May 2, 1999   VNN3767  

Vaishnava Profile (2) - Prahlada Das

VAL-DAVID, CANADA, May 2 (VNN) — Spring has finally hit Montreal and tulips and daffodils are finally bringing color back into the town. But in the Laurentians, though the sun is shining and the sky is blue, there is still snow on the ski slopes. When I drive up to Prahlada Das's cabin on the summit of a reclusive hill near Val-David, he and his partner, Anita, are just heading out for a japa walk on the gravel road. Prahlada greets me warmly and we hip hop through the drive, muddy with the spring runoff, back up to the rather humble pine dwelling.

Prahlada is better known throughout the world as new age musician Patrick Bernhardt. He has recorded numerous albums, all inspired by chants and rhythmic textures from ancient cultures, many but not all of which are based in Gaudiya Vaisnavism. His "new age" Govinda Jaya Jaya on "Solaris Universalis" is a favorite of many devotees. Prahlada is no stranger to Billboard's New Age Top Ten and has won numerous awards in Quebec and elsewhere for his innovative compositions in the genre. He has also written several books in French, lately reprinted together in one volume as Mantra Voyage. One of these, a scholarly description of the therapeutic power of sound and mantras and concluding with a eulogy of the Holy Names, has been translated into English as "The Secret music of the Soul" If one thing comes through in our conversation, it is that Prahlada is dedicated to the Maha Mantra and the holy sound. A large painting which includes the Maha Mantra in Devanagari letters hangs prominently on one wall. The other wall contains the pictures of the two Vaishnava saints who have figured most prominently in his life: Srila Prabhupada and Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhara Maharaj.

When I told Prahlada on the phone that I wanted to do a series of interviews with former Iskcon devotees who had made a life for themselves outside of the movement, to demonstrate how they could "continue" their spiritual life outside of Iskcon, he laughed rather cynically and said, "You mean begin it once they leave the movement!" In our conversation, he comes back to this point several times.

Born in Algeria of French parents, Prahlada studied music and art in Paris and Amsterdam before meeting devotees in Switzerland in 1975. He had already given up all his worldly possessions -- including his guitar -- in a spirit of renunciation and the desire to find spiritual meaning. He was immediately fascinated by the Maha Mantra, however, and by Prabhupada's books and committed himself to the practice of devotional service. He smiles and says, "I had considered music to be an obstacle. It wasn't until I came into contact with the concept of yukta-vairagya that I realized that it could be a means to perfecting my life."

Prior to becoming a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, he had discovered the books of great Christian mystics like Thomas � Kempis and his Imitatio Christi, and at first sensed conflict between the message of Krishna consciousness and that of the Christian mystics, until he heard of Prabhupada's conversation with P�re Emmanuel in which Prabhupada created a "great scandal" by identifying Christos with Krishna. Prahlada lights up and he becomes animated, he calls Prabhupada's statement "le grand feu d'artifice d'universalit�" -- the great fireworks of universalism.

Prahlada noted that four types of persons come to worship Krishna, and not all of them have pure motivations. "Unfortunately this is true in the Hare Krishna movement, too. I noticed it right away, and it was a cause of some difficulty to me. I therefore lived my life parallel to the movement rather than completely involved in it. I started writing songs with Krishna conscious lyrics, first in Paris, then in London." Some of these records are still popular with devotees -- "Adventures of the Great King Rama," "Night and Daydream" and "The Little Boy who has Everything" among them.

But when I ask if he misses being able to make a direct message in his music nowadays, he quickly answers, "No! I think my music is more Krishna conscious, because I am not simply being inspired by the Holy Name, but am engaged in directly serving the Holy Name. Music is engaged in serving the Holy Name by carrying it, by acting as its vehicle." He points again to the painting of the devanagari mantra to underscore his exclusive commitment to the Name.

We talk again about how he came to Montreal on the invitation of Nandikesvara to participate in the cultural development in the 80's, but discovered that the Age of Kali was setting in here as it had been in Europe. He begins to talk animatedly about the difference between the life of a society and the interior life. When the society began to face troubles in the 80's, his original interest in mysticism revived. "I don't think that this is a consciousness which can develop in a society where spiritual masters are selected by votes. That is inevitably a political thing. People become bureaucrats and their spiritual life is extinguished. The same thing has happened in all religions, in Islam, in Christianity. So what makes anyone think that it wouldn't happen in Iskcon? Real religion is a matter of transforming the subtle body, and the technique for doing that is devotional service. But it can never be imposed. It has to be spontaneous and individual."

I ask him, "Don't we need an authority through whom we can execute our service and to whom we can direct our service?"

His retort is, "The claim to authority is a kind of cheating. You can't claim to have authority. A true guru doesn't come and proclaim himself to be a guru. The disciple seeks him out. I have heard that there is a Bengali saying, "If you want to go to hell, do bad things. But if you want to be sure to go to hell, become a guru.' I am not interested in theatre. There has to be a transformation of the heart."

I asked him about how he came to Sridhar Maharaj. He says, "I had practically lost all faith in Krishna consciousness and was thinking of looking elsewhere for spiritual inspiration. But I went to Nabadwip in 1985 and was truly inspired, mainly by the ashram life I saw there. I was used to sannyasis being the most pretentious, always accepting the service of others, wanting the best prasada. There I saw the complete opposite -- the sannyasis were the most humble. They were the ones serving the prasadam. I saw Vaisnavism being put into practice. I found the roots of Vaisnavism and that inspired me."

I express a little jealousy that Prahlada is able to make a life out of his love for the Holy Name and he readily admits his good fortune. I ask whether he feels he is preaching by chanting. He says it is not his primary purpose. "I don't know Sanskrit. I just chant in my romantic way and it seems to have an effect on people. I have often seen people in my concerts cry or faint and that makes me think that I must be doing something right. But ultimately the music has nothing to do with it. Someone might sing completely off key, but if he has the right attitude, ecstatic symptoms will result."

We get on to talking about ecstatic symptoms and the criticism of such in some Vaisnava circles. He agrees that devotees do not make a display of them and try to hold them back not to disturb others. I say, "I think that devotees pray for the kind of association where they will not feel obliged to hold back, but can give full vent to the power of the Holy Name and ecstasies." He agrees heartily with that and glorifies the association of devotees.

From there we talk a great deal about another subject which Prahlada feels is very important -- universalism. "The kanistha adhikari only sees God in the temple. He thinks that God is a flower that only grows in his own garden and no one else's. The main thing that has happened to me since I started evolving outside the movement is that I have been able to appreciate the spirituality of other religious and mystical traditions. If you try to monopolize the spiritual energy, your vision becomes narrow and your heart becomes hard. It is self-defeating. Krishna consciousness will remain a smothering little sect unless it really develops that universal spirit. Prabhupada had it, so where has it gone?"

One other thing: "There is no appreciation of the feminine energy. Indeed, there is a hatred of the feminine energy amongst some so-called Vaisnavas. How can they expect to enter into the spirit of the Maha Mantra? Don't they realize that they are calling on the feminine energy of the Lord, Radha, when they chant? It is a mockery."

Before I leave, Anita, who has long since returned and been listening to us talk, insists that we do some kirtan. How can I refuse? Though I am no mridanga player, I agree to take the Nabadwip clay khol and bang away on it as we chant a short but enthusiastic kirtan of the Maha Mantra. We embrace and promise to see each other again soon.

Gaura Haribol!

Some of Patrick Bernhardt's records:

Atlantis Angelis - The Song of Universal Light - (WAV file)

Atlantis Angelis
(Review of Atlantis Angelis
Shamanyka
Review of Patrick Bernhardt's music
Solaris Universalis (new age Govinda Jaya Jaya and Nrishimha prayers)
Amor Immortalis (based on Brahma Samhita)
Image Voyage
Mantra Mandala (jayati jayati namananda-rupam murareh)
Manuscrits du Silence.