"Where've you been, I've been waiting to meet you!" were George's words to Syamasundara Dasa when they first met in the crowded reception room of the  Apple building, 3 Savile Row.  Syamasundara and a handful of devotees had traveled from America with the blessing of Srila Prabhupada to establish a Hare Krishna temple in London...and to "meet the Beatles".

 "I had a copy of the Hare Krsna album with Srila Prabhupada singing Hare Krsna with the devotees. I'd had the record at least two years. But I got it the week it was pressed. I was open to it. You attract those things. So I used to play that a lot of the time. John and I listened to it. I remember we sang it for days, John and I, with ukulele banjos, sailing through the Greek Islands, chanting Hare Krsna. So I was chanting the Hare Krsna mantra long before I met Syamasundara, Guru dasa, and Mukunda." ~ George

In September 1969, Srila Prabhupada and his devotees moved into Tittenhurst Park, John Lennon's county estate, where a deity alter was installed in the room which became known as 'the Temple'. (The entrance of which was featured on the Beatles US release 'Hey Jude'.)  On Sunday 14 September, George, John and Yoko met in Srila Prabhupada's quarters to discuss Krsna Conciouness. The conversation would later be included in the BBT book Chant and Be Happy - The Power of Mantra Meditation.

In 1970, George produced and recorded the London Radha Krishna Temple releases on the Apple label, and financed  the BBT publication 'Krsna - The Supreme Personality of Godhead.' (To view George's introduction to the book please visit the 'Words from George' page on this site.) That same year the devotees moved into Friar Park, George's newly acquired Gothic mansion, to help restore it, and George included the Hare Krishna mantra in his world wide hit My Sweet Lord, bringing the Maha-mantra to millions of homes.

"Prabhupada never really suggested that I shouldn't do what I was doing. I heard that at different times he would say to devotees that I was a better devotee because of my songs and other things I was doing. He never actually said that to me, but I always heard that. And the good thing for me was that I didn't have a feeling that I needed to join full-time." "I'm a plainclothes devotee. It's like that." ~ George

In 1973 George bought and donated Piggot estate for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which would become Bhaktivedanta Manor. Set in the Hertfordshire countryside, England, the Mock-Tudor mansion houses a magnificent shrine, library, primary school, theatre, bakery and farm. It also offers accommodation and courses on Vedic studies, yoga and vegetarian cookery.

In 1982 Mukunda Goswami interviewed George at Friar Park, (the full transcript can be read in Chant and Be Happy - The Power of Mantra Meditation, see link at the bottom of this page) and in 1983 George visited Mayapur, India for a tour of ISKCON's building project. In the early 90's (and again in 98), George, Mukunda and Syamasundara returned to India on a pilgrimage to Vrindavana,  where Lord Krishna had spent his pastimes. Syamasundara recalls the visits in his beautiful tribute My Sweet George; "Remember our days in India! How delicately you laid a tiny blossom at Lord Krsna's feet in Vrindavan- and then grabbed a stick to chase away the monkeys!" George Harrison left this world on 29 November 2001. Sriman George Ki Jai!

"What a brave young platoon we were then, Captain George and a handful of devotees: The chart busting Radha Krishna Temple! - with Prabhupada our Commander-in Chief." 

"I only pray you've won the prize of all prizes: sitting- or singing- or dancing- or driving a fast car somewhere with Krishna, playing with your Sweet Lord at last- and Prabhupada near by." ~ My Sweet George (A tribute by Syamasundara - Back To Godhead magazine Jan/Feb 2002)

Mukunda and George, Vrindavan.

"I'm sorry to keep talking about the 'Lord' to y'all, but He's there, I have experienced something in my life, and I know He's there..." ~ George 1974

George in conversation with Srila Prabhupada,  Bhaktivedanta Manor, 1973:  http://www.prabhupada.com/rare-george.html

Read Chant and Be Happy (The Power of Mantra Meditation) online:

George Harrison, 1970

"Each one of us must manifest our individual love, manfest the divinity which is in us. All individual love between one person loving another, or loving this that or the other, is all small parts or small examples of that one universal love. It's all God, I mean if you can handle the word 'God." ~ George

"Mr. George Harrison appears to be a very intelligent boy, and he is, by the Grace of Krishna fortunate also." ~ Srila Prabhupada

"I feel at home with Krsna. I think that's something from a previous birth. So it was like a door was opening to me at that time, but it was like a jigsaw puzzle, and I needed all these little pieces to make the complete picture. And that is what has been happening by the devotees and Swami Bhaktivedanta coming along, or some devotee giving me a book or my hearing that album. It's all slowly fitting together." ~ George

"Krishna said 'There's no time when we didn't exist and there'll be no time when we cease to exist.' The only thing that changes is the soul." ~ George, 1998

Links

Bhaktivedanta Manor

Bhaktivedanta Manor's Tribute Poster Gallery

George & Prabhupada