Srila Prabhupada - "Allen, what is this “hippie?”

Srila Prabhupada - "Allen, what is this “hippie?”

A few days before 29th January 1967 Mantra rock festival, the San Francisco Chronicle had published an article called “Swami in Hippie Land,” in which a reporter and Allen Ginsberg had discussed Hippies  -

Reporter - “Do you accept ‘hippies’ in your temple?”

Srila Prabhupada replied, “Hippies or anyone—I make no distinctions. Everyone is welcome.”

Srila Prabhupada - "Allen, what is this “hippie?”

Allen Ginsberg - "The word “hip” started in China, where people smoked opium lying on their hips. [He demonstrates.] Opium and its derivatives then spread to the West, and were looked down upon by the people in power, who were afraid of the effects".

Allen Ginsberg paused for a moment to see Prabhupada's reaction, then continued -

Allen Ginsberg - "As a result, the hip people created their own culture … language, signs, symbols. San Francisco is a spiritual “shivdas” [meeting ground]. The word hip has changed into hippie today. But basically, Swamiji, the young people today are seekers. They’re interested in all forms of spirituality".

Srila Prabhupada  - "Very nice".

Allen Ginsberg - "The hippies will all come by at one time or another".

There was some discussion regarding New York’s Lower East Side and the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco—both of which are locations of Krishna Consciousness temples, and are well-known to Allen Ginsberg. Then Prabhupada enquires -

Srila Prabhupada - "You have not had LSD, Allen?"

Allen Ginsberg - "I have had it".

Srila Prabhupada - "It is dependence, Allen".

Allen Ginsberg - "It’s like a car—a mental car—to resolve certain inner things".

Srila Prabhupada - "Krishna Consciousness resolves everything. Nothing else is needed".

They then discussed the upcoming Mantra rock dance at the Avalon on the 29th January 1967. Allen Ginsberg felt that certain mantras would be more palatable to American ears than others, and that he would like to try his tune at the dance. Prabhupada  agreed: “Very nice.”

Poet Ginsberg said he was not yet ready to become a devotee, but that he chants the Maha Mantra every day, and will do so until he leaves this Earth.

Srila Prabhupada thanked him for the work he’d already done in spreading the Kirtan (Krishna Conscious) Movement, and assured him that, if he chanted Hare Krishna daily, “everything will be perfect.”

Allen Ginsberg then prostrated himself, and, touching the Swami’s feet, he symbolically wiped the dust from them onto his forehead. Then, with a few sweetballs in a paper bag under his arm, he took his leave.

Recorded by Guru Das Adhikary (NOTE - Srila Prabhupada's present day title instead of "Swamiji" is used in this article)