The Holy Mother of Jillellamudi was born on the 28 th of March 1923, in the eleventh quarter of the brighter half of the month at the time of sun-rise in the village of Mannava (Bapatla Taluk, Guntur District). The Karanam of the village Sri Mannava Sitapathi Sarma was Her father. Saintly Rangamma was Her mother.
No sooner was she born, she gave indications of Her unusual nature by gracing Her father and mother with an unusual vision. Henceforth in every gesture and in every word of Her there was always something unusual. She exhibited boundless love and compassion. She gave away anything that she had to anybody that wanted; several times she gave Her golden ornaments. Once in Her fourth year, She gave away the clothes she was wearing.
Many have discovered in Her Superhuman qualities and at- tainments. Even in Her third year, She was seen in “Shambhavi Mudra”. Even at such an early age she attained the sublime stage of yogic practice called Chinnamastika. Once blood ejected from between Her eyebrows which she transformed into sacred ashes and distributed it as prasad. People were surprised to find that even without taking food Her body was not only sustained but also became more bright. No one found even traces of tiresomeness in Her when she stayed wakeful all through the nights. People derived supreme bliss, boundless wisdom and experienced divine visions from Her presence, touch and even word. The elders in the family lost themselves in happiness and wonder when she memorized the whole of the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ or the Lalitha Sahasranama in a day.
In Her fifth year when she visited Tiruvallur, a Sadhu saw her and recognised the divinity in Her; he informed Her father about it.
On account of the early death of Her mother, she mostly stayed with Her grandfather Sri Chi dambara Rao. Having experienced the impact of the changeless mental state and Her perfect attainment of non-duality which expressed itself in Her words and actions, he used to tell others that the Supreme Spirit manifested Herself in their seemingly normal girl. They considered Her to have come to bless them with salvation. Once when his wife requested him to get an idol of Bala Tripurasundari made for her, he told her to carefully look after the needs of this living form and that there is no need for a stone idol.
Even in Her childhood, she appeared to many as Rama, Krishna, Gayathri or a Raja Rajeswari depending on the form of God they worshiped. That is why she said that what people find in her depends on how they view Her.
In Her seventh year, she gave food to beggars and saw them eating it in the choultry as she was passing along the street. She stood there for a while; the sound of ringing bells from a nearby temple of Dattatreya was heard. Loud chanting of vedas reached Her from a near- by school of Sanskrit. At that sacred moment Mother decided to do three things: to build a temple in a village where there is none, to establish a boarding and lodging house into which there will be free access to all and to establish a Sanskrit school. Accordingly on the 5th May 1956, the foundation was laid for a temple in Jillellamudi; on 15th of August 1958 a boarding house was established and on 3rd January 1966 the Sanskrit school came to be inaugurated.
When she was nine years old she met Sri Vasudas in Brahmanakodur. He drew near Her and said “Well child, have you lost your mother? Shall I bless you that you may be loved by all? She replied “Bless me that I may love all, whether anyone loves me or not.” Whatever be his surprise at Her words, Mother has been loving and welcoming everyone including those that love Her, criticise Her, hate Her or even torture Her, with the same love and affection. For did she not say that perfect equality of mind is divinity!
On the completion of Her thirteenth year Her marriage was celebrated on the 5th of May 1936. When someone who recognised Her divinity asked Her, “Why this marriage for you?” She replied “Only to teach the lesson that all the ashrams are the same to all those that are frightened of marriage as though there were a tiger in it”. Having wilfully married Her aunt’s son Sri Brahmandam Nageswara Rao, She settled in Jillellamudi from the year 1940. Sri Nageswara Rao took up the traditional post of Karanam. They have three children, two sons and a daughter.
Her aunt who recognised her unusual greatness took Her to Desiraju Rajamma for initiation; then Mother softened the heart of Rajamma which was stunned with the accumulation of mere theoretical knowledge, and finally, by a revelation enabled her to realize that She is the Universal Spirit Herself.
Once Sri Chidambara Rao, Her grandfather, asked her “Why do you cover us up in ignorance in the next moment, after enabling us to know your divinity? How long will it be?” She smiled and evaded a direct answer by saying “As long as I have the need of the world.” How ever, like the rays of the sun and the perfume of the scents, her divine powers came to reveal themselves; by the grace of Mother, the dumb ones spoke, the lame walked and the blind recovered their sight, the child- less ones were blessed with children. Diseases which were considered to be incurable came to be cured. Girls who lost all hope of marriage got married soon and their despaired parents were thus relieved. By Her Grace the wicked ones turned into good. The sinners became righteous, the insane recovered their sanity; dead ones were raised. Yet She pleads innocence and escapes. The all-knowing One, while explaining the hidden treasures of all wisdom, describes Herself as being in the state of knowledge- ignorance. She pretends to be too weak even to walk a few paces while being all pervading, answering the call of any one that prays to her in distress. While spreading a message of love to all the creation, She says that it is natural for her to love and for us to be loved. That is why Jillellamudi has come to be a very sacred place, both to the worldly and the ulterior minded. It glories in the rush of incoming and outgoing devotees as though it was an eternal bridal. In the sacred presence of a compassionate Mother, all people mingle as though they are born of the same flesh and blood. Those who have long ago settled there, invite their brethren, look after their requirements and direct them to Mother’s presence.
Mother watches the hearts and minds of all, and patiently listens to the tales and sorrows of one and all and answers them appropriately. “Whatever we expect does not happen; what ever one has in store cannot be avoided; even if you want to do you cannot do; even if you want to desist you cannot. There is an invisible force that moves you. Its decision cannot be crossed. Therefore accept whatever you get coolly whatever it may be-joy or sorrow, victory or defeat; experience it without being dejected” This is her highest teaching with which she brings about mental peace in us.
The very sight of Her causes in us righteousness to grow; Her very grace is the bridge which takes us above the ocean of existence. She is the divine-light- eternal that sends its illumination even into the recesses of man’s ignorance made dark by the iron shutters of fruitless reasonings. She is the universal song pure and divine that charms all, into transcending the limitations of time and place. She is the miraculous flow of love that uninterruptedly bathes every one of every race and caste yet assuming the form of a simple woman, sitting on a small cot in a small hut, in a small village in the remote corner of the country. She is always cheerful. She says:
“I am not god, ye are not devotees;
I am not the master, ye are not the disciples;
I am not the guide, ye are not the wayfarers;
I am the Mother, ye are my offspring.”