Prema Sai Baba said this place was no longer a holy place, and he would not go there. How can a little boy know about this orphanage? How could six-year-old Prema Sai know that nothing has materialized there for a long time? How could a child come to understand that this orphanage has long been a place of deception? Of course, the administrators of this orphanage help the orphans, which is a wonderful service. However, the manipulation of miracles is an example of poor judgement by Sai devotees.
On the pages of this book, we consider many assumptions and versions, including the possible birth of Prema Sai next to Amrita House. Even if some versions are clearly not very real, it is important to remember about such hypotheses in order to more fully see the overall picture of the discussion around the topic of Prema Sai Baba.
40. Sri Kasturi
A common version in the context of Prema Sai Baba is that allegedly Sri Kasturi (1897–1987) in his next reincarnation will become the mother of Prema Sai Baba. This statement is attributed to Sathya Sai Baba himself, although the authenticity is doubtful.
Who is Sri Kasturi and why is he so important to the Sathya Sai Baba tradition? It is believed that Sri Kasturi first met Sathya Sai Baba in 1948. Then, Sri Kasturi was 51 years old, and Sathya Sai Baba was only 22 years old. In the mid-1950s, Sri Kasturi retired and moved entirely to Puttaparthi.
Sathya Sai Baba offered Sri Kasturi a job at the ashram, which began publishing a monthly magazine called Sanatana Sarathi. Sri Kasturi became the editor of the magazine, which at that time was the main official source of information about the activities of Sathya Sai Baba.
Sri Kasturi is the author of an amazing series of books Sathyam, Shivam, Sundaram, translated into many languages under the title Truth, Compassion, Beauty. This series of books is the most detailed biography of Sathya Sai Baba.
The first part of the book was published in the early 1960s and covered the first 34 years of Sathya Sai Baba's life. Sri Kasturi collected information for the book from various sources, including Sathya Sai Baba's father and brother, as well as teachers from the school where Sathya Sai Baba studied as a child.
The second part of the book was published in the late 1960s, and several more volumes of the series were published in the early 1980s. For many years Sri Kasturi was Sathya Sai Baba's secretary and closest assistant. It is difficult to say if anyone was closer to Sathya Sai Baba than Sri Kasturi. The life of Sri Kasturi is covered with legends, as he was a truly unique person and a great devotee of God.
Let's return to the story that Sri Kasturi will incarnate as a woman, in the next birth, and become the mother of Prema Sai Baba. How can one verify that Sri Kasturi really reincarnated as the mother of Prema Sai Baba? It is impossible to confirm or refute this prediction.
Is it possible that some of Sathya Sai Baba's predictions will not come true or have not come true? This is not possible for several reasons. First of all, all predictions are multifaceted, and it is not always possible to interpret them straightforwardly and unambiguously.
The mission of Sai is in constant development. Let's remember the situation when Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring with the portrait of Prema Sai Baba and presented it to John Hislop.
In the beginning, the ring only had an approximate image of Prema Sai Baba, and only with time did his face begin to appear. Sathya Sai Baba explained that the form and face of Prema Sai Baba is in the process of being formed.
This means that many other predictions could subsequently change, including the version that Sri Kasturi will be reincarnated as the mother of Prema Sai Baba.
41. Common point of view
In 2019, a representative of the Ashram in Puttaparthi released a famous video in which he answered the question of one of the viewers about what the signs of the arrival of Prema Sai Baba would be.
I prefer not to give his name because he is a very respected person among the Sai devotees. I will refer to him in my narrative under the pseudonym, “Professor”.
The "Professor" is the author of several excellent books on the life and philosophy of Sathya Sai Baba. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most respected representatives of the tradition of Sathya Sai Baba.
In the physical absence of Sathya Sai Baba, there was an intellectual vacuum for a large number of followers. People were trying to find authoritative leaders in order to find spiritual support and core in their person.
In this situation, the "Professor" became a wise spiritual mentor for a considerable number of Sai followers, who was able to guide people in the right vector of development and search for truth.
The "Professor" was asked a question from one viewer: "What will be the signs of Prema Sai Baba's coming?”
The "Professor" made a short video in which he gave two answers to this difficult question.
1) The incarnation of Prema Sai Baba will be evident to all people, like the rising of the sun. When the sun shines in the sky, it is obvious to everyone that it is the sun; it shines in the sky, illuminating the Earth.
2) At the right moment, Prema Sai Baba will announce himself as an Avatar, then we will all know about his appearance.
Let's analyze these answers. Unfortunately, both answers are very naive and show the unwillingness of the "Professor" to accept many of the facts and predictions of Sathya Sai Baba himself.
The "Professor" said Prema Sai Baba's incarnation would be as obvious to everyone as the sunrise. “When the sun shines in the sky, it is obvious to everyone that this is the sun; it shines in the sky, illuminating the Earth.”
Alas, this is too naive a point of view, since in past ages we already had many examples when divine teachers and prophets were born on Earth, but only a few people were able to recognize them.
An example of this is the life of Krishna, Buddha and Jesus Christ. Even the divine mission of Sathya Sai Baba was far from obvious to everyone. Many gurus in India and around the world have denied the divine origin of Sathya Sai Baba. Therefore, the principle of "natural recognition" does not work.
The “Professor” in his video said that at the right moment Prema Sai Baba will announce himself as the Avatar and then we will all recognize him. This point of view is also very naive.
Already between 2018 and 2023 (when the material for this book was being collected) there were several candidates for Prema Sai Baba in different parts of India, and already, some of them had proclaimed themselves as Prema Sai Baba.
What does it mean to proclaim oneself an Avatar? Why is it important? There is a tradition that each Divine incarnation proclaims itself, thus marking the official beginning of its mission on Earth.
We know numerous stories of the proclamation of Krishna, which are described in the sacred texts (Mahabharata and Bhagavatam), as well as the proclamation of Jesus Christ, which are mentioned in the New Testament. Sathya Sai Baba and Shirdi Sai Baba proclaimed themselves in their youth.
The problem is that now (between 2018 and 2023) several young people have already proclaimed themselves as Prema Sai Baba. Some candidates have already established their own ashrams and hold public events.
For those who have realized the truth about Prema Sai Baba, the proclamation is only a bright and kind traditional ritual. Genuine devotees already know and realize who the real Prema Sai Baba is.
For those who deny Prema Sai Baba, even his official "proclamation" will mean nothing, because their hearts are unfortunately closed to the realization of this truth.