Jiddu Krishnamurti (11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was born at Madanapalle, Chittor District, Andhra Pradesh. Krishnamurti’s father Narayanaiah had been a Theosophist since 1882. His father, was employed as an official of the British colonial administration. Krishnamurti was attached to his mother Sanjeevamma, who died when he was ten. His parents had a total of eleven children but only six survived childhood. Post retirement from job in 1907 Narayanaiah moved to Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras with his family in January, 1909. During childhood Krishnamurti developed a bond with nature which stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Charles Webster Leadbeater,(British theosophist) had noticed Krishnamurti on the Society’s beach on the Adyar river, and was convinced that the boy would become a spiritual teacher and a great orator; the likely “vehicle for the Lord Maitreya“. In Theosophical doctrine, Lord Maitreya is considered as an advanced spiritual entity periodically appearing on Earth as a World Teacher to guide the evolution of mankind. Krishnamutri was subsequently raised under the tutelage of Annie Besant and Leadbeater, leaders of the Theosophical Society, who believed him to be a ‘vehicle’ for an expected World Teacher.
During this time Krishnamurti had developed a strong bond with Annie Besant and considered her as a surrogate mother. Krishnamurthy’s father, who had initially agreed to Besant’s legal guardianship of Krishnamurti, sued Besant in 1912 to annul the guardianship agreement. After a protracted legal battle, Annie Besant took custody of Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya. As a result of this separation from family and home Krishnamurti and his brother (whose relationship had always been very close) became more dependent on each other, and in the following years often travelled together.
Despite his being poor in academics, the 14-year-old Krishnamurti was able to speak and write fluently in English. He gave up university education and picked up the skills of speaking in several foreign languages fluently.
In 1911 the Theosophical Society established the Order of the Star in the East (OSE) to prepare the world for the expected arrival of the World Teacher. Krishnamurti was named as its head, with senior Theosophists assigned various other positions. Membership was open to everyone who accepted the doctrine of the Coming of the World Teacher.
Krishnamurti) and Nitya were taken to England in April 1911and Krishnamurti gave his first public speech to members of the OSE in London. His first writings were also published in booklets by the Theosophical Society and in Theosophical and OSE-affiliated magazines. Between 1911 and the start of World War I in 1914, the brothers visited several European countries, always accompanied by group of Theosophist people as their caretakers.
After the war, Krishnamurti went on a series of lectures, meetings and discussions around the world, in the capacity of the Head of the OSE, accompanied by Nitya, who was the Organizing Secretary of the Order.
In 1922 Krishnamurti and Nitya travelled from Sydney to California. In California, they stayed at a cottage in the Ojai Valley as the climate there was found to be beneficial to Nitya, who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. At Ojai they met Rosalind Williams, a young American who became close to them both, and who was later to play a significant role in Krishnamurti’s life. A trust, formed by supporters of Krishnamurti bought a cottage and surrounding property there for them at Ojai Valley, which became Krishnamurti’s official residence.
In 1921 Krishnamurti fell in love with Helen Knothe, a 17-year-old American whose family was associated with the Theosophists, and by the mid-1920s the two of them had drifted apart.
At Ojai in August and September 1922, Krishnamurti went through an intense ‘life-changing’ experience.[45] The initial events happened in two phases: first a three-day spiritual experience, and two weeks later, a longer-lasting condition that Krishnamurti and those around him referred to as the process. This condition recurred, at frequent intervals and with varying intensity, until his death.
On 13 November 1925, at age 27, Nitya died in Ojai from complications of influenza and tuberculosis. Over the next few years, Krishnamurti’s new vision and consciousness continued to develop, that was distinctly different from Theosophical approach.
On 3 August, 1929 Krishnamurti dissolved the Order during the annual Star Camp at Ommen, Netherlands. He disassociated himself from the Theosophical Society and its teachings and practices, yet he remained on cordial terms with some of its members and ex-members throughout his life. Krishnamurti resigned from the various trusts and other organisations that were affiliated with the defunct Order of the Star, including the Theosophical Society. He returned the money and properties donated to the Order, among them a castle in the Netherlands and 5,000 acres of land, to their respective donors.
Krishnamurti declared he had no allegiance to any nationality, caste, religion, or philosophy. He spent the rest of his life travelling the world, giving speeches and having one to one interaction with eminent people from all walks of life. The topics he dwelt upon included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He strongly believed that change should come from within for every human being and cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.
In his own words, “I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path.
This is no magnificent deed, because I do not want followers, and I mean this. The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth. I am not concerned whether you pay attention to what I say or not. I want to do a certain thing in the world and I am going to do it with unwavering concentration. I am concerning myself with only one essential thing: to set man free. I desire to free him from all cages, from all fears, and not to found religions, new sects, nor to establish new theories and new philosophies.”
From 1930 to 1944 Krishnamurti travelled giving speeches and his speeches were published by “Star Publishing Trust” (SPT), which he had founded with Desikacharya Rajagopal, a close associate and friend from the Order of the Star.[g] Ojai was the base of operations for these activities.
In 1938 he met Aldous Huxley (English writer and philosopher) with whom he developed a close friendship that lasted for many years. Krishnamurti’s stance on World War II was construed to be one that was opposed to war as he strongly believed that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means but not by weapons. He was in hiatus between 1940 to 1944 and gave his first public speech in May 1944 with a series of talks in Ojai.
In 1948 in Poona Krishnamurti met Iyengar, who taught him Yoga practices every morning for three months, later on and off for two decades.
In one of his meetings with Nehru, Krishnamurti says, “Understanding of the self only arises in relationship, in watching yourself in relationship to people, ideas, and things; to trees, the earth, and the world around you and within you. Relationship is the mirror in which the self is revealed. Without self-knowledge there is no basis for right thought and action.”
Pupul Jayakar who wrote JKs (Jiddu Krishnamurthi) biography considers his meetings with Indira Gandhi had influence in the lifting of certain emergency measures Mrs. Gandhi had imposed during periods of political turmoil.
In 1984 and 1985, Krishnamurti spoke to an invited audience at the United Nations in New York, under the auspices of the Pacem in Terris Society chapter at the United Nations. In October 1985, he visited India for the last time, holding a number of what came to be known as “farewell” talks and discussions up to January 1986. These farewell talks contained the fundamental questions he had been asking through the years, as well as emerging concerns about advances in science and technology, and their effect on humankind.
In his final talk, on 4 January 1986, at Vasanta Vihar, Greenways Road, Madras (Chennai) he called upon the audience to examine with him the nature of inquiry, the effect of technology, the nature of life and meditation, and the nature of creation. The author of this article was one of the fortunate people to attend his last talk on 4th January, 1986.
It was typical of JK to tell his audience that let us collectively travel together to explore rather than giving any sermons or directing the people to follow a certain path or thought process. This author’s experience in attending several sessions of JK reminds him of Upanishad discussions by the Guru with his disciples where both the Guru and disciples explore together in pursuit of truth.
OM SAHANA VAVATU
SAHANAU BHUNAKTU
SAHAVEERYAM KARAVAVAHAI
TEJASWAI NAVADHEETAMASTU
MAAVIDVISHAVAHAI
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI
The above is the first shanti mantra in Kenopanishad. In the above shanti mantra both the master and his disciple pray God to protect both of them and provide the disciple the wisdom to enrich his knowledge. Both the master and the disciple take a vow to jointly strive hard to enlighten the disciple with true knowledge and prevent any sort of hatred between them in the pursuit of knowledge.
Krishnamurti died of pancreatic cancer on 17 February 1986, at the age of 90.
Krishnamurti foundation runs six schools in India, one in England, Brockwood Park School, and one in California, Oak Grove School. Aims of his educational institutions are: to have Global outlook, Concern for man and the environment, religious spirit, which includes the scientific temper.
Some of the impactful quotes/ words of JK are as under.
- Seeing, observing, listening, these are the greatest acts.
- As long as the mind clings to belief, it is held in a prison.
- The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.
- Only when the mind is still, tranquil, not expecting or grasping or resisting a single thing, is it possible to see what is true. It is the truth that liberates, not your effort to be free.
- It is beautiful to be alone. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. It means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society.
- If you come across fear, stare it in its eyes. Face it and you will notice that fear fades away.
- It is very easy to conform to what your society or your parents and teachers tell you. That is a safe and easy way of existing; but that is not living…To live is to find out for yourself what is true.
- Meditation is not the pursuit of pleasure and the search for happiness. Meditation, on the contrary, is a state of mind in which there is no concept or formula, and therefore total freedom. It is only to such a mind that this bliss comes unsought and uninvited. Once it is there, though you may live in the world with all its noise, pleasure and brutality, they will not touch that mind.
JK went beyond religion and he was a true spiritual philosopher and mystic who spent his entire life in pursuit of truth and tried to explore the purpose behind the existence of mankind.
– Dr. B.N.V. Parthasarathi (Ex Senior Banker, Management and Financial Consultant, Visiting Faculty at Premier B Schools, and Universities.)
