Amongst the devotees who came for Shri Nathji’s darshan at 40 Lodi Road were Kasturilal, Shakuntala, Raj Vaid Sudhanwa and family members. Kasturilal would break out into tears each time he came before Shri Nathji.
From a poor sweet seller in the streets he had become a well-known singing master with a double storeyed house of his own at Karol Bagh. On this occasion in 1952 he had composed a Bhajan, which was to become immortal in the days to come and to be on the lips of many of Shri Nathji’s devotees. The bhajan even found its way across to the far away regions of Maharashtra where the devotees would sing it in the same tune as composed by Kasturilal.
The voice of Kasturilal, and the tune in which he sang, were so touching that whoever heard the bhajan at once broke out into tears. On this occasion there were tears in the eyes of all present, including Victor, the driver, who had returned to his Master.
The words of the bhajan were:
Ai Nathji tumhaare dar kaa hoon main bhikaari
Raihmat ki khair deejo hai kab se intazaari
O Nathji, I am a beggar of Thy door,
Give me Thy Mercy and Grace, I have been waiting since long
Naa ail aur na kaabil moorakh hoon be akal hoon
Naalaayak aur nikammaa bhaddaa hoon bad shakal hoon
Bhikshaa kripaa kee de do hai kab se intazaari
Without learning or skill, ignorant, and without wisdom,
Worthless and wayward, I am unsightly and unattractive;
Give me the alms of Thy Mercy and Grace
Avgun to mujh men laakhon gun ek bhee naheen hai
Hain paap to karorron punya ek bhee naheen hai
Bhar do meri ye jholi hai kab se intazaari
Of faults there is no dearth in me, of qualities not a sign,
Of sins there is no count, of goodness not a sign,
Fill thou my empty fold, I am waiting since long
Naapaak hoon main bandaa paapon se man hai gandaa
Sab jaanate ho Bhagwan kitnaa hoon nek bandaa
Ai deena Nath Bhagwan
Sewak sharan tihaari,
par aap kaa bhikaari
I am a man impure, and my heart is unclean with sins
Thou knowest well what goodness I possess
O Merciful Nath, this servant has taken refuge in Thee!
Shri Nathji loved this bhajan for its abject humility, confession and self-effacement. Shri Nathji had always said:
“Phir uske shaane kareemi ke hausale dekhe
Gunehgaar ye kaihde ke gunehgaar hoon main
“Watch, then, the showering of His Grace
Let the sinner but say: ‘I have sinned!’”
There was also the verse on behalf of man:
Daavaa karenge ham teri maishar ke roobroo
Hamnen gunaah kiye hain teri raihmat ke zor par
We shall say with full assertion before Thee, face to face,
We have sinned on the strength of Thy Mercy!