Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji

Sri Babuji is a renowned devotee of Sri Sai Baba and the holder of the key to happiness for thousands of us who have been lucky enough to come within his ambit.

His entire life was devoted to Shirdi Sai Baba, on whose grace he depended and to which he attributed every aspect of his existence. His auspicious birth date itself signifies the mystical link with his beloved Sadguru, for Sri Babuji entered this world on Vijayadasami, 7 October 1954, the 36th anniversary of Baba's mahasamadhi, and the very day the holy statue of Sri Sai Baba was installed in the Samadhi Mandir, Shirdi.

From a tender age Sri Babuji was driven by an intense quest to find meaning and fulfilment in life. Blessed by nature with a deeply enquiring mind and exceptionally sharp vigorous intellect, he followed a rigorous course of personal study, meditation, exploration, and service to his guru who had introduced him to Sai Baba. This quest bore fruit when he was barely twenty. Since then, he has been sharing his happiness with those who are drawn to him. Thousands are attracted by his great spiritual presence and regard him as their guru, a boon sent by Sai Baba to show them the true path of Sai, free of prejudice and superstition. Sri Babuji, however, defines himself as a simple devotee of Sai Baba and a recipient of his grace.

Sri Babuji's constant immersion in Sai-awareness, impeccable integrity
and razor-sharp clarity, coupled with his vast erudition and wisdom, have made him the inspiration and guide for all our efforts to know Baba. Every moment of his life teaches us something and shows us how to tread this path of Sai. As a conduit of Baba's grace, Sri Babuji has blessed countless people, relieving them of their physical, emotional and mental troubles. His approach is practical and down-to-earth, yet sparkling with originality and steeped in the love which he embodies and emanates.

By their connection to Sri Babuji, many people experience changes in their lives – a sense of protection and security, a shift in attitude or outlook, the transformation of heart and mind and a flowering of their spiritual life. There are numerous wonderful and awe-inspiring experiences of devotees, demonstrating Sri Babuji's magnitude and power, which he unequivocally ascribes to Baba's grace.

"Never compromise with truth," says Sri Babuji, "truth is what matters most!" It is a principle that we see vibrant in all aspects of his life and he encourages us all to be clear about our needs and to depend on Sai Baba for our fulfilment.

A native of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Babuji lived with his wife and daughter in Madras, Shirdi, Tiruvannamalai and Tirumala.

Sri Babuji took mahasamadhi on 13 November 2010 in Murnau, Germany. In accordance with his wish his body was laid to rest in Saiyana, Shirdi. He lives on in the hearts of those who adored him as their beloved, magnificent Sadguru.

Sri Babuji's Views on Education

Below are extracts from Sri Babuji’s Satsangs that were published in the issue "Education - Kindling the Love of Learning" in Rose Petals, a monthly e-mail newsletter. The extracts are from transcriptions of recorded English satsangs, which took place between 1993 and 2010 in Tiruvannamalai, Tirumala, Chennai, Shirdi and while travelling. You will also find these extracts translated into Telugu. 

Education – Kindling the Love of Learning 

Sri Babuji established the Saibaba Central School in 1983, in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. The school has acquired a reputation for excellence and both its administration and staff continue to implement Guruji’s innovative vision for the education of children, which is embodied in the motto he wrote for the school, 'Love of Learning, Learning to Love'.

DEVOTEE: Guruji, I have a question about education. What values should we transmit to our children at school and at home?

GURUJI: The purpose of education is not to indoctrinate children with one’s values. It is to make them capable and well-equipped so they can learn how to conduct themselves in the world. For example, how to read, how to write, how to learn, and if they want to know about a particular subject, how to browse and look for it on the web. These things they need to be taught. 

I like giving children food for thought. Whether it is Sai Baba or atheism, rationalism or communism, whatever it is, don’t indoctrinate or brainwash them. Let everything be their personal discovery. We don’t need to infuse them with beliefs. Personally I am opposed to children being given religious education and I didn’t do it when I was running the school. In the prayer I wrote for the School there is not even the name of Baba. It is a totally impersonal ideal, not even God. An impersonal principle, a cosmic law that the children pray to, invoking the spirit of enquiry and love. That is what I like. 

Inculcate the love of learning in children, give them the ability to think, and don’t limit their thinking. Do not tell them who God is. Nobody told me Sai Baba was God when I was studying. Only later did I become a Sai Baba devotee. Let it come like that, by personal choice and discovery. 

Children should be given the kind of environment where they can learn, where they can pursue and form their own values. To me, that is Baba’s teaching. 

DEVOTEE: How can we create that kind of learning environment for our children? 

GURUJI: One should have free thinking, free thought. If we teach them all kinds of concepts about God or no- God, what kind of freedom is it? What kind of free thought is it if we brainwash small children? What I would do is, not give them any such concepts! If they have the desire to seek something, they will follow it. In my view, that is free thought. 

DEVOTEE: So should true education encourage children to question? 

GURUJI: Yes, there should be free, all-round development. And it should depend upon the individual. That choice, that freedom, should be given to every child, to every human being, every adult – not only the child. Questioning everything is the correct way. Let children question everything.

GURUJI: Children should love their school. What makes them love their school? For them, school means teacher, so the teacher should be lovable, not someone with a cane. Once children love their teacher, they’ll love education, what the teacher says. If they are afraid of the teacher, they’ll be afraid of the school and of what they do there, which means education – they’ll have an aversion to education. If they like the teacher everything is solved, so that’s the main thing. They should love the teacher, he should be like their hero or heroine. Then discipline and love of learning automatically come. So, at the end of the day, when the school bell rings, how will the children react? If they shout with relief, “Hurrah, it’s over!” we have failed.

Children should enjoy school. How many children enjoy their classes? They are simply going to school, studying to get marks, some merit, some rank, then entrance to a good college, or finally, go to the US – that is the dream of Indian youth today. What I am trying to say is, if we make education enjoyable, it doesn’t mean we make students incapable of succeeding. They will definitely excel, easily and naturally. Such children will certainly do well in the competitive world outside.

DEVOTEE: What is the ideal environment to support the love of learning? 

GURUJI: The ideal environment is where the teaching is well-organized but the children are not aware of it. They should feel that they are learning on their own, by their own choice, not because they have to do it. Learning comes only when you want to learn, not when you must learn. If you provide an environment where children feel free to learn, not because they are obliged or forced, then that is the ideal environment. It is a utopian ideal [Guruji laughs] so we have to strike a balance between the ideal and what’s practical. 

DEVOTEE: How can we help our children to learn? 

GURUJI: By igniting their love of learning through creating curiosity and a spirit of enquiry in them, an appetite for learning, a hunger for knowledge. If we can kindle this, it is enough: whether we teach them something or not, the child will learn, anybody will learn. This is the key, the formula. Into this formula fits everything that has been researched and said about teaching: inducing and infusing curiosity. If curiosity is there, observation will naturally come. You can’t simply ask children to observe nature. They will observe and think, “Okay, we are observing, so what?” Because that also is merely following an instruction. Observation like this doesn’t serve the purpose. First, curiosity should be there. Then observation makes sense and serves the purpose. 

What I am saying is, we should infuse the child with a spirit of enquiry. Even when we want him to learn a particular thing, we should begin by asking a question that creates curiosity in the child’s mind – like the state of mind of a scientist before he makes a discovery. Especially in the natural sciences and mathematics, where many discoveries have been made, this should be easy to implement. First, motivate the child with questions that make him puzzled about something – his mind should always be puzzled. By posing questions that make the child wonder what the answer would be, interest in the answer is created. Then, when you give the answer, it is like giving food to a hungry person, not simply dumping information he won’t take because it’s not needed. Why do children have to know when Shakespeare was born? When was the Elizabethan period? When did Queen Victoria reign? Who cares? It’s not their need to know these things. But it’s expected of them, so they learn to memorize the answers, what else can they do? You can’t completely avoid memorizing when learning because we are part of the total educational structure in India. That we can’t change. Students have to write exams and they have to be able to fit into society and compete with other children. So memorization cannot be totally avoided. But we can add something to it, a flavour of interest, to make it more spicy. 

It all depends on our ability to create the right mood and situation depending on the maturity and stage of the child. I’m just giving some tips. It can’t be applied to all children at every stage in the same way.

GURUJI: The most critical stage of learning is when children are of pre-school age, because that is the budding stage when you can really inculcate a love of learning in them. This is the decisive time. 

I have observed that people are losing their love of learning because their focus is not on learning but on remembering. Observe how children learn, and how we learn also. First, a child identifies and names things, “This is a chair, this is a table, he is so-and-so, this is a house, that is a tree.” She learns to recognize objects and speak in her native language, English or Telugu, whatever her mother tongue may be. A young child learns to speak quite well grammatically, but does she know grammar? Just go to a small child and ask, “Where is your daddy?” “My daddy went to the office,” or “He went to Delhi.” She uses gender and the past tense correctly – how does she know? Who taught her that grammar? So first we learn to speak by hearing others and then, when further expression is needed, the role of writing comes. But in India we begin with writing, the last stage, so the whole learning process is topsy-turvy. 

The most important thing is that learning should be play for children, because learning in itself has no meaning yet for them. The moment they go to school they are taught the English alphabet, the ABC’s – why should they learn the ABC’s? Actually, it’s meaningless! What will a small child of three understand by this? First we need to become aware of what a meaningless thing we are doing. So let’s try to make it more meaningful to the child in some relevant way. How? That depends upon the talent of the teacher. 

This is why education often fails in creating love of learning and why so many children are becoming averse to education. They don’t like going to school, and they don’t like their teachers because they make them do things which are meaningless to them. Can we make learning more relevant and meaningful? Let us experiment and explore and try to do it. That is why I say at the beginning we should inculcate a love of learning. 

The principle is that the child should not feel he is being taught. Through songs, plays, stories, and so many other ways, he can be taught. To an outsider it may look as though no teaching is being given. “What’s with these games and sports, with this singing and dancing?” But it is through activities like these that the child learns in a natural way. And learning in a natural way I like best. 

DEVOTEE: As a mother, I have a desire for my children to do well in their studies. Is that okay, even if it may not be their wish or desire? 

GURUJI: It was also like that for us when we were children. All parents expect things for their children that the children may not like; it’s the same now as then. Try to see yourself in your child and there will be no problem. It is a good wish, that wish. Children are also individuals, they have their own reasons, their own desires. They have their own image of who they are. Try your best to give them what you think is best. The only thing is, we shouldn’t get too worried about it. 

DEVOTEE: But can you push? 

GURUJI: Yes, you can push. Because children need help and you can help them. We push because we love. When the mother teaches her child to walk, does she think she’s inflicting punishment? The child falters and falls down, sometimes even gets bruised or injured, but still she encourages it. “Come on, go ahead! Come on, walk, walk!” When the child comes nearer, she takes three steps further back and says, “Come, come again!” Then, just when the child is about to catch hold of the parent, she steps back and calls again, “Come, come, come!” The mother is not teasing or punishing the child, or not loving it, it’s not that. She wants it to learn something important. It looks as if the parent is going away – testing and teasing – and with you also now it is like that: even though you take three steps forward, the guru may take three steps back, saying, “Come again.” He knows what to do.

DEVOTEE: It is important to me that my children grow up with good morals. What is the best way to inculcate them? 

GURUJI: Morals should be taught as a science. Science means free thinking, questioning, investigating, that is science. You should try to make them investigate and explore moral values. That is the real moral science lesson, not simply telling them, “Don’t tell lies, always respect your elders and teachers.” Talk to them about the value of moral-ity and other human values, and why they are needed. 

My liking is for free thought. Tell them about scientists. Tell them not only about the life of Baba or Ramana Maharshi or Vivekananda – tell them about Newton and Einstein. Instil in them the spirit of adventure and discovery. Show them movies about the lives of different saints and scientists and stress one thing – adventure! That should be infused in them. These are moral sciences, not scriptural precepts or commandments. 

GURUJI: Observe how a child grows and becomes an adult. At some stage he simply ceases to enjoy his toys. Because he gets more enjoyment from the real world, his toys start being less attractive and give less pleasure, so they slowly drop away. That is how growth occurs. We can’t make a flower bloom overnight by simply expanding its petals. We must give it water and manure, sunlight and protection, all the things that help it become a flower. Then the bud grows by itself and matures naturally into a flower.

Sri Babuji’s views on education are summed up in the morning prayer he wrote for the Saibaba Central School he founded: 

School Pledge and Prayer

May my mind be always given to the spirit of enquiry and learning; 

I’ll never let my eye of reason be blinded 

by dry and dead habit and superstitions; 

I do not let my mind be subject to narrow and ugly prejudices 

of class, caste, creed, religion and nationality; 

I love my country and strive to realize the ideal of being a world citizen; 

I always act towards others, as I desire them to act toward me; 

I do nothing that will bring discredit 

on myself, my teachers or my fellow pupils. 

May my mind be without fear and my head always held high; 

I will strive at all times to keep my school a lovely and happy place, 

so that all of us may be proud of it. 

This is my solemn pledge and soul’s prayer. 

1. The context for Guruji’s remarks is that formal education in India generally begins with kindergarten classes for children around age three with a strong focus on learning to read and write.

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Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi

Shirdi Sai Baba is one of the most universally loved and revered saints of modern India. Images of him can be seen across the length and breadth of the entire subcontinent and hundreds of temples have been constructed in his name both in India and abroad. He has acquired the status of an adored deity in less than a century since his passing. This is due to the divine qualities of omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence that countless people across the globe experience in him: their prayers are magnanimously answered.

Sai Baba lived at the turn of the twentieth century in the small village of Shirdi in the state of Maharashtra in central India for around sixty years, although this was not his birthplace. He never revealed what that was, nor the time of his birth, or his religion, caste, original name, nor the names of his parents. "Sai" means "Saint" and "Baba" means "Father". The name expresses the love and reverence devotees feel for him and was coined by one of his first followers.

In appearance, Sai Baba was a fakir (Muslim ascetic). He followed a life of holy poverty and renunciation, living on alms in utmost simplicity yet showering grace on all who turned to him. He said that he was here to "give blessings". This was seen in numerous miraculous events that took place around him – healings, protection from accidents, offspring born to barren couples, financial prosperity, disputes resolved, employment secured, and above all, spiritual evolution and transformation in those connected to him. Baba did not object to people coming to him for worldly benefits, as he said that by getting these fulfilled, people would follow him and progress further. He also said, "I give my devotees what they want until they want what I want to give."The miraculous experiences that devotees have around him are his response to their needs, an indication of his love and capacity to take care of them.

In spite of his great spiritual stature, Sai Baba never publicized himself through discourses, touring or preaching, and he did not give instructions in any general practice or rituals. Instead, he catered directly to the needs of each individual, whatever they were, while moulding him or her into something greater. His teaching was his own life and divine transforming presence; sometimes he talked symbolically or in parables. His spiritual perfection still draws innumerable devotees to him from all over the world. He himself said that his work would continue after he had left the physical body, and that he would be "active from his tomb".

In Sai Baba, one finds the true essence of all religions; he is beyond distinctions of religion, caste or creed. Some worship him as a Hindu, others see him as Muslim. Sri Babuji comments, "Not identifying himself in totality with any religious community, by steering along an unbiased middle path of transcendence, seems to be the constant leitmotif of Baba’s lifestyle." Baba did not institute any religious order, organization, ashram or lineage, nor did he leave a successor. He blessed and served all equally. He said that he was the slave of God, but to his devotees Baba is nothing less than God. As one of his contemporary devotees put it, he was "…the embodiment of the Supreme Spirit, lighting the path of his devotees by his every word and action."