I recently learned something really quite lovely about a popular Beatles song, thanks to Vrindavan Diaries, a beautiful entity to follow on instagram as they post nuggets of wisdom regarding Krishna consciousness, mostly stemming from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Many of us have heard the Beatles' song, "Here Comes the Sun" (from the Abbey Road album, 1969), but I was literally - well, quite almost - electrified in learning that George Harrison wrote it about Krishna coming into his life - but, as he wrote to Srila Prabhupada, he felt the need to disguise the inspiration of his Isvara somewhat. One might ask: Disguise or universalize? At any rate, he sent it to Prabhupada, asking the spiritual master and saint from whom he had learned so much about humility and wisdom, his thoughts. Prabhupada was delighted. I myself feel delighted to have a new song to think about God in such a global and fitting way. And what a fitting time of year.
Speaking on Prabhupada, George Harrison said: "Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, with very little sleep, he still didn't come through to me as though he was a very highly educated intellectual being, because he had a sort of childlike simplicity. Which is great, fantastic. Even though he was the greatest Sanskrit scholar and a saint, I appreciated the fact that he never made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, he always went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I always thought of him as sort of a lovely friend, really, and now he's still a lovely friend.""That was the thing about Prabhupada, you see. He didn't just talk about loving Krishna and getting out of this place, but he was the perfect example. He talked about always chanting, and he was always chanting. I think that in itself was perhaps the most encouraging thing for me. It was enough to make me try harder, to be just a little bit better."
Srila Prabhupada to George Harrison: "You are George Harrison, in a famous band, you are famous throughout all the world, but how long will you be George Harrison? So, as long as you are George Harrison, you should talk about Krishna consciousness."
I also love the story of the lila -- the big bright-eyed kiss on the cheek -- unfolding before all the serious sannyasis' eyes as George Harrison greeted Yamuna Devi.
And last, but certainly not least, here is a supremely lovely, less disguised song of George Harrison, chanting the names of God. What a beautiful voice for the topic.
