George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles' work.
We celebrate what would have been George's 80th Birthday with this touching video of his perspective on Vedanta presented by Vedanta Video on YouTube.
George Harrison explains his understanding of Vedanta. Harrison quotes from Swami Vivekananda as the inspiration for his Search For A Higher Truth. From a Beatle to a mystic seeker. Quite a journey.
George Harrison was first exposed to Indian music during the filming of Help! in the Summer of 1965. He sought out Ravi Shankar as a Sitar teacher who gave Harrison books on Vedanta and Swami Vivekananda, who came to American in 1893 to establish Vedanta Centers in New York and San Francisco. Over 30 centers are now scattered across the US and the world.
Harrison had been raised a Cahtholic, but by the age of 15 he renounced it as hypocritical. The Vivekananda quote that grabs his attention and set him on the path of meditation was:
"If there's a God, we must see Him.
If there's a soul, we must perceive It;
otherwise it's better not to believe."
He got further into meditation during his 1968 trip to India and initiation by the Maharishi.
For more on George Harrison, enjoy Deepak Chopra's talk from SAND17
