Mukunda Goswami, a spiritual leader and guru in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON),was born Michael Grant on April 10, 1942, in Portland, Oregon.
After graduating from Reed College, Michael pursued a career as a professional jazz musician in New York, but his life took a dramatic turn in 1965 when he met the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
In 1966, Michael was one of the first group of initiated disciples, receiving the Sanskrit name Mukunda Dasa, and he played a pivotal role in the early days of the Hare Krishna movement.
Mukunda was instrumental in helping Bhaktivedanta Swami rent a storefront for the first Hare Krishna temple in New York City in 1966, and the following year, he founded the first Hare Krishna temple in San Francisco, where he organized a major music event, the Mantra-Rock Dance.
In 1968, Mukunda and his wife, Janaki, along with two other devotee couples, were sent by Bhaktivedanta Swami to London, where they established ISKCON in England.
It was in London that Mukunda and the devotees met George Harrison, the famous Beatle, who not only assisted them in opening the Radha Krishna Temple but also produced an album of their devotional music, titled The Radha Krsna Temple, which was released on Apple Records in 1971.
Mukunda wrote the musical arrangements for the songs on the album, which included the hit single "Hare Krishna Mantra," which climbed the pop charts, including the UK Singles Chart, and made the devotees famous.
The song's success led to the devotees touring Europe and appearing on England's Top of the Pops TV show, cementing their place in the history of the Hare Krishna movement and establishing ISKCON in Europe.
George Harrison, who considered Mukunda and the others who first came to England to be his lifelong friends, played a significant role in the devotees' success, and Mukunda's contributions to the movement have been recognized and celebrated by many.
