George Changes Everything

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GEORGE CHANGES EVERYTHING

 

 

 

There is no doubt in my mind that George Harrison has gone back to Godhead.

He left his body as his wife Olivia said ‘conscious of god’ reciting the

holy names; wearing vaishnava tilaka and tulasi neckbeads with Syamasundar

and Mukunda chanting at his side.

 

The Sunday Mirror of December 2nd carried the headline: ‘With Incense and

chanting filling the air he said ‘Hare Krishna’ and slipped away.’

 

I expected that a great devotee like Srila Prabhupada would have left his

body in such a glorious way and perhaps a few of his advanced disciples, but

George was not one of those. He did some wonderful service, paying £250,000

for the Manor and $19,000 US for Krsna Book. He released the Maha mantra as

a single and wrote ‘My Sweet Lord’, publicising the name of Krsna around the

world. But he did not ‘surrender all’, like most devotees who join the

movement. He was not initiated and ultimately died of cancer from smoking

cigarettes. He was occasionally seen supping beer at one or another of his

local pubs in Henley-on Thames and is also known to have been fond of red

wine and motor racing.

 

But how amazing – that a Beatle – who has enjoyed all the prohibitions of

spiritual life and perhaps a few more (if half those stories are true)

should effectively attain exactly the same result as a devotee like Srila

Prabhupada who had never broken a principle in his life?

 

‘Throughout my whole life’ Prabhupada wrote to Tamal Krsna in June 1970, ‘I

do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating or gambling. I do

not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna’.

 

But this is the promise of Krsna:

 

‘Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at

once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.’ Bhagavad Gita (As It Is)

8.5.

 

In his purport to this verse Srila Prabhupada writes:

 

‘In this verse the importance of Krsna Consciousness is stressed. Anyone who

quits his body in Krsna Consciousness is at once transferred to the

transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. The word smaran (remembering) is

important. Remembrance of Krsna is not possible for the impure soul who has

not practised Krsna Consciousness in devotional service. To remember Krsna

one should chant the mahamantra. Incessantly following in the footsteps of

Lord Caitanya, being more tolerant than the tree, humbler than the grass and

offering all respect to others without requiring respect in return. In such

a way one will be able to depart the body successfully remembering Krsna and

so attain the supreme goal.’

 

Krsna spoke Bhagavad Gita particularly for the people of Kali Yuga, which is

so called because it is a time of great darkness. Yet, for all its faults

Kali offers many opportunities, precisely because liberation would otherwise

be so difficult to attain.

 

In chapter 122 of the Brahma Purana the sage Vyasa further states:

 

‘In the blessed Kali Age, O Brahmanas, there shall be a great benefit

through less strain. Women and Sudras shall become blessed. Understand one

thing more.

 

‘In regard to penance, practice of austerity and performance of Japa, O

Brahmanas, what is achieved in the Krta Yuga in ten years, is achieved in a

year in the Treta Yuga. It is achieved in a month in the Dvapara yuga and in

a day and a night in the Kali Yuga. Hence we can say that a person achieves

good things in the Kali easily.

 

‘By singing songs in praise of Kesava in the Kali Yuga, one obtains what is

obtained in the Krta Yuga by meditation, in the Treta Yuga by performing

sacrifices and in the Dvapara Yuga by performing worship.

 

‘In the Kali age, a person achieves increased virtue by means of simple

effort. People become well versed in piety with little strain. Hence I am

pleased with Kali age.’ Brahma Purana 122 Verses 61-63.

 

However, in this particular Kali Yuga there is an extra benediction due to

Sri Caitanya’s appearance. In Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Krsna Das Kaviraj

writes:

 

‘The characteristics of Krsna are understood to be a storehouse of

transcendental love. Although that storehouse of love certainly came with

Krsna when He was present, it was sealed. But when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

came with his other associates of the Panca-tattva, they broke the seal and

plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love of Krsna. The more

they tasted it the more their thirst for it grew.’ Adi-lila 7.21.

 

Srila Prabhupada adds in the purport:

 

‘Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is called maha-vadananyayavatara because although

he is Krsna himself, he is even more favourably disposed to the poor

conditioned souls than Lord Sri Krsna. When Lord Sri Krsna Himself was

personally present He demanded that everyone surrender unto Him and promised

that He would give all protection, but when Sri Caitanya came to this earth

with His associates, He simply distributed transcendental love of God

without discrimination.

 

Krsna Das Kaviraj continues in verse 23 of the same chapter:

 

‘In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did

not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such

distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions.

Wherever they got the opportunity the members of the Panca-tattva

distributed love of Godhead.’ Adi-lila 7.23.

 

As many devotees who joined the movement as teenagers, are reaching their

50’s and 60’s we are seeing practical examples of Sri Caitanya’s mercy, as

we witness our brothers and sisters leaving their bodies heroically, as in

the case of George, with their minds fixed on Krsna.

 

But it seems to me that we have a great deal to learn from George’s passing.

The first thing is that strictly following regulative principles is not the

key to going back to Godhead, neither is diksa initiation. I’m not knocking

these things, following principles, helps to purify the consciousness and

acceptance of a spiritual master is fundamental to the bhakti tradition, but

they are obviously not as significant as we might have thought.

 

On the other hand, if one remembers Krsna at the time of death and chants

his Holy Name one is sure of attaining the supreme goal of life, regardless

of any other factor. The essential principle, therefore, must be to practice

chanting and remembering Krsna throughout life, in preparation for the time

of death.

 

Taking this argument a step further it is totally plausible that a devotee

who has been initiated by one of our many fallen gurus such as Jayatirtha,

Bhavananda or Kirtananda could equally attain the same result by remembering

Krsna at the time of death. So also, could any member of the Gaudiya Math,

The IRM, The Prabhpadanuga’s or any temple guest who has faith in the

chanting of the Holy Names.

 

This seems to put the ‘guru issue’ into the shade, for however ‘bogus’ some

may appear they and every one of their disciples stand an equal chance of

going back to Godhead in this life and that must be what ultimately counts.

 

In other words, Krsna Consciousness transcends all schisms and boundaries.

Lord Caitanya does not distinguish between who is suitable and who is not.

The opportunity is universally available to all.

 

What’s important then, is for us to make it as easy as possible for others

to achieve the same result to their lives and that will not happen while we

continue to squabble over trifles. We must become transcendentalists in the

real sense of the word, transcending our own petty differences first, before

the rest of the population will be able to take Krsna Consciousness

seriously.

 

But what an opportunity, My Sweet Lord was #1 in Britain last week. This

means that around 250,000 people who bought the CD are hearing the maha

mantra, as well as countless millions who will have heard it on tv and radio

(just in this one country). Everyone in the world knows that George Harrison

died chanting Hare krsna and this one fact, raises the movements profile

considerably.

 

People see that it is not just a cult, but a genuine spiritual tradition

that offers its followers a purposeful way to die and that’s a very big

deal. You can’t find that anywhere.

 

George’s death has changed everything for me, for I see that Iskcon is

divided over superficial issues that are irrelevant in the final analysis.

Thanks to George I now know that I’m finishing up in the material world and

we shall all be going back to Godhead, in the very near future.

 

Yaduvendu

 

yvendu

 

 

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