The author of this fascinating book has been a teacher of philosophy and social science, in a number of universities and institutions in Norway and is an ardent Sai devotee. This book of 302 pages has 27 chapters. In the first 20 chapters he describes graphically his personal background, his earlier experiences and how he came under the umbrella of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s grace. In the last seven chapters viz. ‘ The Universal World Teacher’, ‘Understanding Baba’s Teaching’s’, Science and spiritual knowledge; ‘Education and Transformation’, ‘The unfathomable nature of Avatar’, ‘Liberation. In the greatest mystery, and ‘The world Beyond’, he has tried to critically examine the various aspects of Baba’s divine personality and his unique Avataric mission on earth.

In 1983, Sri Sathya Sai Baba had appeared before his 81 year old mother who had intense pain and he assured her that henceforth she would not have any pain. The author came in contact with a Swamiji of Ramakrishna Mission in U.K., who sowed the seeds of spirituality in him, persuaded him to go in for a formal marriage with the lady with whom he had been living for five years, and formed the earliest link between the author and Sai Baba.

Sacred fascinating dreams, described kindly by the author in the book, were seen by him, in which Sai Baba had appeared before and indicated a number of things and these significant dreams persuaded him to came to Prasanthi Nilayam on a number of times. Here he and his wife were almost immediately showered Baba’s deep love; they were given several personal interviews and miraculous materlizations by Baba and he soon became a very respected, wellknown and much sought after foreign devotees of Baba. He has described very graphically all these experiences which are quite interesting and rather too personal or subjective, like so many other foreign Sai devotees.

The best part of the book is the author’s critical appraisal of Swami’s nature, his teachings, and His world-wide organization. He has praised Swami’s organization lavishly, and expressed his total agreement with all the ideas given by the Avatar for the betterment of the mankind. A number of very appropriate quotations of Swami on love, spiritual education, science and his divine leela and his maxims have been beautifully interwoven by the author in his book and provide rich food for serious introspection to many readers and enlighten all those who have not yet seen the Purusha of the age. He has successfully and eloquently shown how Swami’s personality is "so vibrant, his presence so fascinating and magnetic’ and "how’ he (Swami) is here to touch, inspire, and transform both the good person and the not-no-good, eve the evil-minded."

S. P. Ruhela