Chopra suggested to Parmeshwari Das that Shri Nathji shift to Royal Hotel where a suite of two rooms was available, and where the proprietor was a friend of Chopra. Shri Nathji did not wish to stay any longer in Chopra’s house. He had come to his house in July 1958 and he shifted to Royal Hotel in October 1958. He took Room Nos. 5 and 6 on rent.
Chopra took upon himself the token duty of supplying daily milk for Shri Nathji, which was obtained from the buffaloes in his home, and thus continued to come for his darshan at the hotel. Chopra knew that he could not do without Shri Nathji’s blessings, even though he had not wanted him to stay in his house. Chopra thus wanted the best of both worlds–the blessings of Shri Nathji as well as the freedom to enjoy the luxuries of the world.
Chopra’s daughters, who were much more devoted to Shri Nathji than even their father, later came and told Pran Nath and Priya Nath, that, on the day that Shri Nathji left his home, Chopra had actually danced with joy in his drawing room to the tune of a radio song! It was not that he had lost faith in Shri Nathji; it was only that the lure of the material world and the pleasures of the flesh had become so irresistible that he could not do without them. Shri Nathji had often warned people about this pitfall on the spiritual path.
Shri Nathji would say:
“What is the world? That which must go. And what is God? That which must remain forever!
“It is not wise to leave the permanent for the sake of the temporary! I am always wary about giving my devotees too much wealth because it may make them waver from the spiritual path.
“When Lord Rama gave the kingdom to Sugreeva after vanquishing Bali for his sake, Sugreeva forgot his promises to Lord Rama, and instead began making merry in the wealth and luxury of his kingdom!”
Shri Nathji had often narrated the voice of God, which said:
“O man, why do you leave me for the things of the world! These I have made for you, and shall, of a certainty, give to you!”
Shri Nathji would also say:
“ A mother is happy when she sees her child play with the toys she has given him – and at the same time she does not want her child to leave her, because she knows that one day the toys will break and the child will have nowhere to turn!
“In a like manner God is happy to see his devotee play with the material things of the world, but he does not want his devotee to leave him for their sake, because he knows that the material objects are perishable, and when they are gone man will have no refuge in life.”
Shri Nathji had no ill-will in his heart for anyone. He could easily have said:
“You have driven me out of your house–now you have no right to stay in my world!”
However he ignored these vagrancies of devotion and waited for the devotee to come back to the right path himself with the passage of time.
Many years later, Chopra was to realise the folly that he had committed, when he found his material prosperity vanishing, his finances collapsing and ill health and worries surrounding him. The Government had nationalised the coal mines and Chopra had virtually no income left.
He wrote to Shri Nathji:
“There was a time when every happiness of the world followed me, when good health and prosperity was mine for the asking, when I had no worries of any kind. Today all that I have before me is ill health and infirmity, clouds of worry and fear surround me day and night, and the only solace in life that I have is the thought of you. Your pictures adorn every room in my house and I carry the handkerchief, which you gave me, always in my pocket. It is my strength in the face of adversity. I pray thee to forgive me for all my sins and continue to shower thy mercy and grace upon me.”
Real devotees were always brought back to the path of devotion by the hand of Nature. Shri Nathji would always say:
“He whom the Lord punishes at once, He makes His own! But he, whom the Lord does not punish, is left to the inexorable Law of Karma–cause and effect, which must take its toll for ages to come.”
Shri Nathji however cautioned against certain kinds of people who would remain unbelievers even if the stark reality of God appeared before them in the form of Vishnu Brahma and Mahesh. These souls were lost to God forever.