The legacy of a 100 years of love

The 100th birthday of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, whom we lovingly address as Swami or Baba, is coming up on 23 November, 2025. Devotees from the world over, are congregating at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, to experience the joy and bliss of the birthday celebrations.

- PRIYA S. TANDON

When Bhagawan Rama or Krishna walked the Earth, they were many who recognised and experienced their divinity. But there were others like Ravan, Kans and Shishupal, who did not acknowledge that they were Avatars of Bhagawan Vishnu, and chose the path of enmity with them. Similarly when Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba walked the Earth, there were many who recognised the divinity in him and experienced the bliss of living with God, in his physical form. Many of us were lucky to have enjoyed his Darshan, Sparashan and Sambhashanam.

There were others who chose to talk ill about him, but that did not affect him in any way.

Baba was love personified. When He looked at you, it was as if a 1000 mothers together, were showering their love, so it was like being bathed in a sea of divine love. It inevitably brought tears to the eyes of those who loved him and were cognisant of his divinity. The essence of Baba's myriad teachings is summed up in four words that are engraved on his Maha Samadhi: LOVE ALL - SERVE ALL. He often said that this is the crux of the Vedas. Having lived a life of simplicity, he set the bar really high. He led by example. And since He shed the mortal coil, Swami has left us with a vision to fulfil.

Someone had once asked Baba, “Are you God?” And He had replied, “Yes, I am. And so are you. The only difference is that I know it and you don't!” This is the greatness of the Avatar. He came to invoke the divinity in each one of us. He came to tell us that we are divine ... because we have a minuscule portion of divinity inside us.