Shri Nathji came down with acute bronchitis during those days, and he would be seen frequently coughing all day long, while speaking to the visitors that came to him. Since Shri Nathji did not appear very concerned about the cough, Madame Krull was in great despair and said to Pran Nath and Priya Nath: “Why are you two ignoring his coughing? You have been educated abroad and should have got him to a doctor before now!”
Pran Nath, thereafter, took Shri Nathji to a doctor in South Extension who gave him Ledermycin, an antibiotic. Although it cured the cough, it caused a strange weakness in the left leg of Shri Nathji, which persisted for many days afterwards.
One day he had a dreadful, suffocating feeling in the chest as well as pain. He was also perspiring. It had all the symptoms of a heart attack. But he would not let Priya Nath call a doctor.
No one ever knew what happened to him on that day. Perhaps it was a heart attack, which was left unattended, and which Shri Nathji controlled through His Will Power alone, so as not to alarm Priya Nath and Pran Nath.
Priya Nath often thought how such a precious body like that of Shri Nathji was being neglected without any medical attention, whereas the bodies of ordinary political leaders and wealthy folk were kept under meticulous medical observation and given the utmost of care for even the most minor of symptoms.
During Mateshwari’s time, Shri Nathji had never fallen ill, but now that Mateshwari was gone, illness after illness appeared to lie in wait for him.
The reason was simple. While Mateshwari was in her body, she had taken upon herself the ills and sorrows of the world. But after her going, it was Shri Nathji’s delicate body that was bearing the brunt of the sufferings of others.
Sri Krishen Khanna, Priya Nath’s uncle wrote to Priya Nath asking him to resume his work in America, however Priya Nath would not hear of it. He urged even Sri Krishen to quit his job and to come and live with Shri Nathji to serve him. Shri Nathji’s body was too precious to be left to the tender mercies of servants and devotees. Joshi had left after his office leave had expired. Indeed so had Rajinder Kohli and Sri Krishen Khanna at Mussoorie.
Many devotees offered their services to Shri Nathji, but were found wanting when it came to making sacrifices. The call of the material world proved too strong for them. After a few months they would be gone, leaving Shri Nathji suddenly.