Sai Baba passes away,govt to leave succession to Trust

Sai Baba had been taken seriously ill on March 28 after complaints of chest pain and discomfort,which the director of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences Dr A N Safaya has now described as a heart attack. He was given a pacemaker and an angioplasty was done on March 28,but since April 2,his condition had been described as “deteriorating”.

Born Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23,1926,in Puttaparthi,the Sai Baba’s ascent began when at the age of 14 he started singing Sanskrit verses and Vedic hymns. He claimed to be a reincarnation of the Shirdi Sai Baba,and soon started gathering followers. They included the high and mighty,current and former presidents,prime ministers as well as top politicians.

Unlike other godmen,the Sai Baba gave large amount of the donations he received to philanthrophy,charity and social work,which helped deflect some scepticism about his magical powers.

The Sathya Sai Central Trust that he set up in 1972 has grown into one of the biggest social work organisations in the world,working in the fields of free education,health,water supply,and service to rural poor. His ashram is an international spiritual centre promoting culture,arts and heritage.

As he became old,the Sai Baba rarely moved out of the ashram but gave darshan to thousands of devotees daily. In 2005 he had suffered a hip fracture after which he was confined to a wheelchair.

After keeping him on life-support for 24 days,doctors of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences announced on Monday morning he had passed away.

Thousands of distraught devotees standing in line for over a kilometre outside his Prasanthi Nilayam ashram broke into tears as doctors said the 85-year-old godman had succumbed to multi-organ failure and breathed his last at 7.40 am.

The body of the spiritual guru was brought to the ashram on Sunday evening and remained in state for the next 48 hours to allow his nearly six million devotees to pay their last respects.

Sai Baba,85,was declared dead in the course of a medical bulletin issued by the Sri Sathya Sai Institute. “Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is no more with us physically. He left his earthly body on 24th April,2011,at 7.40 am,due to cardio-respiratory failure,” the announcement said.

As thousands thronged outside the main entrance to Sai Baba’s ashram,giant screens placed near the gates projected images of the remains of the spiritual guru,evoking cheers and tears among the people waiting to get inside. “He is looking like he always did,he has not changed,” many said.

Some emotionally charged devotees broke through police barricades in an attempt to reach the entrance of the Kulwant Hall where the Sai Baba’s body had been placed.

Hundreds of devotees from all over the world,including several businessmen and small politicians,waited barefoot and patiently outside other entrances of the ashram’s meditation hall. Some women collapsed in tears and were carried to the sides by supporters.

Inside the ashram,despite the pall of gloom,many of the regular activities continued — bhajans were being sung,the canteens were pumping out food and people busied around.

“I came to have a darshan of Sai Baba. I did not get it but to tell you the truth I think it was a blessing just to be here,” said a devotee from Sri Lanka who has been in Puttaparthi for several days in the hope of seeing the Sai Baba.

Expressing “deep and profound sadness”,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the Sai Baba was a spiritual leader who had inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life even as they followed the religion of their choice.

“Sri Sathya Sai Baba as a preacher of the highest human values was an iconic figure for over five decades. He endeared himself to the people through various institutions,with headquarters at Prasanthi Nilayam that promoted egalitarian values,education and public health,” Singh said. Calling his death an “irreparable loss”,he said the godman was “an inspiration to people of all faiths”.

Sathya Sai Trust official and Sai Baba’s nephew J Ratnakar appealed to devotees not to come to Puttaparthi as the town was already overflowing with his followers,and said they and the district administration might not be able to cope with the rush. Around 6,000 policemen have been deployed to manage the crowds and VIP followers,and more forces are being rushed in.