New to Singapore Sai Society?

We get enquiries from both new Sai devotees as well as existing Sai devotees who are new to Singapore, on how they can participate and contribute to the Sai Centre’s activities. Here is a quick reference guide to help you. To join our SaiNews mailing list or for volunteer interest, please sign up for SaiNews: https://goo.gl/forms/oEJ9ptEP59hjNgBQ2.

Who is Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba is considered one of the most revered spiritual teachers in the world. He is also known as Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Swami, Bhagawan or simply as Baba to millions of people in the world. His followers come from all faiths and races and meet regularly for devotional singing, to study his teachings, and to engage in service activities allowing them to practice his message of Love and Peace to unite all mankind.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. Even as a child, his spiritual inclination, contemplative nature and miracles set him apart from other children of his age, and he was known as ‘Guru’ and “Brahma Jnani’ (knower of Brahman or Godhead) among his peers and others in the village. However, it was not until October 20, 1940, the day he made the historic declaration of his Avatarhood, (Avatar – Divinity Incarnate) that the world at large learned of this divine phenomenon. He proclaimed his message – to bring about the spiritual regeneration of humanity by demonstrating and teaching the highest principles of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence. With that announcement, he began his mission. 

For more information, please visit the About Swami link on our page to help you understand more about Swami.

What is his message?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba teaches that man’s basic nature is divine and that the purpose of life is the realisation of this divinity. This will occur, he says, by leading a righteous life, by rendering selfless service to those in need, by engaging in devotional practices and by developing love, respect and compassion for all life. As one strives to transform his/her worldly life of self-centered desires and attachments into a higher spiritual life of selflessness and devotion, the foundation is built for receiving God’s Grace. It is this Grace which will reveal our true nature to each of us.

He reminds us that mankind is unique among all of God’s Creations; human beings are capable of recognizing that they emanate from God. We have the capacity to commune with God by turning inward. Ultimately, it is our destiny to merge with God. Sri Sathya Sai Baba teaches us that all religions are the expressions of these same universal principles.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba does not recommend that we become ascetics and retreat from the world. Instead, he teaches us that the world is our school, The Five Universal Human Values (Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Non-violence) are the curriculum, and the realisation of the unity of Godliness in the diversity of Creation is our ultimate lesson. “Love All Serve All” and “Help Ever Hurt Never”, says Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

What is his mission?

About his mission Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this path of Love, this duty of Love, this obligation to Love.

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 8 Ch. 22

By personal example, Sri Sathya Sai Baba has inspired and continues to inspire millions of followers throughout the world to the ideal that service to man is service to God. His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools and colleges, free drinking water supply projects, or free housing projects, or disaster-relief operations, all stand testimony to his selfless love and compassion especially for the needy and less privileged.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba strongly emphasises selfless service to those in need as the highest means for enhancing one’s own spiritual growth and development. He teaches that it is not enough to simply do service – but of equal importance is one’s attitude during the service activity. The service worker must have an attitude of humility and appreciation for the opportunity to do any service activity. The opportunity itself is a gift from God. One should not dwell on the good that they are doing, or that activity will strengthen one’s ego rather than help to reduce it.

The movement founded by Sri Sathya Sai Baba has a presence in more than 120 countries and his followers undertake many service activities that benefit their immediate communities.

Several of the projects started and inspired by Sri Sathya Sai Baba are featured as success stories of good practices under United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/sri-sathya-sai-central-trust-drinking-water-projects
• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/sri-sathya-sai-medical-mission-primary-secondary-and-tertiary-healthcare-including
• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/sri-sathya-sai-values-based-integral-education-initiatives
• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/sri-sathya-sai-vidya-vahini-program-improviing-teaching-methodologies-using-technology
• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/sri-sathya-sai-central-trust-solar-power-projects

Sri Sathya Sai Baba remains an inspiration, a guide, and most of all a cherished, endearing and intimately felt divinity in the hearts of millions who knew him.

How can I get involved in Sai Society’s activities?

Members of Sai Society meet regularly for several activities, such as service activities for the needy, to study and discuss the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba or to engage in group devotional singing and prayers. The Sai Society volunteers undertake several community service projects on an ongoing basis. These are planned so that they are within their means and resources. The Sathya Sai Baba Centre serves as a shared space where people of different races, religions & beliefs come together and participate in activities. There is never any solicitation or fee charged for any function that Sai Society conducts. All are welcome, regardless of race, creed, language, economic status, or religious orientation. Sri Sathya Sai Baba says:

You may know more about Sai Society by exploring https://saisociety.org.sg/activities/ and following the embedded links therein. To sign up to our newsletter or express interest in volunteering, please use this form: https://goo.gl/forms/oEJ9ptEP59hjNgBQ2.

How do individuals generally greet each other at the Sai Centre?

Devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba frequently say “Sai Ram” when greeting each other. This beautiful inner meaning of this tradition originating with Sri Sathya Sai Baba decades ago is given below.

Saying “Sai Ram” to greet recognises the divinity in the other person as well as ourselves.

Is there a dress code to attend the Sai Centre?

Modest clothing should be worn for attending Sai Centre events. As the Sai organisation is spiritual in nature, members should wear clothes which will not be distracting to others.

Is there any membership fee to join Sai Society?

There are no fees to join Sai Society. Money is never solicited and all activities of the Sai Centre are offered for free. In keeping with Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s injunction, Sri Sathya Sai Society tries to have as little to do with money as possible, since it draws attention away from the devotees’ and volunteers’ spiritual focus.

Why are men and women seated separately at the Sai Centre?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba required that men and women should sit separately at all Sri Sathya Sai Centre activities.

What activities are conducted by the Sai Society?

Activities conducted by Sai Society fall under three wings: Spiritual (Devotion), Service (Seva) and Education (SSE). It is common to refer to broad activity areas as ‘wings’ within Sai Society. 

Spiritual (Devotion) Wing: Focuses on group devotional singing, study circles, prayers, meditation, celebrating festivals of different religions, inter-faith activities, newcomers’ programs, arranging group visits to Prasanthi Nilayam and other activities designed to strengthen one’s faith and devotion to God, and one’s understanding and practice of universal spiritual knowledge.

See the Spiritual tab under “Wings” for further details.

Service (Seva) Wing: “Service to Man is Service to God”, says Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Service is the very essence of devotion to God, and the goal of devotion is realising one’s innate divinity. Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasises that every act of selfless service must be performed with unconditional love. The attitude of service is of serving God residing in those being served. This confers immense spiritual benefit to the volunteer, whichever religion he/she practices. It is the primary spiritual discipline that allows compassion, love and peace to blossom within and helps to get rid of one’s ego. Members engage in service activities depending on community needs in Singapore. Seva activities are undertaken by volunteers every month with food packaging and food distribution to eldery and needy. Other seva programmes cater to the migrant workers and domestic helpers.

The Sai Centre also provides volunteering opportunities for volunteers with specialist skills – those with IT skills, web design, database management, graphic design skills, audio management, video editing skills, photography, videography, multimedia, journalism or editorial skills, dramatics, project management, financial accounting, administration, mass cooking skills, gardening, plumbing, carpentry, and so many other areas. You may use the SaiNews subscription form to let us know about your skills, talents and interests. https://goo.gl/forms/oEJ9ptEP59hjNgBQ2.

See Service tab under “Wings” for further details.

Education Wing: SSE (Sai Spiritual Education) classes are conducted at the Sri Sathya Sai Society for children from ages 4 to 18 years. SSE is also known as Sri Sathya Sai Bal Vikas in some countries. The aims are to foster character development and spiritual transformation by helping the children to bring out and practice the values that are inherent in them (Educare). The children will: (1) learn about the life and teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, (2) render selfless service to others, (3) embrace the unity of the different faiths, (4) practice the five universal Human Values of Truth, Right Action, Peace, Love and Non-violence and (5) practice placing a ceiling on their desires. 5. We have over 150 students joining our SSE sessions every Sunday at the Sai Centre (Online during the pandemic period). More details on our SSE program can be found our SSE page. Registrations are taken before the start of the terms in January or July. Bus services are available for pickup and drop-off from all parts of Singapore, once on-site classes commence. If you wish to enrol your child into the programme, please visit the Education (SSE) tab on this website for more details. 

See Education tab under “Wings” for further details.

Ladies Wing: A dedicated focus is also created for ladies’ activities, while they are part of every other activity performed by other wings. The Ladies Wing of Sri Sathya Sai Society is a vibrant group conducting many activities.

The regular activities of Ladies’ Wing are daily seva at the prayer hall which includes cleaning of the premises, attending to visitors and managing the sale of Sai literature in the book counter. Besides this, the ladies’ wing leads the Sai Protein seva every Tuesday and conducts yoga classes for ladies every Wednesday. The team manages the book counter, altar decoration, prasadam distribution and ushering during Thursday bhajans and on special occasions. Vibhuthi (sacred ash) packing is also done regularly for devotees who come to the Sai Centre.

The ladies’ wing also hosts several celebrations like Onam, Navarathri, Deepavali and Sai Vratam.  The Navarathri celebrations are held every year with prayers for the Divine Mother that culminate on the Vijaya Dashami day with a cultural programme and dinner for all.

The Ladies’ Wing of Sai Society also plays a key role in organising the Ladies’ Day annually on 19th Nov at a national level, where most Sai Centres in Singapore participate.

There is a team of dedicated ladies for decorating the premises on all special occasions.

Occasionally talks and presentations are conducted for Ladies. The team promotes the concept of Vegetarianism with many vegetarian recipes through this website. 

See Ladies’ Wing tab under “Wings” for further details.

Is there any special programme for Youth (Young Adults)?

Youth are central to the functioning of Sai Society. They are embedded into every function and team within Sai Society, including its leadership committee, called the ‘EXCO’. Many of the activity functions at Sai Society are led by youth or even completely managed by youth. 

As a programme, the Youth, or Young Adult (YA) Programme is offered to 18-35 years old members. The Youth are encouraged to lead purposeful lives by learning & practicing spiritual values as defined and established by the life, message and works of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. They meet and discuss issues in leading spiritual lives in today’s world. Young Adults come together to read, reflect and practice teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in daily lives while primarily focusing on the acquisition of self-transformation.

See Youth tab under “Wings” for further details.

How was the Sai Centre started in Singapore?

Want to know more about the history of our centre located at 133 Moulmein Road, Singapore? Read our Centre History section on our website. Key events such as Maha Shivarathri and Sai Aradhana are held at our centre premises with bhajan sessions and other activities. Swami’s Birthday celebrations are held on 23 Nov also at the Sai Centre, 133 Moulmein Road the entire day.

When are bhajans conducted at the Sai Centre? 

Bhajans bring Sai devotees together. We have daily bhajans at the Sai Centre. The Bhajan schedule at 133 Moulmein provides you with the details of the daily bhajan sessions. We have Chinese Bhajans conducted on Sunday and Tuesday and English bhajans on Friday. These are led by different bhajan groups. The traditional bhajan led by Sai Society itself is held every Thursday at 8 pm. Veda Chanting at 7:30 pm precedes Bhajan sessions on Thursdays. Do subscribe to our Youtube channel and other Social Media channels to get notified regularly (see below).

What is the significance of sacred ash (Vibhuti) offered at the altar of the Sai Centre?

Many individuals apply a pinch of the sacred ash to the forehead as a reminder to be humble and refrain from pride and ego.

Who are the contact people at the Sai Centre?

The Singapore centre has 5 major wings – Service (Seva), SSE (Sai Spiritual Education), Spiritual, Youth and Ladies wings. Our wing co-ordinators are

How do I stay in contact with the Sai Centre and know about the activities?

You may reach us through several ways, and stay in contact with the Sai Centre:

Where can I get books and other resources to learn more about Sri Sathya Sai Baba?

Almost 2,500 discourses given by Sri Sathya Sai Baba are available online at https://www.sathyasai.org/discour/content.htm

A large selection of publications is available on the life and teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the Sathya Sai Baba Centre at 133 Moulmein Road.

Some of the most well-known writings are :

If your question is not answered, you can contact us by using the Contact tab of this website.

Source: United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation and Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation, USA