In 1935, Justice Rangilal of the Punjab High Court came along with R.R. Khanna to the Rialto Theatre at Mussoorie to listen to Shri Nathji’s lecture. Even as Khanna introduced Justice Rangilal to him, Shri Nathji said:
Rangilalji, aap range rangaaye aaye hain yaa rangvaane aaye hain?
“Have you come before me to receive my colour or have you dyed yourself already?
And the learned judge gave an answer that won Shri Nathji’s heart and became legend thereafter:
Huzoor agar rangaa hoon to certificate deejiye,
Aur naheen rangaa to rang daaliye,
Magar bhatkaayiyegaa naheen!
“If I have dyed myself then give me a certificate. If not, then dye me with your colour! Only don’t let me go astray.
Shri Nathji had made a reference to Shri Rangilal’s name. For “Rang” meant colour. And Shri Nathji was referring to the colouring of the Soul.
Thereafter a deep spiritual bond was established between Shri Nathji and Justice Rangilal, who began to come for Shri Nathji’s darshan and blessings at Kahkashan Cottage at Mussoorie. Justice Rangilal had fallen deeply in love with Shri Nathji. It was a relationship that was to endure till eternity.
Rangilalji, said Shri Nathji, how easy will the life of a man become if he is living in a kingdom, where the King is his friend!
“And how wonderful would the life of a person become if he is living in a world where its Creator is his friend!
The exact Urdu words of Shri Nathji to Justice Rangilal were:
Agar aap kissee baadshaah ke mulk men raih rahen hon aur baadshaah se aapki dosti ho jaaye to kitnaa aaraam mile uske mulk men raih kar!
“Aur agar aap jiski duniyaa men raih rahe hon uss se koyi dosti ho jaaye to kitna aaraam mile uski duniyaa men raihkar!
Shri Nathji elucidated:
In times of need, the King’s treasury will be open for him; in times of fear the King’s army would be ready to protect him; in times of sickness the King’s hospitals would be available. In a like manner, when a person lives in the world where God is his friend he would be looked after and protected by God at all times.
One day Justice Rangilal came to Shri Nathji and said: “ I have taken pre-retirement leave and am planning to go on a trip to Europe. I have come to seek permission from you!”
Shri Nathji who never missed a moment of humour said to him:
“You have already taken leave with the intention of going to Europe, so my permission is superfluous now! Or else you would have sought my permission even before taking the leave!”
Shri Nathji gave him his blessings. Just before Justice Rangilal went out of the door, Shri Nathji repeated what he had said to him before:
“Rangilalji! How easy life would become for one who has the Creator of the world as his friend!
Justice Rangilal heard these words of Shri Nathji and then left for a tour of Europe.
He met Shri Nathji in India several months later. There was a glow of happiness upon his face.
Shri Nathji said to him in a light vein:
“Rangilalji, ye Europe kaa rang aapke chehre par jhalak rahaa hai?
“Rangilalji, does the glow on your face reflect the colour of Europe?”
And Justice Rangilal replied:
“Naheen Maharaj! Ye to aapkaa diyaa huaa rang hai!
“No Maharaj! This is the colour you gave me!”
And Justice Rangilal elaborated:
Do you remember what you said to me before I left for Europe? Your words entered my heart. I fell ill while I was in a hotel room with no one to look after me. The situation was so serious that even if I had died, there would have been no one to send a telegram to my home.
“But, then, a strange thing happened. Suddenly a stranger appeared before me. He did everything for me. He called a doctor, he brought medicines for me, he helped me to get up and walk. Whenever I needed anything, he would appear and get it for me. All that I could not do for myself, was done by this stranger for me. I did not even know who he was.
“He remained with me till the time I got well, and when I was fully recovered he said ‘thank you’ to me and vanished. I never saw him again!
And then I remembered what you had said to me: ‘If one has established a relationship with the Creator of the world how easy it is to live in His World. That man had been sent by you, I am convinced!
Justice Rangilal of the Punjab High Court became an ardent devotee and admirer of Shri Nathji. He would attend Shri Nathji’s lectures at Rialto Theatre, Mussoorie even in pouring rain.
Getting wet in the rain is a small price to pay for such nectar, he would say, as he kept apace of Shri Nathji, umbrella in hand on the Mall Road, in Mussoorie.
When Shri Nathji speaks, he would say, it is as if he is conversing with us. This is in contrast to many orators of our day who prefer to hammer out their thoughts and words on the audience.
Justice Rangilal continued meeting Shri Nathji at Mussoorie. One day he came to Shri Nathji and said:
Huzoor, ever since I have started coming to you, whatever programme I make in life, invariably fails.
“Huzoor, jab se main aapko milaa hoon jo programme main zindagi men banaata hoon vo programme toot jaataa hai!”
In that case, Rangilalji, Shri Nathji said: You must stop coming to me and your plans might not fail.
“Rangilalji, isskaa to saral ilaaj hai. Naa mila karen to aapke programme naheen tootaa karenge!”
No, no, I am not complaining, Justice Rangilal said.
“Huzoor, maine shikaayat kab kee!”
These are fine thanks,” said Shri Nathji laughingly, you are saying that whatever programme you make in life fails ever since you have started coming to me!
“Ye bhee ajeeb shukriyaa hai ke jab se main milaa hoon aapke sab programme tootne lage hain!”
Said Justice Rangilal: Huzoor, here me out in full! Huzoor pooraa to sun len!
I have said that whatever programme I make in life fails ever since I began meeting you. But then a strange thing happens! A ready made programme comes before me all by itself!
Jo programme main banaataa hoon vo to toot jaataa hai – aur ek banaa banaayaa programme chalaa aataa hai
And how is that programme? Shri Nathji asked him, “Vo programme kaisaa hota hai, Rangilalji?”
Beautiful beyond expectations, said Rangilal, I could not have made such a programme even in the wildest stretches of my imagination!
“Vo to itnaa sundar hotaa hai ke main sochkar bhee naheen banaa saktaa thhaa!”
Shri Nathji said, laughingly:
“Well, then Rangilalji, if cooked food is coming your way, then why bother to warm your own kitchen?”
Agar paki pakaayi mil rahee ho to choolhaa garam karne kee kya zaroorat hai!
Once Justice Rangilal came for Shri Nathji’s darshan at his residence at Kahkashan, and after sitting with Shri Nathji for a long time, left. Half an hour later there was a knock on Shri Nathji’s door. When Shri Nathji opened the door he found Justice Rangilal standing outside!
Rangilalji! Shri Nathji said, What a surprise to see you again so soon!”
Huzoor, said Rangilal, “I had left your place and was going down the road when I saw these apples and I bought them, as they were of an excellent quality. I thought I might present them to you!
Shri Nathji laughed and said: Tell me the truth, Rangilalji, did you come back just to give me the apples or was it to have my darshan again!
Justice Rangilal said: Yes, Maharaj, I must admit my real intention! I had to have your darshan again. The apples were a mere excuse!”
Shri Nathji always said: There can never be complete fulfilment in Love. The desire to meet again must persist when the Love is real. There are no limits to Love. It is a feeling that must keep on increasing from one beautiful stage to another. Having had a glimpse of God, man cannot say that his desire to meet God is over. As a matter of fact the glimpse of God gives rise to a greater intensity of desire to meet Him again!”
There was Shri Nathji’s beautiful verse on this theme:
“Aarzooye deede jaanaa hamko laayi bazm men
Bazm se ham aarzooye deede jaanaa le chale
It was the desire to see Thee that brought me to Thee,
And leaving, I carry this desire with myself!”