Volume 8: Fall 2004

Brainwashed, by George Harrison and the Bhagavad Gita

Michael J. Gilmour, Associate Professor of New Testament
Providence College, Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada
Abstract
This reading o George Harrison!s inal album Brainwashed"#osthumously
released in 2002"is guided by two #rin$i#al $on$erns% First, when engaged in
the study o s#irituality in #o#ular, se$ular &te'ts(, s$holars o religion are
easily $harged with reading too mu$h into the ob)e$ts o their in*uiry% This
study will re#resent an e'#eriment in that the author +trained in the ,hristian
Bible- will e'#lore a songwriter!s #resentation o a religious tradition ar
removed rom his ield o e'#ertise% . attem#t to measure, in ee$t, what an
interested but non/s#e$ialist listener might dis$over about religion ollowing
$lues #rovided by the songwriter% 0e$ond, this #a#er oers a sour$e/$riti$al
reading o George Harrison!s writing that observes the im#ortan$e o the
Bhagavad Gita as the #rimary ins#iration or this album%
&1ord 2rishna to his devotee 3r)una: 43mong thousands o men,
#erha#s one strives or s#iritual attainment5 and, among the
blessed true see6ers that assiduously try to rea$h 7e, #erha#s one
#er$eives 7e as . am%!(
/ Bhagavad Gita8
&Bow to God and $all him 0ir(
/ George Harrison2
98: ;hether reading boo6s, wat$hing movies, or listening to musi$ we $an!t
es$a#e our #resu##ositions% ;e bring to our reading<viewing<listening a
lietime o e'#erien$es that will inevitably inluen$e the way we understand
the &te'ts( we en$ounter and this is one o the great $hallenges o
hermeneuti$s% 7y #rimary ield o study is the =ew Testament and the
,hristian Bible% To some degree this is a handi$a# or investigating
relationshi#s between religion and #o#ular $ulture sin$e . am always o#en to
the $harge o inding ,hristianity everywhere . turn% Though $om#lete
ob)e$tivity is not #ossible, this #a#er re#resents an attem#t to move $loser to
that ideal% By loo6ing at the religious themes in the musi$ o George Harrison
. am a long way rom the >udeo/,hristian tradition that . am most amiliar
with% Harrison was a devout Hindu and the #rimary sour$e or his inal album
was the Bhagavad Gita% 7y introdu$tion to Hinduism and the Bhagavad Gita
has $ome largely through George Harrison!s musi$ and writing, and boo6s
either 6nown to Harrison or with some $onne$tion to him +see notes below-%
This is not, then, a s$holarly study o the Bhagavad Gita or Hinduism but
rather an illustration o how religion $an be ?heard? by a non/s#e$ialist%
92: George Harrison!s #osthumous album Brainwashed +@mlaut ,or#oration
2002- was his inal git to musi$ ans% Ane immediately senses how intensely
#ersonal it is, with the in$lusion o his signature on the ront $over and
handwritten song titles% ;e even hear George s#ea6ing at the very beginning
o the ,B, telling those in the studio &Give me #lenty o that guitar%( These
small gestures ma6e the album a$$essible and lend to an overall sense o
genuine $ommuni$ation rom artist to listener%
9C: Derha#s the most intriguing o these #ersonal tou$hes is a s6et$h ound on
the ba$6 $over o the liner notes% .t is sim#le enough% 3t its base we ind a
#ara#hrase o the bibli$al e'#ression: &3 Voi$e ,ry!s 9sic: in the ;ilderness(
+.sa 40:C5 7att C:C5 7ar6 8:C5 1u6e C:4- and above that a sign giving
dire$tions to &Bullshit 3venue( whi$h a##arently $an be ound in the $ity
toward whi$h the sign #oints% 3nd loo6ing over the whole s$ene, a $rudely
drawn head, with eyes $losed +meditatingE- and $artoon thought/bubbles that
house the $hant &God/God/God%(
94: 3ll the words in$luded in the #i$ture a##ear in the album!s $losing song%
&Brainwashed( is a #rayer: &God God God < ;on!t you lead us through this
mess < % % % From the #la$es o $on$rete%( The mess a##ears to be the state we
ind ourselves in when living on Bullshit 3venue, those $ities o $on$rete
where individuals and institutions brainwash the unwary% Harrison on$e wrote
about the dangers o missing s#iritual realities:
3s a single dro# o water has the same *ualities as an o$ean o
water, so has our $ons$iousness the *ualities o GAB!0
$ons$iousness % % % but through our identii$ation and atta$hment
with material energy +#hysi$al body, sense #leasures, material
#ossessions, ego, et$%- our true TF3=0,G=BG=T31
,A=0,.A@0=G00 has been #olluted, and li6e a dirty mirror it is
unable to rele$t a #ure image%C
Brainwashed warns o the #italls that lie beore us in our modern world,
namely the ris6 o losing sight o ultimate truths% .t also oers advi$e on how
to avoid them%
9H: An the album!s $over there are ive $rash test dummies +a ty#i$al siIed
amilyE- holding a television and they a##ear re#eatedly throughout the liner
notes% .n one #i$ture they are loo6ing dire$tly at the television on whi$h the
word &Brainwashed( a##ears% How do we avoid being brainwashed
ourselvesE The doodle o the $losed/eyed man may im#ly that meditation on
God is the 6ey, or as the Bhagavad Gita states, without meditation there is no
#ea$e +2%JJ-%
9J: Turning to the Gita or $lues regarding the album!s intent is a logi$al ste#,
sin$e reeren$es to Harrison!s Hindu s#irituality are e'#li$it%4 .n addition to
his than6s to &The Kogis o the Himalayas(H there is a *uotation rom the
Bhagavad Gita #rovided in the liner notes:
There never was a time when you or . did not e'ist% =or will there
be any uture when we shall $ease to be +2rishna to 3r)una 9as
ound in the liner notes5 $% $itation o 2%8L/20 below:-%J
Further, there are numerous $lear allusions to the Gita in the album,
#arti$ularly &3ny Foad( and &Brainwashed,( the o#ening and $losing songs%
The hagavad Gita
9M: The Bhagavad Gita is a #oem within a #oem% The longer Mahabharata is
an e#i$ that tells the story o an a$tual war% This $onte't is #reserved in the
Gita +see e%g%, 8%2/20- and its main $hara$ters +3r)una and 2rishna- a##ear
elsewhere in the Mahabharata% But the war and these $hara$ters are not the
same in the two #oems% The smaller #oem begins with the words &An the ield
o Truth, on the battle/ield o lie( +8%8- suggesting a shit rom the
literal<histori$al, to the meta#hori$al%M The war be$omes s#iritual in nature
+see #revious note- and 3r)una $omes to re#resent the human ar$hety#e and
2rishna the $osmi$ one%8 The Gita and Brainwashed identiy the enemies o
the human s#irit and they #oint the reader<listener to the a##ro#riate
res#onses% The an$ient Gita is thus translated in the album or a modern
audien$e and into an entirely new medium% .n a way, Harrison even resembles
2rishna +s#iritual guide- or the listener/3r)una +s#iritual *uester-% 1i6e the
$harioteer 2rishna, Harrison begins the album as a traveler +by boat, #lane,
$ar, bi6e, bus, train, etc% 9&3ny Foad(:-, and the intimate nature o the album
+see $omments above- resembles 2rishna!s relationshi# with 3r)una5 the
ormer reveals &this Koga eternal, this se$ret su#reme( be$ause o 3r)una!s
&love or me, and be$ause . am thy riend( +4%4-% Three related themes in
Brainwashed, drawn rom the Gita, $an be observed%
The True Nature of Humanity
98: 3s seen, the album and the song &3ny Foad( begins with the
songwriter!s $laim to have been travelling% This is re#eated seven times
throughout the song whi$h des$ribes a )ourney with no beginning and no end
be$ause there is something in the songwriter that was never born and never
dies, a $lear allusion to 2rishna!s tea$hing in the Gita:
. any man thin6s he slays, and i another thin6s he is slain,
neither 6nows the ways o truth% The Gternal in man $annot 6ill:
the Gternal in man $annot die% He is never born, and he never dies%
He is in Gternity: he is or evermore% =ever/born and eternal,
beyond times gone or to $ome, he does not die when the body dies
+2%8L/205 $% various #hrases in 2%88/C0-%
3r)una is troubled early on in the #oem be$ause his #arti$i#ation in a war will
re*uire him to 6ill: &. see orebodings o evil, 2rishna% . $annot oresee any
glory i . 6ill my own 6insmen( +8%C8-% .n res#onse, 2rishna introdu$es the
$on$e#t o dehin, &the 4one in the body! +4s#irit!, 4soul!-, whi$h $annot be
6illed, and whi$h will re#eatedly ta6e another body ater the death o the
$urrent one%(L
9L: Deo#le may not be aware o their eternal natures, however, and indeed we
are ooled into thin6ing that there is nothing beyond the e'#erien$es o this
lie% &Fising 0un( $ontributes to this re$urring $on$ern about de$e#tion ound
in the album% The song begins on &the street o villains ta6en or a ride( where
one $an have &the devil as a guide%( . this is true o us, we are &,ri##led by
the boundaries( and &#rogrammed into guilt%( The individual in the song
loo6s into mirrors but inds only disguises, suggesting that a greater reality is
hidden% The threat is re#eated later in the song where &An the avenue o
sinners . have been < em#loyed < ;or6ing there 4til . was near destroyed9%:(
But the song s#ea6s o a s#iritual awa6ening% .n &the rising sun( that $omes
rom within, one $an eel lie beginning5 the singer hears &the messenger rom
inner s#a$e < He was sending me a signal that or so long < . had ignored9%:(
;hat was dis$overed was the eternal nature: 3 &@niverse at #lay inside your
B=3 < Kou!re a billion years old today9%:( =ot to be aware o this is to all
#rey to &villains( and &sinners,( to be brainwashed% .n his boo6 I Me Mine he
des$ribed this dierently:
Feality is a $on$e#t% Gverybody has their own reality %%% 7ost
#eo#le!s reality is an illusion, a great big illusion% Kou
automati$ally have to su$$umb to the illusion that 4. am this
body!% . am not George% . am not really George% . am this living
thing that goes on, always has been, always will be, but at this
time . ha##en to be in 4this! body% The body has $hanged5 was a
baby, was a young man, will soon be an old man, and .!ll be dead%
The #hysi$al body will #ass but this bit in the middle, that!s the
only reality% 3ll the rest is the illusion %%% 80
980: Harrison!s views on rein$arnation are stated *uite $on$isely in $omments
on the song &The 3rt o Bying( in I Me Mine% The song a$6nowledges that
the time will $ome when we will all a$e death and urther, that &There will
come a time when most of us 9will: return here +rein$arnation- / Brought back
by our desire to be a perfect entity9%:(88 2arma, he e'#lains, is the law o
a$tion and rea$tion and every thought, word, and deed a$ts li6e a #ebble
thrown in water, it sends ri##les &out a$ross the @niverse and it does
eventually $ome ba$6% ;hatever you do, it $omes right ba$6 on you%(82
0wit$hing meta#hors, he adds that these a$tions/rea$tions are li6e 6nots on a
#ie$e o string% From the moment o birth on, we try to undo all the 6nots
rom #revious lives +#ast 2arma- but most #eo#le end u# adding more along
the way% . we are entangled in the aairs o this lie, $han$es are our last
thought or desire will be on matters o this world and not God and su$h
thoughts or desires #rovide &the motivation or rebirth%( The #oint o the song
is that unless we want to e'#erien$e a million years o $rying we need to
#ra$ti$e the art o dying"whi$h involves deta$hment rom the world while
living%8C
The Search for Truth
&By $hanting the names o the 1ord and you!ll be ree
The 1ord is awaiting on you all to awa6en and see(
/ George Harrison84
988: The o#ening song on Brainwashed +&3ny Foad(- is written mostly in the
irst #erson and using a amiliar meta#hor des$ribes lie as a )ourney% This
)ourney had no beginning and no end, involves many unresolved *uestions,
and involves a sear$h or truth% The $horus shits to the se$ond #erson and
there we ind the songwriter, ater des$ribing his own e'#erien$es, oering
advi$e and assuran$e or those also on a s#iritual *uest: &i you don!t 6now
where you!re going < 3ny road will ta6e you there( +HN-% There are #erha#s
two ways to ta6e this statement% Dositively it might oer some assuran$e to
those on a sin$ere s#iritual *uest sin$e 2rishna, in the Gita, tea$hes that even
those &who in aith worshi# other gods, be$ause o their love they worshi#
me, although not in the right way% For . a$$e#t every sa$rii$e, and . am their
1ord su#reme( +L%2C/24a-% =egatively it warns those who have not ste##ed
out in this )ourney toward s#iritual enlightenment% .na$tion has $onse*uen$es%
. one does not have a s#iritual destination or goal in mind +&i you don!t
6now where you!re going(- that #erson will get nowhere +&3ny road will ta6e
you there(-%8H
982: The biggest obsta$le to s#iritual dis$overy is distra$tion% 7is#la$ed
#riorities and #assions $an $lutter the mind and turn our attentions away rom
that whi$h is o ultimate im#ortan$e"&1ost my $on$entration %%% 9when: The
only thing that matters to me is to < tou$h your lotus eet( +&0tu$6 .nside a
,loud(5 $% n%H-% 3s noted already, the $artoon<doodle ound in the liner notes
in$ludes a man meditating on the words &God/God/God%( This a$e is
smiling% The Bhagavad Gita s#ea6s o meditation<$ontem#lation as a
ne$essary s#iritual e'er$ise% &;ithout $ontem#lation,( we are told, &there
$annot be #ea$e, and without #ea$e $an there be )oyE( +2%JJ-% The man in the
diagram"Harrison himselE"evidently has both% The message $onveyed by the
voi$e that &,ry!s in the ;ilderness( is don!t be distra$ted or brainwashed by
all that ha##ens in the great $ities o the world +Brussels, Bonn, ;ashington,
1ondon- or by their leaders +&2ings and Oueens(- and tea$hers% God alone
$an &sto# the rot,( and &lead us through this mess( and out o ignoran$e%
98C: Harrison and the Gita s#ea6 o the im#ortan$e o meditation +J%80/845
82%8/80, 825 8C%24 et$%- and $hanting +L%8C/84-%8J .n a$t, the album $loses
with a 0ans6rit $hant +&=amah Darvarti(- #erormed by George and son Bhani
Harrison%8M Drior to this, the re$urring &God God God( un$tions as a $hant,
#erha#s in a orm more a$$essible to the ma)ority o listeners +i%e%, an Gnglish
term re#eating as #art o the song!s $horus-%
The Pleasure Seeking Life Brings Pain and Darkness
&.!m living in the material world
1iving in the material world
. ho#e to get out o this #la$e
by the 1ord 0ri 2rsna!s Gra$e
7y salvation rom the material world%(
/ George Harrison88
984: Harrison!s ironi$ally titled boo6 I Me Mine #oints to his re$ognition that
atta$hment with #ossessions lies at the heart o many sorrows% His wie Alivia
Harrison e'#lained the title in her introdu$tion to the 2002 edition o this
boo6:
Buring our lie together the issues o #ossessions, atta$hment and
identii$ation with the ego were in the oreront o our awareness
and George was always *ui$6 to #oint out that in reality there is
no ., 7e or 7ine% George was relentless at 6ee#ing our s#iritual
aim true% ;e were only humans wal6ing a long road towards our
shared goal o enlightenment % % % % 9He would remind himsel and
me: that we are #ure 0#irit, and that the 0#irit is in 4every grain o
sand!, belonging to everyone and no one5 that nothing is 4mine!
and that 4.! we all reer to must be re$ogniIed as the little 4i! in the
larger s$heme o the @niverse% George was tired o the . 7e
7ines o this world, in$luding his own %%% ;hen sear$hing or a
title to this boo6, he was well aware that the lyri$s to these songs
would always be tied to his name and $onsidered his songs, even
though he 6new the $reativity bestowed on him was a divine git%
0o rather than $on)uring a boo6 title that might try to e'#lain
away the git o songwriting with, &;ell, . wrote them but they
don!t really belong to me(, he too6 the o##osite a##roa$h and the
ris6 o $laiming this boo6 in a slightly $yni$al trinity o
#ronouns%8L
This $on$ern with deta$hment is #rominent in &Brainwashed,( the $losing
song on the album% 1i6e 2rishna who warns that dwelling on the #leasures o
the senses leads to desire, the lust o #ossession, #assion and anger +2%J2-,
Harrison inds that su$h symbols o the #ursuit o wealth as the =i66ei, Bow
>ones, FT0G, and =asda* do no more than &9turn: out the s#iritual light%( The
song in$ludes re$urring #rayers addressed to &God God God( who is at one
#oint deined as &Bliss%( 2rishna dire$ts devotees to a dierent 6ind o
ha##iness: &;hen a man surrenders all desires that $ome to the heart and by
the gra$e o God inds the )oy o God, then his soul has indeed ound #ea$e(
+2%HH-%
98H: The oi$ial George Harrison website +georgeharrison%$om 9a$$essed
3#ril 2004:5 address in$luded on the album $over- reinor$es this 6ey
Brainwashed message% @#on entering the site visitors who $li$6 on
Brainwashed are invited to &Follow the #ath to the garden( but are warned to
&ma6e sure you don!t get Brainwashed along the way,( the #oint being that
one needs to ma6e a##ro#riate de$isions in $hoosing whi$h i$ons to $li$6%
Bad $hoi$es will result in the )ourney to the garden being hindered% 3s the
)ourney begins &3ny Foad( #lays in the ba$6ground and travelers irst see a
statue o 2rishna +the same that a##ears on the album itsel-% 3ter $li$6ing on
the &ta6e me onwards( symbol visitors #ro$eed to a #i$ture o the $rash/test
dummies! heads% .n one we ind various symbols asso$iated with a sto$6
e'$hange board +numbers, buy, sell, etc% lashing-% . we $li$6 on a dierent
head +without reeren$es to money- we move on to the ne't s$reen% ;e ind
more $rash test dummies and this time lashing over them a sign: &PPP
.nsta;ealth ,li$6 Here =ow%( This is, o $ourse, another tem#tation along the
way to the garden% 3nd so the game $ontinues% . one $li$6s on any o the
wrong i$ons the #oor de$ision is made $lear by the gradual disa##earan$e o
the &Bar6 Horse( logo that a##ears on ea$h s$reen +Harrison!s re$ord label-%
Ather bad symbols in$lude i$ons with the words &money or ree % % % se$urity
or lie,( &Buy Buy Buy,( &3ll Kou ,ould Gver ;ant Ar =eed,( &Get Fi$h
Oui$6,( &Best Beals on the ;eb,( and &;or6 From Home 7a6e PPPPPPPP%(
3 ew o the #ages also have television s$reens with a $onstant barrage o
images"this too is a #oor $hoi$e% Atentimes the best $hoi$es +where one inds
a hot lin6 ater dragging the $ursor around- are on the $rash test dummies!
heads, #erha#s suggesting meditation% 7editation, and avoiding the lure o
wealth and $omort is the 6ey%20 Though it ta6es some time and #ra$ti$e, one
eventually arrives at the garden28 where the usual 6inds o inormation
asso$iated with an oi$ial album website are ound%
Closing Comments (All Things ust Pass!
98J: ;hen $om#ared to other &se$ular( #o#/musi$, George Harrison!s
Brainwashed is distin$tive in $ertain res#e$ts% To begin with, it is unusual to
ind su$h e'#li$it s#irituality in the mainstream musi$ industry% The #resen$e
o religious themes in #o#ular musi$ is not remar6able in itsel, o $ourse%
;hat is unusual is to ind songwriters $harting their own s#iritual e'#erien$es
with detail $om#arable to that ound in Harrison!s Brainwashed% .t does
ha##en% 3li$e ,oo#er!s The Last Temptation +8LL4- do$uments his $onversion
to ,hrist%22 But this 6ind o writing is not the norm% ;e might note, by way
o $ontrast, that some artists have abandoned their musi$ $areers $om#letely
ollowing religious $onversions +e%g%, ,at 0tevens who was $onverted to .slam
in 8LMM, ater whi$h he too6 the name Kusu .slam- or at least shited the
o$us o their writing to religious $ontent% Harrison, on the other hand, was
able to ta6e his s#irituality into the mainstream to an e'tent that ew, i any,
have been able to mat$h% For instan$e, All Things Must ass +8LM0- *ui$6ly
rea$hed number one on the @%0% and British $harts and the single &7y 0weet
1ord,( des$ribed by Bavid Fri$6e as &a #salm to 2rishna( was number one in
the @%2%2C ;hen the album was re/released in 2008 to mar6 the thirtieth
anniversary, &7y 0weet 1ord( returned to number one on the $harts in the
@%2% Brainwashed has en)oyed similar su$$ess% .n February 2004 Harrison
won a Grammy +#osthumously- or &7awra Blues( in the Best Do#
.nstrumental Derorman$e $ategory and &3ny Foad( was nominated or Best
7ale Do# Vo$al Derorman$e%
98M: 7ore generally, many might ind Harrison!s religious lyri$s more
a$$essible than other songwriters% ;hile the theology may be $hallenging to
the neo#hyte he has an ability to blend humour with s#irituality and avoid the
abrasive tone o other evangelisti$ songwriters% Further, as the e'am#les
in$luded above suggest, Harrison!s writing on religious themes is more
#ervasive and systemati$ than many other artists who bring similar interests to
their wor6% ;estern audien$es may also ind Harrison!s Hinduism somewhat
e'oti$%
988: Finally, it is arguable that the world did not 6now the #re/$onversion
George Harrison very well% .nitially he was amous as #art o the Beatles, not
as a solo artist% .t was in the midst o the band!s $areer that the ?*uiet Beatle?
be$ame as$inated with all things eastern% His irst tri# to .ndia o$$urred in
8LJJ ollowing an invitation to study the sitar with musi$ian Favi 0han6ar%
&This was the beginning,( writes 7i6al Gilmore, &o a lielong riendshi#
between Harrison and 0han6ar and the oundation or a $hange in Harrison!s
worldview% Through 0han6ar and .ndian musi$, Harrison said, he dis$overed a
new o#enness to s#irituality"es#e$ially to an$ient Hindu tea$hings%(24 The
whole band traveled to .ndia in 8LJ8 to s#end time with 7aharishi 7ahesh
Kogi and there were o$$asional reeren$es to eastern religion in some o their
later lyri$s +e%g%, the elementary #enguin who was &singing Hare 2rishna( 9&.
3m The ;alrus,( Magical Mystery Tour, 8LJM:-% 3nd so it was that by the
time Harrison ste##ed out on his own to begin a solo $areer"to establish a
#roessional identity a#art rom the Beatles"his *uest or s#irituality was at
least amiliar to ans% 3t the same time, these same ans did not 6now him
very well be$ause he had little #roessional identity a#art rom the Fab Four%
Harrison!s irst ma)or2H solo #ro)e$t was the very su$$essul All Things Must
ass +8LM05 re/released 2008-, an &auda$ious $oming out #arty or the most
sel/ea$ing Beatle(2J in whi$h the songwriter!s s#irituality igures
#rominently%
98L: This se*uen$e"e'traordinary ame and s#iritual *uesting #rior to a solo
$areer"$ontrasts with other artists who e'#erien$ed $onversions ater their
#ubli$ #ersona had been ormed% For instan$e, ans o Harrison!s
$ontem#orary and ellow Traveling ;ilbury Bob Bylan let in droves
ollowing his $onversion to ,hristianity in 8LM8% Deo#le &6new( Bylan #rior
to 8LM8% .n a sense, #eo#le did not 6now Harrison #rior to 8LM0%
920: Harold Bloom on$e des$ribed reading as a dii$ult #leasure, one that
involves re$ognition o the inluen$es sha#ing a writer!s wor6% The #ayo is
signii$ant: ultimately good writing and good reading $an #oint us toward the
0ublime%2M 0ensitivity to the 6ey sour$e behind George Harrison!s
Brainwashed"the Bhagavad Gita!and reading this album as a $areul
e'#osition o that literary #re$ursor, hel#s us a##re$iate what a remar6able
and uni*ue #ro)e$t this is% .t is a wonderul illustration o the #otential o a
#o#ular medium to $ommuni$ate religious $ontent with imagination and
sur#rising beauty%
Notes
8 M%C% This #assage #rovides the e#igra#h to George Harrison!s boo6 I Me
Mine +0an Fran$is$o: ,hroni$le Boo6s, 2002-, 8%
2 &3ny Foad,( Brainwashed +@mlaut, 2002-%
C &;ords rom 3##le,( introdu$tory note to His Bivine Gra$e 3% ,%
Bha6tivedanta 0wami Drabhu#Qda, "#$%A& The $upreme ersonality of
Godhead +=ew Kor6: The Bha6tivedanta Boo6 Trust, 8LM0-% .t is ound in
vols% 8 and 2% ,% Bhagavad Gita 2%M0%
4 The religious imagery in the songs is not e'$lusively eastern% ,% the
,atholi$ism o &D%2% Vati$an Blues( in whi$h the singer des$ribes himsel as
&,laustro#hobi$ and e'/$atholi$9%:( Harrison!s mother was Foman ,atholi$
and he attended mass regularly as a $hild +3dam ,layson, The 'uiet (ne& A
Life of George )arrison 91ondon: 0idgwi$6 R >a$6son, 8LL0:, 8-% .t is well
6nown that Harrison!s interest in eastern s#irituality was an inluen$e on the
Beatles% .n 8LJ8 all our members o the band s#ent time in .ndia with
7aharishi 7ahesh Kogi, ounder o Trans$endental 7editation% Harrison is
also lin6ed with the Hare 2rishna movement +the .nternational 0o$iety or the
2rishna ,ons$iousness 9.02,A=:-% He donated a mansion to the
organiIation and urther endorsed the movement by writing the #rea$e or
"#$%A& The $upreme ersonality of Godhead +8LM05 see #revious note- by
ounder 3bhay ,haran Be Bha6tivedanta 0wami Drabhu#Qda% Drabhu#Qda is
$redited or ins#iring Harrison!s song &7aterial ;orld,( namely the insight
that &4we are not these bodies!, we are in these material bodies in the #hysi$al
world( +I Me Mine, 2H85 itali$s original-% He is also $redited or ins#iring
&The 1ord 1oves The Ane( +2H4, 2HJ-%
H 2rishna says o his devotees that &Their thoughts are on me, their lie is in
me, and they give light to ea$h other% For ever they s#ea6 o my glory5 and
they ind #ea$e and )oy( +80%L-% Drabhu#Qda says o su$h #eo#le that &Their
minds $annot be diverted rom the lotus eet o 29rishna:% Their tal6s are
solely trans$endental( +His Bivine Gra$e 3% ,% Bha6tivedanta 0wami
Drabhu#ada, Bhagavad*G+t, As It Is 9=ew Kor6: The Bha6tivedanta Boo6
Trust, 8LM2:, 8JM-% The latter e'#ression a##ears also in Brainwashed: &The
only thing that matters to me is to < tou$h your lotus eet( +&0tu$6 .nside a
,loud(-% This meta#hor s#ea6s o a student!s devotion to a tea$her% 0wami
Drabhu#Qda!s name means &Ane at whose eet many masters sit( +Baner,
-hildren of "#$%A, 8M-% He was one o a series o s#iritual masters e'tending
ba$6 to 1ord 2rishna himsel +as stated in his #ubli$ations, e%g%, the )a$6et
Bhagavad*G+t,-%
J His album .ark )orse +8LM4- in$ludes the dedi$ation &3ll Glories to 0ri
2rishna%(
M >uan 7as$arS read it this way +see his introdu$tion to The Bhagavad Gita,
trans% >uan 7as$arS with introdu$tion by 0imon Brodbe$6 91ondon: Denguin,
200C:, 'lvi/'lvii5 7as$arS!s $omments were originally #ublished in the 8LJ2
edition and re#rinted in the 200C edition-% 3ter seeing Harrison and >ohn
1ennon interviewed with 7aharishi 7ahesh Kogi, 7as$arS wrote a letter to
Harrison en$ouraging him in his s#iritual *uest% 7as$arS also sent a boo6
+Lamps of /ire- that served as an ins#iration or Harrison!s song o the same
name% Harrison says this song &was written es#e$ially or >uan 7as$arS
be$ause he sent me the boo6 and is a sweet old man% .t was ni$e, the words
said everything% 37G=( +Harrison, I Me Mine, 8885 the lyri$s or &The .nner
1ight,( Harrison!s $omments, and a $o#y o 7as$arS!s letter are ound in
##%88M/8L-% 7as$arS summariIes: &;e ind in the Gita that there is going to
be a great battle or the rule o a 2ingdom5 and how $an we doubt that this is
the 2ingdom o Heaven, the 6ingdom o the soulE 3re we going to allow the
or$es o light in us or the or$es o dar6ness to winE 3nd yet, how easy not to
ight, and to ind reasons to withdraw rom the battleT .n the Bhagavad Gita
3r)una be$omes the soul o man and 2rishna the $harioteer o the soul(
+7as$arS, Bhagavad Gita, 'lvii-% 3ll $itations rom the Bhagavad Gita are
ta6en rom the 7as$arS translation unless otherwise noted% An Harrison!s
relationshi# with 7as$arS see also ,layson, The 'uiet (ne, 84L%
8 0imon Brodbe$6, introdu$tion to the 200C edition o 7as$arS, Bhagavad
Gita, ''iii%
L Brodbe$6, introdu$tion to 7as$arS, Bhagavad Gita, 'iv% ,% Drabhu#Qda!s
$omments on 2%82: &.t is not that they did not e'ist as individuals in the #ast,
and it is not that they will not remain as eternal #ersons% Their individuality
e'isted in the #ast, and their individuality will $ontinue in the uture without
interru#tion% Thereore, there is no $ause or lamentation or any one o the
individual living entities( +Drabhu#ada, Bhagavad*G+t,, 2C-%
80 Harrison, I Me Mine, 44% &Bhagavad*g+t, is meant to deliver one rom the
nes$ien$e o material entanglement% Gveryone is in dii$ulty, )ust as 3r)una
was on the Battleield o 2uru6setra% =ot only 3r)una, but ea$h o us is ull o
an'ieties be$ause o this material entanglement% Aur e'isten$e is eternal, but
somehow we are #ut into this #osition whi$h is asat% Asat means unreal(
+Drabhu#Qda, Bhagavad*Gita, ''i-%
88 Harrison, I Me Mine, 888% .tali$s original%
82 Harrison, I Me Mine, 880%
8CI Me Mine, 888% To illustrate, Harrison adds: &. mean I don!t want to be
lying there as .!m dying thin6ing 4Ah shit, . orgot to #ut the $at out!, or 4.
didn!t get a Folls/Foy$e! be$ause then you may have to $ome right ba$6 )ust
to do those things, and then you have got more 6nots on your #ie$e o string%(
Following his death on =ovember 2L, 2008, Harrison was $remated within
hours and Hindu rites #erormed by members o the Hare 2rishna% Harrison!s
ashes were immersed in the Ganges Fiver% &3$$ording to Hindu religion, this
inal a$t would allow or the inal se#aration o George Harrison!s soul rom
his body and his s#irit to avoid the $y$le o rein$arnation and to travel straight
to heaven( +7ar$ 0ha#iro, Behind $ad 0yes& The Life of George )arrison
9=ew Kor6: 0t% 7artin!s, 2002:, 20H-%
84 Harrison, &3waiting An Kou 3ll,( in I Me Mine, 20C% ,ommenting on this
song, he writes: &7ost mantras or )a#a utilise the many names o God, and
the maha/mantra has been #res$ribed as the easiest and surest way or
attaining God/FealiIation in this #resent age( +200-%
8H . would li6e to e'#ress my than6s to the anonymous #eer/reviewer who
oered hel#ul suggestions at this #oint%
8J Drabhu#Qda: &when #eo#le in general are short/living, slow in s#iritual
realiIation and always disturbed by various an'ieties, the best means o
s#iritual realiIation is to $hant the holy name o the 1ord( +Bhagavad*G+t,,
80M-% 0ee also his $omments on 80%L +8JM-%
8M 3n 3##ro'imate Translation o the &=amah Darvarti(: %amah arvarti
ataye )are )are Mahadev +0alutations to Darvati 9as it is oten s#elled:,
Bivine ,onsort o 90hiva: the god o gods5 )are indi$ates the energy and love
o the lord-5 $hiva $hiva $hankara Mahadeva +$9h:ankara is another name or
0hiva-%
88 Harrison, &1iving .n The 7aterial ;orld,( in I Me Mine, 2J2/JC%
Harrison!s humour is evident in his des$ri#tion o the material world: &7et
them all here in the material world < >ohn and Daul here in the material world <
Though we started out *uite #oor < ;e got 4Fi$hie! on a tour < Got $aught u#
in the material world( +2J2-%
8L Alivia Harrison, introdu$tion to George Harrison, I Me Mine, 8/2 +itali$s
original-%
20 ;ealth and noble birth are no guarantee o ha##iness and #ea$e, a$$ording
to the Gita: &1ed astray by many wrong thoughts, entagled in the net o
delusion, en$hained to the #leasures o their $ravings, they all down into a
oul hell( +8J%8J-%
28 Harrison was an avid gardener, in a$t, I Me Mine is &dedi$ated to
gardeners everywhere% G%H%(
22 For details, see 7ar6 3llan Dowell, &3li$e ,oo#er,( in 0ncyclopedia of
-ontemporary -hristian Music +Deabody, 73: Hendri$6son, 2002-, in loc%
2C Bavid Fri$6e, &The 0tories Behind the 0ongs,( in #olling $tone $pecial
0dition& George )arrison +2008-: J8%
24 7i6al Gilmore, &The 7ystery .nside George,( in #olling $tone $pecial
0dition& George )arrison +2008-: 8C% Georey Giuliano re$ords Harrison as
saying &. got involved with Hinduism be$ause Favi 0han6ar was a Hindu(
+.ark )orse& The $ecret Life of George )arrison 9Toronto: 0toddart, 8L8L:,
8M-% 0ee also 0ha#iro, Behind $ad 0yes, MH/MJ%
2H Harrison released two instrumental albums #rior to All Things Must ass,
1onderwall Music in 8LJ8 and 0lectronic $ounds in 8LJL%
2J Greg 2ot, &George Harrison: 3 ,om#lete Bis$ogra#hy,( in #olling $tone
$pecial 0dition& George )arrison +2008-: JH%
2M Harold Bloom, )ow to #ead and 1hy +=ew Kor6: 0imon R 0$huster,
2000-, 2L and throughout%