Shri Taneja spotted Shri Nathji bending down to tie his own shoelaces. He ran forward and tied Shri Nathji’s shoelaces himself in the midst of the gathering. For a brief moment he had hesitated: what would the people say if they saw him tying Shri Nathji’s shoelaces? And then, again, what would God say if he found him shirking his duty as a devotee?
Though Shri Nathji had tried to stop him, he felt that the task was his duty; and he performed it boldly before everyone. His duty to God was more important than considerations of worldly prestige.
I was faced with a very difficult task, today, said Taneja to Shri Nathji.
The embarrassment of having to tie my shoelaces before the assembled guests? Shri Nathji asked.
No, said Taneja, the difficult task was how to tie the shoelaces. I was worried lest I make them too tight or too loose!”
Tanejaji–you tied them perfectly! It was not you who did the tying! I sat inside you and tied the shoelaces for you! said Shri Nathji.
The people who witnessed the scene developed a great respect for Shri Y. L. Taneja thereafter. He had shown the world that real greatness lay in bowing low before God, and not in the false pride of worldly status.
Shri Nathji would never relegate any importance to himself. There were occasions when he said: “So what if you bow and touch my feet? Don’t you bow low every day to tie your own shoelaces?”
Shri Nathji would be ever too willing to attend the marriages in the families of those who knew him. It was a magnificent gesture on his part.
In 1937, he had gone all the way from Lahore to Chittagong for the marriage of Shri Ganni Lal Kasera, who was a poor man at the time. In 1945, he had gone from Mussoorie to Hathras to be present on the marriage of Nand Kishore, Devki Nandan’s son.
He had attended the wedding ceremony of Maharaja Sarila’s daughter at Mussoorie, and indeed the weddings of numerous others whom he knew intimately or but little.
It was not an uncommon sight to see Shri Nathji in the midst of a bridegroom’s procession, a baraat, or amongst the larrki waalaas–the family of the bride–who received the baraat. He would be generously disposed towards the larrki waalaas, and especially grace the wedding.
Shri Nathji would go to these parties immaculately dressed. He would invariably be seen in a smartly tailored navy blue achkan, with a sparkling white handkerchief in the upper left pocket, a glittering orange turban of silk, white woollen chooridars, black polished shoes and a face resplendent with a divine glow.
As numerous people would rush forward to touch his feet and place garlands around his neck, Shri Nathji was often loaded with flowers and mistaken for the bridegroom!
Many thought he was the Maharaja of some very prestigious state. Shri Nathji was the greatest status symbol, the greatest dignitary or V.I.P. that people could boast of in their parties and functions.
Shri Nathji’s presence in any party, reception or procession suddenly brought a divine illumination to it, and everyone glittered in the radiance of His light. His was a light that outshone all the other lights. The function became a success beyond expectations and a miraculous hand appeared to guide everything. There was never any shortage of food, as was common in wedding feasts.
Many people had witnessed how food appeared to multiply whenever Shri Nathji was present. Numerous people would eat to their heart’s content and yet the food would never become scarce.
His blessings to the bride and groom would make the marriage a success and the couple would live happily ever after, all their lives, and find a comforting, guiding hand over them in all difficult moments of life. It was Shri Nathji’s part as a Universal Father.
In later years, Shri Taneja’s son was getting married in New Delhi. He had invited Shri Nathji especially. The lights had gone off in the area. Everyone was in distress. As Shri Nathji arrived, Shri Taneja ran to touch his feet, and said: Now that you have arrived, everything will be all right!
No sooner had he said this, than the lights came on.