Sathya Sai Baba Of Puttaparthi Dies

The inevitable finally happened. Sathya Sai Baba, arguably India's most well-known and followed spiritual leader, who was considered as an incarnation of God (he himself claimed that he was a re-incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba) by lakhs of his devotees, died at the Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital at Puttaparthi in the Anantapur district at 7:40am today.

It brings to a tragic end the wait for his return to normalcy, for 28 days, of millions of his devotees across the globe whose denial of the godman's physical condition was fuelled by the man himself saying that he would live until 96.

The 85-year-old religious guru was admitted to the hospital on March 28th after he had complained of giddiness, and lung and chest congestion. He had undergone a Cath Lab Procedure, and a pacemaker was implanted in his heart on the same day. He had been in a critical state ever since. There has been mystery shrouded over his condition until he was admitted to the hospital.

For the past 2 weeks, most of Satya Sai Baba's critical organs have been on articial support, including his heart, his liver and his kidneys, which had not been responding to treatment despite the best medical attention from across the world being available to him. His weight had apparently reduced to 32kg by last week.

This morning, the ravaged body finally gave in.

Legions of his devotees are in shock and deep trauma.

Meanwhile, an expectedly grand obituary is in the making for the man who was believed to be God Himself by many, and whose social initiatives have transformed several areas around Puttaparthi and in neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that he had adopted.

The state government has offered to handle the last rites officially. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Governor E S L Narasimhan have flown to Puttaparthi in a special helicopter to pay their respects to the deceased godman. Several luminaries are expressing grief at the death of Sathya Sai Baba. From the President and Prime Minister to several international dignitaries, one of the largest congregations of VVIPs is expected to touch down upon this relative hamlet within hours, with all the resulting security implications.

Sathya Sai Baba's dead body will be preserved for 2 days at the Kalvanth hall in Prashanthi Nilayam to facilitate the "last darshan" for his devotees.

The illustrious spiritual leader was born on November 23rd, 1926, in Puttaparthi, Ananthapur district. Named Sathyanarayana Raju at birth, he had proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba when he was 14 years old, and rose to be the "miracle-man" of Puttaparthi over the next 70 years.

Sathya Sai Baba had devotees from over 170 countries donating to the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust set up by him. Baba is known to have established educational institutions and healthcare centres for public. In 1996, his Trust had undertaken a prestigious Rs. 400 crores project to provide drinking water to over 750 villages.

While the most pressing issue seems to be that of the successor of Satya Sai Baba as the Chair of his Trust, the bigger question for his devotees seems to be regarding his spiritual successor. They are at present finding solace in the face that Satya Sai Baba had himself said earlier that he would reincarnate as Prema Sai in Bengaluru, Karnataka, 8 years after the end of his present avatar. Satya Sai is believed to the 2nd of the 3 avatars of Lord Dattatreya, with Shirdi Sai Baba being the first manifestation of the deity.