Give to beggars...

Visakha Devi Dasi: One morning after a walk along the beachfront in Bombay, I was sitting behind Prabhupada in our ambassador waiting for Syamasundara to drive us home when a beggar holding a messy baby and flanked by two messy children came up to Prabhupada’s car window with her hand outstretched, asking for money. Prabhupada turned to the three of us in the back seat and requested some paisa, then rolled down his window and gave the woman the coins we'd given him.

I was surprised. I'd been studying chapter 17 in the Bhagavad-gita where Krishna says that indiscriminate charity (that given to persons who may spend it on intoxicants, for example) is not beneficial. After the woman left I sat for a few moments with that scriptural thought lodged in my mind then gathered my courage and said, “Why do we give Krishna's money to beggars?”

Prabhupada was silent. Perhaps he hadn't heard me, as I was sitting behind him. Or had I offended him? More moments passed and he didn't speak.

“Is the money prasadam?” I said, thinking that money coming from Prabhupada was actually coming first from Krishna.

“Yes,” was all he said.

What could be more natural than a kindhearted person with means giving to someone without means, especially if children were involved? Why was I darkening this simple exchange with dogma? I saw that I had been learning about Krishna by rote, going through religious rituals and routines without even common sense, what to speak of affection for God and his creation. Later I read that Prabhupada’s Guru Maharaja told his householder disciples to give to beggars; otherwise, their hearts would become hard; they would lack compassion. “Yes,...” I thought, “...Prabhupada was teaching me the same thing in the car that morning."