Shri Nathji was back in London at his residence, 10 Fawley Road, London N.W.6, leading the same quiet life again. A long time had elapsed. Shri Nathji had not returned to India. To outward appearances, he was residing in London with his son, Pran Nath, but the spiritual significance of his stay in a largely non-spiritual atmosphere was known only to him. Perhaps, in his silence, he was purifying the island, and indeed, the continent of Europe with his spiritual waves. Perhaps it was a debt he owed the Western World.
The people in the West were like the children who had toys to play with, and, who could temporarily do without the mother, but the people in India had only their mother to turn to.
Mateshwari did not like the apartment at 10, Fawley Road. The place was to prove inauspicious for her. When Mateshwari had entered the house, something within her had told her that she would not leave the house, alive.
The landlady of the house was a very large English lady who had a swelling on her face, arms and legs. She was suffering form an incurable disease. She had two large, vicious hounds in the house, which always bothered Shri Nathji and Pran Nath and Mateshwari whenever they went in and out of the house. She was by and large very rude and inconsiderate. Pran Nath often exchanged sharp words with her. It was only Shri Nathji’s soothing presence that would curb her obtuse behaviour. Mateshwari had been serving Shri Nathji and Pran Nath in London with all the strength in her body.
The cold and damp weather of London did not agree with her. She often yearned for the sunny plains of India. The fog in London appeared to shut out the rest of the world. It was cold and inhospitable.
Whenever she walked in the streets of London, people would be over-awed by her regal bearing. A divine aura existed around her, as it did around Shri Nathji, which not even the fog could shut out.
Shri Nathji’s stay in London appeared to be a self-imposed vanvaas-banishment from India. Lord Rama had retired to the forests in vanvaas. Those who did not know of Rama’s banishment must have wondered why he was there. Only Shri Nathji knew of his reasons for staying in London.
He had greater material comforts in India, a large circle of acquaintances, his own house, cars, servants–and, above all, the devotees who loved him so dearly. In England, he was staying in a small flat of two rooms. Mateshwari was doing all the work without any domestic help. The weather was uncongenial, and nobody knew of him. He did not go out to give any public lectures, and had made practically no devotees.
Mr. and Mrs. Jalie who had been initially devoted to Shri Nathji had gradually disappeared from the scene. Mr. Jalie had asked for spiritual help from Shri Nathji in a dubious business venture–which had subsequently failed. Quite naturally, Shri Nathji’s spiritual power could not aid that which was not spiritually beneficial.
Shri Nathji would often say:
Man is like a sick child asking for sweets which will prove harmful for him. God does not answer the prayers of man when he knows the prayers will prove harmful to him.
If God were to answer the prayers of every person on this earth, the world would soon come to an end!”
“Agar Bhagwan sab ki praarthnaayen sun len to pralaiya ho jaaye!
Mr. and Mrs. Chabowski had gone out of the scene, too. This was because Shri Nathji could not throw away his old and loyal devotee, Karai, who was unfortunately not on friendly terms with the Chabowskis. On the one hand, there had been Mr. and Mrs. Chabowski who had offered their home– free of rent–to Shri Nathji, for as long as he wanted to stay there, and on the other hand there was the poor Mr.Karai with nothing to offer Shri Nathji. But Shri Nathji chose to stay with Karai, and had left the Chabowski’s house, when Karai had given them a notice to quit the house.
It was thus that God acted as a mortal amongst mortals. Even as the days and nights came to the earth on which the avatar walked, so did the sorrows and joys of the world.