Sathya Sai Baba

Puttaparthi, April 24: Sathya Sai Baba, whom millions revered as God incarnate, died at a hospital here at 7.40 this morning after 28 days of dialysis and ventilator support. He was 84.

Doctors at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Medical Sciences said his brain stopped functioning at 6.23am.

“Cardiovascular failures caused by multi-organ dysfunction led to his death. The dialysis was unplugged at 10.45 on Saturday night and the ventilator stopped around 7.40 this morning,” the government announced.

The saffron-robed spiritual guru with the distinctive frizzy hair had an estimated six million devotees in some 160-odd countries, including top Indian politicians, business tycoons and sport and Bollywood stars.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mourned the “irreparable loss to all” and said Sai Baba had “inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life, even as they followed the religion of their choice”.

Yet the monk had faced allegations of performing fake “miracles” from rationalists and of sexual abuse from some devotees. Some have pointed to his wealth, whose estimates range between Rs 40,000 crore and Rs 1.5 lakh crore, and questions are now bound to arise over the management of his huge assets.

However, it is undeniable that Sai Baba was a philanthropist who provided free education, free medical treatment and free drinking water to millions of the poor.

“Our God has left us,” sobbed Gundlu Vijayalakshmi, 35, recalling how Sai Baba’s trust had educated her daughters and treated her ailing husband free of charge.

As Puttaparthi braced for a rush of devotees — ordinary people and VIPs — the government deployed some 10,000 police. Andhra Pradesh announced four days of mourning and a Wednesday burial with full state honours and in accordance with “the Hindu rites for the burial of saints”. Till Tuesday evening, the body will be available for public viewing at Sai Kulwant Hall in his ashram, Prashanti Nilayam.

A security official said the body had been wrapped in a saffron blanket and only the eyes were visible. A doctor explained: “It would be insensitive to show the whole body because it’s shrunk to 32kg.”

When the darshan began this evening, police had to baton-charge a crowd that broke through barricades, causing a minor stampede that injured two devotees.

Sachin Tendulkar, who did not celebrate his birthday yesterday because of Sai Baba’s illness, eventually played today’s IPL match in Hyderabad between the Mumbai Indians and the Deccan Chargers. He is expected to visit Puttaparthi tomorrow with his family.