OMNIPOTENT AVATAR OR FAILED POTENTATE?
"There is nothing that divine power cannot accomplish. It can transmute earth into sky and sky into earth".
Many are the times Sathya Sai Baba claimed that he is the omnipotent creator of the universe. He first proclaimed his Divinity to the wider public in 1968 - as the Incarnation of God - in what has been called 'The Milestone Speech' where he also stated:
Sahya Sai also claimed: "It is beyond you to know how or why I create things. The objects that I create, I create them by my will, the same way I created the universe." Quoted in 'The Week' 27th November, 2006.
To make sure that nobody questioned any of this he also stated: "Trust in my wisdom. I do not make mistakes. Love my uncertainty for it is not a mistake. It is my intent and will. Remember, nothing happens without my will. Be still. Do not ask to understand. Do not want to understand." (Sanathana Sarathi, August 1984)
Consequently most devotees believe that he could do anything whatever (some even believe he could do whatever is impossible too!). They do not try to understand him, IF they are good devotees. But we must ask: 'Did Sai Baba truly exercise
his will over all major events in the ashram, or were there persons who could
do things over which he had no control?' It is common for devotees, and especially the less educated people - to say of anything that occurs - from a tsunami to a spilt drop of milk "It is Swami's Will". Prof. N. Kasturi expressed this view - also Sai Baba's claim - in many
of his writings and it became widespread. Applied to the infamous 1993 bedroom murders scenario, Sathya Sai Baba becomes fully responsible
for the events that took place within his jurisdiction as 'Divine Director'
and absolute King-God ruler of the ashram. V.K. Narasimhan was in no doubt,
however, that Sathya Sai Baba was powerless to control events, even those within the ashram,
even within his own apartments. That is part of why Narasimhan stayed with Sathya Sai Baba despite his many doubts.
This was particularly noticeable at the ashrams, where the more zealous (and confused) believers thought that Sai Baba exercised his will over every single event that occurred there. Everything that befell a seeker was the will of Sai Baba, everything was "His Blessing" since many very bad things befell many people there - it had to be "a blessing in disguise"! Ah! Those wonderful "spiritual lessons" or "tests of faith by the guru"!
Most ashram officials spoke as if Sathya Sai Baba were in total control through his directives and occasional interventions. Prof. N. Kasturi expressed this view in many of his writings. Applied to the murders scenario, Sathya Sai Baba thereby was fully responsible for the events that took place within his jurisdiction as 'Divine Director' and absolute King-God ruler of the ashram. Hover, Kasturi's successor as editor of Sanathana Sarathi - the famous journalist V.K. Narasimhan - was in no doubt that Sathya Sai Baba was powerless to control events, even those within the ashram, even within his own apartments.
One example well illustrates Sathya Sai Baba's helplessness before events prior to the 70th birthday celebrations in 1995: V.K. Narasimhan had remarked to Sai Baba that inviting the Indian President to them was unnecessary for it always caused major problems. The special force, the Black Berets, made devotees suffer huge, life-threatening crushes and endless delays due to their insensitive and heavy-handed security arrangements. Sathya Sai Baba had replied that there was nothing he could do about it! The Indian President himself had decided to visit and Sai Baba could not stop him!
In another connection, Narasimhan told me that Sai Baba had told him when asked: "one thing I cannot do is to make a person choose to do good." That is part of the reason why Narasimhan - a pragmatist - did not reject or leave Sathya Sai Baba when the executions of the four intruding devotees were organised by Sathya Sai Baba 's younger brother! It seemed to Narasimhan that Baba could not have prevented it nor even influence his own younger brother's actions in the matter! This viewpoint was supposed to absolve Sathya Sai Baba from responsibility as an accomplice to the murders, neither being able to dictate the actions of those Sai Central Trust members and ashram officials, nor those of his younger brother Janaki Ramiah, who blackmailed the police into shooting down the four young men - trapped and virtually unarmed intruders - in cold blood, one by one in a huge hail of bullets. However, when asked what to do, Sai Baba is firmly reported to have said “Vallani kattesinaru, champeyundira…" (meaning “They have been tied up, kill them!”. That was doubtless because neither he or anyone esle could see a more satisfactory way around the vast problem already created by the intrusion and the fierce possibly fatal beatings delivered by hordes of enraged villagers and students. (See Sai Baba 1993 murders: eyewitness reveals amazing facts and also Sathya Sai Baba reported to have ordered executions!)
From 2002 onwards, Sathya Sai Baba was unable to walk more than a few staggering steps supported by his male students. He had to use one of a wide variety of expensive hi-tech wheelchair or buggys. This is because of his having had a hip-joint replacement and ignoring the various doctors' orders as to how properly to recover from it. However, devotees say that all this is just a part of "His Divine Play" his "leela"... he was "doing sadhana", even though he had himself proclaimed firmly that he never prays nor does any spiritual disciplines because he is God Himself and is the giver of the boons that supposedly result from such sadhanas.
In his infamous Christmas Day Discourse in 2000 when he thumped his lectern in anger at his detractors (a most unforgiving harangue to celebrate the advent of Christ), he complained that he and his works are not appreciated as they should be! Such megalomaniac moaning increased, while he was affected by the rightful descriptions and comments concerning his many wrongdoings and absurdities at least so much that he pointed out how well he keeps up a smiling face despite the heavy criticism. This was hardly the talk of an Omnipotent Being beyond all praise and blame... and he no longer smiled really either, as his morose or blank expression showed most of the time he is seen. Close confidantes have long since reported that he sat and cried in private most of the day (see 'Report on Sai's Condition' here). On his 85th birthday he sat and cried openly, which was filmed and put on public web space too. (see here or here).
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