Born Sathyanarayana Raju in 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, Sathya Sai Baba leveraged a single dramatic moment, a 1940 scorpion sting followed by his claim to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, into a global spiritual empire spanning over 100 countries and charitable trusts valued in the billions of dollars.

This episode examines the mechanics of his movement and its stark contradictions. We look at his materialization of holy ash and trinkets, the retention engine of darshan and private interviews, and a staggering philanthropic legacy of hospitals, universities, and water projects, alongside credible allegations of sexual abuse, fraud, the violent 1993 ashram killings, and the political shields that kept him untouchable.

• How declaring himself a reincarnation tapped an existing reservoir of reverence for instant legiti ...