In plain words
After I had stood firm through many kinds of tests like this, people came to believe that I was ‘Sai Baba’. As things went on in this way, a man in Penukonda set out claiming to be a devotee of Sai Baba. Many more go about taking all sorts of names, saying, I am Sai Baba. One man went about growing his hair like mine and wearing a gown, saying ‘Sai Baba, Sai Baba’. Then I told them: ‘Does it succeed merely by taking a name? All this is the cheating of whoever they are; none of you need go anywhere,’ I told them. In the end people came to know the truth. Then Karaṇam Subbamma put up four walls, had a small room built and moved me into it. From then on devotees from distant places like Bangalore began coming and taking me with them. Seeing this, Venkamma and Easwaramma pleaded with me, ‘Do whatever you will, Swami, but under no circumstances leave Puttaparthi.’ Then I: ‘Under no circumstances will I leave Puttaparthi. I shall stay right here,’ I promised them. Gradually the Maharani of Mysore and some other eminent people began coming to Puttaparthi in their cars to see me. In those days the river Chitravati used to flow all the year round. They would leave their cars on the far bank of the river and cross the river to come. As devotion and surrender kept growing in this way, it became impossible for anyone to put any obstacle to stop them. Swami's fame spread even to distant parts. Everyone recognised the truth that all this was the influence of the mother herself. In the same way, for the rise of every great soul too, mothers encouraged them and taught them the sacred path. As the fruit of praying to God so much, Kausalyā made Rāma, born to her, into a very great soul. People went on worshipping the twins born of Mother Sītā's womb as born of a portion of the Divine. In this same way many mothers, because they themselves were full of great virtues, made sure that no danger of any kind befell their sons. Because of the promise made to Easwaramma that day, I have not left Puttaparthi to this day. Whoever it is must come here; I will not settle anywhere else. So, the principle of the Avatāra means: the birthplace is not to be left. If a tree here is planted somewhere else, after some time it may live, or it may die. This great tree called ‘Sai Baba’ must grow just where it was born. Because I have stayed right here like this without leaving Puttaparthi, this village has kept growing into a great holy place. When a high school was built in Bukkapatnam, they asked me to write a prayer poem for it. I wrote it and gave it. So as not to leave Puttaparthi, I set this down as a poem. From then on all the students kept singing it.
Day after day Your call is proclaimed; hearing Your generous voice, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Muslim, Christian, the garland of love is woven, O Uniter of the peoples: victory to You, Dispenser of the destiny of Bhārata!....
Behind the name ‘Puttaparthi’ that this village came to have there is a strange history. In a corner of the old temple beside the temple of Venugopalaswamy there was a small anthill. In this anthill lived a snake. Every day the cowherds of this village took their cows outside the village to graze. One cow alone would slip away and go to that anthill. The snake would drink the milk from that cow's udder. The cow would come home with an empty udder. One day some cowherds saw this, went to the anthill and tried to kill that snake.