Sri Sathya Sai Baba (often called Swami) is one of the most revered Spiritual Masters living in the world today. He has been silently transforming the world by re-establishing the eternal values of Truth, Love, Righteousness, Peace and Non-Violence in everyday living.

Sai Baba was born on November 23, 1926, in Puttaparthi, 160 km from Bangalore in India. He has established an Ashram (spiritual retreat) there, which is now called Prashanti Nilayam (the Abode of Highest Peace). It has schools, colleges, a university and a super specialty hospital.

Since childhood, Sai Baba has demonstrated the virtues of compassion, selfless service, humility and respect for elders. Although He does not have any schooling beyond Grade VIII, He does have unparalleled knowledge of all fields, be it science, spirituality or philosophy.

The teachings of Sai Baba are universal. He has declared, "The entire Mankind is my Family. There is no one in the world who does not belong to Me. I shall not give you up even if you keep afar. I will not forsake even those who deny Me. Those who stay, as well as those who stay away will be drawn near and saved".

Pure, Selfless Love

Sathya Sai Baba can only be described as the personification of pure, selfless love, the embodiment of peace and bliss, the essence of all goodness. In his teachings he befriends all faiths and emphasises the unity of all religions in the oneness of Divinity. In His personal manner, Sathya Sai Baba displays a majestic grace, and at the same time, an exquisite joyfulness.

Sai Baba says "Love is God, God is love." Love more and more people, transform love into Service, into Worship; that is the highest spiritual practice. Swami's basic teachings can be summarised in eight words, as follows:

"Love All, Serve All,
Help Ever, Hurt Never." 

Sai Baba has emphasised the supreme importance of pure love. He says, "I have come to light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. Cultivate the attitude of oneness between people of all creeds and all continents to establish world peace."

He manifests every noble human quality that mankind admires and He incorporates every divine quality of an Avatar.

Develop Purity through service.

Sai Baba says, "Serve the poor with love, that alone can redeem you. Service to the poor is service to God. Sacrifice your life for the cause of the poor. Service to the poor is My only motto. I have no other desires. Be compassionate and considerate towards the poor. Spend your time, wealth and energy in service of the poor. This is what I desire from you. I do not ask for anything from anybody. Help the poor in every possible way. Feed the hungry. Food is God. Do not waste food, do not waste money."

Sathya Sai Baba, without stirring from his native village, without any fund raising campaigns, without any financial contributions from either Government or financial institutions, has provided and continues to provide free education, benefitting thousands. He provides with absolutely no charge whatsoever, advanced and sophisticated medical care. Tens of thousands of poor people have received the benefit. And, He has provided pure drinking water to millions in his neighbourhood.

How has Sai Baba been able to achieve all this? According to him, it is entirely through Love, Love that is pure and selfless, Love that gives and then forgets.

Sai Baba says, "Perform selfless service to the poor, the sick and the needy without thought of reward or fame".

"Through love you can achieve anything; without it, life is useless. The best way to love God is to love all, serve all. The easy path to love is to serve. The one who serves and the one who receives are both Divine. The dancer and the one who makes others dance are both God".

"I have come, not to disturb any faith, but to confirm everyone in his or her very own faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim, the Hindu a better Hindu, and the Buddhist a better Buddhist."

Education

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

The end of Education is Character, The end of knowledge is Love.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is perhaps one of the few institutions in the world in the field of higher education which emphasises character building as much as, if not more than academic excellence. It is based on Sathya Sai Baba's outstanding contribution to the world of learning in the form of the Education in Human Values program.

As revered Chancellor, Sai Baba has provided constant guidance at every stage in evolving the program at the Institute and has seen to it's implementation.

Sai Baba has been emphasising that the end of Education is Character and the true meaning of education is not merely a question of knowledge, but knowledge in action.

This University is a non profit autonomous institution. The students come from all over India and even from other countries. The campuses offer full-fledged undergraduate, post graduate and professional programs.

Sai Baba is now operating three campuses of the Institute: Prashanti Nilayam, Whitefield and Anantapur. All these campuses have student residences and are located in quiet and peaceful environmentally healthy locations for intellectual and emotional development.

Students at under-graduate and post-graduate levels as well as in the professional programs are exempted from payment of all fees such as tuition fees and special fees for laboratories, library, reading room, sports, audio-visual facilities and extra curricular activities. Health care and medical treatment are also provided free.

The Institute has set up a modern Planetarium (Splitz Space System 512) in the Prashanti Nilayam Campus. It is used as an effective educational aid and multi media facility.

Music College

A major focus of education at Sai Baba's Institute, in addition to academic excellence, is to develop human excellence in all fields, including music and cultural areas.

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning achieved another landmark in the field of integral education when Sai Baba inaugurated the Music College at Prashanti Nilayam on the morning of 20^th of November 2000. The Music College has a distinct architecture in the shape of musical instruments which provide training in different types of classical and folk music. Musical instruments from all over the world are also on display.

Chaitanya Jyoti Museum

Sathya Sai Baba inaugurated the new building 'Chaitanya Jyoti Museum', an architectural marvel of the new millennium. It designed on the basis of Chinese architecture and depicts the life and mission of Sathya Sai Baba. The museum is built in the spacious Hillview Stadium. There are rare exhibits in the Museum.

Sathya Sai Schools in the World

'Academic Excellence with Character Development'

Based on guidelines established by Sai Baba in his educational institutes, a number of countries have come forward to establish educational institutions in their own countries. This provides opportunities for students to learn academic subjects infused with Human Values in every aspect of the curriculum. Such countries include Australia, Thailand, Zambia, New Zealand and Canada.

Whether our children lead happy and fulfilling lives is not simply dependent on the profession they choose nor on how much income they earn. It has as much to do with how they learn to face life's challenges and interact with others, and whether they are self-confident, loving, patient and compassionate. Sathya Sai Education addresses issues of character development and the implementation of human values in our daily lives. The Sathya Sai School openings across the world are dealing with these issues, integrating education in human values in to every aspect of the school.

A Sathya Sai School offers parents a unique education experience, through an educational program which balances academic excellence with character development and responsible citizenship, a nurturing climate based on the twin foundations of love and discipline. These schools are staffed by qualified teachers who are committed to being exemplars of values.

Medical Care

Sri Sathya Sai Institute for Higher Medical Sciences, 'Health for All'

Emerging as a bright star on the horizon of the contemporary world medical affairs, the experiment in launching the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences has certain clear messages to give us all for the shaping of the policies for delivery of medical help to humanity which can be be summarised as Globalisation of Medicine, De-Commercialisation of Medicine, Human Values, health care and Spiritual well being irrespective of colour, caste, creed or nationality as a medical concept.

Free Medical Care

"Service to Man is Service to God"

The prohibitive cost of many of the advanced procedures like heart, kidney and brain surgery has placed many of these life-saving measures out of the reach of the common man, both in urban and rural areas. The location of urban medical centers in large cities has also made them practically inaccessible to the vast rural population.

This unfortunate situation has prompted Sri Sathya Sai Baba to establish a Super Specialty Hospital in both Puttaparthi and Bangalore, for the sole purpose of making available the advanced techniques of diagnosis and medical care totally free of cost to all needy people, without any geographical restrictions, to rich and poor alike, regardless of caste, creed and country.

Super Specialty Hospital, Puttaparthi

The first venture of the Sri Sathya Sai Trust into tertiary medical care was the inauguration of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi on November 23, 1991. The Super Specialty Hospital was built in a record time of less than 8 months and is located about 6 km away from Prashanti Nilayam. This magnificent hospital now stands as a landmark dominating the skyline in this rural setting. The unique and magnificent architecture reflects the great spiritual traditions, having been designed according to spiritually beneficial principles. The hospital is currently equipped to deal with cases needing attention in the specialties of Cardiology, Uro-Nephrology, Opthamology and Dental Surgery.

Super Specialty Hospital, Bangalore

A super Specialty Hospital has been established by Sai Baba in Whitefield, a suburb of Bangalore, on land granted free of cost by the Government of Karnataka. The Institute is a modern multi-super specialty hospital, which provides the best medical care. It is unique, in that it aims to serve the sick with utmost dedication and commitment. It comes as hope to the distraught, and life to the helpless. It is a Saga of Love, another expression of the divine kindness of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The unique feature of this hospital is that, like all other Sai medical educational and social welfare projects, all services are totally free of cost to the users. The hospital provides diagnostic, medical, pre-operative, surgical and post operative care at no cost to the patients. It is equipped with the latest technology in cardiac, cardiology, neurology and neuro surgery. It has 333 beds and 12 operation theaters. It is also equipped with state of the art information technology for records, as well as internal and external communications.

Sri Sathya Sai Rural Service Mobile Dispensaries

Immediate minor attention is provided by mobile dispensaries. Patients requiring more attention are directed to Sri Sathya Sai Primary and Secondary Health Centers. The typical targeted programs are:

• Pulse Polio Program
• Cataract detection
• Detection of cardio vascular problems
• Detection of malnutrition caused diseases
• Leprosy detection
• Detection of Childhood disabilities

Service to Man is the highest form of Worship

Sathya Sai Baba's service to humanity in the domains of education, health care, rural uplift, sanitation, and drinking water has been unparalleled in the history of humankind. It is Sathya Sai Baba's mission to help humanity, to awaken man to the inherent divinity within, and to see that the principles of Love, Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Non-Violence are propagated and do in fact govern all human relations.

Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Project

For many people in the hottest part of Andhra Pradesh (Rayalaseema), obtaining fresh drinking water was a daily drudgery, often involving trudging long distances. Sathya Sai Baba inaugurated a Fresh Drinking Water Supply project, bringing water to over 700 villages in that district. Sathya Sai Baba undertook two additional fresh drinking water projects in the drought stricken areas of Medak and Mahboobnagar, in Andhra Pradesh.

Water for Chennai

On November 23, 2004, the Sai Ganga Project was brought to fruition with release of water from Kandaleru-Poondi canal, now known as Sai Ganga canal which carries water to Chennai.

Water realised at 43 cubic feet per second now will increase to 500 cubic foot/second in a day. One cubic foot per second is 28 litres per second. This means in 45 days the water flow will exceed one year supply for Chennai. There is no illegal tapping or seepage on the way. This is the main aspect of the Sai Ganga Project. Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs did not receive much rainfall, but additional water has been diverted from Srisailam reservoir to Somasila and Kandaleru. This also means plenty of water to Andhra Pradesh along the way.

Rehabilitation of the Destitute

Housing Project

Millions of people in India live in temporary huts without any basic facilities like drinking water, sanitation, etc. Sathya Sai Baba has undertaken to build several thousand basic units for poor villagers at no cost to them.

In the year 2000, Sathya Sai Baba commenced construction of free accommodation for 1000 widows and children near Prashanti Nilayam. The project invests 1 crore funds for each widow with children, and interest is disbursed to the widow monthly to provide living costs. Children of widows receive free education from Kindergarten to Post Graduate at Sathya Sai Educational facilities.

Means of Livelihood

One of the special programs organised by Sai Baba at Prashanti Nilayam was to provide means of livelihood to the destitute and the poor. Sathya Sai Baba distributed pushcarts, sewing machines and wet grinders to ladies and gents from West Godavari District and Anantapur districts and adjoining villages. Village residents were in dire need of help. Among the beneficiaries who received pushcarts were vegetable vendors, fruit and flower vendors, washermen, shoe vendors and vendors of roadside foods.

Sri Sathya Sai Grama Seva (Village Service)

A new era of village uplift and rural service commenced when Sathya Sai Baba commenced the Grama (Village) Service project in year 2000. This unique program of selfless service to villages had 2000 students, teachers and dignitaries take part. On a typical day, food had to be cooked for 20,000-50,000 people, depending on the area chosen. This then had to be packed for distribution. Clothing had to be procured, sorted and packed. Trucks had to be obtained, stocked and prepared for those doing village service and taken to little known villages on roads that barely existed.

World Peace

"Mankind can find happiness only in Unity, not in diversity"

Sathya Sai Baba's mission of unifying diverse people from different nations, religions, castes, and colour into one harmoniously common community has been an immeasurable contribution to Global Unity. His universal message of Love All, Serve All, has inspired millions all over the world to lead noble and more purposeful lives. World peace can only be obtained when there is individual peace. Every day, thousands of people from all around the world gather at Prashanti Nilayam to have the darshan (sight) of Sathya Sai Baba, and to worship God together. Sathya Sai Baba does not ask for anything from any person who visits him.

Sathya Sai Baba has a universal message: If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character; if there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home; if there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation; if there is order in the nation, there will be Peace in the World.

Sathya Sai Organisation

The mission of the Sathya Sai Organisation is to serve mankind by restoring Love, Truth, Peace and Righteousness. To this end, the Sathya Sai Organisation provides activities which facilitate the discovery of the inherent divinity within, through love, service and sacrifice. The founder of the Sathya Sai Organisation, Sathya Sai Baba works tirelessly. His task of uplifting humanity throughout the world is undertaken by Sai Centers all over the world. There are over 5000 centers in India, and more than 1700 centers in 157 countries world wide.

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