and heard stories about his life, I intuitively felt he was the incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Sathya Sai Baba, during our personal communication, told me: “Now you are sitting in my room, but the time will come when this room will be inside your spiritual heart, and you will tell other people about our communication.”
Sathya Sai Baba is a world teacher who is outside of any tradition, school or trend. In his teaching, he unites all world religions and philosophical systems. He founded an ashram in southern India, which was and remains a unique spiritual space of unity and love. This is a place where people of different worldviews can come. All visitors feel completely comfortable, just like they would at home.
It is difficult even to imagine any other ashram in which openness and universality would be manifested to such a clear degree. In the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, the unity of all mankind, the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people is especially felt.
9. Ring of John Hislop and other evidence
John Hislop, the famous American Sathya Sai Baba devotee, described in his book My Baba and I the story of the materialization of a unique ring. Sathya Sai Baba materialized for Hislop a golden ring with a stone relief within which was the profile of Prema Sai Baba. This happened in the 1970s, more than 30 years before Sathya Sai Baba passed away.
Over time, the image of Prema Sai on this ring began to change. In the first few months, the small relief on the ring was not very developed and the image conveyed only the approximate facial features of a handsome young man.
Sathya Sai Baba explained that Prema Sai Baba's form was just being formed, so he could not show his face more accurately. This was the first time that Prema Sai Baba's appearance was revealed. Before the materialization of this unique ring, Sathya Sai Baba only mentioned that in the next life he would incarnate as Prema Sai Baba but did not show his future form to the world.
Hislop began to learn about the strange changes in the ring from friends who noticed that the image of Prema Sai Baba within the relief began to appear more clearly as time passed. Wherever he went, whoever he met, people asked him to show him the ring. People who had seen the ring before began to notice the image gradually changing.
A year after the manifestation of the ring, the nose became more clearly visible on the relief. This is a small detail, but it showed the process of formation of the appearance of Prema Sai Baba and the miraculousness of the living artefact.
In one of the video materials, Hislop admitted that he noticed significant changes only in 1980. Before that, he honestly said that at first, he did not notice any changes. His friends told him: "You don't notice these changes because you see this ring every day."
One day, when Hislop was in a meeting with the devotees and was showing the ring to everyone present, he decided to take a closer look at the ring himself. He was amazed because he realized it was completely different to the original one Sathya Sai Baba materialized for him, years earlier.
Now the nose was completely visible, although in the early years of the existence of the ring it was almost invisible. In addition, part of the eye and cheek became more defined.
Prema Sai Baba was destined to appear on Earth one year after the physical departure of Sathya Sai Baba. Decades earlier, John Hislop received the golden ring set with a brown stone, which miraculously revealed the extraordinary profile of Prema Sai Baba.
The nose was barely visible on the relief, and you could also make out the outline of the eye. A noble head with shoulder-length hair, mustache and beard began emerging from a lotus flower with a peaceful and majestic appearance.
We have some more testimonies from several close Sai devotees. Peggy Mason and Ron Lang, in their book Sri Sathya Sai, Embodiment of Love, recount their conversation with Sathya Sai Baba about Prema Sai Baba. The authors asked Sathya Sai Baba about whether his next birth will be as Prema Sai in the body of a woman? Sathya Sai Baba explained that he would be born in the body of a man and that this would happen in the state of Karnataka in southern India.
This question arose from the authors of the book because, according to legend, Prema Sai Baba would be the incarnation of the goddess, Shakti. In that conversation, Sathya Sai Baba explained that despite the fact that Prema Sai Baba will be the incarnation of the goddess, physically he will still be a man. Once again, this fact shows the esoteric concepts of masculine and feminine in the universe are associated with spiritual qualities and not biology.
Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly said the appearance of Prema Sai Baba is in the process of formation, which means that during the life of Sathya Sai Baba, the appearance of Prema Sai Baba was still in the process of divine creation.
At the end of the 20
century, many paintings appeared showing the handsome face of Prema Sai Baba. These paintings appeared during the lifetime of Sathya Sai Baba, and many people spread rumors that some of these images were materialized by Sathya Sai Baba himself, but that is just speculation.
Rather, all these beautiful paintings are the fantasies of talented artists and have no credibility for us as researchers. The history of Hislop's changing ring shows that Prema Sai Baba's appearance developed gradually. Sathya Sai Baba, in the middle of the 20
century, was not sure what his incarnation would look like in the 21
century. Sounds strange, but it's a fact.
It seems that the features of Prema Sai Baba's mission also developed gradually. That is why Sathya Sai Baba gave various details about the place and time of his next birth.
10. History of the great book: Journey with Sai
Let's look at a unique book called Sri Sathya Sai Anandadai (Journey with Sai). The author of this book was a wonderful woman and devotee of Sathya Sai Baba, whose name was Kannamma. She described the information that she and her mother heard personally from Sathya Sai Baba back in 1944, when he was only eighteen years old.
The author's mother was named Namagiri Amma. She was one of the earliest devotees of Sathya Sai Baba. In 1954, Sathya Sai Baba personally told Namagiri Amma that she should start carefully recording all the stories, miracles and spiritual instructions she had witnessed firsthand.
Sathya Sai Baba predicted that this diary would be of great importance in a few decades, and many devotees would be informed and inspired by reading these immortal lines after they were published.
Namagiri Amma never kept a diary, but her daughter Kannamma did. She later wrote a famous book based on the unique entries. In 1956, Kannamma began to carefully record all the stories and testimonies, including hers and her mother's. These became the start of the great diary that would later play an important role in the history of Prema Sai Baba.
This blessed family came from the city of Mysore, the ancient capital of the state of Karnataka. Sathya Sai Baba often visited there and talked a lot with the first devotees, telling them secret knowledge, including about his future birth as Prema Sai Baba.
Back in the mid-1950s, Sathya Sai Baba said this diary should be published in the future. These recordings lay in the Kannamma family for several decades and were not published until the 1990s, first in Kannada and then in English.
Several publishers published the manuscript. As a result of the translation of this great book from the original Kannada into English, some strange metamorphoses have taken place.
Unfortunately, when translating into English, the most important elements of the manuscript were subjected to ruthless editing, especially the ninth chapter. In those distant years, in 1944, when Sathya Sai Baba was only eighteen years old, he described in detail where and when Prema Sai Baba would incarnate.
The ninth chapter of the book contains the authentic words of Sathya Sai Baba that Prema Sai Baba would be born one year after the completion of Sathya Sai's mission. The book also indicates the exact place of birth as the village of Doddamallur, where the ancient temple of the god Vishnu (Aprameya Swami) is located.
Interestingly, Sathya Sai Baba even indicated he would incarnate in a poor family that would live by that time in a small house right behind the ancient temple. All these crucial details have been omitted in the English translation.
Fortunately, the first edition in the local Kannada language was made by an independent publisher, so it was in the first edition that the original text of Sathya Sai Baba's prediction was preserved. I was able to find this first unique edition and arrange for the translation of the ninth chapter from Kannada into English and then into Russian. The original message of Sathya Sai Baba with my comments is given in the next chapter of this book.
Why did some publishing structures go for falsification? It is obvious that such a decision was not made by chance, as if someone was trying to artificially confuse information and misinform a wide audience. In fact, many close associates of Sathya Sai Baba are well aware of all of his predictions. Regardless, some people artificially create confusion and hide the real information.
11. Sathya Sai Baba predictions about Prema Sai Baba
We now turn to the ninth chapter of Sri Sathya Sai Anandadai (Journey with Sai). Of course, it would be my great pleasure to give you an exact translation of the ninth chapter, but it is impossible to do so.
The original book was published in Kannada, which is spoken in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Subsequently, the copyright was transferred to other publishing structures, which translated the book into English with obvious falsifications. Thus, a distorted version of this unique book is now being circulated around the world.
The editors completely removed important information about Sathya Sai Baba's predictions regarding his next incarnation as Prema Sai Baba. The current owners of the book have prescribed strict copyright conditions, according to which no one can even quote the original text of the manuscript. What are they so afraid of?
They are afraid the truth and authentic information will become public knowledge. That is why I am forced not to publish the exact translation, but to retell the content of the ninth chapter of this unique book.
Copyright law does not forbid me to state in my own words the true content of the original. I present the material only in the form of a free retelling, focusing on the most important elements. Copyright law also allows me to comment on and analyze the information in this book without retyping the text itself.
The information below is the message of Sathya Sai Baba about the essence of the triple divine incarnation of Sai on Earth. In particular, Sathya Sai Baba said the triple incarnation of God in the form of three Sai Avatars was predicted five thousand years ago.
Speaking about the fact that the triple incarnation of Sai was predicted five thousand years before our time, Sathya Sai Baba does not explain in which ancient texts this was mentioned. Perhaps there were ancient texts that have not survived, or we are talking about an oral tradition that has come down to us in the form of legends.
In previous chapters, I mentioned that various world religions talk about divine incarnations that should be incarnated on Earth in the future. The Second Coming of Christ (Christianity), Buddha Maitreya (Buddhism), Messiah (Judaism), Imam Mahdi (some branches of Islam), and Kalki (Hinduism). Perhaps, speaking about ancient predictions, Sathya Sai Baba had in mind all these Divine Teachers of humanity.
Between 1944 and 1952, Sathya Sai Baba told several devotees from the South Indian city of Mysore that three Sai Avatars would incarnate on Earth. Then, Sathya Sai Baba was between 18 and 26 years old.
These conversations took place in different places – sometimes in the "old Mandir", which is the very first building built in the village of Puttaparthi as a temporary ashram. Some talks took place in the state of Karnataka in the city of Mysore and its environs.
Sathya Sai Baba said three Avatars will incarnate on the territory of India. The first is Shirdi Sai Baba, the second is Sathya Sai Baba and the third is Prema Sai Baba. Prema Sai Baba will incarnate in the village of Doddamallur.
This village is located near the city of Channapatna in the state of Karnataka. Sathya Sai Baba said that in his current incarnation he will live for 96 years, and then a year later he will be born as Prema Sai Baba. In this incarnation he will live for about 75 years.
The researchers explain that the ancient Vedic principles for calculating age are different from modern ones. According to Vedic principles, 96 years means approximately 84 years, which was the age of Sathya Sai Baba at the time of his passing. Considering the estimated lifespan of Prema Sai Baba, it can be considered that according to Vedic principles, 75 years will be equal to the age of less than 70 years, according to the modern international reckoning of age.
In his three incarnations, Sai realizes all divine goals; as such, the world will then be filled with peace, love and harmony. This will be a truly new stage in the evolution of mankind. Many spiritual teachers and esotericists of different traditions also predict the imminent beginning of a new divine era.
Since modern civilization highly appreciates the scientific method of cognition, Sathya Sai Baba mentioned the difference between the scientific approach and those gigantic possibilities that God has.
Sathya Sai Baba said that scientific knowledge is limited to the five-dimensional sensory world. However, he has perfect spiritual vision. Sathya Sai Baba can see realities that even the greatest scientists do not understand. No modern scientific technology can match God's omniscience. He can know exactly what happened many aeons ago, as well as what will happen in the future.
During his conversations with the first devotees, in the mid-1940s, Sathya Sai Baba said he was beyond space, time, and all limitations. He even stated he can manifest himself in a huge number of bodies at the same time, while these bodies are located in different places in the universe.
Sathya Sai Baba has always been famous for the fact that he could materialize various charms for his devotees such as rings, medallions or rosaries. I have repeatedly seen objects materialized by Sathya Sai Baba. Sometimes they seemed completely ordinary, yet every time I held a unique item in my hand, I felt a special energy. Any ring, rosary or medallion created by him were special mystical objects and genuine amulets in the truest sense of the word.
During his conversations, he explained that if he materialized any objects to his followers, the objects subsequently informed him if the owners were having problems, difficulties, or were subject to dangerous situations, and that in their moment of need, he would send help and blessings to them. Any object materialized by him played this role of direct connection with him.
Sathya Sai Baba proclaimed to his devotees that whatever form and name of God you worship, whatever religious tradition you practice, God accepts your prayer. The tradition of the three Sai Avatars is a single spiritual space of the divine evolution of all mankind. All forms and names belong to God, and you follow the spiritual path closest to your heart.
Sathya Sai Baba spoke about the fact that, in accordance with Vedic ideas, the full cycle of development is divided into four periods, which are called the Yuga in Sanskrit. Periods of four Yugas (four epochs) return again and again. That is how the global cycle of time looks.
The ten Avatars of God incarnate in these four epochs, most often the Vedic tradition calls them incarnations of the god Vishnu. It should be remembered that Vishnu is not the name of any deity, but one of the traditional Vedic names of the supreme Creator God. Different religions call God by different names, even within the framework of Hindu philosophy, there are a lot of names for God.
The last incarnation of God in each cycle is the Kalki Avatar. In our age of Kali yuga, the Kalki Avatar has been divided into three parts: Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba, and Prema Sai Baba. The Vedic texts do not mention that the Kalki Avatar will split into three incarnations; however, Sathya Sai Baba explained this is exactly what will happen.
Sathya Sai Baba said that such a triple incarnation of God on Earth can only be seen in this era. The triple incarnation of Sai has not been in the past and will not be in the future. That is why we are witnessing this unique event of the triple incarnation of Sai.
God spiritually prepared humanity when he incarnated as Shirdi Sai Baba. God spread spiritual knowledge when he incarnated as Sathya Sai Baba. When God incarnated as Prema Sai Baba, all people will enjoy the fruits of divine self-realization. It is then Sai will bestow happiness and bliss on all mankind.
Of course, it may seem strange to some that Sathya Sai has predicted such a bright outlook when the world is experiencing great political and social difficulties in the 20
and 21
century.
In my opinion, it is possible to note clear positive trends in the spiritual development of a huge number of people. The spiritual development of people is much more active, while the political and social system of human society is still functioning in the old way, and no longer meeting the spiritual and intellectual needs of people.
In 1944, Sathya Sai Baba told the first devotees of his third incarnation as Prema Sai Baba that, “Prema Sai Baba will be born in the small village of Doddamallur, which is located near the city of Channapatna, and this village will subsequently be prosperous, because it is here that God will receive his birth.”
The prediction shows that in the beginning, the village in which Prema Sai is born would be very small and poor, but in time it would become a large and prosperous city.
Sathya Sai Baba took Namagiri Amma and her daughter, Kannamma, to the village of Doddamallur. During this unique journey, Sathya Sai Baba was accompanied by several followers from the city of Mysore.
In this small village there is an ancient temple of the god, Vishnu, who is called Aprameya Swami. In this temple there is a famous altar with a statue of the boy, Krishna, which pilgrims come from all over India to worship.
Sathya Sai Baba said that Prema Sai Baba would be born into a poor family in this village and also indicated the house where he would be born. In the original text of the Sri Sathya SaiAnandadai book, we read about the great mission of the three Sai Avatars and accurate predictions about the place and time of Prema Sai Baba's birth.
12. Additional predictions about Prema Sai Baba
