Hon.Padanna Mama age 83, a year before he took Samadhi (1974)

We call him affectionately Padanna, Padanna Mama or simply Mama. He was saint of highest level. He can be compared to known saints like Shri Ramana Maharishi, Shirdi Sai Baba. He was not known to the world as saint. I was told by Him that He was doing service to everyone and everything as commanded by the Almighty. He had no advise or a scholl of thought and He never asked anyone to follow His practice or principle. He told me that He was having principle of to do Service with all humility and expecting no returns. I asked Him once when I was a boy of 17 years what was His benefit of serving like that. He said that person is befitted and that is his benefit. It took me several years to understand this. But I understood this full meaning much later. Sathyam, Itham Priyam are the principles He said He followed. There are many many things He told me and I understood only in my 40 plus years what a great saint He was and what I had lost by my ignorance . He attained Samadhi in 1974 when I was 25 years old and that day I was in Nagpur.

I was introduced to Him by my grand father when I was 12 years old. That was just for a day. Later in the summer of 1966 I spent all most 3 months with Him. And thereafter 2 to 3 months every year on my vacation was spent in Coimbatore, with my grand father and hence my visit to Mama continued for 4 more years till 1970. The experience of the days when I had conversation with Him on several subjects are unforgettable. Every word is still ringing in my ears. One very important thing I learnt is that even great saints can not (or may be they do not want to ) change one's destiny.
May be some other day I may write what I learnt from him in my blog.

One of the quotes He wrote to me was from 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it

I want to emphasize here that due to my grand father only I could get to Mama, the incarnation of God. With out my grandfather it was just not possible as Mama was not known to the common world. I am indeed blessed.