Swami Prabhupāda’s Unexpected Encounter With a Drunk Stranger in New York in 1966

Can even a drunk stranger teach us something about selfless service? Well, in 1966, an unexpected visitor walked into Swami Prabhupāda's lecture on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita in New York and did exactly that. And what followed was a beautiful lesson on seva. 

The year was 1966. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the ISKCON founder, had travelled to America to introduce the teachings of Lord Krishna and India's ancient spiritual wisdom to the Western world.

It was a hot summer afternoon of July 1966; Swami Prabhupāda was conducting lectures at a small storefront at 26 Second Avenue in New York's Lower East Side. This humble space, known as “Matchless Gifts”, would soon become the birthplace of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, popularly known as ISKCON. During his lectures, he introduced young Americans to the Bhagavad Gita, devotional service, and the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. But all of a sudden, something rather unusual happened.

As Swami Prabhupāda sat on a thin floor mat, explaining how devotional service could purify a person's soul regardless of their past actions, a white-haired, shabby-looking man suddenly stumbled through the open doorway. The man, who appeared intoxicated, began shouting, "How are ya? I'll be right back. I brought another thing!" 

The young audience was taken aback. Swami Prabhupāda, however, remained calm. He gently told the man, "Don't disturb. Sit down. We are talking seriously." The stranger stumbled out. At this, Swami Prabhupāda simply chuckled before continuing his lecture. 

Five minutes later, the man returned. This time he was carrying several rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. Then, he quietly walked past the congregation and headed straight towards the temple's tiny restroom. He placed two rolls of toilet paper inside the toilet room, paper towels on the sink, and tucked two more rolls of toilet paper along with additional paper towels underneath it. Having completed his task, the stranger turned around and began walking towards the exit.

Swami Prabhupāda looked at him, smiled, and asked, "What is this?" The man offered no elaborate explanation. He had simply brought something he thought the place needed. At this, Swami Prabhupāda burst into laughter and warmly thanked him, saying, "Thank you. Thank you very much." The man then walked out.

But for Swami Prabhupāda, this was far more than an amusing interruption. He turned towards his young followers and explained the deeper meaning behind what they had just witnessed.

He said, "Just see... It is a natural tendency to give some service. Just see, he is not in order, but he thought that 'Here is something. Let me give some service.' Just see how automatically it comes. This is natural."

This incident reflects a central teaching of India's spiritual traditions that seva is not reserved for the wealthy, the educated, or the socially respected. Anyone can serve, and even the smallest act of sincere service has value.

Note: The story has been taken from the book, “Prabhupāda: A Biography” by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami, specifically in Chapter 2.