Melbourne, 1970s — What started as a casual errand to buy marijuana ended in a life-altering spiritual journey for one young man in Melbourne.
As part of a typical day of street outreach, a devotee of the Hare Krishna movement set up near Flinders Street Station, creatively attracting passersby with incense and cheerful conversation. His goal was to share spiritual literature, especially books by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the movement’s founder.
Among the busy crowd, a curious young man approached, initially intrigued by the incense. When offered a book, he asked the price. “It’s a donation—whatever you feel inspired to give,” the devotee responded. To the devotee’s surprise, the man pulled out a $20 note. One book turned into another, and another, with each exchange accompanied by more generous donations.
Soon, the man was balancing a stack of books so tall it reached his chin. Feeling unusually uplifted, he returned home—not with the marijuana his friends had sent him to buy, but with a tower of spiritual texts.
The reaction? Disbelief. “Did you get the stuff?” they asked. “No,” he replied. “But I got some really nice books.” What might have been a moment of ridicule became the beginning of a deeper transformation.
Captivated by the wisdom and peace he found in those books, he began attending the Hare Krishna temple in Melbourne every Sunday. Eventually, he joined the temple as a full-time devotee, adopting the spiritual name Brihaspati.
This whimsical yet profound encounter is more than a quirky anecdote—it’s a testament to how even the most unexpected moments can redirect a life. As the devotee who shared the story remarked, “Krishna has a sense of humor.”
As narrated by Amogha Prabhu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdhTjjkutjM