Hyderabad - A deed document purportedly signed by Indian spiritual guru Satya Sai Baba 45 years ago has created a flutter among his followers after it was made public by his close aide Satyajit, more than a year after his death.
Sai Baba, who dictated the contents of the will and signed it on March 23, 1967 in the presence of two witnesses, states that whatever contributions he receives from devotees should solely be used for charitable purposes through the trust established by him and that he had renounced worldly pleasures and family ties.
The deed document was submitted by Satyajit before a board meeting of the Sri Satya Sai Central Trust, and it was decided to make the contents of the will public.
A Mumbai-based chartered accountant and a key member of the Central Trust, Indulal Shah, is the lone surviving witness to the deed, and he has validated the deed document's authenticity.
What is, however, significant, is the timing of the disclosure since it comes at a time when there have been media reports of an alleged rift between Sai Baba's family members and the all-powerful trust members.
Baba passed away in April last year, leaving behind a massive spiritual empire worth millions he had accumulated and built over five decades.
"Whatever is given to me by my devotees is under my management, supervision and control as a trustee to be used for public charitable purposes. This declaration I am making so that nobody can claim under or through me in the family properties," the deed said.
The spiritual guru further states in the will: "I am unmarried and left my parents at the age of 12 and have taken up religious order with saffron dress and I have no worldly or family attachments. I declare that I left parents permanently and adopted holy order with no intention to revert back. I relinquished all my right to title and interest in family property, moveable or immovable, whatsoever and wherever they may, and I do not own and possess personal property or wealth or estate."
