Tell your father, said Dr. Kean of New York, on the telephone, welcome to America!
Dr. Kean was the husband of Mrs. Kean who was a millionairess of America. They had briefly met Shri Nathji at the house of a certain Shri R.L.Tuli at New Delhi in 1963 where the Indian Industrialist Shri Goenka had also been present.
Dr. and Mrs. Kean had invited Shri Nathji and Priya Nath to their holiday home on Watch Hill, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
Shri Nathji went to Rhode Island along with Priya Nath. They were received at the Railway Station by the chauffeur of Dr. Kean. Even as he took Shri Nathji and Priya Nath to Dr. Kean’s mansion he listened to the words of Shri Nathji and was deeply moved. He pointed to a fairly large bungalow along the way and told Priya Nath that it was his home.
At last they reached Dr. Kean’s mansion. It was a building of tall and assuming proportions. It had a hundred rooms in it, and there was a map in each of the hundred rooms, lest a visitor get lost, and also a telephone for communication in every room. Amongst the guests were the artists of a famous ballet troupe, a Count and Countess from Europe, and other important personages.
Two grand pianos were in the large sitting room. One of the walls overlooking the ocean was made of glass. As Shri Nathji stood on the edge of the cliff on which the mansion was situated, and stared out across the vast stretch of the waters of the ocean, the verse echoed in his mind:
Tere seene men to pinhaan baihare be paayaan rahe
Aur too katre ke peeche shaaki aur naalaan rahe
A sea of voluminous billows is pent up in thy soul
And yet thou criest on the shore for a drop of water
It was Shri Nathji’s answer to the perennial quest of man.
At Dr. Kean’s house, Mrs. Kean who later came to be known as Mrs. Rebecca Harkness, received Shri Nathji with great respect and honour. At the dinner table she served Shri Nathji with her own hands, though there were servants attending to the guests. Shri Nathji was given a place at the head of the table as the guest of honour. He was greatly pleased with the lady’s humility and gave her his blessings.
A fruit-laden tree bows its branches low to the ground, he said.
Later, as he sat in the large sitting room, surrounded by his hosts and other guests, he spoke to them:
This mansion is very large and very beautiful. But if an earthquake were to strike it, how would it appear? Everyone would be filled with fear. Nothing would be detracted from the finery of the mansion, but no part of it would give any joy–why? Because there would be the fear of the mansion falling.
“One principle becomes clearly established. The house can only be enjoyed if it be free of the jerks of the earthquake, if its foundation be stable and at rest. Though the building remains the same, it can become devoid of happiness through instability and fear.
“In a like manner, it is absolutely essential that the heart of man be at rest before he can enjoy the world. In a heart that is shaking with conflict, worry, disappointment or fear, there can be no happiness.
“In order to enjoy prosperity there must be peace within the heart. Prosperity exists in the world outside, while peace must exist within. And if this happy combination exists together at the same time, man can enjoy the world.
“You already have prosperity. I have brought you peace. This is my only mission!
His listeners were greatly impressed by this example, which Shri Nathji had frequently used in India before Maharajas, in their palaces.