Shri Nathji was very fond of referring to the meeting of Kewat, the boatman, with Lord Rama, as written in the Ramayana. When Lord Rama had gone into exile in the forests there came a time when he had to cross a river.
Kewat was a boatman who had heard of Lord Rama and who instantly recognised Lord Rama to be God. How did that realisation come to such a poor man? It was a realisation that the Lord gave him. When Lord Rama asked Kewat to take him across the river, Kewat replied:
Paihle charan pakhaar loon
Paachhe karoon savaar
Utaraayi kachhu loongaa naheen,
Utaaroon parli paar
Too mujhe Bhav Saagar se taar
Let me wash Thy Feet first,
Before I ask Thee to my boat,
Wages I shall not ask for,
But take Thee across the river I will,
O take me, thou, across the Ocean of Life and Death!
Shri Nathji elucidated on the Kewat episode:
Why did Lord Rama choose Kewat? He could have chosen any other boatman there. He chose Kewat because he had to give this precious gift to Kewat alone. Lord Rama said to Kewat:
Kewat agar hamne tumhen Bhav Saagar se paar na karnaa hotaa to kabhi tumhaari naav men naa baithhte!
“Kewat if I were not to take you across the Bhav Saagar I would never have chosen your boat!
Fortunate is the man who is chosen by God to serve Him. His life’s work finds fulfillment. Kewat’s skills as a boatman, with which he had served many a human with perfection, found fulfilment when the Lord Himself chose to board his boat!
Shri Nathji was also fond of quoting Meera the poet saint who had said:
Mujhe naukar raakho jee,
Mujhe chaakar raakho jee
Nit utth baag lagaaoon
Nit utth darshan paaoon
Keep me as Thy servant,
O Lord, keep me as Thy slave,
Tending to thy garden on rising, every day,, And catching a glimpse of Thee!
Shri Nathji also quoted Meera:
Kit jaaoon taj charan tihaari
Where can I go, leaving Thy Feet?”