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Sai Leelamma - A votary of Sai faith was an eminent Sai Philosopher and Sai Personality. Sai Leelamma was born on 17th August 1923 to the blessed parents – Dr.Rao Saheb Govindarajulu Naidu and Tulasibayamma at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Her father was spiritually advanced and so she inherited the same qualities from him. She had understood the essence of the Gita even at a tender age and installed the divine image of Lord Krishna in her heart. She had also the image of Sadguru Sai in her inner spirit. This has stood her in great stead for the upliftment of the poor and the helpless. By the grace of Sai Baba, she emerged as a great Yogini and became a witness to the quality of the Absolute. Such a fulfilment cannot come without selflessness and continual thought of the dine with a cleansed mind. She was experiencing boundless bliss right from her 9th year with the blessings of Sai Baba. She had developed compassion for all beings and cured diseases of humans as well as animals. Her father was a great medical doctor but his patients believed that if his daughter Sai Leelamma gave them medicines, they would be cured instantaneously. Thus she became very popular in medical field also to which she was quite strange. In the beginning, she listened to the stories of Baba from the biography read by her aunt who narrated them in a variety of ways. Baba’s image was deeply implanted in her mind when she was only 13 years of age. Any difficult task could be easily solved by her mere chanting of Baba’s name. She firmly believed in the veracity of His ‘leelas’ and her devotion proportionately increased towards Him. Whatever she did, she dedicated it to Sai and believed that His presence was there in everything. This was the worship of her internally and it grew leaps and bounds in her. She used to listen to the sound ‘OM’ Pranavakshara and be in blissful state. She used to go into meditation of and on in a trice. Thus she could easily synthesize Jeevatma with Paramatma. The sacred Ash or Water she gave from her hand solved all problems of all those who came to her. Her mission was the same as that of Baba in lending helping hand to the needy and the poor maintaining her own purity and probity. She practiced and preached Sai Philosophy to all those who came to her. She used to tell devotees “Believe in Baba, He will take care. Do not indulge in unwanted talks with anybody. Do not discuss your problems with anyone. Instead always offer Manasa Pooja to Sai Baba wherever you are and whenever time permits”. She had also printed the devotee expereinces book titled “Sai Leelamma – A Votary of Sai Faith” wherein she had given tips to Sai devotees on how to do meditation on Shri Sai Baba. Sri Sai Satcharitra was first written by Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemad Pant between 1922 & 1929 in Ovi form in Marathi and the same was published by Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) on 30th October 1930. Later Sri Sai Satcharitra in condensed form was translated into English by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji & it was this epic book the basis for translation into all major Indian Languages. The first language in which Sri Sai Satcharitra translated was Telugu by Late Sri Pratti Narayana Rao on the basis of English Translation of Sri Sai Satcharitra (Condensed Version) by Sri Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji. The first copy of the first ever edition of Sri Sai Satcharitra in Telugu was handed over to Smt.Dukki Sai Leelamma on 19th May 1953 at Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi. During the meditation on 26th November 2005, Sai Leelamma gave a discourse as follows: “I used to meditate upon Sai Baba since 1938. I have no spiritual teachers or mentors. I am my own Teacher (Avadhuta). In the course of my meditation, I got the hair tail of 10-1/2 feet long with five plaits, the lines of Omkara and the Conch on my hand and the image of Baba in the contour of ‘OM’ on my forehead. Omkara is also there on my sole (bottom of foot). As I have all these signs, I trust that my meditation is in the right direction. With that belief, I am telling that method to all who seek it from me. In 1961 I have got ‘Atmasakshatkara’ (vision of the Soul). I understood that meditation is important for the purification of the mind. In 1938 I saw the picture of Baba. Ever since I have developed devotion and liking for Baba. It led me to the meditation. This is not simply meditation alone. In fact, it is meditation coupled with my way of worship”. Sai Leelamma says “one has to close his eyes and mentally concentrate on Baba’s name in the first instance and get into the state of meditation. In the process, begin seeing the splendid form of Baba, do ablution with rose water, imagine wiping of His body with a towel and tying a cloth to His head (Kafni), apply sandal paste drawn from a sandal stick with a coat of gold, make powder of turmeric from the seeds with a tool studded with a golden cap, prepare fragrant cosmetic or rouge and apply a pinch of it to Baba’s forehead, decorate Him with a flower garland and burn an incense stick waving its smoke to Him, and offer camphor light and some sweet preparation to Baba, and then have food and offer it to others followed by the offer of a glass of milk to Baba in a tumbler made of gold. Touch Baba’s feet, and press your appeals to Him. Your feel should be that Baba has kept His hand on your head and blessed. All this ought to go on the mental plane. Then you have to concentrate on your breath chanting “OM SAI” . Sitting in meditation as long as you could, slowly open your eyes. If you do like this, you will have great fulfilment of concentration. This elaborate process of “MANASA POOJA” (Mental Worship) is to check the flow of thoughts. In this way, if you make the mind dissolved, you will hear the sound of “OMKARA”. The above method is to prevent wavering of mind. This practice ensures great concentration. In such a concentration, you will see a lustrous light”. Sai Leelamma visited the holy shrine of Shabarimala thrice. During her third visit to the holy shrine, she wore clothes of saffron colour as was directed by some Ayyappa devotees. She had the vision of the soul. She continued to be in that aura. She donated all her valuable ornaments and clothes to others. She kept only three sarees of saffron colour. She looked like Anasuya Devi in that dress. She had the practice of offering her salutation to any devotee who took the vow of Ayyappa. She prostrated before such devotees irrespective of their age. She used to see “Swami Ayyappa” in them. She used to say that Baba and Ayyappa are one and the same. She used to tell that whethere it was Rama, Krishna, Nanak, Rahim or Jesus, the religion of SAI was beyond the religions of narrow walls of the followers. Sai Leelamma was like a Sabari, a Sambhavi, a mother for the world. Mother Sai Leelamma’s five plaited hair of 10-1/2 feet length is an indication of “SIVAAMSA” (quality of Lord Shiva). She was a great virtuous soul. This incident happened in 1996. Since Sai Leelamma was worshipping SAI since 1938, she was contemplating that the statue of SAI should have a roof in the form of a mandir and wished that all devotees rich or poor should have access to offer prayers there. After a few days, a gentleman clad in white came to her house and stood outside at the gate. He declared thrice that he came from Shirdi. Listening to his shouts, Sai Leelamma’s daughter Lalitha came out and physically saw him closely. He plucked a few leaves and put them in her palms. They were leaves, but changed into “Vibhuti” in her hands. He uttered “I reach where my people are there. That is my dynamic power. If there is no shelter, I will provide shelter”. By that time Sai Leelamma also came out and saw him. The gentlemen asked who that old woman was. Lalitha answered she was her mother. He laughed aloud and said that she was not her mother alone, but the mother of all and that she prepares food for two people and feeds four. He also declared that she would construct the ‘mandir’ and also the hermitage. Sai Leelamma addressed him as Baba and told him that it was not possible for her to construct a mandir as she had no funds. It was very evident that the gentlemen who had come was none other than Baba as he had mentioned the word ‘shelter’ for ‘mandir’. The gentlemen assured Sai Leelamma that she would construct it and people would support her cause. He also assured her that he would also give his part. When this conversation was going on, Sai Leelamma’s son Prakash came there. Then suddenly the old gentlemen disappeared. Nobody was found around when they looked for him. Sai Leelamma was already in her old age and naturally worried how it was possible to construct the mandir especially when their financial position was not sound. But true to Baba’s declaration, many people came forward to lend their helping hand for the construction of the mandir. Sai Leelamma basically hailed from a very rich family. But because of the continuous charities made by her, her financial position became unsound. In such circumstances, she proposed to construct a mandir, but that did not materialize. As the last attempt, she laid foundation in her own site for the mandir in a small way. At that time, there was no other house in the area of the present Manjira Colony in Old Alwal. But her intention was the design of SAI Himself and with that resolve, she went ahead. Yet she faced another hurdle. The mason who agreed to build the mandir went away after taking Rs.70,000 as advance saying that his father was unwell. As he did not turn up for several weeks, Sai Leelamma got worried. As the mason abstained from work without showing his face, she became woeful and decided to commit suicide by swallowing sleeping tablets, thinking that she would never be able to construct the mandir. In this way, she was tested by Baba to see whether she was constructing the mandir for name and fame or she gave more importance for charities. On that very morning, when she took a crucial decision of ending her life, one person came to her house from Shirdi. He said that he was told in Shirdi that Sai Leelamma was constructing the mandir and that he came to see that. Sai Leelamma told him the incident of the mason. He assured her that the mason would turn up at 9 O’ clock the same morning. He turned up exactly at the said hour. The ‘gentlemen’ from Shirdi told the mason that his sister (Sai Leelamma) was very much worried about the construction being delayed and directed him to commence the work immediately or else strict action would be taken. Afraid of his words, the mason commenced the work on that very day. The gentlemen from Shirdi told Sai Leelamma that he was going to Bangalore and upon asking for his contact address gave that also. But as it happened previously also, on enquiry for him at that address, pat came the reply that there was no such person. Thus it was evident that He was none other than Sai Baba Himself. The construction of the mandir was completed on 4th February 2001 and on the inaugural day, the first person even before Sai Leelamma entered the mandir was an old person not known to anybody. He went around the entire place and told Leelamma’s daughter Lalitha that the mandir was quite good and left. The old man reappeared on the heap of soil dug out for drainage for the septic tank covered with thorny branches. He was watching the people from there. As soon as Sai Leelamma ceremoniously started coming to the inner mandir accompanied by relatives, devotees and the instrumentalists, the old man disappeared but supposed to have entered into her heart and soul and thereafter into the statue of Baba. Thus Baba was the founder, builder, coordinator and the dweller of His own mandir. On the same day, at the time of Noon Aarti, a big dog came into the midst of all who assembled, pushing some aside and disappeared as soon as the ritual was over. All efforts were made to trace the dog but in vain. But the devotees who had gathered felt happy that Baba Himself had come in the form of dog. Sai Leelamma visited many famous saints like Shri.Avatar Meher Baba, Shri.Abdul Baba, Shri. Shivaneshan Swamiji, Smt.Kusuma Kumari, Shri.Poornananda Swami, Shri.Venkaiah Swami, Shri.Market Swami, Chirala Avadhuta, Shri.Gopal Baba, Shri.Sathya Sai Baba, Mummidivaram Peda Balayogi, Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Seer Shri.Chandra Shekhara Saraswati, Sabari Matha, Nampalli Baba......She also had darshan of Mutyala Nanna, Marri Mutyala Sandrananda Narasimha Swami. In 1946 she visited Shri.B.V.Narasimha Swamiji. In 1970 she visited Keshavaiah. In 1948, she went to Shirdi and met Shyama’s Son Uddhav Deshpande in Shirdi and was fortunate to receive a one rupee coin from him. Sai Leelamma spent 3 days in the Ashram of Maharshi Shivananda at Rishikesh in 1968. In the year 1980, she lived for some days in Ramanashram at Tiruvannamalai. When Sai Leelamma’s father was in Badrinath and Kedarnath in the year 1968 for almost two years, she was fortunate to have met many Saints and got sanctified. When Sai Leelamma went to Shirdi on 23rd October 2005, the Sai Baba Sansthan Management Team accompanied her. They said “Mother, you have been coming to the Sansthan since 1948. You have taken life membership. People like you are greatly instrumental for the continuation of ‘Dharma’ and Truth without any scope for dilution”. She used to happily take the problems of people on her, tell their problems to Sai and solve their problems. In this way, she had healed many people’s problems and ailments. Many diseases with which the devotees were afflicted were cured by her. She never hesitated to take their chronic diseases. Sai Leelamma gave utmost importance to Meditation, Annadan, Satsang and Naam Jap. She used to apply Udi on the forehead of every devotee to came to visit her. Sai Leelamma used to give a number of messages to her devotees. We have given below one such wonderful message for the benefit of Sai Devotees: WHERE THERE IS FAITH, THERE, THERE IS LOVE
Sai Leelamma attained the lotus feet of Shri Sai Baba at 11:05 AM on Monday, the 25th August 2014 at the age of 91 years at her Old Alwal residence cum Mandir at Secunderabad. She left behind one Son Shri.Prakash, one Daughter Smt.Lalitha, many grand children, great grand children and large number of her devotees. We have given below contact details of Mathaji Sri Sai Leelamma Dhyana Mandir for the benefit of Sai Devotees:
(Source: Sai Leelamma – A Votary of Sai Faith published by Mathaji Sri Sai Leelamma Dhyanamandir, Secunderabad) |