Sathya Sai Baba finally laid to rest

Media Sources

Puttaparthi, 27 April 2011:  Amid chanting of Sai Mantras, the last rites of spiritual guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba were performed at Kulvant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam in accordance with Vedic customs. 

 

The rites were performed by his nephew RJ Ratnakar in the presence of thousands of grieving devotees, following which the mortal remains of the 85-year-old spiritual leader, whose clout spread far and wide, were buried. 

 

The spot is now expected to become an eternal memorial for Sai Baba, who at the age of 14 announced himself as a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. 

 

Thousands of tearful devotees, including top politicians, gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Sathya Sai Baba, one of India’s best-known Hindu ascetics who was revered as a divine incarnation with miraculous healing powers.The 84-year-old guru’s death Sunday triggered an outpouring of grief from followers who included top Indian politicians, movie stars, athletes and industrialists. 

 

 

Hindus usually cremate their dead, but infants and people considered pure and saintly are often buried. The guru was to be buried inside the same auditorium at his ashram, or spiritual retreat, in the southern Indian town of Puttaparti where his body had been on display and where he gave his sermons.Hindu priests chanted verses from Hindu texts and anointed Sai Baba’s body with oil and flowers as they prepared for the burial. 

 

Baba’s resting place is 7ft deep and 12ft in length. It is 10ft behind from where his body was placed in the glass casket in the hall since Sunday evening. 

 

After the body was laid to rest in the sleeping position, holy water from nine sacred rivers and soil from the Saraswati Teertha, a pilgrimage spot – near present day Kurukshetra - from where the ancient Saraswati river is said to have emerged, along with salt, silver, gold and navaratnas were used to fill in Baba’s Samadhi. The process took about 25 minutes.

 

 

The mourners, both Indian and foreign, sat on the cool marble floor surrounding the guru’s glass casket and chanted hymns and sacred verses. Most remembered Sai Baba as a pious, selfless person who worked to help others with the billions of dollars donated to his charitable trust. 

 

Religious leaders from different faiths, including a Christian priest and a Muslim imam, addressed the crowd prior to the funeral. Later a memorial with a golden statue of Baba would be built at the spot. 

 

A host of VIPs including Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, LK Advani, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Venkaiah Naidu, Chandrababu Naidu, and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa are attending the funeral ceremony. 

 

Last Rites of Sathya Sai Baba Begin:

 

Puttaparthi, 27 April 2011: Spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba’s last rites began at his abode in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday morning.

 

Amid the chanting of hymns, the body of the 86-year-old spiritual guru was brought in a casket for burial at the Sai Kulwant Hall inside his abode Prashanti Nilayam. The casket was draped in the Tricolour.

 

 

Although thousands of devotees reached Puttaparthi, the burial was not accessible to the public. Only a chosen few, such as Sai Baba’s immediate family and members of the Sathya Sai Trust, were allowed in.

 

The last rites were performed by Sathya Sai Baba’s nephew and trust member R.J. Ratnakar Raju (son of Baba’s younger brother R. Janakiramaiah). The spiritual guru, who has been accorded a state funeral, was given a 21-gun salute.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers S.M. Krishna and Ambika Sonia had on Tuesday joined thousands of mourners in paying homage to Sai Baba.

 

In keeping with the secular traditions at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai bhajans invoking Shiva, Ram, Allah and Jesus Christ were rendered as Singh and Sonia spent 10 minutes near the body of the spiritual leader, who had a mass following worldwide.

 

Sathya Sai Baba passed away on Sunday after prolonged hospitalisation. His body had been kept for public viewing for two days. Till Tuesday evening, around 3.5 lakh people are estimated to have visited Prashanti Nilayam and paid their homage to the spiritual guru.

 

 

It is said that Water from seven sacred rivers the Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu, Saraswati, Godavari, Narmada and Kaveri has been brought to Puttaparthi, besides soil from Mathura and other scared places for use in the burial. Navarathnas and Navadhanyas will also be used.

 

The burial would be according to Vedic Hindu rites and the body would be lowered into a six-foot grave.

 

A team of 12 senior priests from West Godavari district, headed by Nagabushan Avadhani, has arrived at Prashanti Nilayam which has made arrangements for Baba’s burial.

 

According to Sathya Sai Trust members, the last rites would commence by 7am and end by 9.30am on Wednesday. It would be a private affair, and devotees will not be allowed. However, about 600 VIPs, family members, some trustees and a few senior devotees will be allowed to witness the last rites.

 

The trust members also confirmed that BJP national leader LK Advani, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and several other VIPs would attend the burial ceremony, which might get delayed due to the rush of devotees.

 

Hundreds of thousands of devotees will be watching the proceedings on a giant screen that has been set up outside.

 

In spite of controversies surroundding the guru, his popularity remained undimmed throughout his life - Sai Baba had ashrams in 126 countries and also ran a network of hospitals, clinics and schools that were often free.