While many of these ideas are clearly derived from classical Indian
speculations (the importance of cosmology, the need for proper practice,
etc.), the nuances given by the group are often seen as controversial, espe-
cially the emphasis on millenarianism and the notion that women should be
celibate. Yet even these notions have resonances of earlier images: an end of
history was intimated in the mythology of Kalkı ̄, the incarnation of Vis.n.u who
would come to rescue the world in the end; and female celibacy was counte-
nanced by those women who turned to the monastic life in the early days of
Buddhism and in the experience of those medieval poetesses – devotees who
sought only to live in the presence of their Lord. Be that as it may, the
Brahma ̄kumarı ̄s are highly disciplined and their impact on the Indian
landscape exceeds their numbers, especially in the cities of North India.
The Satya Sai Baba movement
Yet another movement that has gained great popularity in India’s current
milieu is that of Satya Sai Baba. While he has his detractors who speak
of him as a charlatan and an exponent of “easy” religion, not a few middle-
and upper-class urbanites, many of whom have lost touch or confidence
in more “traditional” forms of religion, find him to be a charismatic and
attractive figure. “Satya Sai Baba” was born in 1926 in a village now in Andhra
Pradesh.^22 His boyhood is said to have been filled with a variety of miraculous
occurrences, including a “disclosure” at the age of thirteen when he declared
himself to be an incarnation of Sai Baba, the Muslim-Hindu guru who died
in 1918. In a later “revelation” (in 1963) he declared himself to be the
embodiment of S ́iva and S ́akti (literally the divine totality), in the flesh. In
the meanwhile, he had begun to attract considerable attention through his
“miracles,” his travels throughout the south, and the establishment of his
ashram in Puttaparthi, the village of his birth. He predicted he would live
until the age of ninety-six and that the latter half of his life would be devoted
to teaching, the performing of miracles, and, eventually, offering intensive
teachings to selected groups.
Even though he is thought to be the incarnation of all the deities and is
called Bhagavan (“God”) by his devotees, Satya Sai Baba is especially asso-
ciated with S ́iva and is depicted most commonly in the company of
S ́iva’slin.ga(an aniconic representation). In addition, he is most noted to
his followers for his ability to make sacred ash (vibhuti, commonly used in
S ́aiva worship) appear at will and in massive amounts.
The movement which Satya Sai Baba has established has mushroomed
into a major pan-Indian phenomenon. Its funds are kept in a trust fund. The
Central Shri Satya Sai Trust supports ashrams, engages in philanthropic
activities, publishes a magazine, and endows at least four colleges.
216 Religion in Contemporary India