Shri Nathji and his family would have their meals with the Colonel on his dining table.
The Colonel had an orderly by the name of Thapa and a dog by the name of “Chhuree”– literally meaning, “knife”. This was because of his sharp teeth and the manner in which he would bite people whom he disliked.
Shri Nathji, with his usual irrepressible sense of humour, could not conceal his laughter whenever the Colonel called out loudly to his dog in a shrill voice that said: “Chhuree!”
As a matter of fact there were moments when Shri Nathji would simply laugh to himself in a low stifled tone, trying to conceal his laughter as much as he could, lest it burst out into full-blown laughter.
At such moments Shri Nathji would cover his mouth with his hand as was his wont whenever he laughed.
There were times when the Colonel was uncomfortable, thinking that Shri Nathji was possibly laughing at some shortcoming of his. There was even an occasion when he asked Shri Nathji: “ Maharaj, is anything the matter?” when Shri Nathji was on the verge of his divine outburst of laughter.
This habit of laughing suddenly on the idiosyncrasies or eccentricities of people was one that had become a part of Shri Nathji since years. It was without offence to anyone and merely revealed the depth of his happiness with the person. Sahadeva Tayal and R.R. Khanna would trigger off similar reactions in Shri Nathji, and they would take advantage of the situation to keep Shri Nathji laughing.
But perhaps one of the main reasons for this laughter in Shri Nathji was the fact that he was amused at the joke he was playing upon humanity–pretending to be weak and helpless and ignorant–when he knew everything, and was All Powerful, and was in fact the Almighty in human form. It was the greatest joke that God had ever played upon mankind.