Close encounters of the B.B. King kind.
Jiva Nath: The year was 1977 and i was distributing books in O’Hare airport. One day while between concourses I noticed B.B. King walking towards me with a few other companions . There was nobody else around but us and I was determined to get him to stop and take a book. I approached him acting like I didn’t recognize him as a celebrity. His group paused and gave me a chance to approach him. I told him I had the Bhagavad Gita , a book renowned for its inspirational teachings. The book was used by many famous musicians to get lyrics for songs. People like George Harrison, John Lennon, B.B, King and Bob Dylan. I was looking at all the guys faces as they impatiently were giving me the time of day. B.B. King was just getting ready to say something to me about my statement to him, when I gave him a wry smile. He smirked and said” Oh this guy is good. Give him some money” One guy ripped out his wallet and gave me a $20. We all shook hands, he took his book and we all went on our merry way.
Fantastic story, Prabhu! The souls who have achieved rock star status in this day and age have undoubtedly performed many pious activities in the past to receive such a distinguished position. By somehow engaging them in Krishna’s service before they leave their bodies, the devotees are blessing them with the chance for further elevation and ultimately salvation from this material world. All glories to your service.
In a previous article posted here on Dandavats, I was sharing the story about attending a George Harrison concert in Vancouver in 1974:
“As we entered the Pacific Coliseum, Mahesh Prabhu and I headed for the floor, our saffron bags filled with books, magazines and incense. The crowd was obviously excited as we gradually walked to the front of the stage distributing our spiritual goods along the way. ‘Hare Krishna’ people shouted. Many of George’s fans knew that he had an affinity towards our movement, so they were very friendly and supportive. When the concert began, George appeared on stage wearing a number of badges with spiritual pictures and ‘om’ signs. His neck was adorned with tulasi beads.
Mahesh Prabhu pulled out a large hardbound edition of Srila Prabhupada’s Krishna Book, which had been published with the help of a kind donation by George Harrison himself. When Mahesh got to the front row, he held the Krishna Book high in the air so that George could possibly see it from the stage. As he made his way towards Mahesh, George in fact noticed Srila Prabhupada’s book. His eyes lit up and a large smile beamed across his face as he bowed his head in respect. Since Mahesh was a big fan of the Beatles before joining ISKCON, he was thrilled to have this simple transcendental exchange with one of his old heroes. What an auspicious start to George Harrison’s 1974 tour.”
Further to this entry, Mahesh Prabhu recently wrote to me and added the following:
“I was standing at the side of the stage holding the book up to him to see and he was singing ‘while my guitar gently weeps’…he wasn’t in the best mood that night…I could tell….when he seen the book he smiled widely….then he changed the words in the song to…I look at you all….see the ‘Gita’ needs learning…..I couldn’t believe it…”
Full story here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=21852
Hopefully we can hear from more devotees who had similar experiences in preaching to celebrities and rock stars. Interesting to note that my past articles on Krishna consciousness each garnered an average of 6-700 views, but when I wrote about Chrissie Hynde and Ringo Starr in relation to Hare Krishna, the hits shot up into the thousands. It just goes to show that devotees still love their rock stars. ;)
Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.