THE WEDDING THAT SHOOK A CITY

 

The year was 1939 and the city was Lahore, then in India, much before the creation of Pakistan.

The wedding was between my parents. My Father HH Shri Bhola Nathji ( 1902-1992) and my mother Smt. Savitri Devi ( 1916- 1967).

HH Shri Nathji was later the Founder of the World Prayer Day for peace in the world.

My father HH Shri Bhola Nathji was well known in Lahore as one of the most divine beings ever seen, with a beauty that surpassed earthly beauty, with a love and kindness and humility that was not witnessed in ordinary mortals, which led people to see God In him as the Incarnation of Love.

Miracles followed him wherever he went and though people gave him the reverence reserved only for God, he called himself in all humility, The Servant of the Earth, and his life was spent alleviating the ills and sorrows of mankind. He kept an open house, where anyone could enter any time of the day or night, where there were no appointment hours, and where his home was everyone's home.

His wife to be Savitri Devi, a graduate in Economics, was the daughter of a Senior Advocate of Lahore, the All India Legal Adviser of the Punjab National Bank and a person held in high respect amongst the people of Lahore.

The wedding procession of the groom wound through the Main Road in Lahore. There were about 500 invited guests and relatives which accompanied the procession- called a baraat.

Shri Nathji rode on the bridal mare bedecked in a silver embroidered achkan, long coat and a turban to match. The Maharaja of Kapurthala had sent his sword as well as his silver embroidered Umbrella Canopy for Shri Nathji as he rode along slowly with the guests.

News had gotten around the city that Shri Nathji was getting married, and this had caused a large number of people to be gathered around on the streets and the road. Many of these people joined the wedding procession. Shopkeepers walked out of their shops and joined in, there were many holy men dressed in orange robes who joined in, the poor and the stragglers in the streets joined in. Very soon the baraat had swelled to a few thousand folk.

The city was agog with the news of Shri Nathji's wedding procession and everyone wished to join in on this auspicious occasion! The large number of gas lamps carried on the shoulders of torch bearers and the military bands gave the procession a unique air of gaiety and joy.

But more than that was a divine wave of happiness that was filing the hearts of all present, an inexplicable bliss that appeared to come from another world as if the gods were showering their bliss upon earth. The figure on the bridal mare, Shri Nathji, appeared to be a living epitome of Peace and Love, which filled the air.

A proud and haughty Englishman whose car was being held back in the crowd, suddenly began to blow his horn and began to tear through the procession causing many to protest but in vain. The country was under British rule and any Britisher could afford to be high and mighty and overbearing. The man tore through the procession scattering people hither and thither and almost causing the bridal mare to panic.

The Englishman's car had gone but a few yards ahead of the procession when the engine stalled and the man was seen stranded on the road with the hood of his car raised.

As Shri Nathji passed by with his countenance full of Divine Love and peace, something gripped the heart of the Englishman and he saluted Shri Nathji saying : " I salute the Being on the Horse!"

At the bride's place there was panic. The father of the bride had made arrangements for only five hundred guests and had called cooks from Kashmir. But when news reached him that there were several thousand people coming, his heart sank.

He rushed to his daughter Savitri Devi and spoke of his plight. It would be a great dishonor to not to be able to feed the wedding guests of the groom!

But Savitri Devi had full faith in Shri Nathji and said to her father:

" Don't fret!! Go into the kitchen area and place a portrait of Shri Nathji there! The food will multiply!"

Her father did as he was told and behold! a miracle occurred-- though the thousands of guests ate to their hearts content there was no shortage of food!! The entire city was later agog with the miracle witnessed by many. They all attributed this to the divine power of Shri Nathji.

There were some bigoted religionists, holy men who said critically:

"Shri Nathji will lose all his divine powers now that he is getting married!!"

When Shri Nathji heard of this he said: "Tell them, how can I lose my powers when I am marrying my better half!! In fact my powers shall be doubled!!"

And that was precisely what happened. After Shri Nathji's marriage the glory of his divine light shone forth with a hitherto inexperienced brilliance. It was a day that the people of Lahore did not forget for many years to come..the day when Shri Nathji got married..when holiness became even holier through a Divine Union of Divine Souls...