Despite his better know simplistic sayings which sound moderate and good, Sathya Sai Baba represents a form of religious fundamentalism based largely on miracles and superstitions. This latest episode is further evidence of that. It is religious extremism of this kind which threaten the democratic and secular Indian State, and not the moderate Muslims and Hindus who respect human rights and the rule of law.
This failed Sai Baba miracle is yet another illustration of the falsity of megalomaniacal claims of Sathya Sai Baba. Evidently one of the most misguided so far. How could this self-proclaimed Omnipotent God Avatar pull off such a feat as appearing on the face of the moon? Or give the hundreds of thousands of undisciplined, rampant local villagers who rushed to the spot the most supreme vision of Godhead, (as was openly claimed would occur with a vishwarupa darshan of the kind Krishna supposedly once gave Arjuna)? It is truly laughable, really. It is not new that his proclaimed miracles fail, or are exposed as fraud. One only has to view the clips from the BBC film where he was caught red-handed trying to fake the production of a golden lingam from his stomach, but collapsing and had to be carried off stage before the cameras! (see http://home.hetnet.nl/~comments_on/_the_secret_swami/sai%20baba%20lingod...) Then, afterwards, he is seen actually claiming that his discomfort was caused by the weight of the lingam he (pretended) to materialise from his mouth was all of three tons!! (see http://home.hetnet.nl/~comments_on/_the_secret_swami/Collapse.htm)

These pre-announced miracle manifestations of his - botched and failed are they are, seem to be attempts to rally followers again after failing popularity (and consequent cash flow problems in his mini-imperium and his ashram "mini-emporia"). Because he has been shown to be a fraud and teller of many untruths, has been accused so widely and credibly of many sexual abuses of boys and young men (see http://home.no.net/anir/Sai/enigma/SaiSex.htm), and has been complicit in a murder episode and its cover-up (see http://home.chello.no/~reirob/Saibedroom.htm) Many of the more intelligent devotees - mostly Westerners - who contributed vast annual sums to his wasteful and largely self-glorifying projects have ceased to have anything to do with him.
Robert Priddy