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When Nicolas Maduro was brought to the court, helium invoked God successful a New York courtroom this week, which sounded similar a acquainted governmental plea. He said, “In the sanction of God, you volition spot that I volition beryllium free,” and “I americium a antheral of God.
” Behind the fallen Venezuelan strongman’s courtroom theatrics lies an improbable spiritual devotion — not to Rome, but to an Indian guru revered by millions arsenic a “man of miracles.” Maduro, who was calved Catholic successful a Catholic-majority nation, was among salient Venezuelan politicians described arsenic devotees of the precocious Indian guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Others included Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, a erstwhile president of the country’s National Assembly, and acting President Delcy Rodriguez.Sai Baba, known arsenic a “man of miracles” with tens of millions of followers worldwide, was believed by devotees to person abilities ranging from healing the sick to materialising objects seemingly retired of nowhere. Visitors to Maduro’s backstage bureau successful Miraflores Palace successful Caracas would person seen a ample framed representation of Sai Baba alongside those of erstwhile leaders Hugo Chávez and Simón Bolívar.Maduro reportedly became an ardent follower of the fuzzy-haired Sai Baba done his woman Cilia Flores, a lawyer and lawmaker successful her ain right, who was a devotee agelong earlier she joined Maduro.
It was Flores who brought Maduro to India agelong earlier they got joined to conscionable Sai Baba successful 2005, erstwhile she was a lawyer for erstwhile President Hugo Chavez and Maduro was talker of the Assembly. Flores yet replaced Maduro arsenic the talker erstwhile helium was appointed overseas minister.A 2005 photograph showed Maduro and Flores, who was the archetypal of the duo to travel Sai Baba, kneeling connected the level during a sojourn with the guru astatine his Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram successful the confederate authorities of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Several photos and videos showed Rodriguez astatine the ashram successful 2023 and 2024, bowing successful respect to the spiritual leader.
When Sai Baba died successful 2011 astatine property 84, Maduro had the Venezuelan authorities contented an authoritative condolence solution and state a nationalist time of mourning. On Sai Baba’s day successful November 2025, conscionable weeks earlier the illness of Maduro’s regime, helium issued a nationalist statement, described arsenic 1 of his past with a nonpolitical message.
“I ever retrieve him erstwhile we met. … May the contented of this large teacher proceed to enlighten us,” Maduro said, describing the guru arsenic a “being of light.
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How Sathya Sai Baba go household sanction successful Venezuela?
Sathya Sai Baba, calved Sathyanarayana Raju successful 1926, was reportedly 14 years aged erstwhile helium announced to his parents that helium was the reincarnation of the revered 19th-century Hindu and Muslim saint Shirdi Sai Baba. Often recognised by his curly hair, Sathya Sai Baba preached “love all, service all,” “help ever, wounded never” and akin messages that pointed to service, oregon seva, arsenic cardinal to spiritual growth.
His connection extended beyond spiritual affiliation, and helium was followed by radical of each backgrounds who utilized bhajans, chants and psalms successful their play worship.
The wide utilized logo for Sai Baba and his organisations contained the symbols of 5 large religions.Sai Baba was besides accused of intersexual misconduct by respective young antheral devotees, arsenic reported successful a 2006 BBC documentary. In 1993, six young antheral devotees were allegedly killed by constabulary successful Sai Baba’s bedroom, successful a highly speculative lawsuit wherever the constabulary claimed they changeable successful self-defence.The Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation operated respective foundations, trusts and charities successful much than 120 countries, providing humanitarian alleviation done escaped hospitals, schools, ashrams, universities and cleanable drinking-water projects, according to the organisation's website. There were astir 2,000 Sathya Sai Centers worldwide. In the Americas, the organisation had an authoritative beingness successful 22 Latin American countries, and galore pointed to Venezuela arsenic having the highest attraction of followers.
More than 30 tiny groups oregon authoritative centres were located successful Venezuela, with devotees from the Andes Mountains to wrong Amazonian tribes astatine the southernmost tip. Official organisational talks and meetings were regularly conducted successful Spanish, and a devotional opus titled “Mi Destino” was introduced by a Sri Sathya younker radical successful Venezuela successful 2016.The first, unofficial Sai Center opened successful Caracas successful 1974. In 1988, Ana Elena Diaz-Viana was elected the centre’s inaugural president.
Diaz-Viana said galore devotees, including herself, encountered spiritual miracles that drew them to Sai Baba. She told RNS she saw a antheral successful achromatic robes and a “big afro” successful a imagination erstwhile she was 25 and past recognised him successful a documentary called “The Lost Years of Jesus” 5 years later.In 1988, Diaz-Viana joined a radical of 64 Venezuelans to conscionable Sai Baba astatine the ashram. She said she wrote a missive asking him to assistance the mediocre of the state and watched arsenic a reddish airy gleamed nether his manus arsenic helium materialised a lingam, oregon a awesome of divine energy, successful the thenar of his hand.
She said helium walked to her and gave her the lingam, telling her to lavation it and “give the h2o to the mediocre radical of Venezuela who bash not person wealth to bargain medicines and for those who are going to die.
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West inclined towards spiritual Guru
This is not caller successful Western countries. In West, determination are respective spiritual Gurus oregon leaders who person a beardown followers list. In the precocious 1960s and 1970s, a parade of gurus burst connected the scene, attracting chiefly young seekers. Represent a assortment of lineages and emphasizing antithetic aspects of dharmic teachings, they included Swamis Satchidananda, Vishnudevananda, Muktananda and Rama, positive Srila Prabhupada, Bhagwan Sree Rajneesh (aka Osho), B.K.S.
Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois and the astir celebrated of all, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In addition, definite masters who ne'er came to the West—Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo and Neem Karoli Baba, to sanction conscionable three—have nevertheless had a large impact, acknowledgment to individuals who propagated their teachings successful America. And gurus proceed to travel to America, of course; the astir fashionable contiguous being Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma).
