Lakhs of devotees continued to pour in the ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh through the night to pay homage to the spiritual leader who passed away on Sunday.
Among them were top politicians including the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Karnataka Chief Minister B Yeddyurappa, BJP President Nitin Gadkari, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and Prajarajyam chief Chiranjeevi.
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was there to pay his respects as well. Sachin Tendulkar is expected to reach Puttaparthi later on Monday morning. Sai Baba's body has been wrapped in a saffron-coloured cloth and kept in a glass casket in the ashram's central hall.
"Sri Sathya Sai Baba was a personification of human values and service to mankind. He was indeed a phenomenon which occurred very rarely. He lived with us for a long time and contributed immensely for strengthening spirituality," said Yeddyurappa.
Sai Baba was a spiritual saint of the highest order. He was devoted to service throughout his life. Be it water, education, health or be it the spirit of service, he has done an invaluable service in all these aspects," said Narendra Modi.
"It is a great loss of humanity. Though he may not be there physically among us, but his spiritual message will continue. He will guide us forever. Purity of love, universal love, service to humanity, and his divine message will continue to guide the society," said Chandrababu Naidu, TDP leader.
Stampede outside ashram
And while VIPs, trustees and relatives got to pay their respects from up close, lakhs of devotees who are coming from all across India and the world were allowed to have a glimpse, but from a distance - with many waiting for hours without food and water. A stampede broke out outside the ashram late on Sunday night. No injuries were reported and police raised barricades to keep the crowds at bay.
The body of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who died Sunday morning, will be kept at Prashanti Nilayam – his ashram in this pilgrim town – for two days to enable devotees to have a ‘last darshan’.
According to the statement released by Sathya Sai Central Trust, the body will be kept at Sai Kulwant Hall at 6 p.m. Sunday. The body will lie there Monday and Tuesday.
The trust is silent about the last rites but it is likely to be performed Wednesday at Prashanti Nilayam with full state honours.
The trust has appealed to devotees not to rush to the hospital and have a last glimpse of Baba in an orderly manner.
It was at Prashanti Nilayam that Baba has been giving darshan and blessing his devotees for over four decades.
Sai Baba, whom his devotees worshipped as god, was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction. He breathed his last at the Sathya Sai super-speciality hospital, where he was admitted March 28 with cardiac problems. He was 85.
Thousands of devotees thronged the Prashanthi Nilayam ashram in Puttaparthi to pay homage to Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the godman who breathed his last in the wee hours of Sunday. By evening, the crowds swelled as Sai Baba’s mortal remains were brought to the ashram from the nearby hospital.
The body of Sai Baba was kept for “darshan” for the devotees to catch a last glimpse of their spiritual guru.
A four-day state mourning has been declared in Andhra Pradesh. Godman Sathya Sai Baba, a cult like figure who attracted millions of followers, including the influential, across the globe died on Sunday after battling serious illness for nearly a month.
86-year-old Baba, whose clout ran far and wide but had more than his own share of controversies, died at 7:40 AM following multi-organ failure at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences founded by him in this backward Anantapur district town in Andhra Pradesh, the place from where he ran his spiritual empire.
“Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is no more with us physically. He left His earthly body on April 24 at 7:40 AM due to cardio-respiratory failure,” Director A N Safaya, Director of the Institute, said.
“Baba’s body will lie in state at Sai Kulwant Hall for two days — Monday and Tuesday and will be cremated on Wednesday.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar