Michael J. Gilmour, Associate Professor of New Testament
Providence College, Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada

Abstract

This reading of George Harrison’s final album Brainwashed–posthumously released in 2002–is guided by two principal concerns. First, when engaged in the study of spirituality in popular, secular “texts”, scholars of religion are easily charged with reading too much into the objects of their inquiry. This study will represent an experiment in that the author (trained in the Christian Bible) will explore a songwriter’s presentation of a religious tradition far removed from his field of expertise. I attempt to measure, in effect, what an interested but non-specialist listener might discover about religion following clues provided by the songwriter. Second, this paper offers a source-critical reading of George Harrison’s writing that observes the importance of the Bhagavad Gita as the primary inspiration for this album.

“Lord Krishna to his devotee Arjuna: ‘Among thousands of men, perhaps one strives for spiritual attainment; and, among the blessed true seekers that assiduously try to reach Me, perhaps one perceives Me as I am.’”
- Bhagavad Gita1

“Bow to God and call him Sir”
- George Harrison2 

[1] Whether reading books, watching movies, or listening to music we can’t escape our presuppositions. We bring to our reading/viewing/listening a lifetime of experiences that will inevitably influence the way we understand the “texts” we encounter and this is one of the great challenges of hermeneutics. My primary field of study is the New Testament and the Christian Bible. To some degree this is a handicap for investigating relationships between religion and popular culture since I am always open to the charge of finding Christianity everywhere I turn. Though complete objectivity is not possible, this paper represents an attempt to move closer to that ideal. By looking at the religious themes in the music of George Harrison I am a long way from the Judeo-Christian tradition that I am most familiar with. Harrison was a devout Hindu and the primary source for his final album was the Bhagavad Gita. My introduction to Hinduism and the Bhagavad Gita has come largely through George Harrison’s music and writing, and books either known to Harrison or with some connection to him (see notes below). This is not, then, a scholarly study of the Bhagavad Gita or Hinduism but rather an illustration of how religion can be "heard" by a non-specialist.

[2] George Harrison’s posthumous album Brainwashed (Umlaut Corporation 2002) was his final gift to music fans. One immediately senses how intensely personal it is, with the inclusion of his signature on the front cover and handwritten song titles. We even hear George speaking at the very beginning of the CD, telling those in the studio “Give me plenty of that guitar.” These small gestures make the album accessible and lend to an overall sense of genuine communication from artist to listener.

[3] Perhaps the most intriguing of these personal touches is a sketch found on the back cover of the liner notes. It is simple enough. At its base we find a paraphrase of the biblical expression: “A Voice Cry’s [sic] in the Wilderness” (Isa 40:3; Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4) and above that a sign giving directions to “Bullshit Avenue” which apparently can be found in the city toward which the sign points. And looking over the whole scene, a crudely drawn head, with eyes closed (meditating?) and cartoon thought-bubbles that house the chant “God-God-God.”

[4] All the words included in the picture appear in the album’s closing song. “Brainwashed” is a prayer: “God God God / Won’t you lead us through this mess / . . . From the places of concrete.” The mess appears to be the state we find ourselves in when living on Bullshit Avenue, those cities of concrete where individuals and institutions brainwash the unwary. Harrison once wrote about the dangers of missing spiritual realities:

As a single drop of water has the same qualities as an ocean of water, so has our consciousness the qualities of GOD’S consciousness . . . but through our identification and attachment with material energy (physical body, sense pleasures, material possessions, ego, etc.) our true TRANSCENDENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS has been polluted, and like a dirty mirror it is unable to reflect a pure image.3

Brainwashed warns of the pitfalls that lie before us in our modern world, namely the risk of losing sight of ultimate truths. It also offers advice on how to avoid them.

  [5] On the album’s cover there are five crash test dummies (a typical sized family?) holding a television and they appear repeatedly throughout the liner notes. In one picture they are looking directly at the television on which the word “Brainwashed” appears. How do we avoid being brainwashed ourselves? The doodle of the closed-eyed man may imply that meditation on God is the key, for as the Bhagavad Gita states, without meditation there is no peace (2.66).

[6] Turning to the Gita for clues regarding the album’s intent is a logical step, since references to Harrison’s Hindu spirituality are explicit.4 In addition to his thanks to “The Yogis of the Himalayas”5 there is a quotation from the Bhagavad Gita provided in the liner notes:

There never was a time when you or I did not exist. Nor will there be any future when we shall cease to be (Krishna to Arjuna [as found in the liner notes; cf. citation of 2.19-20 below]).6

Further, there are numerous clear allusions to the Gita in the album, particularly “Any Road” and “Brainwashed,” the opening and closing songs. 

The Bhagavad Gita

[7] The Bhagavad Gita is a poem within a poem. The longer Mahabharata is an epic that tells the story of an actual war. This context is preserved in the Gita (see e.g., 1.2-20) and its main characters (Arjuna and Krishna) appear elsewhere in the Mahabharata. But the war and these characters are not the same in the two poems. The smaller poem begins with the words “On the field of Truth, on the battle-field of life” (1.1) suggesting a shift from the literal/historical, to the metaphorical.7 The war becomes spiritual in nature (see previous note) and Arjuna comes to represent the human archetype and Krishna the cosmic one.8 The Gita and Brainwashed identify the enemies of the human spirit and they point the reader/listener to the appropriate responses. The ancient Gita is thus translated in the album for a modern audience and into an entirely new medium. In a way, Harrison even resembles Krishna (spiritual guide) for the listener-Arjuna (spiritual quester). Like the charioteer Krishna, Harrison begins the album as a traveler (by boat, plane, car, bike, bus, train, etc. [“Any Road”]), and the intimate nature of the album (see comments above) resembles Krishna’s relationship with Arjuna; the former reveals “this Yoga eternal, this secret supreme” because of Arjuna’s “love for me, and because I am thy friend” (4.4). Three related themes in Brainwashed, drawn from the Gita, can be observed.

The True Nature of Humanity

  [8] As seen, the album and the song “Any Road” begins with the songwriter’s claim to have been travelling. This is repeated seven times throughout the song which describes a journey with no beginning and no end because there is something in the songwriter that was never born and never dies, a clear allusion to Krishna’s teaching in the Gita:

If any man thinks he slays, and if another thinks he is slain, neither knows the ways of truth. The Eternal in man cannot kill: the Eternal in man cannot die. He is never born, and he never dies. He is in Eternity: he is for evermore. Never-born and eternal, beyond times gone or to come, he does not die when the body dies (2.19-20; cf. various phrases in 2.11-30).

Arjuna is troubled early on in the poem because his participation in a war will require him to kill: “I see forebodings of evil, Krishna. I cannot foresee any glory if I kill my own kinsmen” (1.31). In response, Krishna introduces the concept of dehin, “the ‘one in the body’ (‘spirit’, ‘soul’), which cannot be killed, and which will repeatedly take another body after the death of the current one.”9

[9] People may not be aware of their eternal natures, however, and indeed we are fooled into thinking that there is nothing beyond the experiences of this life. “Rising Sun” contributes to this recurring concern about deception found in the album. The song begins on “the street of villains taken for a ride” where one can have “the devil as a guide.” If this is true of us, we are “Crippled by the boundaries” and “programmed into guilt.” The individual in the song looks into mirrors but finds only disguises, suggesting that a greater reality is hidden. The threat is repeated later in the song where “On the avenue of sinners I have been / employed / Working there ‘til I was near destroyed[.]” But the song speaks of a spiritual awakening. In “the rising sun” that comes from within, one can feel life beginning; the singer hears “the messenger from inner space / He was sending me a signal that for so long  / I had ignored[.]” What was discovered was the eternal nature: A “Universe at play inside your DNA / You’re a billion years old today[.]” Not to be aware of this is to fall prey to “villains” and “sinners,” to be brainwashed. In his book I Me Mine he described this differently:

Reality is a concept. Everybody has their own reality ... Most people’s reality is an illusion, a great big illusion. You automatically have to succumb to the illusion that ‘I am this body’. I am not George. I am not really George. I am this living thing that goes on, always has been, always will be, but at this time I happen to be in ‘this’ body. The body has changed; was a baby, was a young man, will soon be an old man, and I’ll be dead. The physical body will pass but this bit in the middle, that’s the only reality. All the rest is the illusion ... 10

[10] Harrison’s views on reincarnation are stated quite concisely in comments on the song “The Art of Dying” in I Me Mine. The song acknowledges that the time will come when we will all face death and further, that “There will come a time when most of us [will] return here (reincarnation) / Brought back by our desire to be a perfect entity[.]”11 Karma, he explains, is the law of action and reaction and every thought, word, and deed acts like a pebble thrown in water, it sends ripples “out across the Universe and it does eventually come back. Whatever you do, it comes right back on you.”12 Switching metaphors, he adds that these actions-reactions are like knots on a piece of string. From the moment of birth on, we try to undo all the knots from previous lives (past Karma) but most people end up adding more along the way. If we are entangled in the affairs of this life, chances are our last thought or desire will be on matters of this world and not God and such thoughts or desires provide “the motivation for rebirth.” The point of the song is that unless we want to experience a million years of crying we need to practice the art of dying–which involves detachment from the world while living.13

The Search for Truth

“By chanting the names of the Lord and you’ll be free
The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see”
- George Harrison14

[11] The opening song on Brainwashed (“Any Road”) is written mostly in the first person and using a familiar metaphor describes life as a journey. This journey had no beginning and no end, involves many unresolved questions, and involves a search for truth. The chorus shifts to the second person and there we find the songwriter, after describing his own experiences, offering advice and assurance for those also on a spiritual quest: “if you don’t know where you’re going / Any road will take you there” (5X). There are perhaps two ways to take this statement. Positively it might offer some assurance to those on a sincere spiritual quest since Krishna, in the Gita, teaches that even those “who in faith worship other gods, because of their love they worship me, although not in the right way. For I accept every sacrifice, and I am their Lord supreme” (9.23-24a). Negatively it warns those who have not stepped out in this journey toward spiritual enlightenment. Inaction has consequences. If one does not have a spiritual destination or goal in mind (“if you don’t know where you’re going”) that person will get nowhere (“Any road will take you there”).15

  [12] The biggest obstacle to spiritual discovery is distraction. Misplaced priorities and passions can clutter the mind and turn our attentions away from that which is of ultimate importance–“Lost my concentration ... [when] The only thing that matters to me is to / touch your lotus feet” (“Stuck Inside a Cloud”; cf. n.5). As noted already, the cartoon/doodle found in the liner notes includes a man meditating on the words “God-God-God.” This face is smiling. The Bhagavad Gita speaks of meditation/contemplation as a necessary spiritual exercise. “Without contemplation,” we are told, “there cannot be peace, and without peace can there be joy?” (2.66). The man in the diagram–Harrison himself?–evidently has both. The message conveyed by the voice that “Cry’s in the Wilderness” is don’t be distracted or brainwashed by all that happens in the great cities of the world (Brussels, Bonn, Washington, London) or by their leaders (“Kings and Queens”) and teachers. God alone can “stop the rot,” and “lead us through this mess” and out of ignorance.

  [13] Harrison and the Gita speak of the importance of meditation (6.10-14; 12.8-10, 12; 13.24 etc.) and chanting (9.13-14).16 In fact, the album closes with a Sanskrit chant (“Namah Parvarti”) performed by George and son Dhani Harrison.17 Prior to this, the recurring “God God God” functions as a chant, perhaps in a form more accessible to the majority of listeners (i.e., an English term repeating as part of the song’s chorus).

The Pleasure Seeking Life Brings Pain and Darkness

“I’m living in the material world
Living in the material world
I hope to get out of this place
by the Lord Sri Krsna’s Grace
My salvation from the material world.”
- George Harrison18

[14] Harrison’s ironically titled book I Me Mine points to his recognition that attachment with possessions lies at the heart of many sorrows. His wife Olivia Harrison explained the title in her introduction to the 2002 edition of this book:

During our life together the issues of possessions, attachment and identification with the ego were in the forefront of our awareness and George was always quick to point out that in reality there is no I, Me or Mine. George was relentless at keeping our spiritual aim true. We were only humans walking a long road towards our shared goal of enlightenment . . . . [He would remind himself and me] that we are pure Spirit, and that the Spirit is in ‘every grain of sand’, belonging to everyone and no one; that nothing is ‘mine’ and that ‘I’ we all refer to must be recognized as the little ‘i’ in the larger scheme of the Universe. George was tired of the I Me Mines of this world, including his own  ... When searching for a title to this book, he was well aware that the lyrics to these songs would always be tied to his name and considered his songs, even though he knew the creativity bestowed on him was a divine gift. So rather than conjuring a book title that might try to explain away the gift of songwriting with, “Well, I wrote them but they don’t really belong to me”, he took the opposite approach and the risk of claiming this book in a slightly cynical trinity of pronouns.19

This concern with detachment is prominent in “Brainwashed,” the closing song on the album. Like Krishna who warns that dwelling on the pleasures of the senses leads to desire, the lust of possession, passion and anger (2.62), Harrison finds that such symbols of the pursuit of wealth as the Nikkei, Dow Jones, FTSE, and Nasdaq do no more than “[turn] out the spiritual light.” The song includes recurring prayers addressed to “God God God” who is at one point defined as “Bliss.” Krishna directs devotees to a different kind of happiness: “When a man surrenders all desires that come to the heart and by the grace of God finds the joy of God, then his soul has indeed found peace” (2.55).

[15] The official George Harrison website (georgeharrison.com [accessed April 2004]; address included on the album cover) reinforces this key Brainwashed message. Upon entering the site visitors who click on Brainwashed are invited to “Follow the path to the garden” but are warned to “make sure you don’t get Brainwashed along the way,” the point being that one needs to make appropriate decisions in choosing which icons to click. Bad choices will result in the journey to the garden being hindered. As the journey begins “Any Road” plays in the background and travelers first see a statue of Krishna (the same that appears on the album itself). After clicking on the “take me onwards” symbol visitors proceed to a picture of the crash-test dummies’ heads. In one we find various symbols associated with a stock exchange board (numbers, buy, sell, etc. flashing). If we click on a different head (without references to money) we move on to the next screen. We find more crash test dummies and this time flashing over them a sign: “$$$ InstaWealth Click Here Now.” This is, of course, another temptation along the way to the garden. And so the game continues. If one clicks on any of the wrong icons the poor decision is made clear by the gradual disappearance of the “Dark Horse” logo that appears on each screen (Harrison’s record label). Other bad symbols include icons with the words “money for free . . . security for life,” “Buy Buy Buy,” “All You Could Ever Want Or Need,” “Get Rich Quick,” “Best Deals on the Web,” and “Work From Home Make $$$$$$$$.” A few of the pages also have television screens with a constant barrage of images–this too is a poor choice. Oftentimes the best choices (where one finds a hot link after dragging the cursor around) are on the crash test dummies’ heads, perhaps suggesting meditation. Meditation, and avoiding the lure of wealth and comfort is the key.20 Though it takes some time and practice, one eventually arrives at the garden21 where the usual kinds of information associated with an official album website are found.

Closing Comments (All Things Must Pass)

[16] When compared to other “secular” pop-music, George Harrison’s Brainwashed is distinctive in certain respects. To begin with, it is unusual to find such explicit spirituality in the mainstream music industry. The presence of religious themes in popular music is not remarkable in itself, of course. What is unusual is to find songwriters charting their own spiritual experiences with detail comparable to that found in Harrison’s Brainwashed. It does happen. Alice Cooper’s The Last Temptation (1994) documents his conversion to Christ.22 But this kind of writing is not the norm. We might note, by way of contrast, that some artists have abandoned their music careers completely following religious conversions (e.g., Cat Stevens who was converted to Islam in 1977, after which he took the name Yusuf Islam) or at least shifted the focus of their writing to religious content. Harrison, on the other hand, was able to take his spirituality into the mainstream to an extent that few, if any, have been able to match. For instance, All Things Must Pass (1970) quickly reached number one on the U.S. and British charts and the single “My Sweet Lord,” described by David Fricke as “a psalm to Krishna” was number one in the U.K.23 When the album was re-released in 2001 to mark the thirtieth anniversary, “My Sweet Lord” returned to number one on the charts in the U.K. Brainwashed has enjoyed similar success. In February 2004 Harrison won a Grammy (posthumously) for “Mawra Blues” in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category and “Any Road” was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

[17] More generally, many might find Harrison’s religious lyrics more accessible than other songwriters. While the theology may be challenging to the neophyte he has an ability to blend humour with spirituality and avoid the abrasive tone of other evangelistic songwriters. Further, as the examples included above suggest, Harrison’s writing on religious themes is more pervasive and systematic than many other artists who bring similar interests to their work. Western audiences may also find Harrison’s Hinduism somewhat exotic.

[18] Finally, it is arguable that the world did not know the pre-conversion George Harrison very well. Initially he was famous as part of the Beatles, not as a solo artist. It was in the midst of the band’s career that the "quiet Beatle" became fascinated with all things eastern. His first trip to India occurred in 1966 following an invitation to study the sitar with musician Ravi Shankar. “This was the beginning,” writes Mikal Gilmore, “of a lifelong friendship between Harrison and Shankar and the foundation for a change in Harrison’s worldview. Through Shankar and Indian music, Harrison said, he discovered a new openness to spirituality–especially to ancient Hindu teachings.”24 The whole band traveled to India in 1968 to spend time with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and there were occasional references to eastern religion in some of their later lyrics (e.g., the elementary penguin who was “singing Hare Krishna” [“I Am The Walrus,” Magical Mystery Tour, 1967]). And so it was that by the time Harrison stepped out on his own to begin a solo career–to establish a professional identity apart from the Beatles–his quest for spirituality was at least familiar to fans. At the same time, these same fans did not know him very well because he had little professional identity apart from the Fab Four. Harrison’s first major25 solo project was the very successful All Things Must Pass (1970; re-released 2001), an “audacious coming out party for the most self-effacing Beatle”26 in which the songwriter’s spirituality figures prominently.

[19] This sequence–extraordinary fame and spiritual questing prior to a solo career–contrasts with other artists who experienced conversions after their public persona had been formed. For instance, fans of Harrison’s contemporary and fellow Traveling Wilbury Bob Dylan left in droves following his conversion to Christianity in 1978. People “knew” Dylan prior to 1978. In a sense, people did not know Harrison prior to 1970.

[20] Harold Bloom once described reading as a difficult pleasure, one that involves recognition of the influences shaping a writer’s work. The payoff is significant: ultimately good writing and good reading can point us toward the Sublime.27 Sensitivity to the key source behind George Harrison’s Brainwashed–the Bhagavad Gita–and reading this album as a careful exposition of that literary precursor, helps us appreciate what a remarkable and unique project this is. It is a wonderful illustration of the potential of a popular medium to communicate religious content with imagination and surprising beauty.

Notes

1 7.3. This passage provides the epigraph to George Harrison’s book I Me Mine (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002), 8.

2 “Any Road,” Brainwashed (Umlaut, 2002).

3 “Words from Apple,” introductory note to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, KRSNA: The Supreme Personality of Godhead (New York: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1970). It is found in vols. 1 and 2. Cf. Bhagavad Gita 2.70.

4 The religious imagery in the songs is not exclusively eastern. Cf. the Catholicism of “P.2. Vatican Blues” in which the singer describes himself as “Claustrophobic and ex-catholic[.]” Harrison’s mother was Roman Catholic and he attended mass regularly as a child (Adam Clayson, The Quiet One: A Life of George Harrison [London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1990], 8). It is well known that Harrison’s interest in eastern spirituality was an influence on the Beatles. In 1968 all four members of the band spent time in India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation. Harrison is also linked with the Hare Krishna movement (the International Society for the Krishna Consciousness [ISKCON]). He donated a mansion to the organization and further endorsed the movement by writing the preface for KRSNA: The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970; see previous note) by founder Abhay Charan De Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda is credited for inspiring Harrison’s song “Material World,” namely the insight that “‘we are not these bodies’, we are in these material bodies in the physical world” (I Me Mine, 258; italics original). He is also credited for inspiring “The Lord Loves The One” (254, 256).

5 Krishna says of his devotees that “Their thoughts are on me, their life is in me, and they give light to each other. For ever they speak of my glory; and they find peace and joy” (10.9). Prabhupāda says of such people that “Their minds cannot be diverted from the lotus feet of K[rishna]. Their talks are solely transcendental” (His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is [New York: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1972], 167). The latter expression appears also in Brainwashed: “The only thing that matters to me is to / touch your lotus feet” (“Stuck Inside a Cloud”). This metaphor speaks of a student’s devotion to a teacher. Swami Prabhupāda’s name means “One at whose feet many masters sit” (Daner, Children of KRSNA, 17). He was one of a series of spiritual masters extending back to Lord Krishna himself (as stated in his publications, e.g., the jacket Bhagavad-Gītā).

6 His album Dark Horse (1974) includes the dedication “All Glories to Sri Krishna.”

7 Juan Mascaró read it this way (see his introduction to The Bhagavad Gita, trans. Juan Mascaró with introduction by Simon Brodbeck [London: Penguin, 2003], xlvi-xlvii; Mascaró’s comments were originally published in the 1962 edition and reprinted in the 2003 edition). After seeing Harrison and John Lennon interviewed with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mascaró wrote a letter to Harrison encouraging him in his spiritual quest. Mascaró also sent a book (Lamps of Fire) that served as an inspiration for Harrison’s song of the same name. Harrison says this song “was written especially for Juan Mascaró because he sent me the book and is a sweet old man. It was nice, the words said everything. AMEN” (Harrison, I Me Mine, 118; the lyrics for “The Inner Light,” Harrison’s comments, and a copy of Mascaró’s letter are found in pp.117-19). Mascaró summarizes: “We find in the Gita that there is going to be a great battle for the rule of a Kingdom; and how can we doubt that this is the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of the soul? Are we going to allow the forces of light in us or the forces of darkness to win? And yet, how easy not to fight, and to find reasons to withdraw from the battle! In the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna becomes the soul of man and Krishna the charioteer of the soul” (Mascaró, Bhagavad Gita, xlvii). All citations from the Bhagavad Gita are taken from the Mascaró translation unless otherwise noted. On Harrison’s relationship with Mascaró see also Clayson, The Quiet One, 149.

8 Simon Brodbeck, introduction to the 2003 edition of Mascaró, Bhagavad Gita, xxiii.

9 Brodbeck, introduction to Mascaró, Bhagavad Gita, xiv. Cf. Prabhupāda’s comments on 2.12: “It is not that they did not exist as individuals in the past, and it is not that they will not remain as eternal persons. Their individuality existed in the past, and their individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Therefore, there is no cause for lamentation for any one of the individual living entities” (Prabhupada, Bhagavad-Gītā, 23).

10 Harrison, I Me Mine, 44. “Bhagavad-gītā is meant to deliver one from the nescience of material entanglement. Everyone is in difficulty, just as Arjuna was on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Not only Arjuna, but each of us is full of anxieties because of this material entanglement. Our existence is eternal, but somehow we are put into this position which is asat. Asat means unreal” (Prabhupāda, Bhagavad-Gita, xxi).

11 Harrison, I Me Mine, 181. Italics original.

12 Harrison,  I Me Mine, 180.

13I Me Mine, 181. To illustrate, Harrison adds: “I mean I don’t want to be lying there as I’m dying thinking ‘Oh shit, I forgot to put the cat out’, or ‘I didn’t get a Rolls-Royce’ because then you may have to come right back just to do those things, and then you have got more knots on your piece of string.” Following his death on November 29, 2001, Harrison was cremated within hours and Hindu rites performed by members of the Hare Krishna. Harrison’s ashes were immersed in the Ganges River. “According to Hindu religion, this final act would allow for the final separation of George Harrison’s soul from his body and his spirit to avoid the cycle of reincarnation and to travel straight to heaven” (Marc Shapiro, Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison [New York: St. Martin’s, 2002], 205).

14 Harrison, “Awaiting On You All,” in I Me Mine, 203. Commenting on this song, he writes: “Most mantras for japa utilise the many names of God, and the maha-mantra has been prescribed as the easiest and surest way for attaining God-Realization in this present age” (200).

15 I would like to express my thanks to the anonymous peer-reviewer who offered helpful suggestions at this point.

16 Prabhupāda: “when people in general are short-living, slow in spiritual realization and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is to chant the holy name of the Lord” (Bhagavad-Gītā, 107). See also his comments on 10.9 (167).

17 An Approximate Translation of the “Namah Parvarti”: Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Mahadev (Salutations to Parvati [as it is often spelled], Divine Consort of [Shiva] the god of gods; Hare indicates the energy and love of the lord); Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva (S[h]ankara is another name for Shiva).

18 Harrison, “Living In The Material World,” in I Me Mine, 262-63. Harrison’s humour is evident in his description of the material world: “Met them all here in the material world / John and Paul here in the material world / Though we started out quite poor / We got ‘Richie’ on a tour / Got caught up in the material world” (262).

19 Olivia Harrison, introduction to George Harrison, I Me Mine, 1-2 (italics original).

20 Wealth and noble birth are no guarantee of happiness and peace, according to the Gita: “Led astray by many wrong thoughts, entagled in the net of delusion, enchained to the pleasures of their cravings, they fall down into a foul hell” (16.16).

21 Harrison was an avid gardener, in fact, I Me Mine is “dedicated to gardeners everywhere. G.H.”

22 For details, see Mark Allan Powell, “Alice Cooper,” in Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002), in loc.

23 David Fricke, “The Stories Behind the Songs,” in Rolling Stone Special Edition: George Harrison (2001): 61.

24 Mikal Gilmore, “The Mystery Inside George,” in Rolling Stone Special Edition: George Harrison (2001): 13. Geoffrey Giuliano records Harrison as saying “I got involved with Hinduism because Ravi Shankar was a Hindu” (Dark Horse: The Secret Life of George Harrison [Toronto: Stoddart, 1989], 87). See also Shapiro, Behind Sad Eyes, 75-76.

25 Harrison released two instrumental albums prior to All Things Must Pass, Wonderwall Music in 1968 and Electronic Sounds in 1969.

26 Greg Kot, “George Harrison: A Complete Discography,” in Rolling Stone Special Edition: George Harrison (2001): 65.

27 Harold Bloom, How to Read and Why (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 29 and throughout.