The journey to Bombay was a long and tedious one across dusty roads and wastelands and forests. Though Mateshwari had recovered from the acute diabetic coma attack of April 1954, she was still not fully well for such an arduous journey and had to watch her diet carefully. She seldom took medicines regularly, and her general condition was still weak. Another person in her place would not have attempted such a long journey in a car. To make matters worse there was no devotee with them in the car and they were entirely dependent upon the driver for even minor courtesies like fetching drinking water and food.
Mateshwari had agreed to go by car because she believed it was the Will of Shri Nathji. And Shri Nathji had, on his part, decided to undertake the hazardous journey because he thought the children desperately wanted it. The spiritual reason for the long journey was the call of the thirsty souls, wherever they existed, for his darshan. He would meet humanity freely and openly now, in regions where he may have never set foot otherwise.
Shri Nathji directed the driver to take the car along the Grand Trunk Road, which was Shri Nathji’s favourite road, and they went all the way to Delhi, stopping over there but briefly. The devotees of Delhi were very concerned that Shri Nathji was going alone with his family over such a long distance, with only a Muslim driver in attendance about whom Shri Nathji knew but little.
Since Shri Nathji never planned anything, and allowed events to follow a divine plan, he was travelling without a road map. The driver had never gone by road to Bombay before. Those were days when few people took the risk of travelling by road. The car would stop along the way time and again and Shri Nathji would be led to ask passers-by about the correct route. People would peep inside the car and look at Shri Nathji even as they answered his queries.
Most of them mistook him for a Maharaja or a wealthy Seth, but were surprised at his humility and loving smile and the gentle inflexion of his voice.
People were only too anxious to explain the route at length, and would salute him as he passed on. Sometimes Shri Nathji would extend his arm out of the window of the car to pat the man on his shoulder, or even to give him a tip if he were very poor.
This appeared to be the main reason for the extended car trip of Shri Nathji, to give his Divine Grace to as many people as possible, to give a glimpse of himself to strangers on the road, who he stopped for directions.
Little did these people know that the one asking them for directions was God Himself. Their souls thrilled with a wonderful vibration, and that one glimpse they had of Shri Nathji freed them of many of their worries and sufferings of life; it was a feeling that extended over their life spans.
By and by, the route to Bombay had become clear. They would be passing through Mathura, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Indore, Mhow, Dhulia and Nasik before they reached Bombay. The total distance was about 800 miles.
Shri Nathji never allowed the driver to drive the car at a speed greater than 30 miles per hour. In fact the car would average only 20 miles per hour because of the narrow road and the bullock carts and trucks along the way, and the frequent passage through towns and villages.
Shri Nathji stopped for the night at Mathura. He had to find a safe place for Mateshwari and the children for the night. The manner in which Shri Nathji found lodging places for the night was nothing short of miraculous.
Shri Nathji would always ask for the Government Dak Bungalows in every city, which were usually reserved for the PWD government staff. However, the moment they saw Shri Nathji they offered him the place for the night.
No one in the world could ever refuse anything that Shri Nathji asked for. Shri Nathji always blessed the staff and chowkidars of the PWD rest houses as he took leave of them. Those who were lucky enough to understand him, bowed before him at once.
It was a measure of Shri Nathji’s divinity that all of humanity was forced by its inner instinct to bow before him. Whether the bow took the shape of a full prostration or kneeling, or whether it was just a stooping of the shoulders, depended upon the state of enlightenment of the person before him.
Shri Nathji carried large holdalls in which the bedding was wrapped, and these came in good stead while staying for the night in these dak bungalows, which had no bedding of any sort, but could offer only beds and a room.
Shri Nathji had taken his double-barrelled gun along with himself. It had an all-India license and Shri Nathji could carry it anywhere. The gun was placed at his feet in the car. Shri Nathji did not know how to fire the gun and had never cared to learn its mechanism. With the infirmity in his right arm it would have been difficult for him to hold the gun in its shooting position in any case. However, knowing of the difficult route, he had thought it best to take the gun along with him.
Those were the days when Shri Nathji drank whatever water was available from any tap anywhere, or whatever food that came from any quarters.
Despite such a delicate digestive system, Shri Nathji managed to eat whatever was available during the journey. Mateshwari could scarce keep to her diabetic diet and had to eat the potatoes, which appeared to be the staple diet along with poories, wherever they went.