Malati Dasi
Encyclopedia
Malati Dasi is a senior spiritual leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON). Born in Vallejo, California
, she was part of the hippie
movement before becoming an initiated disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
in 1967. In the same year she and her husband Shyamasundar Das helped Mukunda Das
organize the Mantra-Rock Dance
, a countercultural
musical event held at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco; the dance was a fundraiser for ISKCON's first center on the west coast of the US.
In 1968, together with five other Hare Krishna
followers, Malati flew to London
to establish ISKCON's foothold in the United Kingdom
. There, she helped introduce Beatles
guitarist George Harrison
to Gaudiya Vaishnava's philosophy and practice. In recognition of her pioneering role in ISKCON's UK missionary activities, Malati was invited as a special guest to attend the 30th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor
, ISKCON's headquarters in England donated by Harrison to the organization in 1973.
In 1997, Malati helped organize ISKCON Women's Ministry, which paved the way for the provision of "equal facilities, full encouragement, and genuine care and protection for the women members of ISKCON." In 1998, despite fierce opposition, Malati became the first female member of the Governing Body Commission
of ISKCON.
. After graduating in 1963 from El Camino Fundamental High School
in Sacramento, California
, Nagel attended Reed College
in Portland, Oregon. She dropped out before graduating and joined the hippie movement. After her boyfriend Sam Speerstra got a position with the US Forest Service, she lived with him in a remote lookout tower near Bend, Oregon, where their job was to spot forest fires and report them to the National Park Service
.
became one of the first Hare Krishna
followers in the United States
and was given the name Mukunda Das. A surprise visit in October 1966 by Mukunda and his wife Janaki Dasi inspired Speerstra and Nagel to start following Gaudiya Vaishnava teachings and spiritual practices. Speerstra and Nagel convinced Mukunda to postpone his planned trip to India in order to try to open a Hare Krishna temple in San Francisco, and offered their assistance. When Mukunda agreed, Speerstra and Nagel moved to San Francisco and helped rent a storefront in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which at that time was becoming the hub of hippie counterculture. Subsequently, Mukunda, Speerstra, and Nagel converted the storefront into the first Hare Krishna temple on the west coast of the US.
In order to raise funds, win supporters for the new temple, and popularize Prabhupada's teachings among the hippie and countercultural audience of the Haight-Ashbury scene, Mukunda, Speerstra, and Nagel decided to hold a charitable Mantra-Rock Dance
concert at the Avalon Ballroom and invited Prabhupada to attend. Using his acquaintance with Rock Scully
, manager of the Grateful Dead
, and Sam Andrew
, founding member and guitarist of the Big Brother and the Holding Company
– who were among the most prominent rock groups in the United States at the time – Speerstra secured their consent to perform at the concert, charging only the "musicians’ union minimum" of $250. Preparing for the event, Nagel happened to hear Moby Grape
, a relatively unknown group at the time, and convinced the other team members to invite the band to play at the concert as well. Her initiative later proved pivotal for Moby Grape, catapulting the band onto the professional stage, with subsequent gigs
with The Doors
at the Avalon Ballroom and at the "First Love Circus" at the Winterland Arena
, and a contract with Columbia Records
.
After Prabhupada arrived in San Francisco, he gave Sam and Melanie initiations
and the names Shyamasundara Das Adhikari and Malati Devi Dasi. Malati Dasi became more active in the new temple activities, primarily in shopping, collecting donations of bulk produce, and cooking for what came to be wildly popular with the local hippie community as the "love feasts", or free distribution of prasad
, opulent vegetarian food sanctified by being offered to Krishna
.
Malati is also credited for her role in introducing the worship of Jagannath
, a form of Krishna, in ISKCON. Prabhupada's official biographer Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
describes the incident that happened in 1967 in San Francisco:
After acquiring a full set of Jagannath figures, Prabhupada asked Shyamasundara, an expert carpenter, to carve large replicas and then inaugurated their worship in the San Francisco temple, naming it "New Jagannatha Puri
". Small duplicates of these deities immediately became a "psychedelic hit" worn by many hippies on strings around their necks.
in a bid to establish for ISKCON a foothold in England
. After arriving in London, the team endured many months of financial insecurity and inadequate living conditions while maintaining their missionary activities including public kirtan
s, the distribution of promotional leaflets, and the cultivation of members of the local community. They eventually settled in a warehouse complex in Covent Garden
. Speaking in 2001 at the 30th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor
, ISKCON's headquarters in England, where she was a special guest in recognition of her pioneering role in establishing ISKCON in the UK, Malati recalled:
To gain a wider recognition for their movement, Shyamasundara had the idea of meeting the Beatles in order to inspire them to introduce the Hare Krishna mantra into their songs. Malati recalled, "We chanted and got arrested in front of the Apple Studio. We ultimately got their attention by making and sending in apple pies to the studio." Malati and Shyamasundara once sent into the studio a wind up apple holding a "Hare Krishna" flag. Things changed for the group when Shyamasundara finally met and befriended George Harrison
, whom Malati found "receptive and very spiritual" and helped introduce to the Hare Krishna philosophy and practice. The two families became so close that Shyamasundara and Malati lived with Harrison and his wife Patti Boyd for some time.
Inspired by the Vaishnava teachings and lifestyle, Harrison helped produce and release two Apple Records
singles –Hare Krishna Mantra and Govinda
– performed by the Hare Krishna devotees from the Radha Krishna Temple in London. Malati participated in both recordings, singing and playing the hand cymbals, and also helped Harrison produce the song My Sweet Lord
after his departure from the Beatles. The Hare Krishna Mantra eventually reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart
and significantly boosted ISKCON's popularity in England and worldwide, with the Hare Krishna devotees appearing on Top of the Pops
. Harrison also helped the devotees rent a building in London's Bury Place near the British Museum
for their first Hare Krishna temple, and in 1973 donated a 17 acres (6.9 ha) estate, which was named the "Bhaktivedanta Manor
" and became ISKCON's headquarters in England.
openly appreciated, encouraged, and supported his female disciples in their diverse roles within ISKCON – females led kirtans, gave public classes and public lectures, managed temples, served as priests, went as missionaries to "ISKCON's unchartered territories," headed his Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
, and even personally served him as secretaries, cooks, and photographers. He even recommended two women to be named founding members of ISKCON's highest international ecclesiastical and managerial body, the Governing Body Commission
(GBC). Prabhupada defended the active involvement of his female followers in ISKCON's spiritual and managerial activities from critics, which included some traditional Gaudiya Matha members and other orthodox followers of Hinduism
in India.
Towards the end of the 1970s, however, the growth in number and influence of sannyasis (male lifelong celibates) in ISKCON's spiritual and managerial affairs led to greater male domination of the organization, and the consequent segregation, disempowerment, and denigration of women, who were denied access to prominent roles in ISKCON. In late 1980s, criticism of the treatment of women within ISKCON and the discrimination against them in the institution's key activities began to take shape in the form of printed articles and women's conventions.
In the mid-1990s, Malati played a leading role in efforts to ensure equality for women in the organization and helped form ISKCON Women's Ministry in 1997, headed by Sudharma Dasi. Malati became a vocal suffragette
within ISKCON, which led to her "fiercely debated but historic appointment" to the GBC in 1998. In 2000, the presence of Malati and Sudharma on the GBC led to serious discussion of women's role in the organization at the GBC's annual meeting in Mayapur
(West Bengal
, India), and called for "an apology for the mistakes of the past, recognition of the importance of women for the health of the movement, and the reinstatement of women's participatory rights." The resultant resolution of the GBC acknowledged the importance of the issue and asserted the priority of providing "equal facilities, full encouragement, and genuine care and protection for the women members of ISKCON."
Malati's responsibilities as one of the 32 GBC global secretaries include overseeing the activities of ISKCON in Florida
, Michigan
, Kentucky
, Ohio
, Pennsylvania
, and the New Vrindavan community in West Virginia
, which she visits twice a year. Described as "soft spoken" and having "an uncommon mix of humility and charisma," Malati is respected for her "clear understanding" of ISKCON's history and teachings and often counsels devotees, lectures on Gaudiya Vaishnava's philosophy and practice, and participates in inter-religious meetings.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
(ISKCON). Born in Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
, she was part of the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement before becoming an initiated disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
in 1967. In the same year she and her husband Shyamasundar Das helped Mukunda Das
Mukunda Goswami
Mukunda Goswami is a spiritual leader within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ....
organize the Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance was a musical countercultural event held on , 1967, at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. It was organized by followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as an opportunity for its founder, Swami Prabhupada, to address a wider public, and as a promotional...
, a countercultural
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
musical event held at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco; the dance was a fundraiser for ISKCON's first center on the west coast of the US.
In 1968, together with five other Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
followers, Malati flew to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to establish ISKCON's foothold in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. There, she helped introduce Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
guitarist George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
to Gaudiya Vaishnava's philosophy and practice. In recognition of her pioneering role in ISKCON's UK missionary activities, Malati was invited as a special guest to attend the 30th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple set in the Hertfordshire countryside of England in the village of Aldenham near Watford. The Manor, as it is called by those familiar with it, is owned and run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as ISKCON or the...
, ISKCON's headquarters in England donated by Harrison to the organization in 1973.
In 1997, Malati helped organize ISKCON Women's Ministry, which paved the way for the provision of "equal facilities, full encouragement, and genuine care and protection for the women members of ISKCON." In 1998, despite fierce opposition, Malati became the first female member of the Governing Body Commission
Governing Body Commission
The Governing Body Commission is the managerial authority of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . ISKCON's founder, A.C...
of ISKCON.
Early years
Melanie Lee Nagel was born on August 30, 1945, in Vallejo, CaliforniaVallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. After graduating in 1963 from El Camino Fundamental High School
El Camino Fundamental High School
El Camino Fundamental High School is an American public high school in Sacramento, California in the San Juan Unified School District. Built in 1950 as El Camino High School, "Fundamental" was added to the name in the late 1970s to signify the school's intention to focus upon basic ...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, Nagel attended Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon. She dropped out before graduating and joined the hippie movement. After her boyfriend Sam Speerstra got a position with the US Forest Service, she lived with him in a remote lookout tower near Bend, Oregon, where their job was to spot forest fires and report them to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
Hare Krishna temple in San Francisco
In 1966 Speerstra's old friend from Reed College Michael GrantMukunda Goswami
Mukunda Goswami is a spiritual leader within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ....
became one of the first Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
followers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was given the name Mukunda Das. A surprise visit in October 1966 by Mukunda and his wife Janaki Dasi inspired Speerstra and Nagel to start following Gaudiya Vaishnava teachings and spiritual practices. Speerstra and Nagel convinced Mukunda to postpone his planned trip to India in order to try to open a Hare Krishna temple in San Francisco, and offered their assistance. When Mukunda agreed, Speerstra and Nagel moved to San Francisco and helped rent a storefront in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which at that time was becoming the hub of hippie counterculture. Subsequently, Mukunda, Speerstra, and Nagel converted the storefront into the first Hare Krishna temple on the west coast of the US.
In order to raise funds, win supporters for the new temple, and popularize Prabhupada's teachings among the hippie and countercultural audience of the Haight-Ashbury scene, Mukunda, Speerstra, and Nagel decided to hold a charitable Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance
Mantra-Rock Dance was a musical countercultural event held on , 1967, at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. It was organized by followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as an opportunity for its founder, Swami Prabhupada, to address a wider public, and as a promotional...
concert at the Avalon Ballroom and invited Prabhupada to attend. Using his acquaintance with Rock Scully
Rock Scully
Rock Scully was the manager of The Grateful Dead from 1965 to 1985. He is the co-author with David Dalton of the book .Living in The Haight before and during the Summer of Love, Scully first saw the band play at one of Ken Kesey's Acid Tests under the name "The Warlocks." He signed on as the...
, manager of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, and Sam Andrew
Sam Andrew
Sam Andrew is an American musician, singer, songwriter, composer, artist and founding member and guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company. During his career as musician and composer, Andrew has had three platinum albums and two hit singles...
, founding member and guitarist of the Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
– who were among the most prominent rock groups in the United States at the time – Speerstra secured their consent to perform at the concert, charging only the "musicians’ union minimum" of $250. Preparing for the event, Nagel happened to hear Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
, a relatively unknown group at the time, and convinced the other team members to invite the band to play at the concert as well. Her initiative later proved pivotal for Moby Grape, catapulting the band onto the professional stage, with subsequent gigs
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
with The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
at the Avalon Ballroom and at the "First Love Circus" at the Winterland Arena
Winterland Ballroom
The Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400-seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
, and a contract with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
After Prabhupada arrived in San Francisco, he gave Sam and Melanie initiations
Diksha
Diksa also spelled deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism...
and the names Shyamasundara Das Adhikari and Malati Devi Dasi. Malati Dasi became more active in the new temple activities, primarily in shopping, collecting donations of bulk produce, and cooking for what came to be wildly popular with the local hippie community as the "love feasts", or free distribution of prasad
Prasad
Prasād is a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity and then consumed...
, opulent vegetarian food sanctified by being offered to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
Malati is also credited for her role in introducing the worship of Jagannath
Jagannath
Jagannath is a transcendental non-anthropotheistic Hindu god worshiped primarily by the people of Indian state of Orissa, and, to a great extent, West Bengal...
, a form of Krishna, in ISKCON. Prabhupada's official biographer Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Satsvarupa das Goswami is a senior disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness , better known in the West as the Hare Krishna movement...
describes the incident that happened in 1967 in San Francisco:
One day Malati hurried into Prabhupada's apartment, took a small item out of her shopping bag, and placed it on Prabhupada's desk for his inspection. "What is this, Swamiji?"
Shrila Prabhupada looked down and beheld a three-inch wooden doll with a flat head, a black, smiling face, and big, round eyes. The figure had stubby, forward-jutting arms, and a simple green and yellow torso with no visible feet. Shrila Prabhupada immediately folded his palms and bowed his head, offering the little figure respects.
"You have brought Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe," he said, smiling and bright-eyed. "He is Krsna. Thank you very much." Shrila Prabhupada beamed with pleasure, while Malati and others sat amazed at their good fortune of seeing Swamiji so pleased. Prabhupada explained that this was Lord Jagannatha, a Deity of Krsna worshiped all over India for thousands of years. Jagannatha, he said, is worshiped along with two other deities: His brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra.
Excitedly, Malati confirmed that there were other, similar figures at Cost Plus, the import store where she had found the little Jagannatha, and Shrila Prabhupada said she should go back and buy them. Malati told her husband, Shyamasundara, and together they hurried back and bought the two other dolls in the set.
After acquiring a full set of Jagannath figures, Prabhupada asked Shyamasundara, an expert carpenter, to carve large replicas and then inaugurated their worship in the San Francisco temple, naming it "New Jagannatha Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
". Small duplicates of these deities immediately became a "psychedelic hit" worn by many hippies on strings around their necks.
Preaching in England
In 1968 Malati and Shyamasundara, along with their infant daughter Saraswati, joined two other Hare Krishna couples – Mukunda and Janaki, and Gurudas and Yamuna – on a missionary trip to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in a bid to establish for ISKCON a foothold in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After arriving in London, the team endured many months of financial insecurity and inadequate living conditions while maintaining their missionary activities including public kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
s, the distribution of promotional leaflets, and the cultivation of members of the local community. They eventually settled in a warehouse complex in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. Speaking in 2001 at the 30th anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple set in the Hertfordshire countryside of England in the village of Aldenham near Watford. The Manor, as it is called by those familiar with it, is owned and run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as ISKCON or the...
, ISKCON's headquarters in England, where she was a special guest in recognition of her pioneering role in establishing ISKCON in the UK, Malati recalled:
There were indeed many special memories, but actually we should not forget something which wasn't so funny. Most of the time in the early days it was very hard: often we would go hungry. [We had] hardly any possessions, no money, no protection. It often got very cold. We had nothing. All we had was love for Shrila Prabhupada.
To gain a wider recognition for their movement, Shyamasundara had the idea of meeting the Beatles in order to inspire them to introduce the Hare Krishna mantra into their songs. Malati recalled, "We chanted and got arrested in front of the Apple Studio. We ultimately got their attention by making and sending in apple pies to the studio." Malati and Shyamasundara once sent into the studio a wind up apple holding a "Hare Krishna" flag. Things changed for the group when Shyamasundara finally met and befriended George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, whom Malati found "receptive and very spiritual" and helped introduce to the Hare Krishna philosophy and practice. The two families became so close that Shyamasundara and Malati lived with Harrison and his wife Patti Boyd for some time.
Inspired by the Vaishnava teachings and lifestyle, Harrison helped produce and release two Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
singles –Hare Krishna Mantra and Govinda
Govinda
' and ' are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme Godhead in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition...
– performed by the Hare Krishna devotees from the Radha Krishna Temple in London. Malati participated in both recordings, singing and playing the hand cymbals, and also helped Harrison produce the song My Sweet Lord
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
after his departure from the Beatles. The Hare Krishna Mantra eventually reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and significantly boosted ISKCON's popularity in England and worldwide, with the Hare Krishna devotees appearing on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Harrison also helped the devotees rent a building in London's Bury Place near the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
for their first Hare Krishna temple, and in 1973 donated a 17 acres (6.9 ha) estate, which was named the "Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor
Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple set in the Hertfordshire countryside of England in the village of Aldenham near Watford. The Manor, as it is called by those familiar with it, is owned and run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as ISKCON or the...
" and became ISKCON's headquarters in England.
Governing Body Commissioner
ISKCON's founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
openly appreciated, encouraged, and supported his female disciples in their diverse roles within ISKCON – females led kirtans, gave public classes and public lectures, managed temples, served as priests, went as missionaries to "ISKCON's unchartered territories," headed his Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
thumb|300px|Books of BBTThe Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is the world's largest publisher of books concerning Krishna and the philosophy, religion, and culture of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of India . It was established in 1972 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the...
, and even personally served him as secretaries, cooks, and photographers. He even recommended two women to be named founding members of ISKCON's highest international ecclesiastical and managerial body, the Governing Body Commission
Governing Body Commission
The Governing Body Commission is the managerial authority of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . ISKCON's founder, A.C...
(GBC). Prabhupada defended the active involvement of his female followers in ISKCON's spiritual and managerial activities from critics, which included some traditional Gaudiya Matha members and other orthodox followers of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
in India.
Towards the end of the 1970s, however, the growth in number and influence of sannyasis (male lifelong celibates) in ISKCON's spiritual and managerial affairs led to greater male domination of the organization, and the consequent segregation, disempowerment, and denigration of women, who were denied access to prominent roles in ISKCON. In late 1980s, criticism of the treatment of women within ISKCON and the discrimination against them in the institution's key activities began to take shape in the form of printed articles and women's conventions.
In the mid-1990s, Malati played a leading role in efforts to ensure equality for women in the organization and helped form ISKCON Women's Ministry in 1997, headed by Sudharma Dasi. Malati became a vocal suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
within ISKCON, which led to her "fiercely debated but historic appointment" to the GBC in 1998. In 2000, the presence of Malati and Sudharma on the GBC led to serious discussion of women's role in the organization at the GBC's annual meeting in Mayapur
Mayapur
Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata...
(West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India), and called for "an apology for the mistakes of the past, recognition of the importance of women for the health of the movement, and the reinstatement of women's participatory rights." The resultant resolution of the GBC acknowledged the importance of the issue and asserted the priority of providing "equal facilities, full encouragement, and genuine care and protection for the women members of ISKCON."
Malati's responsibilities as one of the 32 GBC global secretaries include overseeing the activities of ISKCON in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and the New Vrindavan community in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, which she visits twice a year. Described as "soft spoken" and having "an uncommon mix of humility and charisma," Malati is respected for her "clear understanding" of ISKCON's history and teachings and often counsels devotees, lectures on Gaudiya Vaishnava's philosophy and practice, and participates in inter-religious meetings.