In his many, repetitive
discourses Sathya Sai Baba uses the same examples again and again, and so, predictably,
in his Ladies’ Day discourse on 19.11.02, he mentions among others, Sita,
as an example to present day women. Since the Ramayana, like the Bhagavad Gita, hold
such a central position for Hindus it is, of course, natural that an Indian
would use material from these epic works to teach his devotees how to lead
their lives. Indeed, Sathya Sai Baba has even written his own version of the Ramayana
and among his many other gigantic claims, Sai Baba repeatedly says he is the incarnation of the famous
Hindu God-king Rama.
The
part from the Ramayana which is relevant here is that Sita,
the wife of god-king Rama, was captured by Ravana, who
lusted after her. Ravana was king of Lanka, and
according to Sathya Sai Baba, a very highly evolved being with many extraordinary powers
who could also have been great like Rama, were
it not for lack of control over his lust, which led to his final downfall.
The Rama – Ravana constellation is one
very often used by Sathya Sai Baba as an example to show how important it is to rid
oneself of bad qualities for in the end it means either glory and victory
or utter ruin and death as in the case of Rama
and Ravana.
Pure, chivalrous Rama
made an innocent woman go through fire!
After
Rama’s victory over Ravana
in the final battle, Sita was freed from her captivity and brought back to Rama, but she had to publicly prove her chastity by passing
through fire unscathed. One would have thought that Rama,
the avatar, would have known this, but his word was obviously not sufficient
to convince the people! According to Sathya Sai Baba the reason for the test was that
there must be no blemish attached to the name, fame and kingship of the
ruler and his wife. This is another theme in which Sathya Sai Baba puts great emphasis
on the purity of one’s name. To have a good reputation is also one of the
criteria stated in the Charter for being a member of the Sai
Organisation.
Despite
passing the trial by fire, in the end poor Sita
was banished to the forest anyway, as two villagers were overheard still speculating
about her innocence, so Rama sacrificed her for the sake of his name, to keep himself
above the reach of slander. And he is regarded and upheld by Sathya Sai Baba as the topmost
ideal of how to live in perfect harmony with dharma! Sathya Sai Baba also sees
himself as he does Rama, and his main message used
to be: “My life is my message”, a saying which used to be one of the most
frequently quoted, but which is not seen or heard so often anymore….
In his Ladies’ Day discourse
Sathya Sai Baba said: “Truth, righteousness, morality and integrity are nowhere to
be seen today. In olden days, people gave topmost priority to truth and righteousness.”
… “The women of Bharat sacrificed their lives for the sake of truth.” … (There is also a story
that Sathya Sai Baba has often told, of a man who sacrificed his wife and children for
the sake of truth.) “Sita proved her chastity
by coming out of blazing fire unscathed.” (Sanathana Sarathi,
Jan. 2003, p. 16). I used to believe in Sathya Sai Baba,
but luckily I don’t anymore, for I actually think that truth, righteousness,
morality and integrity can be found in the world today. There are plenty of
people with integrity and morals, even though they might keep low profiles
and don’t advertise themselves. (I used to think Sathya Sai Baba was like that.) So when
Sathya Sai Baba says those virtues are nowhere to be seen today, his vision must either
be impaired or limited, and if not, then it must reflect back on himself and
the company he keeps. I am not thinking of the mass of devotees who are mostly
at a distance, but of those close up to him.
Why will Sai
Baba not also face the test of investigation?
With the reputation he has
earned through his sexual exploitation of young male devotees, he would not
in fact now qualify for membership in his own organisation, unless he was
able to clear his name. Unlike the case of Sita,
Sathya Sai Baba’s is not just a whispered doubt among a couple of villagers, but many,
very serious public accusations in many countries. This is not just a matter
of chastity either, but allegations of sexual abuse of young boys and men
from many parts of the world who trusted Sathya Sai Baba as God himself. While extolling Sita and her ordeal to prove her chastity, Sathya Sai Baba does
not allow any proper investigation into these serious allegations of sexual
abuse, nor into the horrific killings in his rooms in Prashanthi Nilayam ashram. He is unable to free himself from
these charges because he is unwilling even to explain himself, while he hides
behind the worldly power of his followers in the Indian Government, which
stopped the 1993 murder investigation by government order, and the Indian
courts, which have covered up for him in all possible ways. So he has demonstrated
fully in action that he is most definitively not of the caliber of the fabled
Rama! Sathya Sai Baba just expects everyone to believe him when
he claims to be completely pure and selfless. Anyone can say that.
In addition he accuses people
who say otherwise, of being Judases, jealous and out to make money, and even
condemns them to eternal rebirths (in his Christmas discourse 2000 and not
exactly in the spirit of Christmas, one might say). To me, such hypocrisy
seemed to be the hallmark of organized religion (Christianity) and the main
reason I would have nothing to do with it after the age of 11 or 12. Once,
I would never have thought that Sathya Sai Baba would turn out to join the ranks of that
long line of hypocrites. However, his life is his message, and the saying
“As above, so below” is ever true, and the full results of Sathya Sai Baba’s message will
doubtless manifest accordingly.
See here a highly erudite and perceptive Indian's account of the Ram-Sita estrangement and its continuing effect on Indian culture and behaviour today!
Information on the Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
See also Devotee attacks on the Sai petition and petitioners
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