This Biography of Sathya Sai Baba excerpted from Howard Murphet's "Sai Baba: Man of Miracles" :

Satya Sai Baba was born as Satyanarayana in Puttaparti, about a quarter of a mile from his main Ashram. We can start with Satya's paternal grandfather Kondama Raju. He is remembered chiefly for the devout religious life he led and for his temple to the goddess Satyabhama. He was also an outstanding musician and actor and took leading parts in the village religious dramas and operas. One version of the Ramayana sung as a series of songs Kondama Raju knew by heart. Kondama lived to be 110, dying in 1950.

Twenty four years before Kondama died, in the year 1926, at the home of Kondama's elsest son Pedda Raju, Satyanarayan was born amidst wonderous signs and miracles.. Satyanarayan was preceded by one brother and two sisters. His mother Easwaramma was amazed at the occurances in her house when she was carrying her next child. The big tamboura leaning against the livingroom wall would sometimes twang in the middle of the night when no one was there. The maddala (drum) on the floor would throb in rythmn as if an expert musician were playing it.

The year 1926 was known as Akshaya, meaning the "Never-declining, Ever-full" year, and November 23 (the day Sathya Sai Baba was born) is always a day to be devoted to the worship of Shiva. Moreover in this year a certain positioning of the stars made the day even more auspicious. The villagers were out chanting the names of Shiva when the rising sun climbed over the Chitravati River. Satyanarayan was born at this moment.

Soon after Satya's birth the baby was placed on the floor on top of some bedclothes. The cloth around the baby began to move in a peculiar way. The women attending his mother immediately looked under the cloth -- there was a live cobra! But the snake did not harm the child. Sai Baba of Shirdi (the previous incarnation of Satya Sai Baba) often appeared to his followers in the form of a cobra. The cobra also is one of the many symbols of Shiva.

As happens with many Hindu families, some of the members of the family are not vegetarian. Satya was a natural vegetarian with a tender heart for all living things. He even objected to the local yearly bull races where the animals were pushed beyond endurance and sometimes broke their legs trying to run on sandy soil during the competition.

Satya never turned any beggars away from his mother's house. He would see to it that they always got something to eat.

Satya began school in his little village and was very bright and quick with learning as well as popular among the other school children. He started to become famous among the other students for helping them with their little day to day needs. As is still true in India, a pen or pencil is a very precious object since it can mean an extra expense for the entire family or even, as is true in the West, something that one's teacher would require for the day.

Well, just like small children everywhere, one's papers, books and writing tools are not always the first thing on one's mind early in the morning when children play with each other in the school yard. Satya became well known as a good friend to ask for a new pencil or pen when the original became lost. He would produce all kinds of items from the palm of his hand. Needless to say, he attracted a gentle crowd of happy children from an early age.

Often, at his Higher Elementary School at Bukkapatnam (about two and one-half miles from Puttaparthi) he would come to school a little early and perform puja (Hindu offerings to Shiva, etc. where incense, essential oil, ghee flame and other wonderful, scented objects are waved in the air, purifying all the surroudings) for the other children.

If one of the children was sick he would produce from thin air "herbs from the Himalayas" to help them get better.

At thirteen, a series of incredible wonderous events was to change the life of this amazing little boy and influence the entire world with his miraculous charities and abilities.

Satya's father expected him to become a government officer, but the events of his life were to take him far beyond that ambition. One day, at dusk, when walking in the school yard, Satyanarayan lept into the air with an exclamation, falling down into the dusk until his friends carried him unconscious to his bed.

He remained unconscious for about 24 hours and when he finally awoke he was a changed person. He had become a yogi, fully. He seldom spoke, would go into a deep stiff samadhi, hardly breathing. He would quoite long Sanskrit passages from the Vedas and speak on them with wisdom far beyond his young years. He described far off places of pilgrimage to which he had never been.

Satyanarayan become Satya Sai Baba. Numerous attempts to change him back to the amiable little boy who attended school and was so good at his studies all failed. Satyanarayan stayed home from school, giving dharshan in his mother and father's living room. At one point his father, a little disappointed at his son's absence from school, shouted at him, asking what he thought he was.

His son replied, “I am Sai Baba. I have come to ward off your troubles; keep your houses clean and pure. Venkavadhoota prayed that I be born in your family, so I came.” Venkavadhoota was a family ancestor who had been looked upon as a great yogi and guru by the people of hundreds of villages surrounding the area.

Sai Baba, of course, was the now deceased Sai Baba of Shirdi. Satya Sai Baba is said to be his reincarnation. Sai Baba of Shirdi was famous for keeping a continuous yagya fire burning 24 hours a day. Yagya fires are the source of Vibuthi ash for which Satya Sai Baba is famous for producing from his hands.

His mission was further clarified in a letter he wrote to his brother in 1947, stating, in part, "I have a task to foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of bliss. I have a vow: To lead all who stray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a work that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack."

Who is Sathya Sai Baba?

Sathya Sai Baba is one of the most revered spiritual teachers in the world today whose life and message are inspiring millions of people throughout the world to turn God-ward and to lead a more purposeful and moral life. He is quietly transforming the world by re-establishing the eternal values of Truth ( Sathya), Right Conduct ( Dharma), Peace ( Shanti), Love ( Prema) and Non-violence ( Ahimsa) in everyday living. His timeless and universal teachings, along with the manner in which he leads his own life, are attracting seekers of Truth from all the religions of the world.

Yet, he is not seeking to start a new religion. Nor does he wish to direct followers to any particular religion. Rather, he urges us to continue to follow the religion of our choice and/or upbringing. He is also known as Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Swami, or simply as Baba to millions of people in the world. His followers come from all faiths, races and spiritual pathways and meet regularly to study his universal teachings, for devotional singing ( bhajans), and to engage in service activities in order to practise his message of love and peace to unite all mankind.

Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 rd November, 1926, in Puttaparthi, a remote village in the state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India. He is the fourth child of a humble and pious couple, who named him Sathya Narayana Raju. As a child, he demonstrated exceptional qualities of wisdom, compassion, and generosity. As early as seven years old, he composed devotional songs that were sung in religious festivals. At the age of fourteen, he announced that his name was Sathya Sai Baba and proclaimed his mission: to bring about the spiritual regeneration of humanity by demonstrating and teaching the highest principles of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence. With that announcement, he left his childhood home and began his Mission.

From an early age, Sathya Sai Baba began demonstrating extraordinary powers. He quickly became known for the miracles that he performed such as materialising objects, especially a holy ash called Vibhuti, assisting people in distress, and letting those who came to him for advice know that he was aware of even the most intimate details of their lives. Yet, he has always maintained that his miracles are to be treated only as his calling cards. They are for the purpose of inspiring and encouraging people to begin their own spiritual journey of personal transformation. In 1950, His devotees built a temple and residential quarters about a mile away from his birthplace in the village. He named this Ashram (Spiritual Centre) 'Prashanti Nilayam’ which means “Abode of Peace”.

Today, the Ashram can accommodate and feed many thousands of devotees from all parts of the world who come to seeand hear Sathya Sai Baba. Under his care and guidance, Puttaparthi has evolved to have a high quality school, an accredited university, a spiritual museum, a well-equipped hospital and an airport. The small temple dedicated in 1950 called 'Prashanti Nilayam' has grown into a spiritual osis of unprecedented magnitude. The temple and the area in front of it, which is completely covered by a beautiful roof, together encompass an area over 10,000 square yards. During the period 14-23 November 2000, the celebrations of the 75 th birthday of Sathya Sai Baba took place in Prashanti Nilayam. More than three million people, including the Prime Minister of India, assembled in Prashanti Nilayam to pay homage to Sathya Sai Baba during the 75 th birthday celebrations. Sathya Sai Baba’s second Spiritual Centre named ‘Brindavan’ is in Whitefield, a suburb of Bangalore. A campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute for Higher Learning (deemed University) is also situated in this centre. Every day, thousands of devotees come to these centres for darshan (direct seeing holy person) and Baba graciously walks amongst them to guide, comfort, console, and uplift them.