As pointed out by former devotee, Sanjay Dadlani, this account has been spread around, such as in the book 'Sri Sathya Sai Baba - a story of God as man' (1985) by former long-term ashram resident M.N. Rao, and so we can all see how Sai Baba has changed his mind about how the lingam is formed, and probably has forgotten how he once explained it. Further, when Sathya Sai Baba resumed the lingam business again two decades after he stopped the yearly show - when his crisis with the major sexual abuse allegations began and something was badly needed to help slow the thinning out of his followers - he pronounced of the lingam he 'brought forth' then: "This lingam will not break even if it is dropped from a height with force. This is Amruthtatwam (symbol of immortality). It is changeless. You cannot see such a manifestation anywhere in the world. It is possible only with Divinity." (Sanathana Sarathi - March 1999, p. 73). If that were really so, how come that Swami Premananda did exactly the same year upon year up until he won himself a double life sentence for rape and murder in the early '90s? Or how come the regurgitation of lingams is a known fakir trick, which can be seen on various films (see short video clip of an Indian fakir 'regurgitating' a lingam here)

Finally, the eternally changeless 'atma lingam' this year changed into itself from yellow vomit into a lingam... how come? If the lingam really is made of gold, then it can surely be changed by heating it sufficiently, or putting it under a steam hammer. If not, then we have been deceived by Sathya Sai Baba as to what it is supposed to be. If it is so eternal and changeless, then why not clear up all questions by getting an advanced physics laboratory to see if they are able in any way to change one (Sathya Sai Baba has dozens of them)? Yes, why not? Or are they too holy to stand up to any test of truth? Or is it all a great con?

THE "LEGLESS" AND "HEADLESS" MAGNETIC GOLDEN LINGA

The production of lingams at the Shivarathri festival was discontinued in the 1970s, according to Sathya Sai Baba, because people were being injured due to the size of the (undisciplined) crowds. Many devotees mourned this because they were told - and unquestioningly believed - that to see the lingam actually emerge was to have the guarantee of 'liberation' (i.e. Moksha or the condition whereby one allegedly does not ever have to be reborn into the world in a new body).

Since this 'major miracle' (as it is claimed to be by true believers) had been a powerful draw on believers to visit the Shivarathri festival, Sathya Sai Baba revived the showpiece in public again after the allegations of his major sexual misconduct had broken on a large scale on the Internet and had thinned visiting crowds (and doubtless reduced the sum of financial donations). Indicative of the decline after the allegations is the fact that his visitors to his 76th birthday were easily accommodated within the Kulwant Mantap with max. capacity ca. 15,000. The much larger capacity Hillview Stadium was not needed and the crowd consisted overwhelmingly in Indians and with far fewer Westerners than usual. After 1999, when he suddenly resumed the lingam production, foreigners came again in greater numbers (the only explanation is that they hoped that this would grant them liberation from this 'world of appearances' or samsara.

Two films made and edited by followers of the lingam 'production', from 2000 and 2001, show Sai Baba apparently 'materialising' a golden lingam which emerges from his mouth. In the sequences from 2001 (one taken head-on, and one from the side filmed by Dr. Sara Pavan) we see that Sathya Sai Baba holds a towel before his mouth and fiddles for about 5 seconds, appearing to put the regurgitated lingam back in his mouth, before letting it come out in full view slowly (but it drops before he catches it) is interesting.

The high quality BBC film in which Sai Baba transparently faked the appearance of a lingam from a towel he held up briefly in front of his face and then collapsed showed him being half carried off stage by worried attendants. Afterwards they claimed he had actually materialized two more golden lingams through his mouth when in private! His very visible collapse was most likely an act - he is known for acting a lot and has various 'routines' known to frequent interviewees (eg. the act of testing a ring on a potential recipient's fingers to see what would be the correct size - then producing another, often visibly by sleight of hand). While bringing out the lingam from the towel, Sai baba looked very embarrassed. He most probably realized how compromising the BBC filming was. Afterwards he claim in public that the reason for the collapse was that this small golden egg-shaped lingam weighed three tons!! Yet when he put it on the flimsy table before him it did not even bend!
See the BBC's filming of the 'regurgitation' and of his collapse in brief video clips - with transcripts.

Lingam explanations & Harry Houdini

There are three main possible explanations of the lingam showpiece:-

1) It is a genuine lingam production in the stomach of the object emerging through his throat.
2) It comes up his throat when he gags, but he puts it back into his mouth behind the towel to let it seem to emerge. (This would mean that it is indeed a 'regurgitation', as it has also often been called by devotees.
3) It is brought into his mouth by hand behind the towel (the violent seeming regurgitation being only a fake movement).

After following these matters for 20 years, I now find 2) the most likely, then 3) and 1) most unlikely. I believed for about 18 years that the lingam productions were most likely all genuine - though with some difficulty, I admit. I also had films of the so-called 'lingodbhava' from before he stopped in the 1970s. The whole episode looked very much the same as nowadays. By 1968 the crowds descending on Prashanthi Nilayam to see the lingams come forth became so undisciplined that injuries occurred. Sai Baba gave this as the reason for stopping the lingam feat on Shivarathri. He did however perform it once more in the 1970s. In 1999 the sex abuse testimonies began to pour in and became the main subject of discussion even on the veranda where Sai Baba's trusted special guests sit waiting for him (a boring process!). He laid down a very strong threat about such talk, but devotees faded away in considerable numbers and many also declared their resignation from his organization. Therefore it is easy to see that the reintroduction of the lingam production on Shivarathri was a way to regenerate the crowds, and it was most successful too. It was not announced, but the word spread immediately and by 2001 the crowds were considerable again. He pronounced after the lingam production in 2000 that everyone who saw this actually emerge would gain liberation from the cycle of birth/death, and this would apply again in future. No doubt the difficulty of seeing this supposed 'emergence' also caused him to put the lingam back in his mouth and let it come out again to satisfy all whose view was blocked or whose attention had faltered at the precise moment. That is showmanship... hardly the genuine actual 'divine act' he had always presented this to be.

I consider 2) most likely in the early days, but not in the last 2-3 'emergences' where 3) is almost certain). In short, all are most likely faked one way or another. Therefore fakes:

• The technique of swallowing things - not least lingams - so as to regurgitate them is performed by all kinds of wandering fakirs, Tantrics, nagas, 'yogis', showmen in India. This feat (or trick) was first recorded as having been performed by Harry Houdini (1874-1926). The famous escapist and illusionist experimented at swallowing a potato attached to a thread, so he could practice the act of regurgitation. Later he could do it with egg-shaped objects the size of the lingams Sai baba produced, and without any string or other aid than drinking water (maybe with an emetic too), and regurgitated them with ease on stage (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_regurgitator) The object can be kept in the stomach or throat for several hours at least before regurgitation is stimulated by some physical means (massage, vomit-inducing medicines and so forth). Such regurgitation is not described anywhere so far discovered in Indian scripture or esoteric literature before the death of Houdini! He performed this act in public as 'magic'. Since then the same delusion has been practiced by diverse wandering fakirs and gurus in India. Later, in the 1920s, a famous German magician, Waldo, performed regurgitation widely (see http://thehumanmarvels.com/?p=60)
  
  
• One can see a lingam production from the mouth by some roadside magician/fakir who a German film crew met around 1990, which shows how common this kind of 'feat' is in India. On the same film we see who could swallow a very large number of very large nails, then regurgitate them four or five at a time. The nails could be seen on X-ray in an extended part of his lower throat. ( 'Das Mysterium Der Shiva - Heilige Männer'. It was shown in Germany in a series called 'Terra X - Rätsel alter Weltkulturen' 'Ein film von Eberhart Thiem, Helga Lippert, Arno Peik") and the team also filmed Sai Baba 'making' vibuthi etc. (I saw them in action at Brindavan)
  
  
• Swami Premananda (formerly of Sri Lanka and Tiruvannamalai, now in prison in Tamil Nadu for life for rape and murder) produced three lingams at Shivarathri (before his trial) witnessed by a good friend of mine. There are many reports of him having done the same as Sathya Sai Baba year after year, once even when visiting UK. He was also celebrated as ' the avatar' in his ashram's publications etc.
  
• There is no reason why the very young Sai Baba should not have learned this technique at the time when he got involved in activities like performing in public and doing peculiar feats, as described once even in Prof. Kasturi's 'official' biography 'Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram'. (See end of 3rd chapter of Vol. 1., p. 20 in some eds.) Sathya Sai Baba copied another artist - a young girl - who picked up a kerchief with her eyelids from the ground when bent over backwards. Sathya Sai Baba surpassed this "tortuous feat" in public by picking up a needle with his eyelids from the same position. A kind of Tantric or fakir performance, for which feat Sathya Sai Baba was said to have had to suffer a dreadful eye affliction afterwards! Somewhat unbelievable, but still revealing - even that Kasturi believed it.