Shri Laj Pat Rai Khanna had once had a glimpse of Shri Nathji in Mussoorie many years ago, and that one glimpse had made him devoted to Shri Nathji forever. He had seen God in him.
He was a contractor but could not find any work. However since the time he had come to Shri Nathji and had begun serving him, he discovered that worldly success had begun to follow him.
While at Mussoorie in 1975, he would cook for Shri Nathji with his own hands and Shri Nathji would speak to him for hours in Punjabi, and speak of his love for the Khanna clan. The Khannas had been the recipients of the special grace of Shri Nathji since the early 30’s.
First there was R.R. Khanna, and then Lala Hargopal Khanna, and now it was L.R. Khanna, unrelated to each other except in their devotion to Shri Nathji.
As the days passed by in Mussoorie, Khanna received a call from Delhi telling him that he had been given a business contract and was required to pursue it immediately. His father-in-law rushed up to Mussoorie to persuade him to come to Delhi at once. Alas! Such were the frailties of human nature that whenever the lure of the world came before man, he forgot his duties towards God and rushed towards the world!
And it was thus that L.R. Khanna took leave of Shri Nathji from Mussoorie, leaving Shri Nathji in the midst of enemies, and without anyone to make his food.
Before going to Delhi, he sought for Shri Nathji’s blessings, saying in Punjabi: “Aapde assheervaad binaa saadaa khakk naheen ho sakdaa! Without your blessings we can accomplish nothing!”
Priya Nath sent a telegram to Shri S.P.Kapila of Allahabad to come and serve Shri Nathji. Although Kapila was a clerk in the Accountant General’s Office at Allahabad, his father had been a seasoned halwai, and Shri Nathji really enjoyed the cooking of Kapila. The man took leave from his office at Allahabad and came to Mussoorie. He began serving Shri Nathji with great devotion, cooking not only his food but also actively visiting the lawyers and the courts to fight off the miscreants who were after Savitri Nivas.
Shri Nathji relished his food and began to improve in health. However, as the days, and weeks passed, Kapila became restless. His leave at his office was expiring and he was being called back by his family members.
He would frequently be seen lost in deep thought in the kitchen while preparing food for Shri Nathji. His mind was all the time at Allahabad while his body was at Mussoorie serving Shri Nathji.
Priya Nath would often talk to him and remind him of the time when Shri Nathji had miraculously saved his wife when she was dying of cancer. He told him that nothing could go wrong when he was serving Shri Nathji, and that his superiors in office would not take any action against him. However the restlessness of Kapila’s mind could not be stilled, and it was with such a disturbed state of mind that he cooked for Shri Nathji.