The Sai Satcharita is the Bible for Sai Baba's devotees, in the truest sense of the word, as it chronicles the life and teachings of Baba. This sacred work has been documented by Baba's intimate devotee, Govind R. Dabholkar, whom Baba lovingly named Hemadpant.

The book is titled Sai Satcharita, and not 'Sai Satcharitra' – as it is commonly misspelt. A 'Satcharita' is a record of leelas, teachings and incidents, whereas a 'Satcharitra' is a biography, which the work is not.

The original work of Hemadpant was written as a series of poetic verses called ovis, composed in vernacular Marathi. It was, therefore, not very accessible to everyone because of the language barrier. Over the years, it has been translated into various languages.

The more commonly known works were abridged editions that edited Baba's words and leelas, thus changing the context, intensity, and essence of the work, to some extent.

The translations did, however, fulfil a very big and important purpose by making the work accessible to many devotees all over the world.

The author, Indira Kher, has painstakingly translated the wonderful, original manuscript very accurately in her English edition, where it is a literal translation – verse by verse, ovi by ovi. It is highly recommended that a devotee get a copy of this edition as it is the closest an English-speaking reader will get to the original work of Hemadpant.

For devotees who are new to Sai Baba, I would recommend that one read a short book written by author Arthur Osborne – The Incredible Sai Baba – before proceeding any further. This should give the reader an overview of Baba's life, which would be very helpful before commencing the reading of the Sai Satcharita.


Reason For The New Edition

What we have compiled here is – The Essential Sai Satcharita – which has been put together with the intent of taking the essence of the original work and making it more accessible to readers today.

The original composition by Hemadpant includes philosophical commentary which is precious and relevant; making it, however, difficult for the contemporary reader to quickly access the important leelas and sayings of Baba, as Hemadpant, in the original work, has intertwined the two throughout his work.

A lot of time needs to be invested in sifting through a large part of the commentary in order to find these precious jewels. A typical devotee of today's younger generation leads a life very different from that of the era when the book was originally composed. Today's reader might have a busier work routine, time constraints, and a shorter attention span, thereby making the need for this new edition even more urgent.

For the modern reader, the new edition serves an additional purpose – that of remaining true to the original manuscript – through its compilation of all the leelas and sayings of Baba. The words of Baba are impregnated with deep meaning. They can penetrate the heart, mind, and soul of an earnest and receptive devotee and can bring about a transformation.

In this digital format, the the new edition also makes references and provides links to various important and relevant resources such as videos, articles, and photographs that correlate to the given section that is being read. To augment the reading experience and support the reader further, an audiobook version of the Sai Satcharita is also in the process of being recorded. This should enable devotees to hear Baba's leelas, smaran, and teachings while on the go.


The digital edition and the audiobook are designed to complement each other; one not being a replacement for the other. The audiobook carries two additional short commentaries at the end of every chapter.


The first commentary is by Dr Vinny Chitluri who is an authority on Sai Baba's life. Her chapter-wise commentary gives precious insights and perspectives into the details of Baba's life, which a new devotee would find only after years of painstaking research and exploration.

The second commentary is by Advaita teacher and author, Gautam Sachdeva. His spiritual insights give devotees pointers on the deeper meaning of Baba's teachings and leelas. Gautam guides devotees on how they can apply the teachings to their daily life and thus live the path as shown by Baba.

To sum up, this truly essential edition has been compiled with the purpose of providing a tool to help devotees remain in constant remembrance of Baba, deepen their understanding of Baba's teachings, and become living examples of the path Baba has shown us.

Taking advantage of the convenience of modern technology, we endeavour to make this portal an important platform to help sincere devotees of Baba. In addition to e-books and audiobooks, we shall be adding an important 'Resources' section – an entire library that will have categories on Baba's Mahabhaktas, the leelas, the experiences of devotees, interviews with luminaries, and a host of other tools – sha...