It was in 1946 that the devotees who had been fortunate enough to have the darshan of Shri Nathji and Mateshwari at Chanda, came hundreds of miles to Mussoorie to have his darshan again. They came especially to be present on his birthday on the 23rd of June 1946.
Shadi Bhavan was to witness the sight of these Gujerati folk from Chandrapur who had seen the Lord upon earth and who had believed in Him. Amongst them were Girdhar Deo Popat and his niece Prabhavati from the Popatlal family of Chanda.
Girdhar was yet a young man, and very poor, but Shri Nathji’s Grace began to shower upon him so that he prospered materially and spiritually. He was amongst the fortunate few in the world who had their portraits taken with Shri Nathji. This was at Chanda. In the portrait there was just Shri Nathji with Girdhar sitting at his feet. In later days he was to become a rich and influential person of Chanda and was even given the status of Honorary Magistrate of the town.
He was amongst those who always kept Shri Nathji in his heart no matter what he was doing in life. He would often say openly before people:
“Bhagwan Bhola Nathji to mere dil men hameshaan raihte hain! Bhagwan Bhola Nathji always remains in my heart!”
This was exemplified in Shri Nathji’s famous verse:
Deedaye zaahir men mere ye jahaan bastaa rahe
Deedaye baatin men lekin kuchh sivaa tere na ho
Let the world remain before my eyes to see,
But within me let there be none else but Thee!
His cousin, Prabhavati, had developed a great devotion for Mateshwari. While at Shadi Bhavan she would play with the children, Pran Nath and Priya Nath, and tend to them. She would sit at the feet of Mateshwari and Shri Nathji for long hours and be totally absorbed in them. Hers was a silent devotion that was to grow over the years and continue to exist even after her marriage and the years that followed.
She learned to sing the bhajan that Mateshwari sang after every function. Whenever she sang Mateshwari’s bhajan, her voice and intonation became exactly like that of Mateshwari. Her heart and soul followed the notes of the bhajan even as she sang with great devotion:
Prabhu mere sharana teri main aayaa
Bhajan bhaajon janam virthhaa gavaayaa
O Lord, Thou art mine, I take refuge in Thee,
This life is of no worth if I sing not Thy praise.
For the short time that the devotees of Shri Nathji filled the place, Shadi Bhavan was not a lonely place. The quiet air of the mountain peaks and the forest in the area, was filled with the sound of the voices of the devotees and their families who came to visit Shri Nathji. Mateshwari loved such an atmosphere. The absolute quiet and loneliness of Camel’s Back Road did not agree with her, and this feeling was made all the worse with the going away of the devotees who came.