Q. I have heard many people saying ‘sai ram sai shyam’, whereas sai baba himself use to say ‘sabka maalik ek’ while pointing his finger in the sky. On the other hand people also call him sadguru, so if sai baba is sadguru how can people call him by the name of ram and shyam? It is a humble request to please kindly explain the actual fact.

A. In Kali-yuga, it is not surprising to find someone claiming to be God, or a mass of ignorant people declaring someone else to be God. To know whether someone is an incarnation of God or if he is bona fide representative of God (sadguru), one needs to consult the sastras, or authentic scriptures. If there are specific details mentioned in the sastras (e.g. the birth, the place of birth, the parents, etc.), then only we accept such a person as an incarnation or a sadguru. Otherwise we do not.

Regarding Sai Baba, there is no such mention about him in the sastras. He may be a social reformer who may have performed some miracles and helped people, but that does not make him an incarnation.