Śrīla Prabhupāda Begins Tour

At 9:00 p.m. on June 1, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada stepped from a plane at Los Angeles International Airport and began his summer tour of the United States. Greeting him were hundreds of his disciples from the many West Coast Krsna conscious communities. Srila Prabhupada stayed ten days at the Los Angeles Radha-Krsna temple (the most populous of the more than eighty centers throughout the world) and then flew on to centers in Toronto, Pittsburgh, New Vrndavana (West Virginia), Washington, and New York.

While in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada explained his broad vision of the Krsna consciousness movement to reporter Richard Dalrymple, religion writer for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner: "Just as in my body there are different parts, but the most important part is the brain, so the important section of society is made up of those who are fully God conscious. You can cut off my hands or my legs and I shall live. But if you cut off my head, I must die. At the present moment there are big scientists and skilled technologists; they are society's hands and legs. But there is no brain. Therefore, in one sense it is a dead society. So we are trying to bring America back to life by supplying the brain. If America takes Krsna consciousness seriously, other nations will follow. Make a 'United Nations' for God consciousness and all people will be benefited."