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June 18, 1969 : New Vrindavan

Hayagriva: June 18. A letter arrives from Mukunda informing Prabhupada that he has found a house in downtown London, not far from the British Museum. There is some interest among the large Hindu population. And John Lennon has offered to host Prabhupada and the devotees at his Ascot estate north of London. George Harrison has taken the most initiative, helping Mukunda and Shyamasundar cut a Hare Krishna record. They expect big sales in England, and are recording more songs under George's direction to be issued in an album by the Beatles's Apple Record Company.

Clearly, Prabhupada stands on the brink of international recognition. Devotees are distributing Bhagavad-gita on streets, at games and races, in parks and airports. Arrested for soliciting, they generally win the court cases, and this sparks more newspaper coverage. Money flows quickly in and out, as big buildings with expensive overheads are rented and bought. In the name of transcendental competition, each center tries to establish a bigger and better temple to attract Prabhupada's presence.

"I must go to London," Prabhupada tells Purushottam. "Make reservations at once."

This casts us into despair. We've been hoping that he would spend the entire summer in New Vrindavan, but he has been saying that everything depends on developments in London. "There are many Indians in England who want to start a Hindu temple," Prabhupada says, "but I'm not interested in something for Hindus. We want something for everybody. So far, in our Society, there is not one single Indian other than me."

And, thinking of this, Prabhupada laughs loudly.


Reference: The Hare Krishna Explosion - Hayagriva Dasa