Sai BabaCurrently residing in Prasanthi Nilayam, India, Bhagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born on November 23, 1926 and began his service to his followers in 1940. According to the Sathay Sai Organization, there are 1,200 Sathay Sai Centers around the world. Sai Baba is estimated to have 6 million followers in 130 countries world-wide.

Sathya Sai Baba was born in a remote village to a poor family of farmers. Sai Baba’s mother had dreamed of the Hindu God Sathyanarayana while she was pregnant. Instruments played of their own accord when he was born, and a cobra was seen near the baby’s bed. For this reason, Sai Baba’s followers often call him the Lord of Serpents. Sai Baba displayed special talents for drama, music, poetry and acting in elementary and high school. In 1940, at age 14, Sai Baba was bitten on the foot by a scorpion, though no scorpion could be found, and went into a coma during which his followers believe he was leaving his body. After he recovered he left school, saying, “My devotees are calling me. I have my work,” after which he spent much of the next three years under a tree in a courtyard, surrounded by followers. Sai Baba explained to them that he was an avatar, the incarnation of God, and he had been sent to Earth to foster a spiritual renewal on the planet.

Sai Baba once wrote a letter to his brother, outlining his path, and explaining that he had taken a vow to lead all those people who had strayed from goodness. He also considers it his work to remove the suffering of the poor and grant them what they lack. “I have come to light the lamp of your love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster,” says Sai Baba. “Honor all religions. Each is a pathway to God.”

Sai Baba says it is important to remember that we are all Gods. He teaches that humans should be free of desire and that desire brings mental pain in the form of jealousy, envy, and lust. He emphasizes love for all, the unity of all world religions, and is especially vehement about respect for women and mothers.

Many devotees of Sai Baba report miracles that he has performed and attribute healings to him. He has been observed manifesting holy ashes as well as jewelry and food. He has also been seen to levitate and bilocate. At the ashram, followers begin the day with the chanting of om and a prayer. There are also morning devotional songs and daily darshans, when Sathya Sai Baba interacts with his followers, distributing holy ash, materializing objects, and calling chosen ones for interviews with him.

As Sai Baba has continued to spread his word, his teachings became more popular and in the 1960s spread to the United States, where he has many centers. However, in 2003, Sai Baba injured his hip and now sometimes uses a wheelchair. Accordingly, he rarely leaves India, where he divides his time between his main ashram at Prasanthi Nilayam, and his summer ashram, called Brindavan, on the outskirts of Bangalore.