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Book: Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion

Chapter: 1. A Modern Kalpavr̥kṣa: Sathya Sāī Bābā and the Wish-fulfilling Tree

DOI: 10.1558/equinox.33196

Blurb:

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.

Chapter Contributors

  • Antonio Rigopoulos ([email protected] - arigopoulos) ' Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy'