ACADEMY OF INTEGRATED CHRISTIAN STUDIES

Paper presentation on Modern Religious and Secular Movements

TOPIC: Guru Movements: Shirdi Sai Baba with special reference to Sathya Sai Baba
Concern Teacher : Dr. Lalruatkima
Submitted by : C. Lalhmangaihtluanga Roll No – 2
Respondent : Dipwang

1. Introduction:

In India, guru movement played a very important role in reviving Hinduism and in offering a
different spiritual outlook to the westerners who were fed up by the degeneration of their
traditional religion. It is seen as a reaction against caste system and especially Brahmin
supremacy in the field of religion and spirituality. The teachings developed by modern Gurus
are similar to the ones as practiced by the Gurus over the century which transcends all the
barriers of caste, race, sex and religion.

2. The term Guru:

In Sanskrit, Guru means “teacher” or “master,” especially in the context of Indian

traditions. The term also refers to “someone who primarily is one‟s spiritual guide, who helps
one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized”. India has always
showcased an enduring fascination for gurus, godmen, saints and their like. A revered
persona, the „guru‟ enlightens the mind of the follower by showing the way, guiding through
initiation and/ or instructing in religious rituals and procedures.1

3. How Guru Movements make Hinduism public and international:

Right from the Vedic period gurus were regarded as the source of the scriptures itself,
indispensable guidance and the required spiritual leaders for the attainment of the highest
religious aspiration. This movement promotes spirituality based on philosophical teachings,
adaptation of traditional values. The guru movement is always linked towards the service of
humanity to change the world. This results of a gradual shift from religious individual
behaviours of bhakti (devotion) and seva (selfless service) to a collective moral. The chief

1
Sukanya Gupta, "Constructing Hindu Religioscapes: Guruism and Identity in South Asian Diasporic
Fiction" (2011). LSU Doctoral Dissertations.
sociological factors in the West opened way for Gurus, the impacts that Hinduism made in
the west was through Swami Vivekananda because of which many prominent leader like
Rabindra Nath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi have given intellectual respectability to
Hinduism in the West and opened the way to its propagation and popularization. Later, Gurus
and Yogis made popularization by becoming extremely convinced of the inability of the
intellect to know the truth. People, and then have no purposes to live as there is no particular
ideology to believe. Therefore, Gurus had shown a direction in the west. Because of the
gurus, Christianity had provided meaning and values to the life of the people in the western
countries which then brought a development in educational and political background.2

Due to rise of pagan philosophies, thinking only towards the theological stream was not
enough in fighting the rationalist attack. It causes erosion of religious authority, people the
search for faith and religious authority began. With that, many seek for Indian gurus as a
viable option. Also, the western young people became dissatisfied with materialism among
the Christians; they seek for spiritual values and life style. Therefore, the gurus‟ ideology and
philosophies of life was influential towards the youth which most of the youth embrace
towards the teachings of Gurus. The guru movement makes Hinduism known with the work
created in the minds of the westerners to which they were exposed to in bringing spiritual
satisfaction. The westerners were convinced that the intellect was incapable of knowing the
truth and so they were drawn to a more mystical and miracle accompanied teachings offered
by the Indian gurus.3

4. Features of Guru Movement:

4.1. Expansion: With the core of skilled and very dedicated workers, guru organization and
sampradayas have been able to expand into a variety of arenas of work, and to develop
extensive branch networks, even outside of India.

4.2. Access: Beyond the core sunnyasi-workers, modern Guru Organizations are generally
marked by their open access.

4.3. Universalism: Open access is frequently associated with an emphasis on the universal
applicability of the teachings of the guru and their ability to project core „human‟ values such
as tolerance, peace, and spirituality.

2
John V. Mathew, Modern religious and secular movement (Kolkata: ESPACE/ SCEPTER, 2013).
3
Anusha Gavankar, ‘Guru’ devotion in India: Socio-cultural perspectives and current trends (2016).
4.4. Exceeding religion: Another characteristic feature associated with both universalism and
open access is the tendency of these organizations to both challenge and strategically deploy
the category of religion and subcategories associated with it.

4.5. Social action: All modern organizations are committed to social action through the idea
of „seva‟ or devotional service. The notion of service is the key means through which
organization engage the broader community. It also provides a major spur to further
expansion.

4.6. Commodification: All gurus sell a product (Maharishi Maheshyogi -free, non-dogmatic
expression of self, etc.). This is in addition to actually products they also sell to devotees.

4.7. Communication: Modern guru organizations are marked by their effective exploitation
of media channels in order to spread the teaching of the organization. In particular, the
internet has provided a new public space for the elaboration of modern guru organizations.4

5. Reasons for the rise and significance of Guru Movement:

5.1. It is a continuing phase of Indian renaissance.

5.2. There was religious change after the independence of India, which was influenced by
socio-economic as well as political factors.

5.3. The Christian mission and Hindu reformers weakened to a great extent the binding force
of caste/class system with idol worship and the authority of scripture. This has opened the
doors for gurus to come in and play in the religious field of India.

5.4. The Hindu varna system and a strong Brahmanic dominance of the socio-religious affair
may also account for the emergence of modern guruism.5

6. SATHYA SAI BABA:

6.1. Biography: Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23rd November 1926 at puttaparthi in Andhra
Pradesh. He was originally known as Sathya Narayana. He was very fond of composing
bhajans (devotional songs) which were mostly in praise of Shirdi Sai Baba. At the age of ten

4
Anusha Gavankar, ‘Guru’ devotion in India: Socio-cultural perspectives and current trends (2016).
159-174.
5
John V. Mathew, Modern religious and secular movement (Kolkata: ESPACE/ SCEPTER, 2013), 75-
76.
he organized a bhajans group.6 In 1940 he was bitten by a scorpion and he became
unconscious. After his consciousness is back, he called the members of his household and
distributed Prasad and flowers and declared himself that “I am Sai Baba from Bharadwaj
Golotra who comes to remove all your troubles”. At the age of fourteen he left his friends,
relatives and went to fulfill his mission. He define his mission in the following words “ My
vision is to propagate the knowledge of vedas, to help and support Vedic scholarship, to
protect the devotees, to protect the righteous way of living by following the sacred
scriptures”. He further stated that his task is not only to cure, to console, to remove the
misery and pain of people but his task is re-establishment of Vedanta and the vedantic way of
life in India and the world.7

6.2. Influence and organization: Sathya Sai baba believes himself to be incarnation of Sai
Baba of Shirdi. In 1962 he said “Since I recline/rest on. I am called Sathya Sai. Sai means
reclining”. Once he said “I‟m the incarnation of Shiva and Shakti”. His devotees take Sathya
Sai Baba as the very embodiment of Sathyam Sivam Sundaram (truth, prosperity, beauty).
They considered him as God‟s Avatara, as Bhagawan. For the believers Sathya Sai Baba is
the embodiment of the Almighty. Sathya Sai Baba has a large number of followers all over
India and abroad. He has 2560 centres abroad. He runs 75 schools. He has large ashrams in
puttaparthi, Bangalore and Kodaikanal.8

6.3. Teachings: According to him, Brahman is Nirguna in its essential nature and the Saguna
respect is only a help for those who are spiritually immature to reach the Nirguna Brahman.
Only the Nirguna Brahman is real. Sathya Sai Baba believed that human beings are
essentially of divine nature. Sin is ignorance of the true nature of one‟s self. Salvation is the
merger of Atman into Brahman.9

7. The Role and Significances of Guru Movement:

There are some important factors which we need to keep in mind while studying the Guru
movements-

6
Moanungsang, Towards Understanding Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India (Delhi:
Christian World Imprints, 2021).
7
Aleyamma Zachariah, Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India (Bangalore: Theological
Book Trust, 1992).
8
Moanungsang, Towards Understanding Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India (Delhi:
Christian World Imprints, 2021).
9
Aleyamma Zachariah, Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India (Bangalore: Theological
Book Trust, 1992).
7.1. It is a continuing phase of Indian renaissance.

7.2. There was religious change after the independence of India, which was influenced by
socio-economic as well as political factors.

7.3. Guru is taken as a symbol of authority in the context of the lack of a fixed canon in
Hinduism.

7.4. A Guru is a visible symbol of God immanent. It is a concrete symbol through which
religious aspiration can be fulfilled.

7.5. Guruism is a struggle for religio-cultural independence in India. Gurus are interpreting
Hinduism in their own way.

7.6. Guruism has to be understood as a struggle for a counter culture against western culture.

7.7. It can be a medicine for Indians who are frustrated sexually or a medicine for the
psychological wounds inflected by over authoritarian parents.10

8. Conclusion:

Gurus originated during the Upanishadic era of Indian history, around the seventh century
BCE. The term „guru‟, could be translated as „spiritual heavyweight‟. Their original role was
quite low-key, but their status gradually evolved, peaking during the medieval period with the
rise of bhakti yoga (the Hindu devotional traditional). Gurus were overshadowed by Islam
and Christianity for the next few centuries, but revived with the growth of Hindu nationalism
at the end of the nineteenth century. The thing that makes guru devotion so enduring in India
that is, in stressed and aspirational times, gurus act as „relieving agents‟. Their magic,
charisma bring in a soothing effect with the promise of hope and assurance in the
business of faith even without guaranteed results.

10
John V. Mathew, Modern religious and secular movement (Kolkata: ESPACE/ SCEPTER, 2013).
Bibliography

Gupta, Sukanya. "Constructing Hindu Religioscapes: Guruism and Identity in South Asian
Diasporic Fiction". LSU Doctoral Dissertations, 2011.

Mathew, John V., Modern religious and secular movement. Kolkata: ESPACE/ SCEPTER,
2013.

Gavankar, Anusha. ‘Guru’ devotion in India: Socio-cultural perspectives and current trends.
2016.

Moanungsang. Towards Understanding Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India.

Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2021.

Zachariah, Aleyamma. Modern Religious and Secular Movements in India. Bangalore:

Theological Book Trust, 1992.