Shri Ram Gopal Mehra and his wife, and adopted son, Lalit, came for Shri Nathji’s darshan during that period of time. Lalit was surprised to see the Bayko and Meccano building sets with Pran Nath and Priya Nath. Even his own millionaire father had not purchased these for him. Shri Ram Gopal Mehra had a very old relationship with Shri Nathji, which went back to the early 1930’s ever since the days of Shri Babaji Maharaj at Amritsar. This relationship had continued over the years at Lahore, Rawalpindi and at Delhi.
It was the same Ram Gopal Mehra who had brought Shri Nathji before a large multitude at the Gopal Mandir at Lahore, where several sadhus and mahatmas of repute had gathered on the stage. When it was time for Shri Nathji to speak, Ram Gopal Mehra had said to him:
“Huzoor sab ko mast kar do! Huzoor, fill everyone with intoxication!”
And as the words flowed from Shri Nathji, the entire audience was filled with a divine intoxication that wasbeyond expression. People were taken to a world of bliss. At the end of his talk, there was a flood of humanity towards the stage to touch Shri Nathji’s feet. Many were in tears. Even the sadhus and mahatmas on the stage bent down and touched Shri Nathji’s feet saying:
“Promise us that you will always go on showering such bliss upon the world!”
It had been a proud moment for Ram Gopal Mehra.
Shri Nathji had once written a Persian Verse at two-o-clock in the morning at Lahore. He had called Ram Gopal Mehra to himself and had read out the verse to him:
Kaar saaze maa ba fikre kaare maa
Fikre maa dar kaare maa aazaare maa
He who is doing my works is worrying about them;
My worrying over my works is the only cause of my sorrow.
Shri Nathji would often use this verse and say:
“When you ride in a bus you deliver up your life into the hands of the bus driver; when you travel in a train you deliver up your life to the engine driver; when you travel by air your deliver up your life into the hands of the pilot of the plane, even though you do not know him. In all these situations there is always the possibility of an accident, yet you sit relaxed and allow the driver or the pilot to do his work. You never interfere with their driving nor do you worry during the journey. How wonderful it would be if you could deliver your life to God and let him do the worrying while you sit back and relax. With Him as the pilot there is no fear of any accident!
“Your knowledge is limited and can lead you astray, but His knowledge is unlimited and there is no mistake in it. Think of a man who holds a telescope in his hand with which he can see things at a distance, which you cannot see. He knows of the dangers and pitfalls along the way, which you cannot see. Surely it would be better to be guided by him than by your own short sight.
“If I have a mirror in my hand I can even see that which is behind me, in addition to that which is in front of me. In a like manner I know your past as well as your future to come.
“Two should not worry. Either do the worrying yourself and leave me, or else let me do the worrying while you sit back and relax with the thought that my knowledge is perfect and my sight far reaching, and that I will not mislead you!”
When Shri Nathji had cooked a chappaati at Rawalpindi in 1937 and distributed it as prasaad, a great famine in India had been lifted.
The people of Rawalpindi were greatly saddened after Shri Nathji had left the city. Ram Gopal Mehra had written to him saying:
“Huzoor, ever since you left, even the flowers here have faded. They could not bear the separation from you!”
There was the time when Ram Gopal Mehra, as a young man, was going on a tour of Europe along with his father. He did not wish to leave Shri Nathji alone at Lahore as Shri Nathji was indisposed. He offered to cancel his trip but Shri Nathji insisted that he accompany his father. Ram Gopal Mehra wrote a blank cheque in Shri Nathji’s name, but Shri Nathji returned it to him saying his good wishes were enough.
While Ram Gopal Mehra was in Europe he fell seriously ill, and had to have an operation. He wrote a letter to Shri Nathji and then went and had the operation done without worry. The operation was a tremendous success.
When he returned from Europe he said to Shri Nathji: “I was afraid I might spoil the spiritual treasure you have stored in my heart in the temptations of the West. However, I must say that I never fell physically, although I fell in my mind. To that extent I spoiled the treasure you had stored in me.”
“Nathji! Please beat me with this stick as a punishment!” And saying this he took out a stick he had brought from Europe for Shri Nathji.
Shri Nathji laughed, and said: “Ram Gopalji, you wish to be punished. But if I were to fulfil your wish would that not be a reward? Your punishment lies in this that your wish should not be fulfilled–namely that you should not be punished!”
Ram Gopal Mehra said: “All right, Huzoor, then keep your protecting umbrella over me!”
And saying this he unfolded an umbrella from the stick!
Shri Nathji had always remembered these little episodes and narrated them before his devotees. He was overjoyed when, in January 1954, Ram Gopal Mehra came to see him and brought back the memories of the past.
Ram Gopal Mehra was not surprised to see Shri Nathji living in the small rented house at 31/22, East Patel Nagar, Delhi, where the only gatherings were those that could fit into his small satsang room. He knew that all this was part of Shri Nathji’s leela. He could shrink and make himself small or else expand and engulf the entire world if he so wished.
All the old devotees of Lahore came for the darshan of Shri Nathji; and his divine flow of words that had filled their hearts and souls at Lahore continued to fill them even now. It was an astonishing divine flow of words without end. His devotees who had been listening to him over the years were surprised that every sermon was an entirely new revelation.
Shri Nathji had often said: “I can go on speaking for thousands of years. This is an ocean without shores.”
There were Charan Das, Sohan Lal, Master Ram Nath, and Bhagat Ram–the four great pillars of faith. Shri Vaid Rajji and Shakuntala and their children were all present. The only figure that was noticeable by his absence was Shri Nathji’s beloved Bhutt Sahib, who had become a High Court Judge at Nagpur.
In addition there was the landlord and his family as well as the scores of neighbours who had come for Shri Nathji’s darshan.