Sai Baba passed away this week. Devotees from different parts of the world and leaders from all major religions and various groups were present at Puttaparti to pay their final respects. True to his trademark style, Baba left with a controversy about his “trick”. This one involved the prediction of his own death – apparently, he said he’d leave this world when he is 96. So in the last couple of weeks before his demise, there were the indispensable spates among the believers and the non-believers – one group questioning his divinity and the other supporting it. I have been hearing these arguments all my life. “Ah-ah! He is no God! He said he’d die at 96 and he’s dying at 84” said the non-believers. While some devotees have been shamed into silence, others brought up instances where Baba had near-death experiences before and how he’d make it aeven this time.
Now that he is gone, I heard there is a theory doing the rounds that somehow explains how 84 equals 96 (lunar calendar vs solar calendar thing) and therefore Baba was indeed the avatar of God. With this explanation, Sai Baba passed the God Entrance Exam (GEE) in flying colors because his dead-by-ninety-six trick was indeed a success. At least, it felt like he did, since people stopped questioning his death-date feat.
Here is what boggles me – why is a “trick” the passing criteria for claims to be God? Is that what God boils down to for the most of us – a conjurer? Some point me to all the nice work he did for the people - hospitals, schools, water pipelines, etc. Would that make all philanthropists avatars of God? How about a psychiatrist who listens to you and offers sound advice on how to live life, would she be God? Maybe a combination of these traits would do it. How about traits that goes beyond the typical capabilities of regular mortals? Like a genius. Or Superman; would Superman be God?
For that matter, what exactly constitutes an avatar? How does one prove it? Should another God vouch for this one? Who vouches for that God? So tomorrow, if God really materializes in front of us and says, "I'm God", we'd probably just put He/She/It through some silly acrobatic tests.
Regardless, I believe that there is much to be enthusiastic about, for the Sai Baba devotees. Now that he is not mortal, less and less number of people will question Sai Baba’s “God-ness”. Just like Sai Baba of Shirdi, who had his own loyal pooh-pooh-ers in his time, but who are non-existent now, Sai Baba of Puttaparti can now take a breather, because few and few people will now be questioning his divinity. The need to question would mysteriously be removed from the minds of the non-believers now that he is incorporeal.
As for their loss, his guidance has been pretty consistent - love-everyone-everything-everytime-everywhere, or something like that. I don’t believe he has come up with any new theories recently. So, if you had paid attention to his sermons all these years, you will be fine. If you haven’t, it’s not like he’d be any more useful if he had lived forever, is it?
The trust money is a little controversial. But as long as they keep flying below the radar, no one will bother. Public memory is amnesic and their outrage short-lived. Overall, life will go on, I think...
