A Modern Kalpavr̥kṣa: Sathya Sāī Bābā and the Wish-fulfilling Tree

Abstract

In Chapter 1, Antonio Rigopoulos explores the significance of divine trees in the construction of the charismatic persona of Sathya Sāī Bābā (1926–2011), the famous god-man of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh. Particular attention is paid to the pārijāta, the tamarind tree as kalpavr̥kṣa and the vaṭa/bodhi tree, which in the saint’s hagiography are related to his advent, his miraculous powers and the meditative practice conducive to final liberation (mokṣa), respectively.