The Times of London's Respectful Tribute

[Guest guest]

>From the obituary in "The Times" of London:

 

GEORGE HARRISON might have been part of the world's most famous pop

group, but he made up for the over-exposure of his early years by

fiercely

protecting his private life in the post-Beatles period.

 

Harrison found solace in Hare Krishna. He often said that he did not

seek

fame or riches, and it was the pursuit of his own space - and

something

more -

which led to his interest in Eastern religion.

 

"Everybody dreams of being famous, rich and famous," Mr. Harrison

later

said about the start of his spiritual quest. "Once you get rich and

famous, you

think, `This wasn't it.' And that made me go on to find out what it

is.

In the

end, you're trying to find God. That's the result of not being

satisfied. And it

doesn't matter how much money, or property, or whatever you've got,

unless you're happy in

 

your heart, then that's it. And unfortunately, you can never gain

perfect

happiness unless you've got that state of consciousness that enables

that."

 

Others soon gave up on Eastern philosophy, but Mr. Harrison remained

a

devotee of Hinduism, or Krishna Consciousness, as he preferred to

describe

his beliefs. For much of his life Harrison has been a devotee of

Hare

Krishna. The mantra is supposed to cleanse the mind and free

devotees

from their

anxiety and illusions in their worship of Krishna, the supreme

being.

 

Harrison once claimed that the mantra had saved him as he took a

nightmare

plane journey during an electrical storm.

 

He developed an interest in India after meeting the renowned

musician

Ravi

Shankar, reputedly at a party hosted by actor Peter Sellers.

Harrison

told

Shankar he wanted to learn to play the sitar. He was invited to

India

to study

the instrument, and agreed to stay for six weeks.

 

During his stay, during which he visited Kashmir and Varanasi, he

learned

basic sitar techniques and met the master musician's disciples. His

studies

and the country had a deep effect on his music and his beliefs.

 

Harrison developed an interest in the Krishna movement after he met

its

founder, A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, while the swami was a

house guest of

the Lennons in 1969.

 

Harrison once reflected: "I always felt at home with Krishna. You

see it

was already a part of me. I think it's something that's been with me

from my

previous birth."

 

(end)