Recording the Radha Krishna Temple Album

I remember that I wasn’t initially very enthusiastic at the prospect of recording the Radha-Krishna Temple album. My thinking was that I didn’t have the time. I had to almost be pressured into being involved in the record, because when you record there’s a lot of down time, like doing a movie. There’s playback time, discussion, adjustment, more playback, more discussion. Already we had toured to promote the singles, sometimes in very low, mode of ignorance places. I feared that we would become ‘contaminated’ being in such environments, but on at least two occasions Srila Prabhupada encouraged me to remain detached and remember that we were giving the greatest gift—the gift of the Holy Names. Once, close to the time of his leaving London, he told the story of Jagai and Madhai, using it to illustrate how even the most sinful persons can be liberated by hearing the Holy Names. He told us that if we chanted our rounds and remained strong in the principles of Krishna consciousness, then we would be able to lift up even the lowest among men, through the potency of our sincere chanting.


The Govindam track was recorded for the album just a few nights before we left for India. Late one night, after finishing our recording for the day, I sat by myself at the harmonium, my voice scratchy and a good octave lower because I was so exhausted. Pumping the harmonium with one hand and tapping it with the other, I began singing—Bhaja mana hure, bhaja mana hure, sri nandananda abhaya caranaravinda re. I did not know anyone was listening, nor did I know that the microphone was on and that George Harrison was recording it. When I finished, all of a sudden George said, “Excellent. That’s a take.”  I was completely shocked. From that time on, many people asked me who the man was on the album singing the Bhaja hure mana song incorrectly.