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Sri Sathya Sai Baba: A Life Paperback – January 1, 2006

by Aitken Bill (Author)

4.3 25 ratings

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Born to a poor family in the village of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh, Sathyanarayan Raju was a bright, talented and confident boy whose charitable nature and religiosity belied his tender age. Deeply suspicious of his spiritual precociousness, his father made him go through a traumatic exorcism. But the boy already had a devoted band of followers and, when he was thirteen, announced that he was the Shirdi Sai Baba reborn. Today, Sri Sathya Sai Baba has an estimated thirty million followers worldwide. Acclaimed travel writer and self-described `spiritual nomad' Bill Aitken tells us why so many"royalty, wealthy industrialists, influential politicians, as well as the poor"flock to Puttaparthi. Sai Baba's message, he reveals, can be summed up in one word: love. It is as simple as it is profound, not unlike how his devotees see the Sai himself"the embodiment of deep spirituality wedded to simplicity, elegance and grace. Yet, the Sai phenomenon is less about producing vibhuti from thin air and more about modern-day miracles. Miracles like free schools and universities, super-speciality hospitals which provide free treatment to all and revolutionary projects like the one which has brought drinking water to a million villagers in drought-prone Rayalseema. Aitken's study is neither a hagiographic exercise in myth-making nor a dry, objective account of the Sai's life. While never shy of expressing his deep love and reverence for Sai Baba, he squarely confronts the controversies and criticisms which inevitably dog those who claim acquaintance with the holy.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ India Penguin (January 1, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 014400061X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0144000616
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,509,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #120,921 in Memoirs (Books)

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4.3 25 ratings

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C. Parnell

The Puttaparthi experience of divine love

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2006

Bill Aitken is a native of Mussoorie, India, and travel writer of many books on India, the joys of motorcycle riding, and travelling over India by train. He has lifted his pen to write on spiritual subjects before, and now he turns his attention to Sathya Sai Baba, whom he has known of for 25 plus years.

This is *not* an 'I found Sai Baba' book, his reader is principally Indian, and his presentation of Sathya Sai Baba is principally for the Indian reader. Not one for the fastidious fact checkers, this book details Aitkens experience of divine love in darshan and how that will be perceived by ordinary seekers of holy men, godmen and others. Aitken realises that writing about a holy man is a minefield as so many have been exposed as fake. Aitken focusses on the unbroken self discipline of Sai Baba which has fed his miracles, his devotees, his powers and his teachings for the many years of Baba's presence in Puttaparthi. Aitken acknowledges there are charlatans, fakes, and rationalists along with disgruntled devotees seeking to expose, discredit and overturn Sathya Sai Baba. He deals with these attempts with aplomb, being a scotsman and native to India, and focusses solely on the soul-invogorating experience of divine love in darshan. Will repay reflective re-reading.

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Krishna Prabhakar

A true Philanthropist

Reviewed in India on July 23, 2019

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Its a shame that it took an author of British origin to write about the philanthropy work done by Satya Sai Baba ; by way of his Schools , colleges , Universities and Hospitals not to say about providing water to 500 villages which were perennially drought prone for centuries. . Our own biased media ; which put Mother Teressa on high pedestal; despite her receiving millions of dollars in charity but not giving Medical facilities to her mission inmates or making any hospital for poor; has ignored this facet of Satya Sai Baba . May be . truly, we Indians are enamoured colour of the skin !

9 people found this helpful

Ramana Murthy

Well-written, balanced and scholarly

Reviewed in India on March 26, 2016

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Unlike most books on holy figures or religious leaders, which are just hagiographies or extreme criticisms, this book by Bill Aitken is such a scholarly, well-balanced and critical account of Sri Satya Saibaba. Mr Aitken writes so objectively and puts several things in perspective. He brings the Westerner's critical eye to the subject and has a gift of understanding the Oriental too because of his life-long association with the East.

All in all, an excellent book. It shows how to think and examine.

4 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Beautiful experiences written

Reviewed in India on July 28, 2020

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Beautiful read beautiful😍

RAJIV

.

Reviewed in India on October 23, 2018

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