Preface to the Second Edition 2002
I must confess right at the start that I found myself absolutely helpless to undertake a task of this magnitude. Who can describe the indescribable? How can a particle of dust describe the earth? How can a drop of water describe the ocean? How can a candle describe the sun?
Whenever I had occasion to read ancient religious or spiritual texts, I often wondered whether the authors of these texts had first hand knowledge of the events that they were describing and whether they had recorded the episodes as and when they occurred with absolute accuracy, and, more importantly, whether they had actually lived with the Messiahs all the time. Those were the days when much was missing in terms of writing material, paper, printing presses, cameras and recording machines. Thus much may have been lost to the world because of the absence of these marvels of science.
The advent of God upon earth in the 20th century, with all the advancements of science, brought details that the histories of the past could not capture. I can state with first hand knowledge and research that whatever I have set down in this book is absolutely accurate, from my own observation and from the personal narrations of others, as well as old manuscripts and books, letters and photographs, and tape and video recordings. I have no manner of doubt in my mind that whatever I have set down in this book is the truth and the absolute truth. It encompasses not only the beliefs of thousands of persons but also my personal belief, and indeed the revelations He gave of Himself.
Intellectuals, scientists, learned members of the bar and judiciary, saints and sages, as well as the common folk, men, women and children, and even atheists and agnostics found in Him the Holiest of the Holy. It was a belief that led them to the realization that He was none other than God Himself. And yet only those persons could understand
Him to whom He had chosen to reveal Himself. As He often said:
You can see the sun only with the Light of the Sun.
It makes no difference to me whether this book is read by millions or by no one. It is enough for me that I have set down on paper an event of the greatest importance in the history of mankind. I have performed my duty, and it is now up to Him whether He wishes to reveal Himself to all or else remain concealed behind the Veil of His Own Creation.
Maanaa tamaan khalk se too be niyaaz hai Teraa
Teraa niyaaz mand hoon ye mujhko naaz hai
Thou art beyond the reach of the entire
Universe,
My only pride is that I depend upon Thy
Mercy and Love
It was His greatness that He chose an unworthy instrument like me to write this book about Him, which at best is a very incomplete biography. To describe Him completely would be to write till the end of time in a narration with an infinite number of pages. Indeed no human being could accomplish such a task. Only He could completely describe Himself.
It is impossible for any person on earth to conceive of the immense sacrifice that God has to make when he comes down upon earth in human form. He has to limit and curtail His Powers. Even though being All-Powerful, He has to assume the guise of a helpless human being subject to human frailties. Most of the time he will not use his powers for his own body and will allow endless physical suffering to come upon it.
He has to take upon himself the sins and sorrows of the world and lead a life of constant crucifixion. And he undergoes all the pain and suffering of life with happiness and calm. Herein lies his greatness. I have tried to bring out all these things and more in the pages of the history to follow.
The first volume of this book comprises events, which begin with the advent of Shri Babaji Maharaj upon earth in 1867, who was Shri Nathji’s Father on the physical plane.
Shri Nathji came upon the planet on the 23rd of June 1902. The life and teachings of Shri Babaji Maharaj form the basis of the opening chapters in which Shri Nathji remains relatively in the background. The events recorded here have been taken from the biography of H.H. Shri Babaji Maharaj, which was written by Shri Nathji in 1932.
In the chapters that follow, Shri Nathji comes into His own. The fulness of His Glory is revealed to the people of the world. All accept Him as God Incarnate upon earth and his leela–play–begins to manifest itself upon earth. The narration continues in a style of brevity until 1980.
The greater part of this book was dictated by Shri Nathji and was partly written by me from personal observations and recollections and interviews. It had first appeared in print as: “The Advent of the Avatar”, which was an 800 page book that covered the events up to 1978. I brought it up to date, by enlarging upon earlier facts, and bringing the book up to date till 1980. This then is Volume One of the biography.
Volumes 2 and 3, present a completely different picture of the events of Shri Nathji’s life between the years 1981 till 1992. These events are taken from the daily diaries, which I was fortunate enough to maintain while I was living with him. I consider these to be invaluable treasures which were denied to history in the incarnations of the past ages.
It shall remain as one of the greatest regrets of my life that I did not maintain such diaries before this time. I must confess that as a child and a young boy I was too engrossed in my convent education to realize the importance of maintaining daily diaries, and that later as a student at Allahabad University and at Harvard University, I was too engrossed with my post-graduate studies in science to consider maintaining diaries as a personal and important duty. It had never occurred to me then that I would ever be writing His Biography, even as He had written the biography of his Father Shri Babaji Maharaj. At the time my only ambition in life had been to become a nuclear physicist. It was an ambition that soon disappeared when I realized that I had an infinitely greater duty upon my shoulders.
At the time my only ambition in life had been to become a nuclear physicist. It was an ambition that soon disappeared when I realized that I had an infinitely greater duty upon my shoulders.
He had always encouraged me to study science. It was His greatness that at no point in my life did He ever try to instil the idea into my mind that He was God upon earth. It was an unshakeable realisation that came to me spontaneously, from deep within my inner self, a realization that shall remain with me forever.
It was only after the passing away of my mother, Mateshwari, that I realized that I had to be with Shri Nathji all the time to look after His Holy Body, and that the life and events of God upon earth were a unique occurrence that had to be preserved for posterity. Even then the awakening to maintain personal diaries came upon me only in 1981.
The readers will notice the difference between Volume No. I and the remaining Volumes II and III. It is as if the tone and content of the writing had changed to one of great personal detail about Shri Nathji. In a way people will take delight in knowing of the manner in which Shri Nathji led his infinitely diverse life at home, where He played the role of man and God at the same time.
Ishq ki iptadaa bhee tum, husn ki intahaa
bhee tum
Raihne do raaz khul gayaa bande bhee tum
khudaa bhee tum
Thou art the beginning of Love, and Thou the limits of Beauty itself, Yes, the Secret must out–Thou art Man as well as God!
The events and narrations contained in this book are staggering–only if they describe something that goes beyond the imagination of man, the coming of God in their midst as one of them.
As far as my own claim is concerned it can best be set down in the words below:
Tere kadmon ki koyi sevaa na mujh se ho
saki,
Iss liye main hoon jahaan men sharmasaare
zindagi
I could not serve Thy Holy Feet in any way, And that shall remain as the greatest failing of my life
It is with this humble offering that I place this book at His Holy Feet. I know for a certainty that He exists always with us, and shall always be with us. Those that come to know Him through the pages of this book shall truly have found a fulfillment in their lives, and find him always with them, to relieve them of all their sorrows and sufferings, to fill them with His divine bliss, and then to take them across the ocean of life and death to an abode where There is only Eternal Life, and where He exists in the full Majesty of His Infinite Form.
Priya Nath Mehta
M.Sc., M.S. (Harvard) USA
Savitri Nivas
The Mall,
Mussoorie
June 23, 2002