Shri Nathji ate very sparingly, and took little exercise, apart from walking back and forth in the large hall of his first floor residence for about twenty minutes, whenever he could find time to do so in the late evenings. Priya Nath always stayed by the side of Shri Nathji when he was walking. This was a habit he had inculcated ever since Shri Nathji’s eyes had developed cataract. One of the eyes had been operated upon, and even though Shri Nathji could see with it and read and write, he could not endure bright lights and often had to wear dark glasses.
Shri Nathji seldom cared for his body or his welfare, but he would say occasionally: I need this body–not for my own sake but for the sake of the world.
His meals consisted mostly of daal and potatoes and brinjals, or bhindees and curd, and one or two chappaatis. The breakfast would invariably consist of toast and tea.
Shri Nathji ate at very irregular hours. The breakfast could be at 11 a.m. or even noon. The lunch would be delayed till 4 p.m. and the dinner late in the night, even at midnight or later. However despite the urgings of people to keep regular hours, these irregular habits had no ill effects upon his health even when he was in his late seventies and eighties. This was a miracle in itself.
One reason for this irregularity was Shri Nathji’s propensity for leaving everything, including his meals, whenever any devotee or devotees came for his darshan. He would do this even for one man, woman or child. This has been so ever since the days of his youth. Shri Babaji Bhagwan had done so similarly during his time. It was as if eating, drinking and sleeping simply did not exist for Shri Nathji, or else were very inconsequential.
He frequently had trouble with his dentures which had not been properly attended to, and which a dentist at Akola had tried to improve without much success. As a consequence of the irregular hours of eating and the faulty dentures, as also the lack of movement, Shri Nathji almost invariably had a heavy stomach brought about by indigestion. It was only he who could sit in one spot and speak for long hours at his age with such an uncomfortable stomach and delicate constitution
Shri Nathji had allowed all the frailties of a human body to come upon him. He had said humorously at one time:
If I did not allow these human frailties to come to me, if I did not eat or drink or sleep and had a body of iron, people would become afraid of me and say–‘What kind of a man is he, he isn’t even human! Ye kaisaa aadmi hai, ye to aadmi hee naheen hai!’”
“If the idol of stone in a temple were to step down and start walking towards the devotees there, they would all run away with fear!
“It is only when I am just like you that I can relate with you. I do not wish to use any special powers to preserve my own body.”