There was a time when Shri Nathji was travelling by car to meet friends of the Rosboroughs in New Hampshire. The car stopped at a gas station, and Shri Nathji got out to stretch his legs. Mr. and Mrs. Rosborough got ready to proceed with the journey–but all of a sudden, Shri Nathji was nowhere in sight! He had disappeared.
There was great panic for a while. Priya Nath looked in all directions. The Rosboroughs walked around the gas-station, but Shri Nathji was nowhere to be seen. It was an awful moment for Priya Nath. Just as they were beginning to despair, Shri Nathji appeared as suddenly as he had disappeared!
And Mrs. Rosborough exclaimed: Oh, your Holiness! We lost you for a moment!
Shri Nathji told them he had been right there all along. Perhaps it was a warning from God to not to take him for granted. That he could disappear from the earth altogether if He so chose.
And Shri Nathji said:
That should be the extent of man’s absorption in God–losing Him even for a brief moment should produce feelings of restlessness in man. Only then is God realisation of any benefit.”
And Shri Nathji said the following Persian Verse:
Khaaham ke na gardam zato ghaafil yak dam
Afsos azeen ghaflate har dam, har dam,
I had wished that I never forget Thee for even a moment,
But Alas! Every moment of forgetfulness is now the sorrow of every moment!