If at the crack of dawn on a Sunday around Christmas, you hear wan, childish voices belting out carols that have lyrics about “Sai” and “Parthi” instead of “Jesus” and “Bethlehem”, you aren't dreaming. You're probably in the vicinity of Sathya Sai Baba devotees.
The Sai Baba carols are just one sign of the generous ecumenism of the cult of Sathya Sai Baba, the self-proclaimed godman from a small village in Andhra Pradesh who died in 2011. At the time of his passing, his cult had gathered an estimated six million followers around the world. Unlike many other new age sects based on Hinduism, the cult of Sathya Sai Baba is peculiarly non-denominational. It believes that all gods of all religions are one. It's just that god is was physically represented on earth by Sathya Sai Baba.
The rhythm of the average Sathya Sai Baba devotee's schedule is fairly straightforward: it includes singing bhajans, religious study classes, feeding the economically backward and volunteering for medical services from one week to the next.
The only break from the weekly routine of bhajans that are typically in praise of Hindu gods comes at Christmas, when devotees sing Christmas carols instead.
Every year, young and old Sai devotees around the world gather in small processions to sing Christmas carols that celebrate the joy of having Sathya Sai Baba in the world. The logic is that since all gods are one god and that god is Sathya Sai Baba, even the Christian god should be absorbed into the general Sai pantheon.
A particularly ecstatic English teacher, Des Geddes, described listening to these carols at Puttaparthi, the town in Andhra Pradesh that is the centre of all activities related to Sathya Sai Baba, in his book The Darshan Line. As they proceed with candles to Sathya Sai Baba's residence, the man comes out dressed in white to his balcony. Geddes says:
All gods, one god
Sathya Sai Baba was born in 1926 as Sathyanarayana Raju in a village in what is now Andhra Pradesh. When he was 14, he announced that he was the promised reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a Muslim spiritual leader who became immensely popular with Hindus in the 19th century and is still revered today.
The practice of inserting Sathya Sai Baba’s name into religious songs is typical of the movement, which is an amalgamation of elements from Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
The man asserted that he did not want to convert followers to Hinduism, but to make them better practitioners of their own religions. This they do by singing Sai bhajans – adaptations from older existing devotional songs to Hindu gods that replace the deity in question with Sathya Sai Baba.
It is not clear when the practice began. Accounts from within the organisation describe the ritual as timeless. For instance, its report of the 2007 Christmas celebrations begins:
It also helps that a large number of Sathya Sai Baba devotees are residents of western countries that actively celebrate Christmas. A choir with singers from around the world has been performing carols at Prasanthi Nilayam, the grand temple complex dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba, since at least the 1990s.
Modern carols
But followers of Sathya Sai Baba are not the only ones to modify Christmas carols. In 2008, The Telegraph reported that a vicar in the United Kingdom had updated the classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to suit the woes of modern times.
The lyrics:
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The Sai Baba carols are just one sign of the generous ecumenism of the cult of Sathya Sai Baba, the self-proclaimed godman from a small village in Andhra Pradesh who died in 2011. At the time of his passing, his cult had gathered an estimated six million followers around the world. Unlike many other new age sects based on Hinduism, the cult of Sathya Sai Baba is peculiarly non-denominational. It believes that all gods of all religions are one. It's just that god is was physically represented on earth by Sathya Sai Baba.
The rhythm of the average Sathya Sai Baba devotee's schedule is fairly straightforward: it includes singing bhajans, religious study classes, feeding the economically backward and volunteering for medical services from one week to the next.
The only break from the weekly routine of bhajans that are typically in praise of Hindu gods comes at Christmas, when devotees sing Christmas carols instead.
Every year, young and old Sai devotees around the world gather in small processions to sing Christmas carols that celebrate the joy of having Sathya Sai Baba in the world. The logic is that since all gods are one god and that god is Sathya Sai Baba, even the Christian god should be absorbed into the general Sai pantheon.
A particularly ecstatic English teacher, Des Geddes, described listening to these carols at Puttaparthi, the town in Andhra Pradesh that is the centre of all activities related to Sathya Sai Baba, in his book The Darshan Line. As they proceed with candles to Sathya Sai Baba's residence, the man comes out dressed in white to his balcony. Geddes says:
Suddenly everyday reality started to fade, and I could hear the sound of glass breaking in the back of my head, the sound of mirrors shattering across eons. All I could see were the eyes of the lover and his look of eternal love.
All gods, one god
Sathya Sai Baba was born in 1926 as Sathyanarayana Raju in a village in what is now Andhra Pradesh. When he was 14, he announced that he was the promised reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a Muslim spiritual leader who became immensely popular with Hindus in the 19th century and is still revered today.
The practice of inserting Sathya Sai Baba’s name into religious songs is typical of the movement, which is an amalgamation of elements from Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
The man asserted that he did not want to convert followers to Hinduism, but to make them better practitioners of their own religions. This they do by singing Sai bhajans – adaptations from older existing devotional songs to Hindu gods that replace the deity in question with Sathya Sai Baba.
It is not clear when the practice began. Accounts from within the organisation describe the ritual as timeless. For instance, its report of the 2007 Christmas celebrations begins:
Like every year, this year too, Christmas celebration in the Divine Presence of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was full of grandeur and grace...
It also helps that a large number of Sathya Sai Baba devotees are residents of western countries that actively celebrate Christmas. A choir with singers from around the world has been performing carols at Prasanthi Nilayam, the grand temple complex dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba, since at least the 1990s.
Modern carols
But followers of Sathya Sai Baba are not the only ones to modify Christmas carols. In 2008, The Telegraph reported that a vicar in the United Kingdom had updated the classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to suit the woes of modern times.
The lyrics:
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me...
12 soldiers serving
11 lottery losers
10 hoodies hollering
Nine single mothers
Eight AIDS victims
Seven shoppers struggling
Six carers caring
Five repossessings
Four calling conmen
Three starving children
Two addicts shaking
And a poor homeless refugee
