I mourn the passing of Satya Sai Baba.
There is a stunning debate online on whether he was a con-man or a god-man.
I don't think he was either. But I believe that he was an incredible spiritual leader who brought much joy and strength to his followers and he used his fame and fortune to better the society -- of that I have no doubt.
Some Kamat Family Stories About Satya Sai Baba
- My aunt Krishne Kantu (Krishnekka) was a follower -- she would visit Satya Sai Baba every year. One year during the pilgrimage as she and her husband bathed in a river, she started to drown. Her husband attempted to save her and he started drowning as well -- both didn't know swimming. Then a man -- a Muslim man, a tailor by profession -- saved both of them and said that the previous night Sai Baba had appeared in his dream and called upon him to save a "couple by the water". Of course this story got a lot of publicity at the time and deeply confirmed Krishnekka's faith in Sai Baba.
- My father was a rationalist and a scientist and making fun of Sai Baba's miracles was always a pastime for him. "How come the watch Sai Baba materialized is made in Switzerland, and not in heaven?" -- he would challenge Krishnekka.
- The decisive test was to come -- few years later on another pilgrimage to Puttaparti, Krishnekka fell and broke her limbs. My father asked his sister how come she got hurt while visiting Sai Baba. But Krishnekka's devotion was much greater --"Had Sai Baba not intervened, I would have died. Baba made sure I got hurt only a little" declared she.
- We actually use "Sai Baba" as a verb in my family -- each time you cannot explain something -- or if one performs small, obvious miracles we say "Sai Baba-ing". Example -- on my flat-top stove, prior to boiling water in a pot, if I can manage to capture some water underneath the surface of the pot, as the water evaporates, the entire pot starts dancing -- in my family we call it the "Sai Baba" effect. Microsoft Windows giving a "General Protection Fault" is another.
- Last year my mother had an opportunity to visit Puttaparti -- she said the social service that was being done by Sai Baba's devotees and the social transformation he has brought about is indeed a miracle.
