Shri Nathji was in Lahore with his devotee, Shri Ram Gopal Mehra. In the middle of the night he got up, switched on the light, and wrote a verse. He called Ram Gopal Mehra into the room and showed the verse to him.
Ram Gopalji, he said, “write this in your note book.
Kaar saaze maa ba fikre kaare maa
Fikre maa dar kaare maa aazaare maa.
He who is doing all my works, is worrying over them,
It is only my worrying over my own works which becomes a source of unhappiness for me.
I have written it in my note book, Ram Gopal Mehra, but I request you to write it on my heart!
This verse was to serve as a guiding light to many people. Shri Nathji quoted it very frequently in all his sermons. These Persian and Urdu couplets came as flashes of light to illumine the path of mankind.
In this one verse, Shri Nathji gave a release to man from the sorrows of the world. There was no room for worry. Shri Nathji said:
“When you sit inside a train–it is the engine driver who is doing the driving; when you sit inside a plane–it is the pilot who does the flying! You simply relax and enjoy the journey without worrying.
“Similarly, when you leave your life in the hands of God, then you must let Him do the worrying and be free of worry yourself. When you worry over your life’s affairs you create sorrow for yourself. Let Him worry over them–He, who is taking care of them!
Shri Nathji said further:
“If you wish to be free of worries in the world, then do not look upon this verse as a mere verse. Think of it as being on a firmer footing than even the Law of Gravitation that holds people to the earth. Let the verse become a part of your selves and let it manifest itself in your daily lives.
“Whenever you are haunted by any dire need in life, then read this verse again and again, and then come to the conclusion that you have not to worry about your need, because the Creator of the Universe is already worrying about it and has provided an answer for it.
“He has provided an answer to the need even before the need arose!
“I assure you that if you live your life in accordance with this verse for even a few days, you will come to realize that you have no need to worry about anything, because the Creator has, in His wisdom, provided an answer to everything.
“When you were born, the answer to all your needs was provided by Nature. You were given parents to look after you when you were too small to even think for yourself.
“If you had been given a need for air, you had also been provided with the air in the atmosphere to sustain your life. If you had been given eyes, you had also been provided with light that fulfilled the need of the eyes. If you had been given ears, you had also been provided with sounds to hear. If you had been given a tongue you were also provided with things to taste.
“Because all these needs were a real necessity, an answer to them had been provided by the Creator even before the needs arose.
“We have come into the world like a guest who comes into the well decorated home of his host.
“The difference lies in the fact that while a guest does not worry about his needs in the house of his host, we, who have come into the world like guests, perpetually worry about our needs and make the joy of our own lives tasteless. Is this not a great mistake?
“You might ask: how are we like guests and how is God like the host?
“The answer is: a guest is one who stays for a few a days only. We have come into this world for a few days only.
“Secondly, a guest is one who does not bring with himself all the things necessary for his needs, but instead finds the answer to all his needs provided by the host himself.
“In a like manner when we come into this world we bring nothing with us, rather we enter a world which has already been well decorated for us with an answer to all our needs.
“The definition of a host is, that he is one, who is the owner of the house, and has the means to provide all the things necessary for the comfort of his guests.
“And this definition applies to the Creator of the Universe, because he is the owner of the world and everything in it, and He gives us all that we need.
“It is the duty of the guest to thank his host and to praise his kindness and hospitality, and to never even think about any shortcoming, no matter how small, far less complain of it.
“It is also the duty of the guest to please his host by obeying whatever rules have been laid out by the host in his house, and to not to do anything that would displease the host. And, if possible, the guest must ask the host whether he can take part in any of the services offered at his home.
“In Urdu, a guest is called ‘Maihmaan’, which means ‘one who is as fair as the moon’. A host is called ‘Mezbaan’, which means, ‘one whose tongue carries the taste of wine’.
“The meaning of this is: that a guest, a Maihmaan, is one who fills the heart of the host with joy, like the moon; and a host, Mezbaan, is one who is so filled with happiness at the thought of serving his guest that he places everything that he has, at his disposal.
“We must, at all times, thank our Real Master in the world.
“And, if anything goes against our wishes, we must not complain of the shortcoming but think that it is meant for our betterment.
“We must go on fulfilling the duties which our host has laid out for us, albeit for our entertainment. We must do our works in the world as we would play tennis or play on the piano.
“We must remain absorbed in our works, and never worry about our needs, which are the responsibility of the host.
“If you are the guests of someone and you begin worrying about your own needs in his home, then surely you will displease your host.
Nami goyam ke az duniyaan judaa baash
Ba har kaare ke baashi baa Khudaa baash
I do not say that you must leave the world,
But in everything that you do, keep God with yourself
“The formula that I have given you has benefited many. You can try it for yourself and see. Go on doing your works but do not worry about your needs.
“Look at the Universe. There is but One Creator who has made the entire Universe, and He has created an answer to every need even before the need arose.
“As an example, think of your own body. If a mosquito bites you on your forehead, your hand automatically goes to that spot. This is so because the consciousness that exists in the forehead and the hand is the same.
“However if you were to ask someone else to touch the exact spot where the mosquito bit you, he would find it difficult even after several tries.
“In a like manner, the Consciousness that resides in the Universe is One, and it reaches out to every corner of the Universe wherever there is a need.
“When the need has been created by Him, the answer to the need will also come from Him.
“These are not mere words; rather, they define a very real law of Nature that exists in all corners of the world.
“He who understands this law shall remain happy in the world, and he who fails to understand it shall remain ever perplexed.
“Think about the concept a little more deeply.
“If we look upon ourselves as being the only Reality in the Universe then there is no need for worry, since everything will be at our beck and call.
“And if we are but a mere part of Him, then again there is no cause for worry, because He shall surely look after His parts.
“And if we are His created beings, then, too, we need not worry, because He has no enmity with us, and will not challenge us, who are so weak before him. Our existence before him is less than that of an atom. If we are like a drop of water, He is like the ocean. If we are like a particle of sand, then He is like the vast desert.
“Would a lion prey upon a mouse? Would a mighty wrestler engage a child in combat? Would an intellectual enter into debate with an ignorant man? Would a King fight with a beggar?
“And if this be so, then how can that Infinite Creator of the Universe think ill of us! Therefore it is necessary that He must have love for His created beings.
“When He loves us, then whatever He sends to us must be a form of His Love. This is so, because nothing but Love can come out of Love.
“However there are two faces of His love. The first is attractive and the second is frightening. We can easily accept the attractive face, but we cannot understand the frightening face and become afraid.
“When He gives us status, wealth and power we are all too ready to say that He loves us. But when He takes away any of these things for the sake of our spiritual progress, we weep and cry out in distress, forgetting that even this is a face of His Love. He wishes to take away a small thing from us, in return for which He wishes to give us spiritual wealth.
“If we can understand his Love even in this frightening face that He presents before us, then we shall cease to be afraid and begin to take joy endlessly in all that He sends.
“We shall then say to ourselves: ‘We have at last recognized that Thou art behind the veil, and that Thou art wholly and solely Love!’
“Whenever any troubles come to us in life, we must try to see God in them, and let them become dear to our hearts, and then watch that state turn into one of happiness.”
“When the young devotee, Prahlad, was asked to embrace a pillar of fire by his evil father, he was afraid of the fire for a while, but then he saw a little ant crawl on the surface of the pillar. He became convinced that it was a sign from God and that God was there in the form of the fire. He instantly embraced the pillar, and remained unscathed by the fire. However, it was only when faith came to him that he made bold as to embrace the pillar of fire. God had sent the ant there to instill faith in Prahlad. When Prahlad embraced the pillar of fire it became like a bough with flowers.
“When we cry out in distress at the coming of troubles we forget God’s Love for us. We cry out in complaint: ‘Oh, He has made us sick! He has taken away our wealth!” But we don’t stop to consider what He will gain by taking these things way from us. Does a mother snatch away the toys of her child because she wants to play with them herself? Or does she take away his toys because she wishes to give the child milk?
“It is clear, therefore, that He wishes to give us something greater, when He takes away worldly things from us. When He takes away something from us, we spontaneously begin to call out to Him, and this brings to us His nearness, which is of greater worth than all the things that have gone.
“When the toys of a child break, he begins to call out to his mother. Thus, in the place of his toys, he gains his mother.
“Thus when He takes away the things of the world from us, He gives us Himself. We then welcome the loss of the worldly things because this loss brings us close to God. If this had not happened, we would never even have thought of Him!”
Shri Ram Gopal’s Wife
Many years later, in New Delhi, when Shri Ram Gopal Mehra’s wife lay on her death-bed, she asked for a last darshan of Shri Nathji so that she could leave the world in peace. Shri Nathji came to see her at the hospital. Her soul thrilled with happiness.
Even as she breathed her last, she said to her husband:
Nathji ko kabhi mat chhorrnaa! Never leave Shri Nathji.
And Shri Nathji gave her a last blessing before she died.