Shri Nathji had led a life completely different from the lives of ascetics, sadhus and mahatmas, who had renounced the world and shunned a family life with its attendant responsibilities. Shri Nathji had lived in the world like a householder, a man of the world, being married and having children. All his life he had attended to his worldly duties as a husband and a father with perfection. And this was at a time when people everywhere were experiencing God in him and he was giving peace and happiness to countless souls.
Indeed, on the worldly plane, being a family man he could better understand the problems of the world around him and give the world more solace than if he were an ascetic. The mahatmas who had renounced their families or had shunned a family life and who preached to the people, did not really know what difficulties the people of the world were passing through, living in the midst of various problems and responsibilities.
Shri Nathji, on the other hand, lived in the world as a man of the world, with the full responsibilities of a family man. He endured the same difficulties that the people of the world endured, he lived the same kind of life as they did. In addition he gave peace to countless suffering souls and relieved mankind of its sufferings. This was something that no sadhu, mahatma or ascetic could do – as they had divorced themselves from the realities of the material world around them and were living in secluded ivory towers of their own.
Shri Nathji had attended to the education of his children and undergone all the travails of an ordinary parent in securing admission for them, paying the school fees, purchasing texts books for them, attending school functions, teaching them homework, purchasing toys and comics for them, taking them to restaurants and films.
Shri Nathji had stayed on in Mussoorie for the boys’ education, in the severe climate and isolation there, despite the severe illness of Mahamateshwari, and there being little medical aid available in the mountains.
Both the boys were to feel later that Shri Nathji and Mahamateshwari had undergone numerous sufferings for the sake of their education, in the isolation of the hills at Mussoorie. It was a sacrifice, which perhaps an ordinary parent would not have made.
Shri Nathji had sought for their admission into colleges and universities later, and played his part to perfection, accompanying Pran Nath for examinations at the University of Roorkee, going all the way to Delhi to meet the Vice Chancellor Shri Rao, for the boys’ admission to Delhi University, and later accompanying the boys to Allahabad University when they secured admission there, and continuing to stay on at Allahabad for four years till they finished studying there. And, finally, arranging for Pran Nath’s education in London and also for Priya Nath’s education at Harvard University in America.
Pran Nath had become an electronics engineer living in London, and Priya Nath had become a nuclear physicist educated at Harvard University, America. Shri Nathji had fulfilled his responsibilities towards his sons, and indeed towards his family. He had served Mahamateshwari during the period of her illness as no husband could have done.