I have received a reply from Saisathyasai.com to my posting. Though I don't believe in Sathya Sai Baba (SSB), I am reproducing the reply as it is detailed and well-written, so that the readers of this blog do not miss it. The 'references' he mentions can be found in the original comment to that blog as a clickable hyper-link. Or you can click on the heading of this post.
Obviously, dear Dinakaran, you have not read Anti-Sai Sites and the contradictory position they take regarding the English translations to Sathya Sai Baba's Telugu discourses.
Brian Steel (an Anti-Sai Activist) wrote a lengthy article, entitled The Packaging of Sathya Sai Baba's Telugu Discourses - A Stronger Case. This article stated that the English Translations are "packaged, highly edited, polished, condensed, enhanced, inaccurate, distant, different, adorned, significantly added to, snipped and hybridized". After Brian Steel made his case against the accuracy of the English Translations, he completely flip-flops and begins citing these very same "highly edited" and "inaccurate" English Translations as inerrant references to what Sathya Sai Baba literally and actually said in Telugu! Sanjay Dadlani does the very same thing.
On my site, I wrote a detailed article about this topic: An Open Critique Of Brian Steel: A Stronger Case.
I agree that the English Translations are not Sathya Sai Baba's "actual and literal words". The discourses are not translated "word for word". However, I believe that the essence and import to Sathya Sai Baba's discourses is fully conveyed in the English Translations and are not being misrepresented. Therefore, it is my opinion, that despite the heavy editing, what Sathya Sai Baba meant to convey IS being conveyed. The English translations are heavily edited because they are the proof-plates from which translations are made into various other languages.
So, Dinakaran, I am saying that if one wants to attribute factual discrepancies to Sathya Sai Baba, one must reference these discrepancies directly from the Telugu discourses. Doesn't that sound fair to you? Anti-Sai Activists made the case themselves that the English translations are not accurate and are highly edited. So why do they use these same inaccurate translations to attribute factual discrepancies to Sathya Sai Baba? That is the question that no one has answered.
Dinakaran, as a matter of fact, Sanjay posed this very same question to me on the SathyaSaiBaba2 yahoo group. He failed to respond to my answer: Reference. One will also notice how Sanjay often uses the ploy of writing lengthy and wordy replies, that drain and drown the issue completely. It is not possible to have a rational discussion with him head on.
Also, Sanjay Dadlani fails to use the same standard against his Hare Krsna Gurus and scriptures that he uses against Sathya Sai Baba. Sanjay argues that since SSB made errors (taken exclusively from the English translations) then this must mean that SSB is a fraud. However, when one points out factual errors from his Gurus (said in English) or scriptures (translated word for word), Sanjay excuses these errors and makes numerous arguments to defend the errors and discrepancies that support his beliefs. I discussed this issue as well: Reference.
So there you have it Dinakaran. Let me know if you have any other questions. SaiSathyaSai.com.
