Sathya Sai Baba 11th Death Anniversary: Know all about his religious teachings

Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju in the Puttaparthi village of the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on 23 November, 1926. The spiritual leader later became popular as Sathya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. On the occasion of his 11th death anniversary on Sunday, 24 April, we dive deeper into his principles: Sathya Sai Baba was a highly revered spiritual leader whose life and message inspired millions of people to turn God-ward and to lead more purposeful lives. His timeless and universal teachings, along with the manner in which he led his own life, attracted seekers of truth from all the religions of the world. What were Sathya Sai Baba’s key principles? Sathya Sai Baba encouraged people to recognise who they actually are. He believed that we are not these minds and bodies but we are the eternal spirit that temporarily occupies these minds and bodies. He was of the belief that individuals can appreciate and become who they really are by turning their faith towards God and an intense yearning to know him. He used to say that conscience is a reflection of eternal spirit. According to him, spirituality was having the courage and determination to follow people’s conscience in all things and at all times. The purpose of doing this was to recognise that people are all united in God. What was the essence of his teachings? Through his speeches and writings, Sathya Sai Baba offered a veritable ocean of knowledge and guidance on various aspects of spiritual, religious, and value-oriented living. He emphasised that it is not necessary to drink the whole ocean to know its taste, which meant that it was not necessary to read all scriptures to lead a life of joy, peace, and love. It was enough to put into practice any one aspect of spiritual teaching. Sathya Sai Baba believed that we are all embodiments of God and that the ultimate goal of our lives as humans was to realise that God resides in everyone of us. Sathya Sai Baba died due to respiratory problems on 24 April, 2011 in Puttaparthi. His mortals were laid to rest with state honours.