Baba's burial as per Hindu rituals

About five Vastu experts inspected the canopy area in Sai Kulawanth Hall, just a few feet away from where the spiritual guru’s body is displayed presently. The family and the Sathya Sai Central Trust, they said, have decided that the burial spot would be exactly at the spot where Baba used to sit and consult devotees.

Kulawanth Hall, the place the godman gave his lectures and met devotees, and is presently the chosen place for his coveted “dharshan”, will assume, the family believes, a status of a pilgrimage centre.

Quoting one of the family members, the source said: “We chose Kulawanth Hall over Yajur Nilayam his abode until his demise because it was the place he spoke to his devotees. And for him, his devotees were his world.” The core of his philosophy: “manava seve madava seva,” meaning service to man is service to god.
Sea of people

For the devotees though, queued up in long line outside the gates of Prashanti Nilayam just to get a glimpse of their beloves “Bhagwan,” the world seemed to end at Kulawanth Hall.

A sea of people could not make out the difference on their godman’s face, the deterioration in his body proportion or loss of hair on his head. For, the sheer opportunity, which they believe was granted by Baba to look at him was overwhelming.
Unlike many previous occasions at Kulawanth Hall, Sai Baba was lying dead. The pillars, reflecting emptiness in the Hall, played guard along with the Sathya Sai Seva Dal volunteers preventing people from getting anywhere near the body. But they were allowed to be close enough to get a good view.

The patience and character exhibited by the devotees would have made their guru, who preached peace and love, proud, had he been alive. “End of education is character,” he had once said and anybody who saw his devotees on Monday, in thousands, would know he had educated them well.

A white cloth with flowers decorating its length covered the area that the spiritual leader would be buried at (just behind his body on display). Some Seva Dal volunteers told Deccan Herald that the process of preparing for the funeral, including digging of the grave would begin only on Tuesday.

Bhajans sung in the praise of Sathya Sai Baba reverberated at Kulawanth Hall with people tirelessly chanting his name, but it won’t be the same after Wednesday when he will receive his last rites.

Sources said that apart from a pitcher of water and soil from the Saraswati Teertha, a pilgrimage spot from where the ancient Saraswati river is said to have emerged, water from all the major rivers in the country will be flown to the, Prashanti Nilayam for the last rites.

Ashram authorities say that bhajans and other ashram activities will continue as usual except for Wednesday, the day of last rites.