SATHYA SAI BABA'S BLESSING OF BOOKS & OTHER PROJECTS ETC.
It is certain that the various forms of 'blessing' that SSB gives - whether verbal, written, by taking letters or by touching something - do not necessarily lead to the desired or expected result. This is most evident with projects that he 'blesses' but which come to nothing... and there are many such. Anything good that may follow is attributed to SSB's machinations behind the scenes of the mere physical world, whatever it is... Of course, the unfulfilled blessing is also rationalised as being "for one's own good", which good one cannot possibly know by oneself! The 'blessing' is thus turned completely on its head and becomes a 'test' or a 'lesson'. Knowing all this, one simply has to pity the credulous believers...
It is surprising to many observers that the books that Sathya Sai Baba 'blesses' and signs for publication are in most cases poorly written by any literary standards and often contain inaccuracies and direct errors of fact, besides copious exaggerated language, transparent 'projections' and what one comes to learn are largely wishful imaginings about Sathya Sai Baba. Nearly all books in the Sai hagiographic 'literature' lack sources and documentations. Most of the quotations of SSB are not sourced and it is not unusual to see them incorrectly reproduced. On one occasion, long after publication, SSB has himself stated that his meaning was completely misinterpreted and his words misstated by Dr. Hislop (i.e. SSB's words on kundalini shakti in Conversations with BS Sathya Sai Baba) and on another he has actually refuted that the fanciful Howard Murphet ("not perfect Murphet") was correct in claiming that some light on a photo of 'the avatar' was caused by his miraculous leela. Otherwise, he has remained silent on the content of most writings about him. These authors' books have served to increase his reputation, particularly among impressionable followers who take too much at face value. Most prefer to believe at all costs, whether or not it is hocus-pocus.A 'shining example' of the last-mentioned is Smt. Vijayamma, whose book is very popular among devotees. (Other than you refuge there is none privately published, Whitefield 1999). Evaluation of the accuracy of her accounts is not at all easy. One main problem is, for those readers who are not already convinced believers that SSB is the major divine avatar etc., the thick layers of Vijayamma's devotional praise and imaginative hyperbole, as in:
"Sai beamed like the perfect full moon with the sixteen phases shining among the myriad stars, and set out grandly like the sun, the massed divine lustre rising on the Meru Mountain solemly, like a furious elephant!" and "Just like Lord Vishnu, He radiated the brilliance of countless suns."
Interestingly, this fabulating lady (with her diary) was both a source for Prof. Kasturi and, more significantly, one of Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson's most trusted sources in the 1970s when he was investigating for his book Miracles are my Visiting Cards (also publ. under the title Modern Miracles), which is used by Sai followers to try to claim there is a 'scientific' study that supports many of the amazing SSB miracles. (The same people do not care for Haraldsson's findings about Walter Cowan's supposed 'resurrection; which definitively explode the claim SSB made. And they most conveniently overlook Haraldsson's recording there of some of the reports he heard from those he interviewed of SSB's homosexuality and preference for boys).A number pro-Sai books assert viewpoints that SSB has explicitly and at length directly stated to be false. The question that arises is how Sathya Sai Baba, alleging himself to be omniscient and omnipotent, can condone such imperfect and misleading writings? Why does SSB not point out the errors, which he could do, because the manuscripts of most of the books concerning him are presented to him by the authors before publication at least once or twice, usually in the hope of getting some guidance too? The most likely answer can easily be guessed. In my case, SSB did not correct false information in my book, Source of the Dream, which he signed himself, because it contained a macro photograph of the large "green diamond" in a gold lotus ring he gave me (unasked for). But it was NOT a diamond, since a royal jeweller in Denmark has opened it and found it to be a cheap synthetic sapphire with tinfoil behind it to brighten it. Now, in the light of much sound evidence that he is a faker, it is virtually evident that he used legerdemain to materialise' it. Was this a blessing or sheer deceit? The answer is obvious!
I have learned from many contacts how Sathya Sai Baba gave his blessings to a large number of plans, manuscripts, media products and so forth which have not proven realisable or publishable. Several would-be authors of Sai books (some of the wildest sort) have contacted me for help in getting them published. Only one such did I then consider worth assisting, and it was published on my recommendation. I can also attest to the fact that what people consider the blessing of things by touching with his hand signifies nothing. I wrote and recorded a musical drama which was 'blessed' by him during darshan in 1986, whereby he put his hand on a recorded cassette and smiled benignly. I had offered the materials for (gratis) use in the 'Education in Human Values' programme. Though I later provided copies of the full materials to various persons involved in E.H.V. in three different countries, nothing actually came of it. From all accounts, this is not at all untypical of SSB's blessings. They evidently give no kind of guarantee of their actual validity, usefulness or practicability. Now I am grateful that my music was NOT used, for obviously I want no further positive association with SSB in any way.
Further, I compiled a massive and detailed index of all the authenticated published words of Sathya Sai Baba found in English from the start and continued to update up until year 2000. This index contained over 18,000 one-line entries to represent and identify the entire range of SSB's teachings and statements. This work he blessed sometimes during the 1990s when presented a copy of it in the darshan lines by Mr. Robert Bruce (without my having suggested this, I only heard of this later). Though offered freely to Sai Books and Publications and other Sai publishers, it was never published and I have since ceased to circulate it and am now relieved that it never reached the print stage. So a 'public blessing' by SSB is no guarantee of anything al all! The last time I spoke with him, SSB blessed me too and said, "I will look after everything". Then he agreed to my question that I should "Write, write!" and said "What you are doing is right". Well, I am writing all right! See if you can figure out the meaning of that!
Nonetheless, my former pro-SSB book cannot be withdrawn from the market since the world rights are not mine, and it is still therefore earning money for the owners of Sai Towers in Puttaparthi, who presumably never pays out the royalties contracted with Samuel Weiser Inc., since I never hear a word further about them. When time permits, I intend to publish crucial parts of my book (for which I still own the copyright) on the Internet, with my current comments to the various assertions in it, plus explanations as to how I was deceived on many points about SSB, including his various teachings and works.
Please go to the Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization ( or Spanish version PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)
One of those responsible for vile defamations against me has been exposed by an independent witness who became known to me because he was originally favourable to the defamer, but subsequently realised the extent and depth of the fanatical obsession, deceit and dirty tricks that are being used against me on almost a daily basis.