In his sermon over the All India Radio, Delhi, Shri Nathji spoke of the atheist aboard a ship. It was one of his favourite parables, and one which won every heart each time he told it.
An atheist, drunk by wealth and power, was aboard a ship. He had always said ‘God is nowhere’. Suddenly the ship was hit by a storm. As the waters of the ocean raged around the ship and began tossing it about, the atheist found his world crumbling. Neither his wealth nor his fame could help him. In his state of alarm he ran to the captain of the ship and asked him to save the ship from sinking.
The captain said angrily: Don’t disturb me, I am doing my duty!
The other passengers in the ship could not help the atheist in any way. He tried to hold the sides of the ship but to no avail. He turned to the raging waters of the ocean and said:
Be calm!
But the forces of Nature were composed of dead matter and were deaf to his ears.
In his desperation he looked at the sky and called out to God:
O God, please stop the storm! Let my ship cross the ocean! After that you may choose to exist or not, as you please!
He Bhagwaan iss toofaan ko roko. Mere jahaaz ko paar kar do.
Phir honaa na honaa tumhaari marzi hai!
The sentence ‘GOD IS NOWHERE’ had turned into ‘GOD IS NOW HERE.’
In this parable Shri Nathji showed how God becomes a Reality when man finds his strength reduced to zero, and has an urgent need for someone to come and save him. The sorrows and sufferings of the world bring man closer to God.