Kwaja
Lassa Sahib
"Hindus
Saw Omkar Swaroop in Him"
In
the first part of this century, it was a common
sight for the people of Kashmir to see a Muslim
Saint roaming on the streets of Srinagar, with a
loose long gown (PHIRAN) hanging down his
shoulders. This was Khwaja Lassa Sahib of Nowhatta,
Srinagar. He used to carry a Kangri (Kashmiri
firepot) with live charcoal on his left shoulder,
held in place by his arched hand. This shoulder
was sporting a big scar caused by the firepot but
he was utterly indifferent to it. He spent his
time in his own house and fed people yellow
colored rice, green Qahwa (Kashmiri Tea without
milk or ' Sheer Chai' (Tea with milk and salt). He
would sometimes be seen in grave yards or other
places of wilderness or on occasions visit
people's houses asking for tea or a rice meal.
He
had tremendous spiritual power and this is
characteristic example of that. Lassa Sahib would
usually pick up some loaves of bread from a bakery
on his own. On one occasion, when he began to
collect a couple of loaves from a Bakery owned by
some Ramzana near Nowhatta, the owner resisted
him. This defiance enraged Lassa Sahib who
thundered thus - "Sit down Ramzana, sleep
down Ramzana and Die Ramzana''. The surprised
owner who was out to manhandle him, sat down, fell
off to sleep and died. The owner's wife who had
always welcomed the Saint in the shop tried hard
to locate the Saint and seek pardon for her
husband but the Saint was not to be found and the
body was buried.
After
the year 1931, when political disturbances rocked
Kashmir, the Saint was seen sitting on shops
slowly preparing skins out of big mix of yarn
which would take a long time to clear. This was
interpreted to mean that Kashmir situation
symbolized mixed up yarn which was in turmoil and
he was patiently processing it to restore
normalcy. That was what exactly happened.
On
another occasion another great Saint Swami Sona
Kak Ji gave a rupee to one Shri Nand Lal Gorkha to
purchase Charas for him. While Nand Lal was
returning from the shop, Charas in hand, he
encountered Lassa Sahib who snatched it away. Shri
Nand Lal was nonplused, fearing trouble from Swami
Sona Kak. However he purchased a new lot for one
rupee. As soon as he reached the house Swami Sona
Kak came out to receive him and embraced him
saying how Lassa Sahib who is an ''Omkar Swarup''
Saint had accepted it. He blessed Nandlal for
being instrumental in giving Charas meant for him
to Lassa Sahib. This was a high stage of his
evolution.
One
renowned Unani Physician of Kashmir Shri Sahaj
Bhat, who was a philosopher and a saintly person
was one day going along a street to treat a
patient near Nowhatta adjacent to the hillock of
Sharika Bhagawati. An idea crossed his mind that
Sharika Bhagawati was not as great as Sri Raginya
Bhagawati of Tulamula, who was his titular deity.
He was immersed in this thought when he
encountered Lassa Sahib, who picked up a stone and
facing the Hakim said "they are all equal,
neither of them is higher or lower". The
Hakim Sahib found the answer and realized his
mistake. Lassa Kak threw away the stone and went
his way.
He
gave up his mortal coil in 1348 (Hijri) when he
was about 75 years old.
Swami
Sona Kak in his earlier years used sometimes to go
to see him and hold secret meetings with him. When
the news of Lassa Kak's passing away reached Swami
Sona Kak, he tore off his clothes as a token of
high reverence and expression of grief over his
parting and exclaimed that "Badshah had
passed away". He did not take his usual rice
meal for six months after Lassa Sahib's departure
but subsisted on milk, tea and fruits.
Lassa
Sahib was the son of one Sudra Bhat of Nowhatta
Srinagar who had renounced the world.
Source:
Koshur
Samachar
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