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.
Acclaimed travel writer and self-described 'spiritual nomad', Bill Aitken tells us why so many - royalty, wealthy industrialists, influential politicians, as well as the poor - flock to Puttaparthi. Sai Baba's message, he reveals, can be summed up in one word: love. It is as simple as it is profound, not unlike how his devotees see the Sai himself - the embodiment of deep spirituality wedded to simplicity, elegance and grace. Yet, the Sai phenomenon is less about producing vibhuti from thin air and more about modern-day miracles - miracles like free schools and universities, super-speciality hospitals which provide free treatment to all and revolutionary projects like the one which has brought drinking water to a million villagers in drought-prone Rayalseema. Aitken's study is neither a hagiographic exercise in myth-making nor a dry, objective account of the Sai's life. While never shy of expressing his deep love and reverence for Sai Baba, he squarely confronts the controversies and criticisms which inevitably dog those who claim acquaintance with the holy.
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."
"Life history of Shirdi Sai Baba was originally written in Telugu by Ammula Sambasiva Rao, and translated into English by Thota Bhaskara Rao. The book delves deep into the details of the life of Shirdi Sai Baba right from his birth till attainment of Samadhi. The author has expounded Sai Tatwa or Sai philosophy in a simple language, interpersed with engrossing anecdotes in the life of Sai devotees.
"This is the touching story of a poor Muslim boy, who lost his father when he was two years old. He and his mother were in the clutches of poverty. This affected his upbringing. The neighbours sent him to school mainly to protect their children. In order to pay the school fees, he had to work till midnight in a nearby cinema theatre and this led him into bad ways. However, because of his extraordinary memory, he could secure first rank till the tenth standard. His proficiency in Sanskrit helped him get the much needed financial scholarship and eventually, he became an honours graduate, completed the L.L.B. and L.L.M. examinations with merit, and became a professor. His thirst to become virtuous and his quest for a Guru brought him to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He had the coveted Padanamaskar and Bhagawan’s one deep look into his eyes transformed him miraculously. By providence, someone suggested to him to apply for the post of a visiting professor, in Baba’s college at Puttaparthi and he applied. His application, one among many thousands, was hand picked by Bhagawan Himself and thus, he got the appointment. There are many more incredible, but true incidents in the life of the author, besides a long interview with Bhagawan Baba in 1990, appearing in Chapter 8 of this book. Social and religious background is no barrier for a true devotee to earn Bhagawan’s grace."
His Story is a Comic eBook based on Childhood Stories of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This was the story of the Advent of the Avatar and the early years of His life and mission, a mission that would bring millions to His Lotus Feet to taste the bliss of Divine Love and thus transform their lives. In a letter He wrote to His brother Sri Seshama Raju way back in 1947, Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphatically declared the grand purpose for which He has come. He said: I have a Task: To foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of Ananda (Bliss). I have a Vow: To lead all who stray away from the straight path, again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a Work that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack. I have a reason to be proud, for I rescue all who worship and adore Me. The decades that have rolled by since that epochal letter was written have been witness to the grand manner in which His vision has taken shape. The world-class super-speciality hospitals that offer tertiary level medical care free of charge, schools and colleges that impart values-based education, the mammoth drinking water supply projects and the numerous other service projects undertaken by Him stand as a testimony to His selfless Love and His compassion for humanity. However, even more, significant than these activities have been His tireless efforts towards spreading the message of spirituality and inculcating love and brotherhood throughout the world. Through the Sri Sathya Sai Centers and the Education in Human Values (EHV) programmes, thousands all over the world have sanctified their lives by putting into practice His precepts, and by participating in service programmes such as Narayana Seva (feeding of the poor) and free medical camps. Truly, the Sathya Sai Avatar has heralded a golden era in the history of mankind.
