Sathya Saibaba started posing himself as God in 1946 itself

Sathya Sai Baba started posturing himself as God in 1946 itself, at an immature age of 19. This he continues even today in 2011. During these 65 years, he perfected his art , by voice modulations, improving his singing and story-telling skills.

This sketch of him sitting on a seven-hooded snake-throne, with garlands in his neck and his crown-like garnished hair indicates this. Proof : You can see a true-life photo of this posture in the Nov. 2010 issue of his home-journal, 'sanatana sarathi'.

Sathya Sai Baba preached 'purity'.
We shall, now, see how far the preacher himself, is pure.

1. A person, will be pure at an age of 19, just out of his adolescence and fresh in youth. A boy will be like a clean slate at an age of 9. He learns some good and bad things from his environment and forms some vague impression by the time he reaches 19. A person, posturing himself as God, at an early of 19, we need not consider him as 'impure'. He may at the most , be considered as going through his fantasies.

A person in India of 1946 would have been searching for a livelihood, may be in agricultural sector or allied activities like dairying, sheep-rearing, poultry. He could be searching for a Government job, if he was adequately educated. He could be searching for some sort of shop - factory job if he was semi-skilled or unskilled. Sai Baba had, at that time, poor education. Nor did he have rural artisan skills such as carpentry, blacksmithy. Why didn't he like any occupation which befits his skills and talents? Why did he choose to posture himself a Godman?
He might have had a fantasy.

I beg my readers to endow me with some forgivance, for discussing something personal, here. I was at 19, in 1968: Completed my XII standard, discontinued my first year of L.M.E. (Diploma in Mechanical Engineering) owing to financial difficulties, passed my type-writing higher, English shorthand Lower Grade, did three or four odd jobs, joined a Nationalised Bank as a Clerk-cum-Typist, and joined an Evening College for higher studies. It is how, a search for livelihood takes place for different persons in different ways. For others who have sufficient resources to continue studies upto its logical end, the search for livelihood starts somewhere at an age of 25.

Baba being an early drop-out from formal school education, in a dry-desert like district of Anantapur might have chosen the God-man profession, which he had manoeuvred with considerable adeptness.

This selection of occupation by Sathya Sai Baba matches with the selection of occupation by Swami Vivekananda after completing his B.A. Swami Vivekananda (you can see from my Vivekananda blog at www.vivekanadayb.blogspot.com) too had a dislike towards jobs.

Sathya Sai Baba didn't first have an All India arena for his activity, whereas Vivekananda chose to meet native Indian rulers who had a craze for religion. Sathya Sai Baba directly claimed his powers of miracles by producing opal siva lingams, ganesh and other gods and goddesses, apart from sacred ash and gold chains, whereas Vivekananda claimed to have some powers, but did not undertake any jugglery magic. Sathya Sai Baba, apparently attracted foreign devotees and disciples from his headquarters, where as Vivekananda chose to tour United States extensively and of course, U.K.

2. We shall now take up the age of 29, year 1956 : It will be Part II - of youth of any person. Fantasies give way to pragmatism. Worldly experiences supplement as person's behavior, emotions, and perceptions. We shall assume that Baba continued to be pure, in spite of worldly experiences. We shall justify his continuing to posture himself as a God person.

3. We shall now see the age of 39, year 1966 : This will be part I of middle age. Wisdom dawns in individuals. Persons deriving benefits from environment will continue their activities. Baba too might have continued his 'Bhagawan posture' as he went on experiencing successes in an environment where people were ignorant and prostrated at his feet (called 'padanamaskar') treating it as gift. But how, a truly wise person would have reacted to prostrations by others: He would have said "I am not a God. Don't fall down at my feet." ... and would have withdrawn his feet and tried to hide himself. It is how Ramana Maharshi and Jiddu Krishna Murthy conducted, when divinity was attempted to be thrust upon them.

4. We shall now see the age of 49, year 1976 : Baba established himself as a full-time God with foreign disciples and Indian politicians. Where is the purity at this stage? Practical sense revolts against wisdom.

5. 59, year 1986 : There were challenges from knowledgeable persons like Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, educator- freedom-fighter -physicist and rationalist - Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University, about the genuineness of miracles performed by Baba. Baba did not only refuse to co-operate in a fact-finding mission about miracles, but also ...(this will be completed later).

6. 69, year 1996: Full scale God. President and Prime Minister of India were at his feet. Supreme Court Chief Justices at his feet. He could not, now, have a courage to deny that he was not a God. The problem is, when a person takes a posture, and starts to acting as per the requirements of the posture, he cannot retrace his steps.
You, can in this context, read the concluding chapters of Late R.K. Narayan's English novel, "The Guide" (There was also a film of Devanand, using the theme). A person who just came out jail, with beard grown, was thought to be a monk with divine powers. People worship him, giving him food etc. The person had to accept the monkhood. We have, in law, a principle called 'estoppel' which deals with this type of self-locking of a person, by his own action/inaction.


7. 79, year 2006: -do- -do-.

Thus purity had lost its identity under the shade of fame, fortune and luxury.