SHRI NATHJI LION HEARTED

Memoirs from my Father's archives (1902-1992), HH Shri Bhola Nathji, The Founder of the World Prayer Day for Peace.

Although my father HH Shri Nathjii was the gentlest, kindest and most loving and humble of persons upon the planet earth, which was not to say that he was timid or afraid of anything in the whole world. People who assumed this had a surprise in store for them.

When people cheated him, like those imitators who usurped his titles and names and books and became famous, he would merely tolerate these transgressions. When the shopkeepers and Municipality Sharks would cheat him he would put up with their cheating and say generally to all who took advantage of his innocence:

"Muje makar dete ho!

Main to Makkaaron ka bhi banaane vaalaa hoon!"

"Would thou deceive me?

I , who have also created even the deceitful!"

Shri Nathji would often say: " IT is good you have got a Bhole (Innocent) Nath, otherwise if you had got a Over-Clever ( Chatur) Nath he would have really balanced the accounts of give and take!"

For years he lived from one rented house to another, where invariably the landlords were troublesome. Sometimes HH Shri Nathji would quote Christ and say:

"The foxes have holes and the birds have nests but the son of God has not a place to hide his head!"

Ultimately Shri Nathji's wife, Smt. Savitri Devi, got money from her father and purchased a house for Shri Nathji in Mussoorie, as she could not bear to see such a grand personality suffer thus.

Those were the days of 1947 when the British were leaving India and had left behind their properties for sale at Mussoorie, which were being sold for very cheap prices.

And thus Savitri Devi was able to provide a haven for the most beautiful being on the planet earth, it was a typical British bungalow which seemed to have been waiting for Shri Nathji since centuries. Its original name was "St Andrews". But it was later changed to Savitri Nivas by HH Shri Nathji who wished to name it after his wife Savitri Devi.

No sooner had HH Shri Nathji and his family settled in the house, the forces of evil who were constatly after Shri Nathji, began rearing their ugly heads. The Forces of Satan, the asuri bal, had only one aim and that was to destroy the life and mission of HH Shri Nathji. Satan knew that there was only one force of true righteousness and goodness in the world and that was Shri Nathji. For as long as he was existent on the planet earth, the earth would be saved.

So Satan made all kinds of diverse attacks on this gentlest and kindest and most loving of all personalities on the earth.

It was the 9th of August, 1948. On that fateful day Smt. Savitri Devi had gone to leave the children ( myself and my brother) at the kindergarten classes in Hampton Court a Convent School some distance away.

Shri Nathji was alone upstairs in his bedroom, getting ready for the day.

He was informed that some visitors had come to see him. Shri Nathji was not one to keep a visitor waiting for even a moment. He dressed hurriedly and rushed down to meet the guests, who had not yet entered the house but were standing in the pathway to the house inside the iron gate of the house.

There was something in their faces and demeanour which was positively evil.

One amongst them was locking the gate of the house from inside.

Then they all began to advance towards Shri Nathji in a menacing way. Shri Nathji sensed their evil intentions.

In a voice that was like thunder and which appeared to reverberate from the mountains, Shri Nathji said:

"KHABARDAAR! BEWARE! LET NO ONE DARE ADVANCE!"

The entire group was seized by a paralysis of fear that prevented them from even advancing an inch.

There were ten persons in all. One amongst them who appeared to be their leader however mustered some courage to advance. He said to Shri Nathji:

"You have paralysed my men! But I alone am enough for you!"

And saying this he pulled out a revolver from his pocker and pointed it towards Shri Nathji even as he advanced towards him.

He came close to Shri Nathji and placed the revolver on Shri Nathji's chest, saying,

"I can shoot you!"

It was a situation that would have unnerved the bravest of men. But not so, Shri Nathji, the lion hearted.

Shri Nathji said to the would-be assailant:

"If you dont like good people to exist in the world, then go ahead and shoot!"

"BUT LET ME WARN YOU! THAT REVOLVER IS IN YOUR HAND, BUT YOUR HAND IS IN THE HAND OF GOD!! IF IT BE HIS WILL THAT I MUST DO MORE OF HIS WORK ON EARTH, THEN YOU CANNOT FIRE THAT REVOLVER. HOWEVER IF IT BE HIS WILL THAT MY WORK ON EARTH IS FINISHED, - THEN GO AHEAD AND SHOOT!"

The assassin's hand bgan to tremble. he could not dare to look upon the glowing countenance of HH Shri Nathji's Face. He dared not look into his godly, loving eyes. And so he went around to the back of Shri Nathji, his revolver still pointed at Shri Nathji. Shri Nathji also turned around with him so as to remain face to face with him.

This strange meryy-go -round continued for a few seconds. The man going around Shri Nathji and Shri Nathji turning around to meet him face to face.

And then suddenly there was the appearance of Smt. Savitri Devi on the scene as she climbed up the slope to the house.

"Nathji!" she said in an appalled voice, "what is going on there!"

"Mateshwariji!," Shri Nathji said in an affectionate voice addressing his wife,

"these people have come to shoot me!!"

That was enough for Smt. Savvitri Devi! She screamed with all the power in her lungs and ran up the slope towards the house.

Upon sight of her, the assailants were gripped by an undefinable terror. They sought to run from the house. The very gate which they had locked while entering now became an obstacle for them and they lept over its iron spikes one by one, being pricked badly and wounded by the spear-like bars. Within seconds they were gone.

Shri Nathji would ever afterwards say, "It was Matesjhwari who saved me! After all she is my better half!"

Rather than put the assailants in jail, Shri Nathji called them together, and they wept before him and sought forgiveness. And Shri Nathji who was the living epitome of forgiveness and love, forgave them all.

There was this Persian Verse of HH Shri Nathji:

"Dostaan raa kujaa kuni mairoom

To ke ba dushmana ba nazar daari"

"How cant thou ever forsake thy friends,

When even thy enemies are close to thy heart!"