From the memoirs of
HH Shri Bhola Nathji (1902-1992) The Founder of the World Prayer Day for Peace.
The year was 1955.
Shri Nathji and his family were going all the way from Bombay to Mussoorie by
road. Shri Nathji always rode in a 1947 British Made Standard Car, which was
driven by a chauffeur.
Something was always
going wrong with the car and it was frequently seen stranded on the roads. Passers
by would come and lend a helping hand by pushing the car. This was Shri
Nathji's way of interacting with the poor of the streets and blessing them.
There were times when
the car was stranded and Shri Nathji would be seen sitting in the shade of a
dhabaa, a small village tea stall, drinking Coca Cola. It was an awesome sight,
indeed. God drinking Coca Cola!
The jourrney from
Bombay to Mussoorie was to be a long one through dusty roads. It was only to
satisfy the whim of the two children that Shri Nathji had undertaken this
arduous journey by car, because the boys enjoyed car rides.
Very soon Shri Nathji
was in the Chambal Valley notorious for its highway robbers – dacoits.
People had warned
Shri Nathji about this route. Dacoits would often waylay cars and murder or
kidnap the occupants. Shri Nathji’s dress and bearing gave the impression of
royalty, and he would have been fair prey for the dacoits.
The powers of evil
that doggedly kept at the heels of Shri Nathji made one more attempt. The tyre
of the car punctured, and the car skidded to a halt. The chauffeur sought for a
jack. There was none. He had left it behind in Bombay.
The car stood on the
jungle road for a long time. The driver was in a grim mood as he knew that
suspicion would fall upon him for having left the jack behind.
Evening had just
begun to give way to night. Shri Nathji had his gun with him, which had been
presented to him by a Maharaja. But it was meant more as a show-piece than
anything else. The children were still young. They carried the gun around the
car in a brief display. Shri Nathji did not have any bullets for the gun. He
had another gun with him–a Divine Weapon that shot an arrow of Love directly
into the hearts of his adversaries.
Just then several
tall, formidable dacoits made their appearance. They stood in the fields on
either side of the road and watched the stalled car as well as the figure of
Shri Nathji standing on the road, outside the car.
The dacoits were
fully armed. They wore large Rajasthani turbans, and carried guns and spears.
Shri Nathji saw them. He knew they were dacoits come to waylay the car.
Before his wife,
Mateshwar,i could stop Shri Nathji, he got out of the car and went towards
them.
They were surprised
at the sight of the Royal, Majestic Being who walked so fearlessly towards
them. His spiritual radiance touched their hearts. He was unlike any other
passenger they had ever seen before, or unlike any other human being they had
seen before. He appeared to belong to another world with the divine radiance on
his face, exuding an aura of Love that filled the hearts of the dacoits.
Shri Nathji spoke to
the dacoits:
"The tyre of our
car has punctured. The driver has left the jack behind at home. We need your
help!"
The dacoits were
deeply touched. And the next instant they were seen applying their shoulders to
the back mudguard of the car, lifting it inches above the ground, while the
chauffeur changed the tyre.
Shri Nathji thanked
them. They simply stared at him without uttering a word, and waited till he had
got inside the car and left.
The inner chords of
the dacoits had been touched by Shri Nathji.
In later days there
was news that more and more dacoits were heard to have surrendered themselves
voluntarily before the government and given up their bad ways. It was all the
effect of the touch of Divine Love that Shri Nathji had left behind in their
hearts and indeed in the notorious jungle area itself.
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