At one point, learning that his fans were getting turned off by his missionary zeal, Harrison toned it down. But he didn’t hold back when interviewed. When John Lennon was murdered, millions heard George reference the Bhagavad Gita. On other occasions, as in a 1987 profile in People magazine, he proclaimed, “The purpose of our life is to get to God-realization,” adding, “there’s a science that goes with that.” And on his posthumously released album, Brainwashed, he returns to sacred themes, adapting these lines from a yogic text: “The soul does not love, it is love itself. It does not exist, it is existence itself. It does not know, it is knowledge itself.” Fittingly, the final song on his final album closes with an invocation to Shiva and his consort Parvati, the supreme embodiment of the Divine Mother.
For all these reasons, in both his art and his life, Harrison was not only a musical hero but also a spiritual mentor to millions. It was fitting that, upon his passing a decade ago, his ashes were scattered in the Ganges in accordance with Hindu tradition.
Philip Goldberg is the author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. (www.AmericanVeda.com).
The debut exhibition George Harrison: Living in the Material World is currently on view at the GRAMMY Museum through February 12, 2012. The GRAMMY Museum at LA Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite A 245, Los Angeles, CA: grammymuseum.org.
By Phil Goldberg
Philip Goldberg has been studying the world’s spiritual traditions for more than 50 years, as a practitioner, teacher, and author. An Interfaith Minister, public speaker, and workshop leader, his numerous books include Roadsigns on the Spiritual Path; American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West; The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru, and his latest, Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Clarity, Calm and Courage. He blogs on Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health, cohosts the popular Spirit Matters podcast, and leads American Veda Tours to India. His website is www.PhilipGoldberg.com.