Who is Sathya Sai Baba?

“Yes, I am God. And You too are God. The only difference between you and me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.” This has been the response of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to people who question Him about His identity and divinity. This is the basic spiritual truth that Sai Baba is ceaselessly striving to inculcate in the mind of every man. Anybody who has been a witness to His miraculous powers and illuminating wisdom, and experienced His pure love would know that He is demonstrating to one and all what God is, and therefore, what man potentially and inherently is.

Born on November 23, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India, Bhagawan Baba’s life has been an unending saga of pure selfless love. Millions of His devotees all over the world believe that He is an ‘Avatar’ (Divinity incarnate), the descent of God in human form.

Speaking about the purpose of His advent, Bhagawan Baba says, “Sai has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illuminating the Atmic (Spiritual) Reality of each being, to reveal the Divine which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal in him and rise up to the Divine which is his goal.”

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is an integral manifestation who combines two very significant roles. Firstly, He is a great spiritual master, famed for His simple and sweet exposition of the greatest and most intricate of spiritual truths which form the fundamental teachings of all the religions of the world. Talking about His mission, Bhagawan declares “I have come not to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his own faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim and the Hindu a better Hindu.” His formula for man to lead a meaningful life is the five-fold path of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-Violence). Love for God, fear of sin and morality in society – these are His prescriptions for our ailing world.

Secondly, He is an inexhaustible reservoir of pure love. His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools, free drinking water or free housing projects, each one stands as a testimony to His selfless love and compassion for the needy and less privileged. True to His declaration - “My Life is My Message,” He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of His devotees worldwide, by His personal example, to live the ideal that service to man is service to God.