ABSTRACT
This article explores the hagiographic connections between Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918) and Sathya Sai Baba (1926–2011) by focusing upon Shirdi Sai Baba's origins and his guru Venkusha vis-à-vis Sathya Sai Baba's retelling of this story and his link to a wandering ascetic known as Venkavadhuta, to whom his grandfather was devoted. The theological relevance of the god Dattatreya with whom both saints are identified is a key factor for an appreciation of their integrative spirituality. The three-headed Dattatreya incorporates the trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and is thought to simultaneously embrace and transcend all polarities. As such, Dattatreya provides a powerful tool for legitimating Shirdi Sai Baba's composite identity and for accommodating Sathya Sai Baba's triadic avatarhood and claim to be a transcultural, universal godhead.
