The midnight of January 28, 1980 saw Shri Nathji board a plane from Nagpur for Delhi. Shri Nathji blessed the city of Nagpur from the plane.
In his heart of hearts Shri Nathji knew that he would never be returning to Nagpur in his present physical form for as long as creation lasted. This was his last glimpse of the city and the people there.
The devotees of Nagpur were, however, under the impression that Shri Nathji would see off Shri Pranji to London at Delhi and then return to Nagpur within a few days. Had they known this was to be an eternal separation, the thought would have been unbearable.
As the poet Ghalib had written:
Tere vaade par jeeye ham, to ye jaan jhoot jaana
Ke khushi se mar na jaate agar aitbaar hotaa
I am alive today for I lived on thy promises,
For would not I have died with joy had I known them to true?”
On January 29, 1980, the plane touched the soil of Delhi. The time was 1 a.m.
Shri Nathji said:
“Dillee – the heart of India – it is from here that waves of peace must spread out to all corners of the world– that world peace must be established. For long now has this land remained bereft of my presence. And perhaps, now, I was urgently needed here to fulfill a divine task.
Sabko Mubaarik ho!
Pranji, Priyaji kaa hamaare saath aanaa Mubaarik ho!”
The one great achievement at Nagpur has been the printing of the Mahagranth, ‘The Advent of the Avatar’ which shall remain for centuries to come upon this earth. I have brought with me from Nagpur Shri Pranji who came all the way from London for this union. Priyaji’s untiring labour has brought me back to you along with the ‘The Advent of the Avatar’ which has come out in the midst of numerous storms.
There was the Bahl family waiting for them at the airport, the only persons who had been informed of Shri Nathji’s coming. Ravi Bahl, the son of Shri G.K. Bahl, carried his newly born son in his arms.
Shri Nathji recited this verse which Shri Bahl particularly enjoyed:
“Baihaltaa jiss se meraa dil koyi aisaa na milaa
But ke bande mila Allaha kaa bandaa na milaa
There was none who could please my heart
I met many a one who loved the world, but none who loved God.”
Shri Nathji returned to his residence at Sarvodya Enclave to discover that all his precious achkans made from Mahamateshwari’s time had been reduced to tatters from the worms in the wooden almirah where they had been kept. Both Shri Nathji and Priya Nath were greatly saddened at the loss of these treasures of the past, which bore the labels of leading tailors of the time: Ranken Co of international fame, Lila Ram Sons of Lahore, and Trevillion Clark of Mussoorie.
However the greatest label that they bore was the touch of Mahamateshwari who had preserved them so diligently over the years.
Shri Nathji said to Priya Nath: “Your Mo saved these clothes for so many years in Mussoorie and we let then be ruined in just a few months in Delhi. It was the wonderful climate of Mussoorie that had preserved them without so much as a worm in the trunks.”
Priya Nath wished they had not brought the clothes down from Mussoorie. If they had remained in the carefully stored tin trunks of Mahamateshwari at Mussoorie they would have remained preserved for years, maybe centuries. It was one of the greatest losses for Shri Nathji and Priya Nath, one that could not be replaced. No matter how many new achkans were made for Shri Nathji they would not carry the touch of the Divine Mother Mahamateshwari. It was yet another instance of the forces of evil seeking to destroy everything that belonged to Shri Nathji.
Mrs. Bahl prayed to Shri Nathji to be allowed to cook for him. Her husband, Shri G.K. Bahl would bring the vegetables daily from Patel Nagar. Mrs. Bahl would take the clothes for washing and Shri Bahl would dutifully iron them in his house. This was a divine service that was not even the lot of devis and devtaas. Only those who knew of its worth could understand it.
As soon as news reached the devotees of Shri Nathji’s arrival, they began coming one by one, and Shri Nathji spoke to them all and blessed them.
His divine flow of words was still at its peak and not diminished by the change of place. There were Shakuntala, Kasturilal, the Talwar family, Rajinder Kohli, Dr. Kapoor Singh, Mrs. Chaudhri, and numerous others who came at different times.