Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Early Devotees - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree

Early Devotees

Twenty-year-old Janne Wesley, a film actress from Melbourne, had recently co-starred with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones in Ned Kelly, the story of Australia's most notorious bushranger. Now she was pursuing her film and television acting career in Sydney. One day, as she returned from work to her apartment in Kings Cross, she saw Bali-mardana, Upendra and Bill chanting at the El Alamein Park.

Janne: At first I thought they looked a little strange. Were they Buddhists? But I recognised their mantra from the musical Hair which was very big at the time.

I approached Bali-mardana and asked him what he was doing. He told me, and handed me a card with the mantra on it. He suggested that if I sung this mantra, it would free me from all anxiety. I took the card home and stuck it on the kitchen wall. I was taking singing lessons, so I decided to practice by singing the mantra every day .

- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu

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