Peggy Mason
Peggy, a professional journalist who wrote for spiritual magazines, went to see Sai Baba with her husband Ron Laing and had a number of interviews during their short stay. Both she and Ron were enchanted with Swami (as indeed I was at first), and this one visit was the basis for their subsequent writings.
In December 1997 on our way to Gatwick airport to leave for India, we collected a letter written to Swami by Peggy.
I gave the letter to him during the next afternoon darshan.
The following morning I received a fax to say that Peggy had died.
A few days later I had an interview in the company of the editor of the Sanathana Sarathi, and he told Swami that Faye was now editor of Peggy Mason's magazine….
SB : "Yes, yes. It's in very good hands, now make it go! How is Peggy Mason?"
Me : "She has merged with you".
SB : "Yes. She lives near you in England?"
Me : "She lived eighty miles from me, but she died a few days ago Swami. She is with you!"
SB : "Yes, yes, her husband was a good man. When you go home, give my regards to her".
Me : "She is dead Swami. Dead! She has merged with you!'"
SB : "Give her my love when you get back to England".
Me : "I cannot Swami, because she is DEAD!"
SB : "Oh ?? Oh....."
In another interview a few days later, (this time with Faye) Swami seemed very confused and spoke randomly without making coherent sense for a minute or so, and ended by telling all in the room that Peggy Mason had played the trumpet very well during the Christmas celebrations just completed in the ashram. He was not making a joke and we were both nonplussed and very disturbed, and everyone else there also looked puzzled and somewhat concerned about these ramblings, as they had all heard Maynard Ferguson play trumpet on Christmas day
On two occasions he called us into the private interview room and questioned me intently about someone in the outer room. Then after we had both returned to the outer room he repeated everything I had just told him, no more, no less, while implying he was getting the information by 'tuning in'.
This possibly explains why he thought I was American in the first instance, even referring to me in his discourse as American. Perhaps someone had given him incorrect data...?
My greatest difficulty at this time, was finding someone other than Faye, to talk to about all these disturbing findings. Everyone I knew from the west had had much less interactive experience with Swami than I had. During my six years of being devoted to him I had had over one hundred close encounters in the way of interviews and work sessions, and been very involved with him during my times of teaching the students in the male college.
For most devotees, a visit to the ashram means sitting in the darshan lines looking on, wishing and hoping for interaction, whilst listening to the stories others tell. This is very different to being 'in there' - seeing how things work behind the scenes.
I had to find someone who had had the same level of experience as I had.
I began to look for Terry Gallagher, an Australian whom, I heard, had been close to Swami before my time. Terry had been Central Coordiantor for the Sai organisation in Australia for three years, and had been given very preferential treatment from Sai Baba for a number of years. I traced him to Kiama in New South Wales, Australia.
I knew he had left the ashram vowing never to return, and I wanted to know why? I soon found out. Terry had discovered the unmentionable inner workings of Sai Baba as I had now done. Exactly the same... but more. Terry left, never to return after the assassination attempt by ex-students in 1993. I wanted to know what Terry knew. I soon did.
(Terry's own experiences - page 14)
Is this why there are so few really 'long standing' western followers around? Do those who get close, get too close and discover that the mighty 'Wizard of Oz' is just a little magician? In this case, a little magician who is also a paedophile?
Do they then discern that 'God wouldn't do that' and leave?
Premanand, another with a very close connection to Sai Baba some years before Terry's time, had also discovered the truth behind the facade and left. Premanand now shares his findings on Internet.
Phenomena
There are many instances of vibhuti etc appearing on pictures around the world. Very often in homes and temples where non-stop bhajans are sung, which may well have something to do with the appearance of this phenomena. Generally speaking, we in the west know so little about mind power and the power of vibration. However some of these appearances of vibhuti are fake, and can be created by chemical means.
Some would appear to be genuine, but my research in this area leads me to determine that the appearance of phenomena does not automatically mean it comes from Swami, or has any divine connection whatsoever. Whilst in India Faye and I saw many examples of phenomena. Enough to know that the ability to do phenomena does not make one divine.
My suspicions once aroused about Swami's divinity, gave me no peace.
Things I blindly accepted because I had been told they were so, did not stand up in the light of close scrutiny. Even the men in power around him, although they act out a role of subservient adoration when in front of Sai Baba, play a different part away from him. On occasions I was with members of the inner circle, Mr Rao for example, in the main office. Once, I had been sent by Swami for something and the reply he gave me ended with the words "Swami doesn't know what he is talking about" (!) Yet they perpetrate the idea that he knows everything.
Over this questioning span of many months I have had my share of indoctrination procedure from those in high places. While at the ashram, my very first queries brought intense social interaction from an Indian inner circle member who, unknown and uninvited, visited Faye and me in our unit after almost every darshan for a week, to tell us of the many wonders of Swami's miraculous powers. Only later did we understand why he did this.
Once back home, when rumours were beginning to fly about our defection from the fold, I received several phone calls from long standing devotees from the VIP lines, telling me that I had a problem. I had to decide if Sai Baba was God or not. If he was God, then he could do everything he wanted to anyone, sexually, fraudulently, drugs, trickery etc, but of course if I did not accept him as God, then I had my own view of morals, and the laws of my land to follow.
For me there was no choice to make.
I know there are instances worldwide of people going to Prashanthi, and coming back with a new lease of life, but so do people who visit the many other gurus in India, or Mother Meera, or Lourdes, and so on. My investigations into mind power find simple explanations for this.
If even only a handful of people sit quietly together to do Yoga meditation, circle work, or just to meditate, they expect and often get a lovely atmosphere, and sometimes, healing happens.
Imagine the energy that might be generated by hundreds of people sitting quietly focused for an hour or two in darshan. Amongst these are probably some natural or trained psychics, and natural or trained healers, as well as many people sitting still and focused for a lengthy period, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Different experiences are bound to occur. Nothing to do with Sai Baba.
I think the 'love-connection' people experience is simply one connecting with one's Self.
When one gets involved with Sai Baba, a very subtle brain washing commences. Sitting for hours in darshan is one of these. When one sees all around with hands in prayer position, one naturally follows suite. Once attached and involved, common sense and logic progressively disappears, until one reaches the point of attributing every small act of living to Sai Baba.
Where to now?
No more gurus for me.
Once more, for me the true connection with God is inside me.
No more giving my power away.
To sit still quietly and talk to God within, I find gets real answers.
To accept who I am in this life, and to do my best with my gifts, knowing that I am part of the Great Picture, is enough.
Conclusion
If I take any other subject I look at the pros and cons fearlessly.
For example where I shop : Is the price good? Do they sell what I want?
Or perhaps : Is this car what I really want? How many miles to the gallon? Insurance cost, deterioration, repair bills?
Or : Is this double glazing well made? etc etc.
I choose from being presented the true facts. The car sales man was not knowingly waiting there for me, to give me an experience I needed for my life. I gave myself the experience by deciding to go that showroom.
I consider this attitude should also be applied to spiritual subjects.
I spent a lot of time believing what I was told by others - that this was a great test for me, and Swami was doing it to give me an experience.
From my conversations and observations with Swami I know for myself that this is not the case. I gave myself the experience, by listening to very well meaning people when I first heard about Swami, who in their turn had not done any research into the truth, but just believed others.
There are fantastic stories going round about Sai Baba's supposed powers, but in five years searching I have not found one to be genuine. Always secondhand information. People repeat these stories in good faith and then say 'I know this was so', but how can they know? They were not there.
The above is first hand information.
From : AUSTRALIA
Source : Terry Gallagher - a letter to the Baileys.
Subject : DISILLUSION
Dear Faye and David,
When speaking to you recently I was so pleased to hear about your decision not to mention or publish anything further about Sai Baba in your Quarterly Spiritual Digest.
The information you have uncovered about Sai Baba, I have also found out from personal experience to be true.
What began as a wonderful spiritual journey ended with total disbelief and bitter disappointment when we found out the truth.
Perhaps I should start at the beginning with a brief account of that journey.
After reading a book called 'Man of Miracles' I set off for India (and Puttaparthi) with my wife and three young daughters, in an organised group for Christmas 1983.
What we found when we arrived in India was something I had been searching for all my life. The most beautiful, peaceful atmosphere, with wonderful people searching for their own spiritual truth, living in a community whose whole objective was that of improving self-awareness and achieving self-realisation, through the teachings of a living guru - Sai Baba.
Adjacent to the ashram and provided free of cost to the students was a primary school for boys and girls, and various colleges for boys, where spiritual teachings were incoporated into the normal academic disciplines.
We were all very impressed and motivated towards learning as much as possible about what Sai Baba had to teach us.
The celebration of Christmas came and went, after which our family was called for an interview with Sai Baba. As a result of this interview and what appeared at the time to be the most perfect environment for students and devotees to advance their spiritual lives, I made a substantial donation to the Central Trust to help them fund their educational programmes.
Upon leaving the interview I was told by Sai Baba that I should sit on the verandah of the Mandir in future, with students from the colleges and other devotees.
As it turned out this gave me the opportunity to meet people and observe events very closely, that I otherwise may not have had the opportunity to do.
We all had mixed feelings when we had to leave the ashram and return to Australia, sad in having to leave and joy in what we had experienced.
We returned to the ashram again in 1985 for one month, then in 1986 we stayed for seven months, at which time our daughters attended Sai Baba's school.
It was during this time that I began to observe things that made me question what I had experienced on previous visits. Having a scientific background I began to observe a set routine that Sai Baba followed each morning and evening during darshan, and in particular, how he materialised vibhuti (holy ash).
I will never forget the look of anguish on Sai Baba's face when he came into the verandah of the Mandir early one morning and dropped two vibhuti pellets in front of me, as he attempted to accept a rose from a college student. There was no vibhuti materialisation during darshan that morning!
In the months that followed I observed how he transferred these vibhuti pellets from one hand to the other, using the letters he collects from devotees to disguise his movements. In the many interviews that followed I also observed more than thirty instances of rings, 'diamonds', japamalas, vibhuti containers etc, all being produced by sleight of hand and deception.
At first I kept this information to myself. I reasoned that if this was what made people come to see Sai Baba, resulting in them becoming more spiritual, what harm could it do! Eventually I told my wife and children, who also saw through this 'materialisation' trickery.
It was the observations and information that followed on from these initial findings that concerned me most, especially those relating to students being sexually interferred with in grotesque ways by Sai Baba.
We returned to the ashram several times during the following years, making further observations and having these confirmed by college students and long term devotees living at the ashram. During this time I was the central coordinator for three years for the Sathya Sai organisation in Australia.
It wasn't until 1993, following the assassination attempt on Sai Baba, resulting in the murder of four college students and two assistants in the Mandir, that we made our last visit to India.
The purpose of this visit was to find the reason why former students of Sai Baba's college would want to kill him, particularly when they had been given a free education!
The eye witness accounts were horrific! After bursting into the Mandir, four students found themselves trapped upstairs where Sai Baba was staying. Each was interrogated by police, then one at a time they were executed!
The stench of death was everywhere.
I made further inquiries about Sai Baba having sexual relations with college boys and male students - some of these as young as seven years of age - and whether this was the reason for former students wanting to kill him. I was told, to my horror, that this was an acceptable Indian practice!
I felt sick, and just wanted to take my family and leave the ashram and India as quickly as possible.
Before we did, we were all called for interview with Sai Baba and we told him what we had experienced and been told.
Sai Baba made no comment on our accusations and was only anxious to know who had told us these details, requesting us to tell him several times! Having had dozens of interviews over the years, this was the most stressful and uncomfortable interview our family had ever experienced.
Sai Baba was tense and agitated and his body language told us all, that what we had found out about him was the truth!
We left the interview and returned to Australia.
The following years were very difficult spiritually, we concentrated on all the positive aspects we had experienced over the past ten years and found this comforting.
When we attempted to tell others about our experiences and the truth about Sai Baba, no one would believe us, except those who also had similar experiences, and mostly - fear prevents them from telling others!
It has only been in the past twelve months that former students and devotees of Sai Baba have begun communicating with each other, confirming experiences to be true and supporting each other spiritually and emotionally when necessary.
I now know the truth about Sai Baba and sincerely pray that others too, perhaps through your magazine, will follow both their logic and intuition to also find the truth.
Warm regards,
Terry Gallagher
From : INDIA
Source : Name withheld at request. (Available for investigation by authority)
Subject : DR BHATIA (HEAD OF SSH BLOOD BANK). WHY DID HE LEAVE?
Regarding the notice of expulsion of Dr Bhatia in the Sanathana Sarathi magazine, please note :
Three young students from Sai Baba's junior male college were called for interview. One of them, a seven year old boy student, came out of the private interview room crying.
He continued to cry for two days, and was unable to eat or study.
That evening Dr Bahtia, on duty in the children's canteen, was asked to find the cause of the child's distress.
He questioned and then examined the child, and found that he had been sexually penetrated, via his anus.
The child was taken to Bangalore and re-examined. A second medical opinion confirmed sexual abuse.
Dr Bhatia had been involved in sexual activity with Sai Baba for six years, believing that he was serving divinity.
He went to Sai Baba :
- Why do you do this to such a young child when you have all of us adults and the older students to play with?
Sai Baba's reply :
- Don't bargain with God!
Soon after, five men went to Dr Bhatia's home, threatening his life with knives.
He made his escape by car, fleeing to Delhi.
Once there Dr Bhatia was unable to practice medicine because he had left all his personal papers behind in Puttaparthi. He wrote asking for them. They have not yet been released. However, the doctor now practices at a Delhi hospital.
A promisory agreement has been offered from Puttaparthi, that Dr Bhatia's personal belongings will be released to him on the proviso that :
A rumour given out for his 'dismissal' was that he was caught selling blood, another that he was having an affair within the ashram, and yet another claiming jealousy between departmental heads at the hospital. All Content © HiddenMysteries - TGS (1998-2005) Please send bug reports to the Information .
I offer this for the sake of truth.
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