NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Allegations against Sathya Sai Baba

The Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba is the subject of many allegations and intense controversy. Image File history File links Stop_hand. ... References ^ Tirha, B. B. A Taste of Trascendence, (2002) p. ... Sai Baba Man of Miracles book by Howard Murphet. ...

False claims of miracles

One of Sathya Sai Baba's most long-standing critics is the Indian atheist and skeptic Basava Premanand. To date, Premanand has been unable to succeed legally and claims that he was even arrested by the police in Puttaparthi for a demonstration in the village. Atheism, in its broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of gods. ... Skepticism (Commonwealth spelling: Scepticism) can mean: Philosophical skepticism - a philosophical position in which people choose to critically examine whether the knowledge and perceptions that they have are actually true, and whether or not one can ever be said to have absolutely true knowledge; or Scientific skepticism - a scientific, or practical... Basava Premanand swallowing fire(Courtesy http://www. ... Puttaparthi is the birth place and abode of Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba. ...

In 1976 Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, who was a member of a private miracle committee set to debunk all superstitious religious belief, publicly challenged Sathya Sai Baba to perform his miracles under controlled circumstances, a challenge which Sathya Sai Baba ignored.³ The controversy that was the consequence of this incident helped make Sathya Sai Baba even more well known in India.⁴ Sathya Sai Baba said in one of his rare interviews that he found the attitude of the committee improper.⁵ In 1994 another skeptic, Dr. Dale Beyerstein from Canada, published an extensive literature study of Baba's claims, miracles, and clairvoyance in which he wrote as his conclusion that Baba's extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence that Baba did not supply. ⁶ 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Dr. H. Narasimhaiah Dr. H. Narasimhaiah (6 June 1920 â€” 31 January 2005) was a physicist, eminent educator, freedom fighter and rationalist from Bangalore. ... Fishers of Men, oil on panel by Adriaen van de Venne (1614) Various religious symbols Religion is commonly defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Unresolved murders in Baba's private quarters

On 6 June, 1993, six members of the main ashram Prashanthi Nilayam were killed in Sathya Sai Baba's house. Four of them, visiting assailants armed with knives, first killed two house residents and were then shot dead by the police. Initial reports by the police and media provide conflicting views. Two members of the plot escaped and were later arrested and freed. Basava Premanand then went to court accusing the police and the government of destroying evidence. The appeal was dismissed as lacking in evidence. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Ashrams in ancient India were Hindu hermitages where sages lived in peace and tranquility amidst nature. ... Prasanthi Nilayam is the name of the main ashram of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba located in the town Puttaparthi. ...

Sexual abuse

Perhaps the most scandalous accusation by Western ex-members, first voiced in print by Tal Brooke in 1976, is that Sai Baba is a hermaphrodite and that he sexually abuses male followers during private interviews.⁸ Tal Brooke (born as Robert Taliaferro Brooke) is the chairperson of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, a Christian countercult and apologetics organization. ... The 1st-century BC sculpture The Reclining Hermaphrodite, in the Museo Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme in Rome In zoology, a hermaphrodite is an organism of a species whose members possess both male and female sexual organs during their lives. ... Sexual abuse is a relative cultural term used to describe sexual relations and behavior between two or more parties which are considered criminally and/or morally offensive. ...

In and after the year 2000 the allegations against the guru became more strident, mainly because a Welsh musician, David Bailey, and his wife, Faye Bailey, became ex-followers and then published their experiences and opinions as well as those second- and third-hand tales of other ex-followers in a document called The Findings. This document was soon published on the Internet and an Expose Committee was formed in secret. While in some cases these young men are willing to talk to serious enquirers, to date none have even attempted to move their complaints to a court of law. This article is about the year 2000. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ...

Not an avatar of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba

Researchers on Sri Shirdi Sai Baba's life history such as Sri Ekkirala Bharadwaja claimed in their magazine SaiBaba that Sathya Sai Baba is not an avatar of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit à¤…à¤µà¤¤à¤¾à¤°), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ...

Myth making

School records reveal two different birthdates for Sathya Sai Baba. Kasturi states that the boy was a relatively normal child until he was stung by a scorpion in 1940 , after which he declared that he was a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. According to Kasturi, he started his mission on 20 October, 1940. The book contains many miracle stories about the Guru. Research by the Australian critic Brian Steel has concluded that the mission did not start on 20 October 1940 but rather began in 1943.⁵ 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... This article is about the original, turn of the century Shirdi Sai Baba from Bombay state (now Maharashtra). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

In 1968 the American playwright Arnold Schulman visited the Baba and tried to verify the stories about the guru's youth but heard contradicting stories from the older villagers, as published in his book called Baba. A possible reason for the contradictory stories was probably due to Schulman's account that he needed interpreters to interperet other interpreters, as in the case of his interview with Baba's sister. Schulman concluded that what the translators claimed Baba's sister said may well have been quite different from what she actually said ^[1]. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Arnold Schulman (born August 11, 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - ) is an American screenwriter and producer. ...

Political, governmental and parliamentary responses

The Indian President Abdul Kalam and the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visit the ashram and pay respect to Baba. Vajpayee wrote a letter when he was still the PM that is published on the internet, also signed by two former Supreme Court Justices, saying that Sathya Sai Baba is innocent of sexual molestations and that the accusations are concocted and malicious. [2][3] Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Tamil: à®….à®ª.à®œ. à®…à®ªà¯à®¤à¯à®²à¯ à®•à®²à®¾à®®à¯; Hindi: à¤…à¤¬à¥à¤²à¥ à¤«à¤¼à¤•à¤¿à¤°à¥ à¤œà¤¼à¤¯à¥à¤¨à¥à¤²à¥ à¤…à¤¬à¤¿à¤¦à¥€à¤¨à¥ à¤…à¤¬à¥à¤¦à¥à¤²à¥ à¤•à¤¼à¤²à¤¾à¤®; Urdu: Ø§Ø¨Ùˆ Ø§Ù„ÙÙ‚ÛŒØ± Ø²ÛŒÙ† Ø§Ù„Ø¹Ø¨Ø¯ÛŒÙ† Ø§Ø¨Ø¯Ù„ Ú©Ù„Ø§Ù…), born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is the President of India. ... Atal Bihari Vajpayee (often wrongly spelt Behari; à¤…à¤Ÿà¤² à¤¬à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤°à¥€ à¤µà¤¾à¤œà¤ªà¥‡à¤¯à¥€ in Devnagari) (born December 25, 1924) was the Prime Minister of India in 1996 and again from 1998 until May 19, 2004. ...

In the year 2000 UNESCO withdrew its co-sponsorship of an educational conference at Puttaparthi and stated the reasons, in a press release issued on 15 September, as "Certain decisions were taken by the ISSE without consultation, such as plans to hold some of the sessions at the Ashram of the Sathya Sai movement in Puttaparthi, and the inclusion of some speakers in the conference programme without their previous consent. Furthermore, the Organization is deeply concerned about widely-reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been levelled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba." [4] In the year 2005, Barry Pittard, an anti-SSB activist, criticized the UNESCO for removing the press release from their site [5]. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Puttaparthi is the birth place and abode of Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba. ...

MP Tony Colman of the Parliament of the United Kingdom asked in 2002 whether a travel warning was appropriate due to the reports of sexual abuse. [6] Since 2002, neither Tony Blair nor the Parliament ever issued a travel warning against Sathya Sai Baba, nor has the British Government released any official statement regarding this matter. The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. ...

Tom Sackville, a former Home Office Under-Secretary of State and current chairman of the anti-cult organisation Family Action Information and Resource (FAIR), has expressed concern about the alleged indoctrination of children by devotees who volunteer at public schools and propagate the Educare/Education in Human Values teachings and asserted that this should be forbidden by law. [7] The word indoctrination has accumulated negative connotations over the past century. ...

The European Commission answered a question from a member of the European Parliament about no EU funding going to organizations associated with Sathya Sai Baba, due to allegations of sexual abuse. October 1, 2001. [8] The Commission answered that the Sathya Sai Trust never received, and was not receiving, any funding from the European Commission. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Unions directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

A travel advisory by the United States Department of State, in which neither Sathya Sai Baba or other persons are mentioned, warns US citizens traveling to Andhra Pradesh of unconfirmed reports of inappropriate sexual behavior toward young male devotees by a prominent local religious leader. [9] Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: à°†à°‚à°§à±à°° à°ªà±à°°à°¦à±‡à°¶à±; Ä€ndhra PrÄdesh), is a state in south-eastern India and is part of the linguistic-cultural region of South India. ...

Debating the allegations

Sathya Sai Baba has said in the Christmas discourse of the year 2000 that people who tell negative stories about him have been bribed or do this out of jealousy because of his fame. Besides, he says that it always been the fate of saints and avatars to be exposed to calumny. ²³ Sathya Sai Baba says that his followers should not rely on hearsay found on the Internet but focus instead on the innernet, by which he perhaps means that they should follow their own spiritual practices and leave gossip to gossipers. In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...

Bill Aitken (a Sai Devotee, expert in comparative religion and author of the book "Sathya Sai Baba: A life") stated that Sathya Sai Baba's reputation has only increased despite negative stories being published against the Guru, by rationalists, critics and skeptics, for at least a generation. Aitken contended that critics are so distemperate in their dislike that their vituperation comes across as near comical. Aitken also argued that the BBC's programme, Secret Swami, had an advantage for discrediting Sathya Sai Baba because the Anglican Church would not object to programmes that weaken perceived threats, such as Sai Movement. [10] Bill Aitken (William McKay Aitken) is a Scottish born, naturalized Indian writer and traveller. ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Official Sathya Sai Websites

Websites of critical former followers, skeptics and other critics

Websites to Devotees and Proponents

Other websites

Categories: Accuracy disputes | NPOV disputes | Sathya Sai Baba | Criticisms The Dialog Center is a Christian counter cult organization founded by the renowned Danish professor of missiology and ecumenical theology, Dr Johannes Aagaard. ... Hinduism (DevnÄgari: ), also known as Sanatana Dharma () and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Indo-Aryan religion of the Vedas, and is generally regarded as the oldest major religion still practiced in the world today [1]. The term Hinduism is an amorphous concept... Shruti (Sanskrit à¤¶à¥à¤°à¥à¤¤à¤¿, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ... Veda redirects here. ... The Upanishads (; Devanagari ) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Smriti (Sanskrit à¤¸à¥à¤®à¥„à¤¤à¤¿, that which is remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... Itihasa (Sanskrit: à¤‡à¤¤à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤¸ - itihÄsa in IAST notation, literally meaning that which happened) is the word for History. ... The RÄmÄyana (Sanskrit: à¤°à¤¾à¤®à¤¾à¤¯à¤£, march or journey (Ä€yana) of RÄma) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: à¤®à¤¹à¤¾à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤, phonetically MahÄbhÄrata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Puranas (Sanskrit à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤£, purÄá¹‡Ã¡ ancient, since they focus on ancient history of the universe) are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss varied topics like devotion to God in his various aspects, traditional sciences like Ayurveda, Jyotish, cosmology, concepts like dharma, karma, reincarnation and many others. ... Sutra (à¤¸à¥‚à¤¤à¥à¤°) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... For the Buddhist texts called the Agamas, see Nikaya. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: loom), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Yantra literally means loom, instrument or machine. ... Vedanta (VedÄnta, à¤µà¥‡à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¤, pronounced as ////) means the anta or culmination or essence of the Vedas. ... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit à¤…à¤µà¤¤à¤¾à¤°), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ... Brahman (à¤¬à¥à¤°à¤¹à¥à¤®à¤¨à¥ in devanagari script) in the Vedantic (and subsequently Yogic) schools of Hinduism, is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all being in this universe. ... Kosas are five sheaths which covers the Atman. ... Dharma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma is a concept in Hinduism, based on the Vedas and Upanishads, which explains causality through a system where beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a persons reincarnated lives. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Maya, in Hinduism, is many things. ... Ishta-Deva, or Ishta Devata is a term from Hinduism that means chosen Deity or revered aspect of God by a devotee and is a widely held concept in Smartism. ... The Nataraja is one of the most famous images of Lord Siva Murtis are deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and other related religions, samsara or saá¹ƒsÄra refers to the concept of reincarnation or rebirth in Indian philosophical traditions. ... In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) are three aspects of God, or Parabrahman, in Gods personae as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. ... In early Hindu philosophy, turiya (also called caturtha) is a state of pure consciousness, or the experience of ultimate reality and truth. ... The guru-shishya tradition (also guru-shishya parampara or lineage) is a spiritual relationship found within traditional Hinduism which is centered around the transmission of teachings from a guru (teacher, ) to a Å›iá¹£ya (disciple, ) . The term shishya roughly equates to the western term disciple, and in some parts of... Hindu philosophy (one of the main divisions of Indian philosophy) is traditionally seen through the prism of six different systems (called darshanas in Sanskrit) that are listed here and make up the main belief systems of Hinduism. ... Hinduism (Vedic dharma or Sanatana dharma) encompasses many movements and traditions (sampradaya). ... Early Hinduism is a term used to designate the religious development of India before the historical period. ... Samkhya, also Sankhya, (Sanskrit: à¤¸à¤¾à¤‚à¤–à¥à¤¯) is a school of Indian philosophy, and is one of the six astika or Hindu philosophical schools of India. ... Nyaya (pronounced as nyÎ±:yÉ™) is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy - specifically the school of logic. ... Vaisheshika, also Vaisesika, (Sanskrit: à¤µà¥ˆà¤¶à¥†à¤·à¤¿à¤•)is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy (orthodox Vedic systems) of India. ... Yoga is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means to enlightenment. ... The main objective of the Purva (earlier) Mimamsa school was to establish the authority of the Vedas. ... Vedanta (VedÄnta, à¤µà¥‡à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¤, pronounced as ////) means the anta or culmination or essence of the Vedas. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: loom), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. ... ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ayurveda (à¤†à¤¯à¥à¤°à¥à¤µà¥‡à¤¦ Sanskrit: ayuâ€”life; vedaâ€”knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine, first described by Charaka around the beginning of the Common Era, and based on a holistic approach rooted in earlier Vedic culture. ... Aarti, Ã£rti, arathi, or Ã£rati is a Hindu ritual in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. ... Darshan is a Sanskrit and Hindu (also used to some extent in Urdu) term meaning sight (in the sense of an instance of seeing something or somebody), vision, apparition, or a glimpse. ... In Hinduism, diksha is the ritual of initiation into the worship of some deity by a guru (diksha guru) who bestows mantra(s) and takes the karma of the initiate - at least in case of Vaishnava diksha, as per Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1. ... A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. ... The term puja is also used to refer to certain ceremonies performed by Buddhists on holy days. ... The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... Hindu wedding ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. ... In Hinduism, YajÃ±a à¤¯à¤œà¥à¤ž (Sanskrit yajÃ±Ã¡ worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice) is a Vedic ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas, or sometimes to the Supreme Spirit Brahman. ... References ^ Tirha, B. B. A Taste of Trascendence, (2002) p. ... In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Adi Shankara with the Four Disciples Adi Shankara (Åšaá¹…kara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ä€di Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of the Lord) (approximately 8th century, but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who... Sri Ramanuja Acharya (traditionally dated 1017 - 1137 CE) was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. ... Shri Madhvacharya,(1238-1317), was the chief propounder of the Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy, one of the three influential Vedanta philosophies. ... Sri Thakur Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: à¦¶à§à¦°à§€à¦°à¦¾à¦®à¦•à§„à¦·à§à¦ž à¦ªà¦°à¦®à¦¹à¦‚à¦¸) (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was a Bengali saint. ... Swami Vivekananda (Bangla: à¦¸à§à¦¬à¦¾à¦®à§€ à¦¬à¦¿à¦¬à§‡à¦•à¦¾à¦¨à¦¨à§à¦¦, Hindi: à¤¸à¥à¤µà¤¾à¤®à¥€ à¤µà¤¿à¤µà¥‡à¤•à¤¾à¤¨à¤¨à¥à¤¦) (whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta Bangla: à¦¨à¦°à§‡à¦¨à§à¦¦à§à¦°à¦¨à¦¾à¦¥ à¦¦à¦¤à§à¦¤, Hindi: à¤¨à¤°à¥‡à¤¨à¥à¤¦à¥à¤°à¤¨à¤¾à¤¥ à¤¦à¤¤à¥à¤¤) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Vedanta philosophy. ... Narayana Guru NÄrÄyana Guru (à¤¨à¤¾à¤°à¤¾à¤¯à¤£ à¤—à¥à¤°à¥,à´¨à´¾à´°à´¾à´¯à´£ à´—àµà´°àµ) (1856 - 1928) was a great sage and social reformer of India. ... Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: à¦¶à§à¦°à§€ à¦…à¦°à¦¬à¦¿à¦¨à§à¦¦, Sanskrit: à¤¶à¥à¤°à¥€ à¤…à¤°à¤µà¤¿à¤¨à¥à¤¦) (August 15, 1872â€“December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, Hindu mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. ... Ramana Mahrishi as portrayed in a loving oil painting by Jayalakshmi Satyendra Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 â€“ April 14, 1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream and is widely regarded as one of the greatest saints of Hinduism. ... Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963), as he is known under his monastic name, was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. ... Swami Chinmayananda (à¤¸à¥â€à¤µà¤¾à¤®à¥€ à¤šà¤¿à¤¨à¥â€à¤®à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨à¤¨à¥â€à¤¦) (1916 - August 3, 1993) was born Balakrishna Menon (Balan) in Ernakulam, Kerala in a very devout Hindu family. ... Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927 - 2001), affectionately known as Gurudeva, was born in Oakland, California on January 5th, 1927. ... Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a brahmin family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. ... A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896â€“November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. ... Baba Lokenath Brahmachari or simply Baba Lokenath was a semi-legendary Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... Vaishnavism is one of the principal divisions of Hinduism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, or Devi -- the Hindu name for the Great Mother -- in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hinduism is going through a phase of regeneration and reform through the vehicle of several contemporary movements. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is a List of Hindu deities. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Satya Yuga, also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the Yuga (Age or Era) of Truth, when humankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme. ... The Treta Yuga is the second Yuga in the four yugas. ... Dvapara Yuga is the third out of four yugas, or ages, in the religion of Hinduism. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... The Indian caste system is a social system in which people are divided into separate endogamous groups, known in English as castes, and in Hindi as jati (birth unit), biradari (fraternity) etc. ... Panini // Who is a Brahmin? To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In the Hindu caste system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit à¤µà¥ˆà¤¶à¥à¤¯ vaiÅ›ya) is a member of the third of the four major castes of the varna system of traditional Indian society, comprising of merchants, farmers, landowners and artisans. ... Shudra or Sudra is the fourth caste or varna in the traditional four-caste division in Indian society. ... In South Asias caste system, a Dalit â€” formerly called untouchable â€” is a person outside the four castes, and considered below them. ...

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False claims of miracles GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");