This book offers an account of the Sai Baba movement as a pathway for charting the varied cartographies, sensory formations, and cultural memories implicated in urbanization and globalization.It is based on ethnographic research carried out in India, Kenya, and the US.
The Sai Baba movement, centered on the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba (b. 1926), today attracts a global following from Japan to South Africa. Regarded as a divine incarnation, Sathya Sai Baba traces his genealogy to Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918), a mendicant in colonial India identified with various Sufi and devotional genealogies. The movement, thus, has “roots” in Shirdi Sai Baba but as it globalizes, it has developed conjunctions with other religious traditions, New Religious movements, and New Age ideas. This book offers an account of the Sai Baba movement as a pathway for charting the varied cartographies, sensory formations, and cultural memories implicated in urbanization and globalization. It traverses the terrain between social theories for the study of religion and cities ---themselves a product of modernity---and the radical, creative, and unexpected modernity of contemporary religious movements. It is based on ethnographic research carried out in India, Kenya, and the US.
This account relates some of the achievements of Satya Sai Baba. His followers believe him to be the reincarntion of Sai Baba of Shirdi who died in 1918. He appears to have been born with phenomenal powers, which he used in childhood and has employed constantly and openly ever since. The author, a westener devoted to science and logic, spent many months with Satya Sai Baba to substantiate these miracles.
This is the biography of Professor N. Kasturi, the chosen biographer of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This book is his autobiography, his story, his journey to the feet of the Lord, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. In his own words, "Each of us has to live the volume of biography, which we bring with us, as often as we are born, page after page, chapter after chapter, howsoever punctuated with dots and dashes, interrogations and exclamations, commas and colons, until the sentence ends ultimately with a Full Stop. But, luckily, I have as my inseparable companion and counsel, Bhagawan Himself; He dots the i’s and crosses the t’s as I live the lines on every page. He has made the Book of Life, my biography – momentous and meaningful for me. I must, however, confess that I do not deserve this book on me, by me. There are, I know, millions, who are absorbing the Love of the Living Loving God much deeper, who can, therefore, stand forth as messengers of His Love. They can lead the unloved and the unloving with surer and firmer steps, to the Presence of the Redeemer, the Comforter, the Saviour, the Avatar, the Sai. Nevertheless, when Bhagawan manifested a faint, favourable interest, when someone ventured to whisper to me in His Presence, that a bunch of my reminiscences may be welcomed by many, I was promoted by that smile to embark on this audacious adventure. My memory assumed the role of Chief Editor and hence, the chronicle suffers from imperfect chronology. Since the four parts of “Sathyam Sivam Sundram” relate most of that I have yearned to communicate, this book has become a personal testament, often perhaps too personal to be tolerated, for which act of indiscretion, I ask for pardon. Flattery is the food of fools, say those, who are denied that pabulum. I dare not deny my taste, for I have been fooled by flatterers, who threw appellations like poet, scholar, linguist, humourist, philosopher, and even ant-hill sage! Please dear reader, remember that I am struggling my best to eliminate the poison of the ego and sympathise with me, whenever you find the reptile raising its hood between the lines of this book. A few ‘old students’ of my classes at the University, my grandson, his wife, and a few brothers at Prasanthi Nilayam demanded that I should not give up the work and insisted on the completion of the book. As a result, this book, ‘Loving God’ is now placed at the Feet of the Lord and on the palms of those, who live in the Love of the Lord. Jai Sai Ram."
A vast and diversified religious movement originating from Sai Baba of Shirdi, is often referred to as "the Sai Baba movement." Through the chronological presentation of Sai Baba's life, light is shed on the various ways in which the important guru figures in this movement came to be linked to the saint of Shirdi.
This book tells the life story of the Baba legendary Indian saint Shirdi Sai Baba, through the words of Sri Kaleshwar, one of India's most highly respected spiritual leaders. It shares the deep hidden meaning of this great soul's divine life and actions. Sri Kaleshwar says, "In my meditation visions, I saw the major things Baba did in his life, like a movie. Any person can see a soul's life through the power channels. He was a simple character, enjoying the divine fragrance of his life. It's one of the best divine stories ever written. It's a blockbuster movie." Living as an outcast on the outskirts of Shirdi for eighteen years before spending the rest of his life in a dilapidated temple he named Dwarkamai, Shirdi Sai Baba lived as a simple beggar while performing miraculous healings and taking the pain and suffering of the whole globe. "I am Grandfather to all people," he said, "Whoever calls me heartfully, I am there. I will take care of you wherever you are." Shirdi Baba's life demonstrated the unity of all religions. No one knew which religion he belonged to. He was revered by Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. He said, "All human beings are one. Our religion is humanity, God is one."
An Avatar Adorns The Human Form To Help Humanity To Evolve Towards Divinity. His Humanity Is Revealed In His Ability To See The Funny Side Of Human Beings. Not Only That, He Takes Out Unnecessary Seriousnesses Away From Life, Meant To Be Light And Joyous. Swami Is Quick At His Verbal Repartee.
Who am I? Where have I come from? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why do people suffer? What is karma? What is reincarnation? Such burning existential questions have intrigued many since time immemorial. It is not for the faint of heart to pore over abstruse and often cryptic scriptures, or perform intense spiritual practices to get a glimpse of the truth. A panacea for seekers, The Power of Purity is a compilation of Mohanji's spontaneous answers to questions posed during various satsangs (spiritual discourses) and interactions across the world. With razor-sharp clarity and wit, Mohanji provides the reader with deep, subtle, yet easy-to-understand insights into the varied aspects of human existence, uniting the seemingly contrasting goals of spiritual mastery and worldly success. Many can use this book as a guide to finding solutions to life's myriad problems by randomly turning to one of its pages. In Mohanji's words, 'This book has been compiled to aid you to find your SELF and stay with your own soul. Those who are not eligible to read this book will not get to see it. Those who are casual readers will not understand this book. Those who were awaiting this message will take the cue and the next step . . . Nothing is accidental.'