Though Sai devotees cannot believe that Sai Baba’s time can be bought for money, and they consider the suggestion heretical. There is plenty of proof to the contrary, and the American speculator in precious mentals and stocks, James Sinclair, is definitely a case in point. Sai Baba claims he has all the time in the world and other such absurd boasts, but all this time does not let the earthbound Sai Baba talk and give interviews to more than a small fraction of the very large and pressing personality cult which he has engendered. Not surprisingly, many of his followers longing for healing, grace, blessing and whatever try to use "short cuts to God" like money, bribes, personal power and influence and other ways of obtaining their goal.
But however rosily the transaction is described as ‘being blessed with Swami's grace’ or ‘rewards for selfless service’ the fact is that many deals are actually made, but they are concealed from ordinary view. There is, of course, no open deal and no exchange of the blatant sort. The transaction is far more subtle, and even from the donors' viewpoint there is often no awareness of there being an exchange. "Everything comes from Swami" they say and all he takes from them is their love and devotion (but this very often expresses itself on their behalf in the form of service work, time and money, energy and goods). They do not realise the clever policy Sai Baba follows, to pretend no interest in money whatever (except in private) and that a time-tested way to get donations is to make much of people, to praise and flatter, and give privileges and supposed 'divine blessings', pretend to manifest so-called ‘diamond’ rings for them and give them free accommodation etc. If they have any decency, they will invariably respond with whatever they can contribute, and it is inevitably far, far more in worldly value that they could ever receive from him! This is just what occurs in case after case, and has done so since long before the famous Dr. N. Bhagavantam left Sai Baba around 1983 at least partly because he evidently detested this! To refuse a donation - as Sai Baba often does - only multiplies the fervour of potential givers of money, who then want to give much more. It evidently helps the seekers of spiritual boons feel they are acceptable, good persons in God’s eyes after all!
During morning darshan in 1991 at Kodaikanal, I regularly observed Mr. James Sinclair and his wife Barbara exiting from unprecedented daily morning interviews in Sai Baba's bungalow, after which Baba himself came out to give darshan to the crowd which had waited for hours. This proves how money talks to Sathya Sai Baba! Mr. Sinclair has published in the U.S. Sathya Sai Newsletter (80th Birthday Commemoration edition as shown below) the fact that his wife was personally called to India alone by Sathya Sai Baba so that she could be killed in a massive taxi accident! This he saw as a blessing to her and wrote the following amazing words: “thank you, beloved Swami, for having such compassion to your totally devoted child, Barbara, to have cured her of the most insidious disease, ‘I am the body’” One cannot but wonder how much money Barbara Sinclair left by testament to the Sathya Sai Central Trust and where it now is. (The poor taxi driver was killed too… presumably a double blessing and cure of the alleged disease of life?)
Mr. Sinclair’s full account of the incident 
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