HOW WE LOST FAITH IN SATHYA SAI BABA

 

Date: 08-13-02

Document date: January 1995

By: K.S. Ramachandran, National College, Ottapalam 1 (Kerala) 5.9.1994

From: Indian Skeptic January 1995, vol. 7 no. 9, pp. 21-22, 46-47

I am narrating certain incidents in our life which led to our loosing faith in Sathya Sai Baba.

It was in the year 1966 that I first heard about the ‘miracles’ of Sathya Sai Baba. It was taking out a Rudraksha mala from a heap of sand, which was once lost by an old woman.

When my mother went to Calicut in the year 1967 or so, she was given two books on Baba and given two pictures. She was brain-washed by one of our relatives and she developed faith in him. After reading the book, Satyam Sivam Sundaram, my father (who first opposed Baba) developed faith in him. We all began to worship him, and talked highly of Baba and conducted Bhajans on every Thursday.

My father who had some problems, wrote a letter to Baba asking him solutions. But to our disappointment, the letter came back with a few lines written by Kasthuri (Baba’s secretary) that such matters are not placed before Baba. I felt some what angry too. It was a surprise to everybody.

We became subscribers of a monthly magazine f Baba, which contained his miracles and speeches. At that time, wonderful stories were being spread by people and magazines. It was said that Baba even appeared in a house in Palghat to have meals on his (Baba’s) birthday. Later somehow these things disappeared and nobody could tell why these stories were discontinued from giving propaganda.

On 28.7.1974 Sunday, a news appeared in the last page of a famous Malayalam daily that Sathya Sai Baba had taken money from a devotee and had promised him in return some valuables. This devotee was cheated by Baba and the devotee has filed a suit against the Baba in the Bangalore High Court. This news made us unhappy and we asked among ourselves, why should a ‘god’ face a court case?

All of us went to Ooty in June ’76 and saw this great man and felt happy to have his darshan. I even talked to him. But in the same year July, when we heard that Sai Krishna the god-boy was exposed our faith started dwindling. Following this, the seats of godman began to tremble, but a Bombay based weekly talked highly of Sathya Sai Baba. This propaganda continued for several weeks and a common man can guess why they did this. All were paid propaganda and nothing but to protect Baba from loosing his ‘image’.

The bold malayalam weekly, "Janayugom" wrote that Dr. Kovoor had proved that most of the stories of Baba’s miracles were baseless and false. This I told my father and slowly we realised the truth. My father lost faith gradually. I saw the article in Janayugom Weekly that Baba avoided Dr. Kovoor without giving him "divine Darshan".

Later, we lost interest in these things and never thought of Baba at all. My father died of old age in 1987.

With the murders at Prashanthi Nilayam, in suspicious circumstance in the year 1993 June 6th, and the government and the Baba keeping silent on the issue we have lost not only faith in Sathya Sai Baba but also all our respects for him.

The Kovoor Octogenary Souvenir is really good in all respects. It removes all superstitions and false ideas from human mind and it gives courage to the people who read it.

Still some questions remain unanswered. Whether astrology is science or not. Some astrologers are able to predict the nature of a person – his/her – and many of their secrets. How is it possible?

2. When a dog howls, cat makes a peculiar noise or when an owl says "Poovah Poova", people say that some body is going to die. This exactly happened 7 years ago, when my father died. An owl cried "Poovah Poovah" just a few minutes before my father’s death. Are these things mere coincidence or is there any thing meaningful in these. Can you please explain?

With the death of Dr. Kovoor, the Atheist movement has really lost a leader. Actually I wish that 1000 Kovoors should be born in our country to make people courageous and strong minded.

Is Neelakanta Tathaji alive now? Nothing is heard about him now.

A new Sai Baba has emerged in Kurnool. Have you visited him? There is one Matha in Kerala near "Quilon". Have you written any books on her? She is getting popular day by day.

 

Reply by B. Premanand

The predictions which they make can fit to anyone’s life. So far no astrologer has given any specific predictions. We have discussed these in the earlier issues of Indian Skeptic.

If you really give your mind, you will find that the dogs howl, the cats mew and the owls chirp. The only thing is that we do not give our mind to such sounds. But when someone dies in the family we remember these sounds. To check whether these are death omens, you have to make a diary sitting for a month at home and note down when the animals and birds make these sounds and then see how many have died on these days in your home.

Neelakanta Tathaji died some years back.

The new Baba "Bala Sai Baba" is from Palghat and he is turning to be a competitor for Satya Sai Baba. In September, one of my friends from Belgium, Dr. Jacques Theodore was here to make a video film of my workshop in explaining miracles. He was so happy to see beautiful people of India and wondered why the Puttaparthi god is so ugly when Indians though not white are good looking. This Bala Sai Baba is good looking and will be able to attract many women to him.

Regarding Amritananda Mayee of Kerala she went underground in 1983 when the police tried to arrest about a dozen girls [who] tried to cheat people claiming to be possessed by gods and goddesses. Later with the help of the fundamentalists and goondas around her she has become famous. It should be noted that her members are the members of another godman who was murdered and she wears his crown of gold studded with precious stones. Several murders have taken place there in the ashram and it is the duty of the law enforcement department to take action. But due to political pressure they are silent. See what happened to Swami Premananda of Tamilnadu. Only because of the public pressure case was taken against him for raping girls and later people from other countries came forward as witnesses and the skeleton of a murdered devotee was exhumed from the ashram premises. We have to think deeply as to what we should do to create public opinion against these Baba's to that the government is forced to take action. The government knows what is happening in these ashrams but for political and financial gains they ignore.

In 1994 hundreds of godmen have been arrested by creating public awareness and opinion and it is a credit to Indian Skeptics.

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