Shri Nathji was playing his part on many fronts, assuming the guise of many an actor, and playing the role of many a relationship. He had not forgotten his brother, Prem Nath, even though the latter had caused him to leave his own home at 25, Inder Road, Dehra Dun. Prem Nath had fallen into the web of attachments brought about by his marriage and had sided with his in-laws, and thus caused Shri Nathji and Mateshwari to leave the Dehra Dun house. Now the wheel of destiny had turned against him.
With the going away of Shri Nathji, he soon found himself in dire straits. The in-laws he had been attached to became a cause of his distress. There was an incident in which a relative even came and assaulted him. When Shri Nathji learnt of this, he was greatly pained. He wrote a polite, respectful, but firm letter in Urdu to Prem Nath’s father-in-law, Dewan Sahib, protesting against the incident. It was only Shri Nathji who could combine, politeness, humility and firmness in a manner that affected the reader profoundly and all at once made him conscious of his own mistakes and shortcomings. This was yet another method of Shri Nathji’s reform.
“19th October 1947,
Kahkashan,
Mussoorie
Kaabile Tauzeem Dewan Sahib,
Pranaam, Most Honourable Dewan Sahib
My Respectful Salutations.
“It has come to my knowledge that someone closely related to you has lifted his hand on your son-in-law, Shri Prem Nath, who was lying ill in bed at the time at Dehra Dun. The news has caused a great shock to me, for I could not have imagined that such an incident would have occurred in your presence. The honour of your son-in-law is your honour. Relatives are meant to come to the aid of each other, especially during periods of illness and distress. I do not know how and why the incident occurred. If there were any differences these could have been resolved through words alone. There was no need for matters to have come to such a head. I have yet to make a full enquiry into the incident. I shall either send someone there or come down myself for the purpose. If there were any problems you could have written to me directly and explained the situation…”
The letter was polite and firm and diplomatic and also conveyed a warning that Shri Nathji would not tolerate this kind of behaviour against his brother, Prem Nath, in the future. The letter struck terror into the hearts of Prem Nath’s detractors, the more so since they were afraid of Shri Nathji visiting Dehra Dun to “make an enquiry”.
Shri Nathji commanded a great deal of respect in Dehra Dun. Rai Bahadur Ugra Sen, who was the Chairman of the Municipal Committee of Dehra Dun, as also Commissioners and Collectors, and members of the legal community there had great reverence for Shri Nathji and would have acted on his behalf.
However, Shri Nathji preferred to let the matter rest there. His letter was deterrent enough. Prem Nath was reaping the fruits of his own actions. He had caused such a loving and gentle brother, like Shri Nathji, to leave the house for the sake of his own relatives who had now become a thorn in his side. It was a regret that was to remain with him all his life.
Shri Nathji’s concern for all who had any kind of a relationship with him was described in the following Persian Verse often recited by Shri Nathji:
Dostaan raa kujaa kunee maiharoom
To ke ba-dushmanaa nazar daari
How canst thou desert thy friends,
When thou art even by the side of thy foes?
Shri Nathji’s life style was that of a worldly man fully engaged in the affairs of the world, tending to his family, dealing with property agents and government offices, entering into family conflicts.
It was like the lives of the Avatars, Rama and Krishna. It was a life completely different from the lives of the sadhus and mahatmas who had renounced the world.
And it was while Shri Nathji was engaged in the affairs of the world that the Glory of His Divine Light shone forth with full brilliance and revealed itself every time a genuine seeker after truth came to him.