If not for you...

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

THE PRABHUPADA CONNECTION

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Causeless Mercy (#50)

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Thank you, George

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Srila Prabhupada once remarked that George Harrison was "more" than his disciple. During his final earthly pastimes in Vrindavan, 1977, Prabhupada took off his gold ring and requested that it be given to George. Due to his sincere and influential devotional service, George Harrison had pleased Lord Krsna's pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada.

 

"The relationship between Srila Prabhupada and George Harrison was very close, and Srila Prabhupada regarded George as his son. When Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated, Srila Prabhupada said of George, 'Because he has given shelter to Krsna by providing this temple, Krsna will surely provide shelter for him.' Just before Srila Prabhupada left this world in 1977, he removed the ring on his right hand and said to the disciples around him, 'This is for George, give it to him.'" (From the Bhaktivedanta Manor website.)

 

Srila Prabhupada appreciated George Harrison's humility and how he sincerely tried his best to utilize his God-given talents to spread the Hare Krsna mantra all over the world. He was bold and convinced in his devotion. Tribhuvannatha Prabhu used to see him quite regularly, and often said that George was very grateful and humble in his dealings. He especially liked prasadam, and never made a fuss about being an important rock star or drew attention to himself. In fact, when he attended public events at the temple, he remained quiet and unassuming. At other times, he was often seen chanting Hare Krsna sincerely on his japa beads.

 

Many devotees joined the Hare Krsna movement at least in part because of George Harrison. He legitimized Hare Krsna and Indian culture in the West because of his exalted status of being in The Beatles. He broke new ground by introducing the sitar into rock songs, studying under Ravi Shankar, and bringing an ancient wisdom from India into mainstream pop lyrics ("Life flows on within you and without you," etc.). He had long talks with Srila Prabhupada and they both got along well together. George offered many services to Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada was noticably pleased.

 

George Harrison was a devotee of Lord Krsna who Srila Prabhupada once referred to as his "uninitiated disciple." George Harrison was very fortunate to receive some direct service to Prabhupada's mission at such an exciting time in its development. He'll go down in history for his loving devotional songs like My Sweet Lord, which contain the chanting of Hare Krsna. He also produced the beautiful Radha-Krsna Temple Album in London, which many devotees cherished at home before joining the temples. He was a devotee at heart -- an individual who had the courage of his conviction along with an order from Srila Prabhupada to spread the Hare Krsna mantra worldwide. A true success story and a life well lived. Thank you, George. You're dearly loved and appreciated by so many all over the world.

 

Hare Krsna.

 

Pd

[Tamohara dasa ADMIN.]

One time the devotees were out chanting on harinama outside a Grateful Dead concert in the San Francisco Bay area.  There were huge crowds of tie-dyed youngsters everywhere -- as far as the eye could see.  I felt like I had traveled back to the 1960's in a time machine (maybe I had!).

 

Well, I got separated and somehow wandered right into the concert area.  Suddenly Jerry Garcia and "the Dead" came out on stage and they broke into a song called "Touch of Grey."  The crowd went wild and I noticed people crying.  It was like an anthem where everyone sang together in unison:  "I will get by... I will survive..." The crowd was in ecstacy -- 50,000 human beings swaying like a field of wheat in the wind.  It was quite profound.  It seemed like those people were another type of devotee -- they all believed in peace and love;  they were gentle and non-violent (many were vegetarians and health food types);  they believed in "the tribe" and tribal life;  the concert area was like a temple room;  the concert itself like a huge ritual or communal kirtan;  instead of saris the women wore long skirts from India with ankle bells (like in India);  many of the men had long dreadlocks like the babas in India.  It all seemed so familiar -- like some kind of updated version of an ancient culture and ritual transplanted in the West.  I can understand why Krishna sent Prabhupada to the Haight-Ashbury in 1967 right into the heart of the 60's.  The Grateful Dead headlined the "Mantra Rock Dance" with Prabhupada, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, Owsley Stanley, Janis Joplin and other counterculture luminaries of the day.  Jerry Garcia bought Prabhupada's small Radha-Krishna temple in the Haight a big brand new stove to cook prasadam for distribution among the freaks, hippies and runaways.  At the time, it was the center of the universe.

 

Later, I found out that Jerry Garcia had once gone into a coma for three weeks.  His first words when waking and upon seeing the crowd of friends gathered round his hospital bed were, "Im not Beethoven."  In other words, what's the big fuss?  So the song with lyrics, "I will get by... I will survive..." had a deep meaning and resonance for Jerry and the fans attesting to the will of the human spirit to carry on in spite of all obstacles and setbacks.  (Garcia had to re-learn the guitar right from scratch and when he finally got back on stage and sang, "I will get by, I will survive, we will get by..." it brought tears to the crowd.)

 

I just checked on YouTube and found the following video of that song.  You may not like the music, but the lyrics are pretty good (well, as I said, rock lyrics aren't exactly Shakespeare!), especially as the song progresses further on.  I chuckled aloud when I read:  "I know the rent is in arrears... The dog has not been fed in years... It's even worse than it appears... but it's all right.... "  I can relate!

 

Just imagine 50-60,000 human beings singing this together and dancing freely in colorful garb and tie-dyes in the sparkling rays of the setting San Francisco sunlight on a beautiful summer day.  I couldn't help but think that that's what Prabhupada wanted for Krishna -- thousands and millions dancing togther in His glorification and love.   Actually, in 1974 there were 10,000 souls gathered in San Francisco for Rathayatra and Prabhupada danced with his arms upraised and then threw flowers to the crowd as they went even wilder.  It was pure spiritual magic.  (I was there too, by Krishna's grace.)  There was sure something special about San Francisco on many levels.  Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the video I just found online.  (It may means absolutely zilch to you, but it has some resonance with me because of the personal experience I had... but no worries at all if this is just too "out there" for you.  I understand... just walk on by.....)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htZRz1cKi8A

 

Joseph Campbell ("follow your bliss") attended one of these massive love-filled Grateful Dead concerts and he said it was "The antidote to the atom bomb."  Imagine if he had been there with Prabhupada.  Talk about bliss!  :)

 

In sum, what I actually witnessed (and felt) that day at the concert was a large gathering of human beings proclaiming their eternal nature as spirit soul:  "we will survive, we will endure, the soul lives forever..."  That realization was in fact the source of their collective joy.  You had to be there, I guess, but it wasn't just a rock concert -- they were chanting an anthem of the spirit.

 

Thanks for putting up with this old veteran telling his boring war stories that nobody else will listen to!

 

Peace, love and Hare Krishna.

Padmapani