This is another fine compilation of quotes, in chronological order, put together by Prabhupada Connection, this time Srila Prabhupada blessing and praising George Harrison.
“When Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated, Srila Prabhupada said of George, ‘Because he has given shelter to Krishna by providing this temple, Krishna 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.'”
Prabhupada Blesses George Harrison
“I am so glad that Mr. Harrison is composing songs like ‘Lord which we so long ignored.’ He is very thoughtful. When we actually meet, I shall be able to give him thoughts about separation from Krishna, and they will be able to compose very attractive songs for public receptions. The public is in need of such songs, and if they are administered through nice agents like the Beatles, it will surely be a great success.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 11, 1969)
“I am so glad to learn that Sriman George is making good advancement in Krishna consciousness. He is a good soul and I am praying for him to Krishna, so surely he will make advancement.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 6, 1970)
“From London the ‘Hare Krishna Mantra’ record has worldwide sales. This is managed by Mr. George Harrison, the famous English musician, who is my uninitiated devotee.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 5, 1970)
“Sriman George Harrison has certainly done an unique service by contributing $19,000 for publishing my Krsna book. When I was in London, he saw me four times and he was very submissive and devout and he was not at all proud of his very well-to-do material position. He has a reputation as a first class musician and he is considered to be rich or as they say one of the richest men in the world. Still he was not at all puffed up, but was humble, meek, polite, and devout. So all these qualities and his service to Krishna will certainly help him in his advancement of Krishna Consciousness. Thus I see that although he is not an initiated disciple, still he has been trying to help us in so many ways.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 8, 1970)
“My grateful acknowledgement is due to Śrīmān George Harrison, now chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, for his liberal contribution of $19,000 to meet the entire cost of printing this volume. May Kṛṣṇa bestow upon this nice boy further advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (Kṛṣṇa Book Preface, Advent Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, February 26, 1970)
click on image to enlarge
“I am so glad to learn that George has said, ‘I don’t want to make nonsense records any more.’ This version of George I consider very valuable. His popularity and his great talent can be very nicely utilized by producing such nice records as ‘Govinda,’ instead of producing something nonsense. In our Vaisnava literature there are hundreds and thousands of nice purportful songs, and if those songs, under George’s supervision, are recorded, I think it will bring a great revolution in the record making business.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 15, 1970)
“I think George does not require to become my formal disciple because he is already more than my disciple. He has sympathy for my movement and I have all blessings for him.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 12, 1970)
“Regarding how George may continue his meditation, that meditation may be done by keeping one picture of Krishna, keeping his mind concentrated on the picture of Krishna and softly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra as long as he likes. That will complete both his meditation and Krishna Consciousness perfectly according to the last verse of the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita which says, ‘And of all yogis, he always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in Yoga, and is the highest of all.'” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 12, 1970)
“Please offer my blessings to Sriman George and all the other Prabhus there. I am marking that George has the serving spirit, and that is making him advance gradually.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, May 14, 1970)
“I was informed by some of my disciples at London, namely, Dhananjaya, Jaya Hari, Revatinandana Swami and others, that you so kindly have sent your car and drive to our place filled-up with fruits and flowers to offer to Radha and Krishna on the Disappearance day of my Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. I am so much pleased that you have thought of Him in that way, thank you very much. Surely you will become blessed by Him more and more.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter to My dear George, January 4, 1973)
“So I am pet dog of my Guru Maharaj, and you have helped him so nicely to push on the message of Lord Krishna or Krishna Consciousness Movement, and I am very much pleased by your serious and sincere attitude, so you will get all the full blessings of my Guru Maharaj, that you may know for certain. And if you have ever got any questions or difficulties, I am always your humble servant, you may please write to me wherever I am. I have heard that your good wife, Patty is growing Srimate Tulasi devi there at your house with good success. That is another very auspicious sign. The Tulasi, she will not go to live with anyone nondevotee, and because she is growing so profusely, therefore she is giving you her best favor because you are best devotee, that is to be understood. Now go on with your chanting regularly as much as possible, that will protect you from the attack of Maya, without any doubt. Just like if there is sunshine then where is the question of darkness? So Maya cannot remain in the presence of Krishna, therefore we chant always Hare Krishna to become freed from all attachment to Maya. I know you are very intelligent boy, and I like you very much, you are better than my own son, and I am so much pleased that you are displaying gradually more and more the qualities of becoming Krishna’s pet dog as described above. If you have got any time, you may kindly write to me, or you are free to come to India to live with me for some time, as you like.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter to My dear George, January 4, 1973)
“Our, the George Harrison, the famous Beatle, he is supplying beads and bags to his friends: ‘Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.’ And he has written in his record that ‘Anyone who is friend of Kṛṣṇa, I am his friend.'” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, January 11, 1973)
Prabhupada: …given the facility of assembling in this nice house, this good boy George Harrison. We must give him all glories. We must be thankful to him that he has given us the facility, and Kṛṣṇa will bless him more and more. (Srila Prabhupada Arrival Address, London, July 7, 1973)
“So our position is that we are in this material world. George has sung that ‘I am in the material world.’ Yes, very sensible song. (laughs) He’s good boy, realizing. Yes. So this material life is not good. Material life is not good in this sense, because you have to change your body: sometimes good birth, sometimes not good birth; sometimes Englishman, sometimes cats, dogs. Possibility. Because after death you’ll get a body that will be chosen not by you but by the material nature. You’ll create your body by your present activities, and nature will simply award you that body.
So, so long we have got this material body, the four kinds of miserable condition—repetition of birth, death, old age and disease—you have to suffer. Therefore, this human life should be utilized in such a way that we do not become subject to these four tribulations, birth, death, old age and disease. That is perfection.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, London, July 9, 1973)
Prabhupada: Tamasi mā jyotir gama. These are the… “Don’t remain in the darkness. Come to the light.”
David Lawrence: That was one track on George’s record which really, really got through to our boys, I think. “Light, is it? Light of the World.”
Devotee: “Light, there is, Light of the World.”
David Lawrence: Really…
Prabhupada: So his record has become very successful.
Devotee: Number one everywhere. In America.
Prabhupada: Now, even they are appreciating.
David Lawrence: Very successful even with one boy, you see. That’s success, isn’t it?
Prabhupada: Yes, yes.
Devotee: He likes to hear it.
Prabhupada: “I am in material world.”
Devotee: We get letters from all over the world addressed to George Harrison care of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple London. (laughter) From Poland, from behind the Iron Curtain even. Russia, China, every place, they send.
Prabhupada: And he has mentioned my Bhagavad-gītā in my name also.
David Lawrence: Yes.
Prabhupada: In the in…? What is that?
Devotee: In the insert, in the record insert.
David Lawrence: Yes. In fact, when they picked up my copy of theBhagavad-gītā As It Is, which was on my desk, two or three boys immediately said, “Ah, that’s on the George Harrison L.P.”
Prabhupada: He has very intelligently connected.
David Lawrence: Yes, yes. It was there.
Prabhupada: This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement with his…
Devotee: He doesn’t want to do it overtly because they will think he is crazy. So he’s doing gradually.
David Lawrence: Very gradually.
Devotee: Yes.
Prabhupada: And what is that song, “I am not the same…”?
Devotee: Something. “I’m not the same…”
Prabhupada: “I have changed.”
David Lawrence: Oh yes. “I’ve changed.”
Devotee: “Somehow I’m…”
David Lawrence: “Somehow I’ve changed.”
Devotee: Yes. “My friends all criticize me for the change, but I don’t care.”
Prabhupada: But he’s not loser. He’s gainer. (laughter) He’s gainer. That he can understand. And he’s determined. He says, “Even if I am loser, I don’t mind.”
David Lawrence: If commercial success went, he wouldn’t worry.
Prabhupada: Yes.
David Lawrence: Well, I mean these sort of riches is just unfathomable, aren’t they?
Prabhupada: Hm. (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, London, July 12, 1973)
David Lawrence: It was tremendous. In fact, one boy we found listening to the George Harrison record. You can tell George this if you like. He was listening to the record quietly in the music room that we have in our school with the big speakers, you know. Lots of noise. And he was reading these words. And he put the words down. And I was watching him…
Prabhupada: “I am in material world.”
David Lawrence: Yes. “Living in the material world.”
Prabhupada: That is a very nice song.
David Lawrence: And he sat there, and he was praying. And I didn’t interfere. And he came out of the room after having turned the record player off. I said, “Well, you know, what were you doing in there?” And he said, “This, this record has been a complete experience to me.” And that, if George could know that… It was tremendous, really tremendous to see this happening. George’s record is so devotional, you know. It’s really beautiful.
Prabhupada: I talked with him about this material world in his house… When?
Devotee: Oh, it was last August, I think. Or July.
Prabhupada: Last… I went to his house at Henley on the Thames.
David Lawrence: Henley on Thames.
Prabhupada: He’s a nice boy, very nice boy. His wife is also very nice. Pattie?
David Lawrence: Pattie, yes.
Prabhupada: She’s also devotee.
David Lawrence: Pass that on, please, to George. (laughs) He should be very excited, I think, about that. This is very good. I’d like to thank you very much for giving of your time.
Prabhupada: You are welcome, because you are sincere student searching after… I am prepared to help you any time. (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, London, July 12, 1973)
“Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. First when I entered this room, I said, ‘All glories to George Harrison.’ (laughs) Yes. You have given us this shelter, and Kṛṣṇa will give you shelter at His lotus feet. We shall pray always like that. Yes.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation with George, London, July 22, 1973)
“George Harrison has contributed many. He gave me first of all nineteen thousand dollars for printing Kṛṣṇa book. Now he has purchased one house in London, and we are using that. It is two hundred thousand pounds. Yes, he is a good boy, good soul.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, May 9, 1975, Perth)
“‘One who is interested in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa or who by practice likes to chant Kṛṣṇa’s names should be accepted as a Vaiṣṇava and offered respects as such, at least within one’s mind.’ (CC Madhya 15.111) One of our friends, a famous English musician, has become attracted to chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, and even in his records he has several times mentioned the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. At his home he offers respect to pictures of Kṛṣṇa and also to the preachers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In all regards, he has a very high estimation for Kṛṣṇa’s name and Kṛṣṇa’s activities; therefore we offer respects to him without reservation, for we are actually seeing that this gentleman is advancing gradually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Such a person should always be shown respect. The conclusion is that anyone who is trying to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by regularly chanting the holy name should always be respected by Vaiṣṇavas.” (Nectar of Instruction 5, Purport, 1975)
Devotee: George is also again smoking and drinking.
Prabhupada: Ācchā?
Devotee: Because he always has to keep that kind of company in order to produce his records.
Prabhupada: No, no, he is very nice boy. I have studied. Very good boy, George. He showed me in Bombay. He came to see me in Bombay.
Devotee: Just recently?
Prabhupada: No, last year.
Devotee: Two years ago.
Prabhupada: He is keeping Jagannātha within his beadbag and chanting.
Devotee: Just before I came to India, Mukunda met him for about two hours. He said he was very friendly, and he would arrange a ninety-nine-year lease for us and give us the right to the…
Prabhupada: No, he’s always good boy. (Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Sanand, December 25, 1975)
Prabhupada: Our George Harrison, he also liked Kṛṣṇa book.
Devotee: Yes. We sold so many Kṛṣṇa books on the strength of showing them that…
Prabhupada: George Harrison.
Devotee: …Introduction from George Harrison.
Prabhupada: Yes. And I have acknowledged his contribution and blessed him as good boy. (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Mayapur, February 16, 1977)
“When Bhaktivedanta Manor was donated, Srila Prabhupada said of George, ‘Because he has given shelter to Krishna by providing this temple, Krishna 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.'” (Bhaktivedanta Manor website)
