Sathya Sai Baba was at last allowed to die. He was the most famous of all spiritual Gurus that India has produced in recent times. Millions of his devotees will mourn his death all over the world. He was in addition to being a spiritual teacher, a performer of weird acts of bringing out objects from nowhere [like wrist watches made in Switzerland], of producing copious quantities of ash from his hands. Many rationalists were able to repeat these acts and thus debunk the Baba’s so called miracles. But for the devotee, he was the reincarnation of God. He did do many good deeds. He founded many hospitals and educational institutions, provided drinking water to many districts in the state of Andhra Pradesh. All his services were provided free. Therefore his death at the ripe old age of 85 is a loss from this point of view that he was an extraordinary social worker.
Did he reform the society? The answer is no. Corruption, inefficiency, class and caste distinctions have all increased during his life time and he did not actively campaign against these evils of society. He may have been a spiritual guru to the believer but by no stretch of imagination he was a social reformer.
He was seriously ill and was on life support for the past twenty odd days. His devotees [including the doctors who were attending on him] could not or did not believe that their Guru is going to die. Even god men must leave this body, did not occur to them. The last twenty odd days of torture that he went through was due to this blind faith! Poor man,[Godman] he had to suffer his followers who would not allow him to go in peace!
2 comments:
I am an ardent admirer of Sai Baba though not a devotee as such.We should not compare him with social reformers but with other godmen.I cannot think of any other person of his kind who has done so much for the poor with the kind of money that has poured into his hands.
Seetharam
Faith and rationality they are part of the brain function.
As we are not aware of all that a human brain does, it will be prudent to not deride faith.
Faith on a physician helps a patient to bet better. I am an example of that.
By the way, have you read book "The Tell-Tale Brain" by Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, the renowned neuroscientist?
The prefrontal cortex is known as the "seat of humanity". Morality,foresight, ambition, empathy and dignity are lodged here. But how the prefrontal cortex orchestras so many extraordinary functions is still a mystery.
Faith is mysterious too.
~ Dip
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