Parasuram das
Our friend Youth from punk band Killing Joke invited us to be part of the
festival. It was a star studded event, poets and artists flew in from around the
world. The spiritual energy was flowing. Proceeds from the concert went to
our Prasad Distribution which we officially call Food for All.
Poet Allen Ginsberg had a lot of personal association with Srila
Prabhupada whom he helped on a number of occasions in New York, San
Francisco, Columbus and elsewhere. While being interviewed in various
magazines, journals and newspapers over the years, Ginsberg often gave
credit to Srila Prabhupada for his sincere and serious efforts to spread
Krishna Consciousness in the Western world through the chanting of Hare
Krishna. For a time, Allen Ginsberg would regularly begin his poetry
readings with the chanting of Krishna’s names accompanied by harmonium and
cymbals.
Ginsberg: I think I told you I had darshana with Jagannatha.
Prabhupada: Oh?
Ginsberg: Yes, I got inside the temple. I was silent and made believe I was a madman. I had long hair and white pajamas.
Prabhupada: Just like some Punjabi.
Ginsberg: So I went inside and when anybody came to ask me anything I was afraid of opening my mouth.
Prabhupada: There is no enemy of the dumb. Boba shatrura nahi.
Ginsberg: So I just kept my mouth closed and got down on my knees and
touched their feet, so they all thought that I was crazy and they kept away
from me. [Laughter.]
Prabhupada: So you had a nice view of Jagannatha?
Ginsberg: Yes. It was very beautiful. I was there, with Peter also, for about a week. Yes.
Prabhupada: So you were there several times?
Ginsberg: One time. I was afraid to go in and out many times. I figured I got away with it once and I didnât want to . . .
Prabhupada: In that Aquarian Gospel it says that the Lord Jesus Christ lived in the
Jagannatha temple. He was thick and thin with the priests. One preacher was
very friendly. And he was discussing philosophical subjects with them.
Ginsberg: So according to the Aquarian Gospel Christ was in Jagannath Puri.
Prabhupada: Yes. And He saw Rathayatra, as we are performing in San Francisco.
Ginsberg: Yes.
Prabhupada: So Lord Jesus Christ saw.
Ginsberg: We went to Mathura also. We were on the road several days. In Vrindavan for about a week.
Prabhupada: You stayed there in Vrindavan?
Ginsberg: Yes, for about a week.
Prabhupada: You have seen Vrindavan nicely?
Ginsberg: Well, we went from one temple to another, sang, sat by the river, went to the little garden where the tree is and met two bhakti devotees I mentioned, Sri Mata Krishnaji and Banki Behari.
Prabhupada: Banki Behari?
Ginsberg: Yes. They translated from Mirabai into English. Good translations. They were published in the Bharati Vidya Bhavan series. They have about four or five
books. One sufis, yogis, saints, poets, like Mukteshvara. And then another
of Mira, two volumes of Mira and then a life of Mira. And one on the Kumbha
Mela.
Prabhupada: Theyâre good scholars?
Ginsberg: Yes, good scholars. They know Blake also. They know English.
Prabhupada: In which year have you been in Vrindavan?
Ginsberg: Oh, 1962 in Vrindavan.
Prabhupada: Oh, at that time I was there.
Ginsberg: Yes, we probably passed on the street. [Both laugh.] You were there then? 1962?
Prabhupada: Yes, I left Vrindavan in 1965. From 1956 I was there.
Ginsberg: I would like to go and live there for a while and stay. I liked it when I was there. It would be a good place to live.