The book that changed George Harrison’s life
One of George Harrison’s most unique contributions to the sound and success of The Beatles came from his interest in Indian music and spirituality. Beginning with ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’, Harrison incorporated the sitar into their instrumentation after he was introduced to the instrument while filming Help!
In the mid-1960s, Harrison became particularly interested in the work of Indian musician Ravi Shankar, who he once dubbed “the first person who ever impressed me in my life”, in Martin Scorsese’s documentary Living in the Material World. In 1966, Harrison’s love for Shankar’s work led him to travel to India to study with the sitarist, but Shankar’s impact on him was to transcend music.
Shankar knew little about Harrison when they first met, as he recalled in an interview with The Guardian. Instead of admiring Harrison for his fame with The Beatles, Shankar instead got to know him on a more human level, noting, “I loved George as a person”.
While learning sitar with Shankar, Harrison found that Indian music was bound up with meditative teachings and philosophies. Shankar recommended a book to the Beatles guitarist that would change his life, as he explained: “I gave him his first copy of Autobiography of a Yogi, and that was where his interest in Vedic culture and Indian-ness began. To me, he was something like a son.”
Autobiography of a Yogi tells the story of the life of author Paramahansa Yogananda, following him from childhood to Kira Yoga teachings. The book had such a profound impact on Harrison that it sparked his interest in the culture, and he became a proponent of the book, and Yogananda’s teachings, for the rest of his life. Other notable figures who studied the book include Steve Jobs and Elvis Presley.
Harrison subsequently recommended the book to Gary Wright, as he recalled in his memoir, Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison. He shared: “In 1972, he gave me a copy of the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Needless to say the book inspired me deeply, and I became totally fascinated with Indian culture and philosophy. My trip was an experience I will never forget.”
As Indian culture bled into Western music, the same was true vice versa. Harrison introduced a whole new wave of people to Indian music, and Shankar became known for his influence on and collaborations with The Beatles. Shankar recalls becoming admired by hippies and performing for half a million people at Monterey and Woodstock, but he struggled with the way some people carelessly interacted with the culture.
Looking back, he shared: “I was extremely unhappy about the superficiality of it all, especially the wrong information that Dr Timothy Leary and others were propagating – that everyone in India takes drugs. It was a hodgepodge of Kama Sutra, Tantra, yoga, hash and LSD, while the true spiritual quality of our music was almost completely lost.”
Despite his discomfort, Shankar and Harrison still continued to collaborate into the late 1990s, until he was diagnosed with cancer. Shankar’s impact on Harrison’s musicianship and his philosophy was enormous, introducing him to a whole new culture in which he would maintain interest for the rest of his life.
