He just listened with his eyes closed. And devotees got to see streams of tears coming down his cheeks.
Mukunda Goswami: Actually there is an interesting story that I wrote about. It took place when “Govindam” first came out, when the recording was first released.
I was in England, and she [Yamuna] was in England, and we sent this recording to the devotees in Los Angeles to show how we were really preaching big time to the Beatles, and we did this record, and so on and so forth.
But the devotees in Los Angeles didn’t want Prabhupada to hear this because they thought it was very strange that a woman’s voice would be leading the Hare Krishna mantra. And so they didn’t let Prabhupada hear it.
So one morning, just before the greeting of the Deities, Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana .
When the Deity doors open in Los Angeles, there is a big billow of incense smoke from the doors, it kind of pours out like a big cloud coming out.
So right before this, Prabhupada said, “What about that record that the devotees sent from London?”
He had heard about it.
So they told him, “It is just Yamuna singing; we don’t want you to hear it.”
And they said, “There is no place to play it.”
So he said, “
Just play it on the system—the speakers.”
So in [the] Los Angeles temple there are very large speakers where they play lectures.
So when they told Prabhupada there was nothing to play it on, he said, “Just play it on the speakers.”
So they said, “Okay,” and very reluctantly went and fetched the recording and played it.
And it was just at the right time, and it is about six minutes long.
As the Deity doors opened,
Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana , and he didn’t say a word. He just listened with his eyes closed.
And devotees got to see streams of tears coming down his cheeks.
And that day Prabhupada ordered that the song be played in temples all over the world at the time So that was the end of that controversy. Except in December 12, 1975, when Prabhupada got a letter from a devotee who also had a recording.
A gentleman, whose name I won’t mention, made a recording of “Govindam,” and he wrote this letter to Prabhupada saying that he thought it was improper for this Govindam led by a female voice to be played in temples all over the world.
And he said that “I want to replace it now with my recording.” And he sent a copy of his recording to Prabhupada.
Prabhupada was in India at the time—in Vrindavan no less—when he got it.
So I have a copy of the letter that Prabhupada wrote back to this devotee.
“Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 12, 1975.
No! You have made some discovery. All along you have been hearing the recording of Yamuna devi and now you want to change.
It is not ordinary singing. It is concert.
Many people are singing.
So it is not bad.
Just like sankirtan. Many voices are there, men and women.
So it is the same thing, sankirtan.
So I approve of it.
Here in Hare Krishna Balarama temple, we are hearing the same recording every morning. So it is good here, why not there?”
LETTER TO JAYASACINANDANA DAS, DEC. 12, 1975
Letter to: Jayasacinandana
Vrindaban
12 December, 1975
My Dear Jayasacinandana Prabhu,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to aknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 2, 1975. No! you have made some discovery. All along you have been hearing the recording of Yamunadevi and now you want to change. It is not ordinary singing, it is concert, many people are singing, so it is not bad. Just like Sankirtana, many voices are there, men and women, so it is the same thing, sankirtan. I approve of it. Here in Krishna Balarama Temple we are hearing the same recording every morning, so if it is good here why not there?
I hope this letter finds you well.
Your ever well wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/hda
Yamuna Devi: A Life of Unalloyed Devotion: Part 1: Preparing an Offering of Love. Unalloyed Inc. Kindle Edition.
The Hare Krishna Movement 