For four years, the struggle of Shri Nathji with his adversaries persisted over the cities of Nagpur, Delhi and Mussoorie. On the earthly plane it was a very unequal battle. On one side was Shri Nathji with a handful of poor and old devotees with their children.
There was Smt. Veeran Devi who was in her 80’s. Mrs. Gangabai Bhutt who was about 78, Sahadeva Tayal also approaching 75, Gajanan Kerhalkar 73 years old, and the retired postmaster, G.G. Urhekar and his children, Usha and Venu and Raju. There was only one young and energetic devotee, Arun Raout, who shuffled back and forth from Mussoorie to Nagpur carrying court files and papers.
It was with this bedraggled group of poor devotees that Shri Nathji and Priya Nath were battling some of the most powerful and influential men, who had wealth and power at their command and who could influence the authorities very easily.
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama had with him brave and strong persons like Hanuman and the king Sugreeva, and their armies. Lord Krishna had the powerful Arjuna and Bhim Sen with him along with the armies of the pandavas.
But in this strange war that Shri Nathji and Priya Nath were fighting, their “army” appeared to be hopelessly outnumbered and incredibly weak and helpless.
Lord Rama and Lord Krishna had been in the prime of their youth at the time of the battle, but Shri Nathji was already approaching the age of 77.
And yet Shri Nathji was able to secure victory after victory. It was yet another proof–if proofs indeed were needed–of Shri Nathji’s divine power.
He accomplished something that Lord Rama and Lord Krishna had not done–humbled the rich and powerful with a handful of weak and helpless old men and children. In that sense this battle would remain as more important than that fought in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
There were the moments of solitude when Shri Nathji and Priya Nath sat with their loyal “army” of old folk and children, and listened to the verses of Shri Nathji put to music by Priya Nath:
“Tumhen har ranj men raahat dikhaadi Nath Saaki ne,
Tamaashaa hai ke veeraane men kaayam aisee maifil hai
In every sorrow, thy Saki Nath has shown thee happiness,
How strange that such a gathering exists in the wilderness!
Ai aazmaane jaadaye eemaan barrhe chalo
Khaa khaa ke teero khanjaro paikaan barhe chalo
O thou steadfast in faith, proceed thou onwards!
Braving arrows and swords proceed thou onwards!
Not only did these verses instil courage into the hearts of the devotees but it also filled them with great peace and no feeling of antipathy towards the enemies.