Sathya Sai Baba is a God to many, a highly revered spiritual leader and world teacher to others. His life and message are inspiring millions of people throughout the world, to transform and lead a more purposeful and moral life.
Bhagawan was born on 23 November 1926. The name of His ashram (spiritual base) is Prasanthi Nilayam which translates to ‘Abode of the highest peace’.
His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools and colleges, free drinking water supply projects, or free housing projects, all stand testimony to His selfless love and compassion for the needy and less privileged. True to His declaration, “My Life is My Message”, He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of His devotees worldwide by His personal example to live the ideal that “Service to man is service to God.”
You can find out more on Bhagawan’s childhood and read His declaration letter on Radio Sai.
Bhagawan on His mission
“For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the evil-doers and for establishing righteousness on a firm footing, I incarnate from age to age. Whenever disharmony overwhelms the world, the Lord will incarnate in human form to establish the modes of earning peace, and to re-educate the human community in the paths of peace. At the present time, strife and discord have robbed peace and unity from the family, the school, the society, the religions, the cities and the state.
The establishment of righteousness, that is my aim. The teaching of righteousness, the spread of righteousness, that is my object.
I have come to give you the key of the treasure of ananda, to teach you how to tap that spring, for you have forgotten the way to blessedness. Very few of you desire to get from me the thing that I have come to give you: namely, liberation itself.
I have come to instruct all in the essence of the Vedas, to shower on all this precious gift, to protect the Sanathan Dharma (ancient wisdom) and preserve it. My mission is to spread happiness, and so I am always ready to come among you not once, but twice or thrice- as often as you want me. Many of you probably think that since people of all parts of India, and even foreign countries out- side India, come to Puttaparthi, they must be pouring their contributions into the coffers of the Prashanti Nilayam. But let me declare the truth. I do not take anything from anyone except love and devotion. This has been my consistent practice for the last many years. People who come here are giving me just the wealth of faith, devotion and love. That is all.” – Bhagawan’s birthday message on the 23.11.1968 (48th birthday celebrations).
Let’s take this opportunity
Indeed, once in a millennium does such a divine being walk the earth. For you and I, and all humanity, in spite of the dark clouds hovering on the world’s horizon today, there is a silver lining – rather a golden one.
If we seize this rarest of rare opportunities, world peace and harmony, along with our individual transformation, will no longer be a dream. It will become as real and universal as the morning sun.