Priya Nath had known the girl from his school days, when both he and the girl were in the same school as children. After her parents brought the proposal for marriage in 1977, he had seriously begun to consider her as a life partner, and had even taken a liking to her.
There were various persons who came and said to Shri Nathji that the proposal would not be suitable for various reasons which could not be ignored. Shri Nathji consulted Priya Nath, who said to him: “Ab to hamen attachment ho gayi hai! I have formed an attachment to the girl now!”
Shri Nathji, who was an ocean of Love, gave up his reservations on the matter at once and said: “Phir to aapko congratulations ho Piyaji! Then, my congratulations are with you, Piyaji!”
And it was thus decreed that she was to become Priya Nath’s bride.
Any other father in Shri Nathji’s place would have tried to impose his will on his son and to dissuade him from a proposal which many considered unsuitable, but not so Shri Nathji, who lived only for the happiness of Priya Nath.
Priya Nath realised that he had fallen from his resolve to not to become attached to worldly persons, and that such attachments invariably brought grief.
The story of his uncle, Sri Krishen Khanna, was already before him as a glaring example. He had become attached to a girl and had married her, only to discover later that she had not an iota of faith in Shri Nathji, even though she had made a pretense of devotion before marriage. Not only that, she had been of a difficult temperament which made the life of Sri Krishen Khanna miserable.
There was the time when the only criterion that Priya Nath had in his mind was that the girl be absolutely devoted to Shri Nathji and help him in looking after his father. He had often said to Shri Nathji: “Main aapke aur apne beech men koyi teersi cheez naheen chaahataa! I do not want any third person to come between yourself and me!”
Priya Nath had been in school with the girl during his early days, and it appeared to him that the girl would make an ideal partner in life for him, and in addition be absolutely and completely devoted to Shri Nathji.
The only flaw was Priya Nath’s feeling of attachment. He had even gone so far as to tell himself that he would marry her even if she were not entirely devoted to Shri Nathji, in the hope that she would become loyal afterwards.
Instead of looking upon her as a gift from Shri Nathji, he began to see her in a separate light from Shri Nathji.
There were Shri Nathji’s verses on attachment, which often worried Priya Nath, and which showed how worldly attachments brought grief and sorrow:
Ai dilaa ab kissee gesoo kaa talabdaar na ho,
Qaide hasti men to hai aur giraftaar na ho
O Heart become not attached to the locks of anyone,
Thou art already in the prison of thy body, be not imprisoned even more
Shri Nathji often quoted the verses of the Persian poets, Dard and Saadi on this theme,
Ai Dard yaan dil kiseese na lagaayiyo
Lag chaliye yoon to sabse par dil mat phansaayiyo
O Dard, let thy heart not be attached to anyone,
Be thou close to all but let thy heart be not entrapped
Maneh dil bareen daihare naapaayedaar
Za Saadi hameen yak sakhun yaad daar
Give not thy heart to this perishable world,
Remember thou this word from Saadi
Gar nami khwaahi shaved dil khastagi
Jaaneman! Baakas makun dil bastagi
If thou wish thy heart be never broken,
Then O loved one! Bind it not to anything!