The Great Seer

KOCHI: The documentary, ‘Hare Krishna! – The Mantra, The Movement And The Man Who Started It All’ is based on the life and works of the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. The film shows how, at the age of 70, Swami Prabhupada went to America to spread the love of Krishna without any support or money in his pockets. But from a house in New York City, Swami Prabhupada tells people that the way to find happiness, love and freedom is to search within and connect with your true self.

All this, the Swami says, begins by simply chanting a rhythmic, meditative 16-word mantra – ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare’.

This universal message resonates with more and more people, including musician George Harrison whose hit song ‘My Sweet Lord’, features the Hare Krishna chant. From there, Swami Prabhupada’s movement explodes, and his followers – now known as the Hare Krishnas – become a familiar sight, chanting and dancing in the streets of major cities throughout the world.

The film is directed by Hollywood director John Griesser. “I was not prepared for the impact of that first meeting with Prabhupada in 1970,” says John. “In person, he was diminutive, and yet exuded a powerful presence that was both attractive and mystifying. I had never met such a person. During the following months in his company, surrounded by the rich spiritual culture of India, I found never-ending sources of inspiration from behind my camera. I experienced something beyond explanation. I felt I had finally come home to people and places I had known before. In the following years, I continued to document Prabhupada and his movement up until his passing in 1977.”