Another favourite story Shri Nathji had to narrate was that of the Mahatma who was questioned about his belief in God.
If you jump off that mountain, and nothing happens to you, I will believe in God, said an atheist to the Mahatma.
The Mahatma went to the top of the mountain and prepared to jump, to prove the existence of God.
He closed his eyes and said:
If my God is true, nothing will happen to me! Agar mere Bhagwan sachhe hain to mujhe kuchh naheen hogaa!”
And saying this he jumped. The fall was such as to have killed any man. The Mahatma landed on the ground safe and sound.
The atheist was stunned at the miracle, but because he wanted to belittle the Mahatma, he said: Look at your toe–it is bleeding! So! Your God didn’t protect you after all!
For a moment, the Mahatma was surprised, and then realisation dawned upon him:
“He, who saved my entire body, could surely have saved my toe as well. My bleeding toe is evidence of my faithlessness. It is the punishment for the ‘if’ I used when I prayed to God. I should have said: ‘My God is True, nothing will happen to me!’ There is no ‘if’ in faith!
“Ye mujhe ‘agar’ ki sazaa milee!”
Either believe in God completely, Shri Nathji would say, or don’t believe in Him at all. There is no middle way. There is no use believing and disbelieving at the same time. It is this faltering, this weakness of faith, that results in suffering.
“Yaa to Bhagwan ko pooraa maano aur yaa phir bilkul naa maano. Ye beech kaa raastaa thheek naheen!”