CHURNING THE GLOBAL OCEAN OF NECTAR:

THE DEVOTIONAL MUSIC OF SRILA PRABHUPÅDA

Guy L. Beck

“I have talked to a couple of musicians about it, and we agreed that in

his head this Swami must have had hundreds and hundreds of melodies
that had been brought back from the real learning from the other side
of the world.” —Irving Halpern, quoted in Ûrîla Prabhupåda Lîlåm®ta, vol.
2, p. 209, by Satsvarüpa dåsa Goswåmî (Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust, 1980).

he matchless spiritual gifts brought from India to America by Ûrîla A.

T C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupåda in 1965 included among other

things an extraordinary type of religious and devotional music, one
that had never been brought before by anyone, not even Swami Vivekånan-
da (1893) or Paramahaµsa Yogånanda (1920). Based on traditional Indian
forms, Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s musical kîrtans reached out and touched the
hearts of all who came within its scope. Even the poet Allen Ginsberg, who
had already been to India and heard Hare Krishna chanting there, was so
amazed at Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s command of devotional music that he pre-
sented Prabhupåda’s new movement with its first harmonium.
The Bhakti traditions of India have generally embraced the art of music as
the most effective method of presenting and transmitting the mood or rasa
of divine love of God. Nearly all of the great Bhakti saints were either com-
posers of songs, singers of great renown, or else supporters of devotional
music—the list includes the founders of the great Vaiß∫ava Sampradåyas:
Ûrî Råmånujåcårya, Ûrî Madhvåcårya, Ûrî Caitanya Mahåprabhu, Ûrî Val-
labhåcårya, Ûrî Nimbårkåcårya, Ûrî Hit HarivaµΩ, Swami Haridås, Ûaõkar-
dev, and so on. The traditional founders of the two main branches of Indi-
an classical music, Swami Haridås and Tansen of North Indian Hindustani,

125
126 GUY L. BECK

and Purandara Dåsa and Tyågaråja of South Indian Carnatic, were devout
Vaiß∫avas who propagated a devotional message through the medium of
song. However, although Indian instrumental music has been heard in the
West, the vocal music of these Bhakti traditions has remained largely un-
known and unappreciated due to cultural barriers. However, thanks to the
efforts of Ûrîla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupåda, these barriers have
been crossed, and a pure and authoritative representation of it is now
accessible worldwide.
This essay, with reference to his principal recordings, seeks to bring about
a deeper appreciation and understanding of the musical side of Ûrîla Pra-
bhupåda by discussing his unique knowledge and use of musical techniques
in terms of established traditions of Vaiß∫ava devotional music. Even with-
out his other important accomplishments, we can claim that Ûrîla Prabhu-
påda has achieved a firm place within the Bhakti tradition solely on the me-
rit of his contribution to Vaiß∫ava music. In short, his music stands on its
own.
It is indeed an honor to participate in the birth-centennial of Ûrîla Pra-
bhupåda. Although I have formally studied Indian classical music and
Bengali kîrtan in India for many years, it seemed presumptuous of me to
attempt a musicological study of music that is alaukik, transcendental, and
said to have emanated from the spiritual sky. Thus I felt both joy and trepi-
dation in undertaking what can only be an academic assessment of the mu-
sic of Ûrîla Prabhupåda, running the risk of underestimating its deeper val-
ue and impact. Nonetheless, this task presented itself as both a challenge
and an opportunity to provide a clearer understanding of a phenomenon
that is extremely dear to the hearts of many disciples and devotees, and at
the same time create greater exposure. This venture is no doubt mirrored
by many other religious studies scholars and musicologists who have con-
fronted the challenge of evaluating and interpreting the teachings and
music of spiritually gifted persons in a variety of cultures.
In the West, music has had an ambivalent position with regard to religion
—a neutral, secular (or sometimes pagan) art that could be adopted for
either good or evil, utilized as hymns of angels or ditties of Satan. In Hin-
duism, on the other hand, where music was created by the gods (Brahmå)
and thus possessed of sacred qualities from the beginning, the religious use
of music is more readily understood and expected, since it does, after-all,
reflect in essence the divine realm. There is almost no distrust here of mu-
sic qua music.
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 127

In the early biography of Ûrîla Prabhupåda we find more references testi-

fying to his love of kîrtan and devotional music than to his serious study of
it. The earliest evidence of musical training is found in the Ûrîla Prabhupåda
Lîlåm®ta (1980; v. 1, p. 8, henceforth SPL), wherein the young Abhay Cha-
ran De’s (Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s) father, Gour Mohan De, arranged for a m®-
daõga (clay drum) teacher to train his son in kîrtan: “From the beginning of
Abhay’s life, Gour Mohan had introduced his plan. He had hired a profes-
sional m®daõga player to teach Abhay the standard rhythms for accompany-
ing kîrtan.…Gour Mohan had his dream of a son who would grow up sing-
ing bhajanas, playing m®daõga, and speaking on Ûrîmad-Bhågavatam. When
Abhay sat to play the m®daõga, even with his left and right arms extended as
far as he could, his small hands could barely reach the drumheads at the
opposite ends of the drum. With his right wrist he would flick his hand just
as his teacher instructed, and his fingers would make a high-pitched sound
—tee nee tee nee taw-—and then he would strike the left drumhead with his
open left hand—boom boom.”
The name and credentials of the above music teacher are not provided.
Moreover, there is no further mention of formal training in either classical
music or Bengali kîrtan singing. And since his early association with the
Gau∂îya Ma†h was mainly as a householder living on the outside, he most
likely missed certain aspects of the daily ashram ‘grind,’ wherein participa-
tion in kîrtan was near compulsory. But according to SPL (v. 1., p. 100),
whenever Ûrîdhara Mahåråj, one of his godbrothers, would go on preach-
ing programs, Abhay would play m®daõga; and whenever Ûrîdhara Mahåråj
was ill, Abhay would fill-in by performing the kîrtan himself and lecturing
on Ûrîmad-Bhågavatam.
Despite the meager training in music according to the biography, one
must conclude that, apart from divine guidance, Ûrîla Prabhupåda had
an exceptional ear for picking up tunes and melodies, rhythms, musical
styles, and vocal intonation throughout his life, whether in Bengal,
Allahabad, Delhi, Bombay, Jhansi, or Vrindaban, the hometown of most
of the genres of devotional bhajan and kîrtan prevalent in North India.
Befitting the qualities of saintliness, Ûrîla Prabhupåda was never eager for
publicity merely as a musician or performer. He was a messenger of the
medieval saint Ûrî Caitanya Mahåprabhu, whose spiritual lineage was
known to decry musical virtuosity for its own sake. As such, Ûrîla Prabhu-
påda did not record his own singing before he left India for America in
1965. Even after landing in New York, the recordings of his sublime chant-
128 GUY L. BECK

ing and kîrtan were made at the instigation and request of Western disci-
ples and admirers. And up until the end of his life, he would usually just
start singing and playing the harmonium due to his own inspiration, re-
gardless if anyone was on hand with a recorder or not. Fortunately, they
were on most occasions. In fact, most of the remaining recordings were
made in a kind of ad hoc manner, which explains some of the ensuing con-
fusion over dates and names of accompanying musicians. According to
Eknåth Dås of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, “the entire music archive is in a
state of disarray with only very rough approximations for the many record-
ings done by Ûrîla Prabhupåda, and as yet has not been completely sorted
out.” But we do know that all of his recordings were made during the ten
years between 1966-1976, beginning with the first album in New York in
1966, and ending with recordings made in Vrindaban in 1976, according
to Hari Sauri, Ûrîla Prabhupada’s personal servant. Many of the best record-
ings spanning this period comprise the series of 14 compact discs released
between 1990-1993 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
For Ûrîla Prabhupåda, music was without doubt important, as it was for all
the great Bhakti saint-musicians, but only as part of a broader purpose and
outreach, namely, to communicate the moods and experiences of Bhakti.
Thus, his music was always intimately connected with his extraordinary
state-of-mind, namely total God-consciousness. With these ideas in place,
we may now attempt to survey his music in the context of Indian music with
reference to selected recordings.
The recording of the first long-playing album (1966), the “Happening
Album,” in New York by Ûrîla Prabhupåda is described in the SPL v. 2, pp.
253-259. The instrumentation did not yet include the traditional m®daõga
(khole), but rather a two-headed Indian drum, probably a dholak, that was
played by Ûrîla Prabhupåda. Brahmånanda Swåmî has related the story that
a boy had brought the drum to the temple the day before the recording,
and that he required some persuasion to allow it to be used in the record-
ing the next day. When Ûrîla Prabhupåda first picked up the drum, the de-
votees were ecstatic to see “Swamiji,” as they then referred to him, playing
so fervently and so well. Rüpånuga Dås played a pair of brass Indian bells,
Kîrtanånanda played the tamboura, and Ravîndra Svarüp (not the present
Ravîndra Svarüpa Dåsa) played the drone on the harmonium (given by
Ginsberg) by holding down two notes, the tonic and the fifth, with the
right hand and pumping the bellows with the left. Two pairs of kartals and
rhythm sticks were also played. After a few minor adjustments, things got
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 129

under way: “The first sound was the tamboura, with its plucked, reverberat-
ing twang. An instant later Swamiji began beating the drum and singing,
Vande ’haµ Ωrî-guro˙…Then the whole ensemble put out to sea—the tam-
boura, the harmonium, the clackers, the cymbals, Rüpånuga’s bells, Swa-
miji’s solo singing—pushing off from their moorings, out into a fair-weath-
er sea of chanting.…Swamiji’s voice in the studio was very sweet.…The in-
struments were all right, the drum, the singing. The harmony was rough.
But this was a special record—a happening. The Hare Krishna Chanters
were doing their thing, and they were doing it all right. Alan Kallman was
excited. Here was an authentic sound. Maybe it would sell.” This was the
album which would inspire (then-Beatle) George Harrison to meet and
assist the London devotees, according to SPL (1982; v. 4, p. 28).
The second principal recording was made in San Francisco (1967-8) and
contained one selection that drew upon classical styles of exposition. The
‘Prayers to the Six Goswåmîs’ is a traditional Sanskrit stotra written by Ûrîni-
våsåcårya, a great saint in the Gau∂îya Vaiß∫ava line. The original recording
was made with Ûrîla Prabhupåda singing and playing the kartals himself.
George Ruckert, a sarod student of Ali Akbar Khan, played the sarod on
the final recording. George Harrison, who had previously been a regular
guest at the New York temple kîrtans, related some of his impressions to me
in a recent interview (10-21-95): “I used to attend the temple program every
Tuesday evening at the storefront. Swamiji would talk on Bhagavad-Gîtå,
chant Hare Krishna, and then cut up an apple and pass it around to all the
guests. It was the sweetest apple I ever tasted. He was a very sweet person. I
brought a small drum to the kîrtans, as Swamiji always encouraged everyone
to play any instrument that they could play. He never told anyone not to
play due to incompetence. He just would not do that.”
According to Ruckert, several devotees approached Ali Akbar Khan in
San Francisco and originally requested him to perform on the finished
recording of Ûrîla Prabhupåda. Khan Sahib declined but asked George if
he wanted to do it, since he was considered the maestro’s best pupil: “I was
delighted to give something back to the nice Swamiji I had known from the
New York temple.” George then proceeded to dub over Ûrîla Prabhupada’s
original rendering with the sarod, creating a very evocative mood based on
classical rågas. The sarod begins with a short ålåp, introducing the mood of
the råga, a råga that George had earlier identified in a conversation (10-1-
95) as a form of MiΩra Kirwani (or Sindhu Bhairavî)—sa re ga ma pa dha dha
ni ni sa. This is followed by kartals and the singing of the Sanskrit verses by
130 GUY L. BECK

Ûrîla Prabhupåda in a strong, bold, but none-the-less melodic voice.1 Half-

way through the piece, George, along with his wife Ann who played tanpu-
ra, had to re-tune the instruments a half-step higher as the music seemed to
move up a key. Adjustments were made by fading-out and fading-in the
music. The overall mood of the piece, with its flatted third, flatted and nat-
ural sixth, and flatted seventh, is one of deep pathos, gravity, and compas-
sion, similar to effects created by certain minor scales in Western music.
Ûrîla Prabhupåda produced comparable ‘minor-key’ effects in the early
recordings of ‘Hari Haraye Nama˙’ (1968, Bengali) and ‘Ûikßå߆akam’
(1968, Sanskrit), both of which have flatted thirds and sixths and belong to
the råga classification known as Åsåvari Êhå†. Rågas of this mode (Êhå†)
generally express very serious moods evoking gravity and profound spiritu-
al thought, and are more characteristic of Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s earlier
recordings. ‘Prayers of King KulaΩekhara’ are sung in råga Bhairavî, a simi-
larly serious råga containing flatted second, sixth, and seventh notes. In the
Sanskrit prayers of ‘Brahma-Saµhitå,’ which he recorded more than any
other single item (four times) except for the ‘Mahåmantra’ and ‘Guru pra-
yers,’ he varies his renderings through the use of rågas like Vrindåvanî Så-
rang, Yaman, and DhanåΩrî.
According to Yamunå Devî (conversation 10-29-95), Ûrîla Prabhupåda
sang what she called ‘minor melodies’ and ‘major melodies,’ but no one
knew why he chose one or the other at any specific time other than to vary
the tune. Gradually there came the concept of a morning melody in a ma-
jor scale (sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa) and an afternoon melody in a minor-like
scale, similar to Bhairavî with a touch of Bhairav—sa re ga ma pa dha ni (or
ni) sa. However, in Indian classical tradition Bhairav or Bhairavî should be
sung in the early morning, especially Bhairav during the Brahmå-Muhürta
hours of 3-6 AM, before sunrise. This apparent contradiction does not seem
to have been questioned during Prabhupåda’s lifetime. However, the use
of a major scale like Vilåval is appropriate in India for morning darΩana
from about 6-8 AM.
With few exceptions, it seems as if Ûrîla Prabhupåda preferred the classi-
cal råga moods in his renditions of the Sanskrit stotras, as opposed to the
Bengali songs that mostly followed lighter tunes adopted from Bengali kîr-
tan. Throughout the Sanskrit prayers sung according to råga-motifs, the
over-all production was highly intense and solemn, as if his entire self were
behind every note. This squares with the general observation with regard to
his singing found in the SPL, v. 2, p. 210: “Although his demeanor was
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 131

pleasant, his chanting was intensive, sometimes straining, and everything

about him was concentration.”
The recordings made in 1972 and after were less somber, almost as if he
was relieved from the deeper profundity of the earlier moods, and used
more råga scales containing major thirds and sevenths. Examples of this are
found in ‘DaΩåvatåra Stotra,’ ‘Åmår Jîvana,’ ‘Gauråõgera Dutî Pada,’ ‘Para-
ma Karu∫å,’ and the second ‘Hari Haraye Nama˙.’
The 1974 recording made in Germany, Krishna Meditations, succeeds by
reflecting a highly positive mood, one that rejoices in God’s bounty, and ce-
lebrates a movement that has grown way beyond all expectations. The me-
lodies are mostly all in major scale idioms, different from the more sober
and pensive minor key renderings of earlier times. In fact, two of the songs
are major-key reworkings of previous minor-key recordings: ‘Prayers to the
Six Goswåmîs’ and ‘Ûrî Krishna Caitanya Prabhu.’ In addition, the previous
minor mode renditions of ‘Hari Haraye Nama˙’ and ‘Brahma-Saµhitå’
were remade in major scales by 1972.
The rhythm found in Ûrîla Prabhupada’s music is perhaps the only fixed
variable. Throughout twelve years of preaching and recording, he focused
primarily on one tåla—DåΩ Påhi®å (comparable to 4/4 in Western time)—
as the basis for nearly all of his songs. DåΩ Påhi®å is the most common beat
found in Bengali kîrtan, and is divided as follows into 16 beats: jhe ne ta - , te
ne ta - , khi tete dha ghi, ge da ge da. The kartals, or accompanying hand cym-
bals, generally follow the downbeat, * - * *, * - * *, * - * *, * - * * in DåΩ
Påhi®å. Another simple rhythm of Bengali kîrtan is Lophå. Resembling a
waltz time in 3/4, and comparable to the six-beat Dådrå of Hindustani tra-
dition, it is composed of 12 beats as follows: ja ge ja, ja ghe na, ta ke ta, ta khe
ta, with the kartal playing * - *, * -*, * - *, * - *. While almost never recorded
by Ûrîla Prabhupåda, this rhythm was introduced to ISKCON and popular-
ized by his disciple Acyutånanda Swåmî through recordings made in 1972.
It is still used by devotees when singing certain Bengali songs of Ûrîla Bhak-
tivinoda or Narottam Dås.
Indian tålas, found in both classical music and in Bengali kîrtan, prove to
be very complex with rhythms comprising any number of beat-cycles.
Bengali kîrtan tålas such as Teo†, Dui Êhukî, DaΩ Kusî, Cho†a DaΩ Kusî, Ba®a
DaΩ Kusî, and Sam Tål, containing up to 64 beats in a cycle, are extremely
complex and require accomplished musicians as well as audiences to make
them effective. If Ûrîla Prabhupåda had employed these beats, his music
would have been totally incomprehensible to Westerners and many Indians
132 GUY L. BECK

as well. So the genius of Ûrîla Prabhupåda is witnessed in his limitation of

rhythms to one, so that while the melodic structure may vary widely through
the free use of classical rågas and Bengali kîrtan melodies, the steady rhythm
maintains a fixed identity-point for the devotees and listening audiences.
In three of the Bengali songs of the early seventies, Ûrîla Prabhupåda in-
troduced special phrases characteristic of Bengali kîrtan style known as
åkharas, short repetitions containing inner or “spontaneous” meanings of
the text which are either learned from a teacher or else created on the spot
by the singer. ‘Hari Hari Viphale’ (Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s favorite Bengali kîr-
tan song, according to SPL, v. 4, p. 48), ‘Vibhåvarî Ûeßa,’ and ‘Nitåi Pada
Kamala’ all contain short excursions into åkhara creation. But this is ob-
served only in regard to the typical tune found in traditional åkhara, which
he applies to a line from the original text of the poet. In ‘Hari Hari
Viphale,’ the line “jåniyå Ωuniyå bißa khåinu” is repeated as if it were an inde-
pendent åkhara phrase. In ‘Vibhåvarî Ûeßa,’ the line from the last stanza,
“jamunå-jîvana, keli-paråya∫a” is fondly repeated three times in the lower
register according to the style of åkhara. In ‘Nitåi Pada Kamala,’ the words,
“vidyå-kule ki koribe” are similarly sung in åkhara style. The performance of
åkharas often requires a change in the tempo or sometimes even the
rhythm itself (from DåΩ Påhi®å to Lophå, for example), but unfortunately
none of the devotee-musicians accompanying Ûrîla Prabhupåda in the West
were prepared to do that, despite Prabhupada’s indications for speeding-up
or slowing-down by sometimes tapping the harmonium notes in succession.
In general, åkharas are composed of several, usually three or four, addi-
tional lines of lyrics that are sung a few times in repetition, after which
there is a return to the original text of the song. These lines are not in the
original song-text, but are taught to singers by experienced kîrtanîyas (song-
sters), or even created impromptu by very advanced singer-composers.
Though there is no evidence of Ûrîla Prabhupåda creating his own åkhara
lyric as in the style of the kîrtan singers in Bengal, he used the typical åkhara
melody to give added flavor to his pensive renditions of these classic songs,
and by doing that, exposed fresh audiences to the genre of kîrtan-singing in
a pleasing manner without overwhelming them with the full tradition.
According to the early disciple Mukunda Goswåmî (conversation 12-2-95),
Ûrîla Prabhupåda had used and consulted a personally handwritten song-
book when singing and recording the Bengali songs and Sanskrit stotras.
This would suggest that not all of his material was committed to memory.
Unfortunately this book has not been recovered.
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 133

The most important song associated with the Hare Krishna Movement is
the Hare Krishna chant of sixteen words (32 syllables), the Mahåmantra;
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Råma Hare Råma
Råma Råma Hare Hare. As such, the introduction of the movement coin-
cides with the introduction of the chant along with its tune. The most pop-
ular melody of this chant is still the one recorded by the London devotees
under the sponsorship of George Harrison at Apple Records during the
Summer of 1969. This tune has a brief history first in the USA. According
to the SPL (v. 4, pp. 31-32), at the time of the Harrison recording a certain
melody was already popular among young people in London due to the
Broadway musical Hair, which had started its run on Broadway in New York
on April 29, 1968: “When the first group of devotees arrived in George’s
Mercedes, a crowd of teenagers began singing Hare Krishna to the tune
popularized by the rock musical Hair.” The tune utilized in Hair was bor-
rowed by the writers from devotees in New York who had obviously heard
Ûrîla Prabhupåda’s chanting of the Mahåmantra on the Happening Al-
bum, if not having heard him sing it regularly at the storefront temple in
lower Manhattan.
Hare Krishna chanting figures centrally in the musical Hair. According to
James Rado (conversation on 10-8-95), one of the writers of the story and
lyrics along with Gerome Ragni, the inspiration for the show came from a
desire to create something totally new that reflected the social and cultural
climate of the younger generation, drawing in whatever was most ‘in’
around the area of Greenwich Village: “We used to follow the devotees,
observe them, and then tried to incorporate this element in the show. With
their bells, robes, and chants, they were exciting, complementing perfectly
the changing times.”
In the final scene of Act One a group of hippies, the Tribe, attend a Be-In
in Central Park in order to celebrate love, peace, sex, and drugs: “The Be-
In…The sound of bells from offstage, from the back of the theater, from
the aisles. Ankle wrist, hand bells. The Tribe enters from all directions with
their bells, carrying candles and incense, enveloping the audience, first
with the slight, insistent rhythm, moving into ‘Hare Krishna,’ the rhythms
building throughout the scene. A peace-pipe is passed around. Flowers,
fruit and raisins, and nuts, given out. Flowers and incense to the audi-
ence.”2
The lyric of the Hair chant is the standard Mahåmantra, interspersed with
the words, Love, Drop Out, Be In, Beads, Flowers, Freedom, Happiness,
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 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 135

Smoke, Smoke, Take Trips, Get High, Laugh Joke and Good-Bye, Love Sex
Love Sex, Marijuana, etc.; buzz-words tied to the Hippie generation. The
entire scene ends in a mass of confusion in which members dance naked
which shocked the audiences. The close association with the Hippie move-
ment as depicted in Hair was of course scorned by many of the devotees,
creating, as it would, negative stereotypes of Ûrîla Prabhupåda, Vaiß∫avism,
and Indian devotional traditions. But according to the writers, no formal
complaint was ever made against the Broadway production or persons
involved. The writers, as they confessed, meant no harm or deliberate slan-
der, but simply wanted a new and trendy subject to work into the show.
Galt Macdermot, the Canadian composer of the music for Hair including
“Aquarius,” the ‘anthem’ of the entire ’60s pop culture, set the Hare Krish-
na Mahåmantra to music for the scene entitled “Be-In.” In a recent conver-
sation (10-4-95), he said that his melody was based on the tune he had
heard the Hare Krishna devotees chanting, being sure it was an authentic
one. Galt and the other writers, James Rado and Gerome Ragni, followed
the devotees around Manhattan, especially in Greenwich Village, talked
with them, and picked up their tune. Then Galt, a composer of popular
songs as well as a jazz pianist, very cleverly reworked the melody that he
heard using Western harmony. The Hair version, though basically faithful
to the original melody-line, is in the key of G minor with the chord
sequence as follows: C minor, F seventh, B flat, E flat, A minor with flatted
fifth, D seventh, and back to G minor.
The ‘authentic’ tune that Galt and others heard the devotees chanting
must have been a variant of the Mahåmantra sung by Ûrîla Prabhupåda on
the Happening Album, since the melody-line is significantly similar, though
Ûrîla Prabhupåda performed it, in that version, by beginning on the fifth
instead of the fourth (as was the common practice afterwards), and ending
on the second instead of the tonic, with the drone remaining on the tonic
throughout. But in his later recordings he followed the standard tuning ar-
rangement for Hare Krishna, which leads one to wonder whether the tun-
ing for Hare Krishna on the Happening Album was meant to be that way
or not.
The version of “Hare Krishna” recorded and produced by George Har-
rison of the Beatles at Apple Records followed a simpler chord sequence,
according to Western harmony, of F, C, G seventh, and C. The melody was
basically the same as the Hair tune with slight modification, resolving in a
major chord instead of a minor one, and being more faithful to the version
136 GUY L. BECK

of Ûrîla Prabhupåda. And since Harrison admittedly had in his possession

the Happening Album since the time of its release, he was already familiar
with the Prabhupåda tune. Unlike the previous two versions, however, the
vocalists here attempted to sing in harmony on this recording that ulti-
mately hit the top of the charts in England and around the world: “In the
Summer of 1969, just before the dissolution of the most popular group of
all time, George Harrison produced a hit single, ‘The Hare Krishna Man-
tra,’ performed by George and the devotees of the London Rådhå-Krishna
Temple. The devotees did most of the singing led by Yamunå Dåsî, but
George played organ, and later dubbed-in the bass. The Hare Krishna sin-
gle was released in America on August 22, 1969 (Apple 1810) and in Great
Britain on August 29 (Apple 25). This recording was later incorporated
into an entire album featuring the London devotees, The Rådhå-Krsna
Temple, released on May 21, 1971 (Apple SKAO 3376). Soon after rising to
the Top 20 best-selling record charts throughout England and Europe, and
even to number one in parts of Asia, the Hare Krishna chant became a
household word. In England, the BBC had featured the Hare Krishna
Chanters, as they were then called, four times on the country’s most popu-
lar television program, Top of the Pops.3
At this point, a savvy semiotician might make something profound out of
the sequence of similarly sounding signifiers, ‘hare,’ ‘hair,’ harrison, or else
ponder the coincidence of two musical George’s (3 G’s if you include
Galt). Indeed, according to Brahmånanda Swami, Ûrîla Prabhupåda had
once remarked that Harrison really meant, “Hari’s son.”
There is certainly no doubt about the great assistance to Ûrîla Prabhu-
påda provided by George Harrison. According to Bill Harry in a recent
book on the Beatles, “Ûrîla Prabhupåda died on 14 November 1977 at the
age of 81. Before he died he took a gold ring from his finger, passed it to a
disciple and told him, ‘Please give this to George Harrison. He was a good
friend to us all. He loves Krishna sincerely and I love him. He was my arch-
angel.’”4 Mukunda Goswami, who had previously presented the ring to
Ûrîla Prabhupåda and was in contact with the Beatles over the years, per-
sonally gave it to Harrison, who graciously accepted it.5
Although the standard popular Hare Krishna tune, as found in either the
George Harrison recording or in Hair, may not be a traditional tune of
Bengali kîrtan, it probably came from the Braj area surrounding Vrinda-
ban, since several persons have attested to hearing it there long before Ûrîla
Prabhupåda came to America.6 And since Ûrîla Prabhupåda often resided
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 137

in Vrindaban, it seems likely that the tune appealed to him due to its sim-
ple structure and charm. Thus one may conclude that the source of the
Hare Krishna tune was, as far as the West was concerned, Ûrîla Prabhupåda.
He had even recorded variants of this tune a number of times (e.g., CD #2
and #12). And none of them were the same as the tunes Allen Ginsberg
learned in India from Swami Ûivånanda and others, and had sung at differ-
ent college campuses with his harmonium. According to Yamunå Dåsî
(conversation 10-29-95), the devotees in the early days sang and played
instruments exactly the way Ûrîla Prabhupåda did, and did not introduce
any variations or additions. Ûrîla Prabhupåda taught them the simplest
tunes to chant, otherwise they may have been discouraged by music that
was too difficult or exotic for their fragile musical sensibilities.
Unlike singers from the villages of Bengal, Ûrîla Prabhupåda did not use
colloquial Bengali pronunciation in his chanting, like, for instance, ‘Hare
Krishno, Hare Råmo.’ His pronunciation followed the simpler Sanskrit pro-
nunciation which is most often followed in vernacular singing by trained
musicians. In fact, the customs of pronunciation in singing do not necessar-
ily follow those of speaking. Hence, while singing, ‘Hare Råma’ in either
language is more technically correct than the spoken ‘Hare Råmo’ in
Bengali, or ‘Hare Råm’ in Hindi. An exception would be the Bengali åkha-
ras in which the spoken Bengali pronunciation is often used. In terms of
pronunciation of the Mahåmantra and other songs, then, Ûrîla
Prabhupåda was presenting the most genuine tradition.
In conclusion, the followers and admirers of Ûrîla Prabhupåda were
undeniably correct in their assessment of both him and his music. Ûrîla Pra-
bhupåda’s music was authentic because he was authentic. As one qualified
by purity and devotion to Krishna to ‘churn the global ocean of nectar,’ Ûrî-
la Prabhupåda produced a kîrtan that soared beyond ordinary traditional
musical forms of India, not by circumventing them, but by infusing those
forms with a higher spiritual dimension unmatched by other contemporary
saints or musicians. As Yamunå Devî has said, “he accomplished many things
on many levels that we are only now beginning to comprehend and appre-
ciate.” Truly matchless, the devotional music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda lives on
to open our hearts and continually replenish us with his grace and perenni-
al wisdom.
138 GUY L. BECK

Appendix : Discography
14 Compact Discs—remixed and remastered to digital from previous record-
ings by K®ß∫a-kåntî Dåsa. Available from Bhaktivedanta Archives, P.O. Box 255,
Sandy Ridge, NC 27046. Phone (910) 871-3636. FAX (910) 871-3641.

1 Krishna Meditations (1974)

Jaya Rådhe Jaya Krishna
Jasomati Nandana
Ûrî Krishna Caitanya Prabhu
Prayers to the Six Goswåmîs
Goura Pahou

2 Hare Krishna Classics and Originals

Prayers to the Six Goswåmîs (1968?)
with George Ruckert, sarod
Ûrî Brahma Saµhitå & Purport
Hare Krishna Mantra & Purport (1966)
Ûrî Ûrî Gurvå߆aka
Jaya Rådhå Mådhava

3 Songs of the Spiritual Masters

Yådavåya Nama˙ (Sept 22, 1972)
Jîv Jågo (Sept 22, 1972)
Gåy Gaura Madhura Svare (Sept 22, 1972)
Nårada Muni Bhajaya Vî∫å (Sept 22, 1972)

4 Ûrî Brahma Saµhitå

Ûrî Brahma Saµhitå
Hari Hari Bifale
DaΩåvatåra

5 Prabhupåda Bhajans
Månasa Deha Geha & Purport
Ûrî Krishna Caitanya Prabhu
Bhajahu Re Mana

6 Rådhå Krishna Temple (1971)

London devotees and George Harrison

7 Vibhåvarî Ûeßa
Vibhåvarî Ûeßa & Purport
Anådi Karama Phale & Purport
 The Devotional Music of Ûrîla Prabhupåda 139

8 DaΩåvatåra (1972)
DaΩåvatåra Stotram & Purport
Åmår Jîvana & Purport

9 Jaya Rådhe Jaya Krishna

Gauråõgera Dutî Pada
Parama Karu∫å
Ûrî Brahma Saµhitå
Nitåi Pada Kamala

10 Ûrî Ûrî Gurva߆akam

Ûrî Ûrî Gurva߆akam
Bhajahu Re Mana
Parama Karu∫å
Bhoga Årati

11 Ûrî Ûrî Ûikßå߆akam

Ûrî Brahma Saµhitå (1968)
Govinda Jaya Jaya (1968)
Ûrî Ûrî Ûikßå߆akam (1968)
Hari Haraye Nama˙ (1968)

12 Hare Krishna Mahåmantra

Vande’ ham (1968-70)
Mahåmantra (2) (1968-70)
Ûrî Ûikßå߆akam (1971)

13 Gauråõga Bhajan
Gauråõgera Dutî Pada & Purport (1970)
Gaura Pahu & Purport (1969-71)

14 Nitåi Pada Kamala

Nitåi Pada Kamala & Purport
Bhajahu Re Mana & Purport
Prayers of King KulaΩekhara & Purport

ENDNOTES

1Mr. Ruckert, a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan at the time, would be involved
with the maestro’s own school near San Francisco for 17 years, and is now
teaching Indian music at M.I.T. after completing a doctorate from UC Berkeley
in the music of Khan Sahib (conversation on Oct. 1, 1995).
140 GUY L. BECK

2Stanley Richards, ed. Great Rock Musicals (New York: Stein & Day, 1979), p. 437.
3Chant and be Happy: The Story of the Hare Krishna Mantra (Los Angeles: Bhaktivedan-
ta Book Trust, 1982), p. 1. This small book contains an interview with George Har-
rison made by Mukunda Goswami on Sept. 4, 1982.
4Bill Harry, The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia (New York: Hyperion Books, 1992, p.
543.
5Conversation with Mukunda Goswami, 12-2-95.
6Conversation with Prof. M. K. Gautam, a native of Braj, on November 20, 1995.