Family background and childhood , in which Krishnamurti was born Born during the late
British Raj, the date of birth of Krishnamurti is a matter of dispute.
Mary Lutyens determines it to be 11 May 1895, but Christine Williams notes the unreliability of birth registrations in that period and points to various claims placing his birth between 4 May 1895 and 25 May 1896. She used calculations based on a published horoscope to derive a date of 11 May 1895 but "retains a measure of scepticism" about it. His birthplace was the small town of
Madanapalle in
Madras Presidency (
Annamayya District in
Andhra Pradesh). He was born in a
Telugu-speaking
Brahmin family. His father, Jiddu Narayanaiah, was employed as an official of the British colonial administration. Krishnamurti was fond of his mother Sanjeevamma, who died when he was ten. His parents had a total of eleven children, of whom six survived childhood. In 1903 the family settled in
Kadapa, where Krishnamurti had contracted
malaria during a previous stay. He suffered recurrent bouts of the disease over many years. A sensitive and sickly child, described as "vague and dreamy", he was often considered intellectually disabled and was beaten regularly at school by his teachers and at home by his father. In memoirs written when he was eighteen years old Krishnamurti described
psychic experiences, such as seeing his sister, who had died in 1904, and his late mother. Even from his childhood he felt a bond with nature which was to stay with him for the rest of his life. Writing in his journal Krishnamurti states "He always had this strange lack of distance between himself and the trees, rivers, mountains. It wasn't cultivated." Krishnamurti's father retired at the end of 1907 and then sought employment at the headquarters of the
Theosophical Society at Adyar. Narayanaiah had been a
Theosophist since 1882. He was eventually hired by the Society as a clerk, moving there with his family in January 1909. Narayanaiah and his sons were at first assigned to live in a small cottage that was located just outside the society's compound. Krishnamurti was a
vegetarian from birth, and his family were strict vegetarians. He was an opponent of
meat eating, based on ethical and spiritual reasons. Krishnamurti was also a "
teetotaler, nonsmoker, and practitioner of
yoga." Following his discovery by Leadbeater, Krishnamurti was nurtured by the Theosophical Society in Adyar. Leadbeater and a small number of trusted associates undertook the task of educating, protecting, and generally preparing Krishnamurti as the "vehicle" of the expected World Teacher. Krishnamurti (often later called
Krishnaji) and his younger brother Nityananda (
Nitya) were privately tutored at the Theosophical compound in Madras, and later exposed to an opulent life among a segment of European
high society as they continued their education abroad. Despite his history of problems with schoolwork and concerns about his capacities and physical condition, the 14 year-old Krishnamurti was able to speak and write competently in English within six months. Lutyens says that later in life Krishnamurti came to view his "discovery" as a life-saving event. When he was asked in later life what he thought would have happened to him if he had not been 'discovered' by Leadbeater he unhesitatingly replied "I would have died". During this time Krishnamurti had developed a strong bond with
Annie Besant and came to view her as a surrogate mother. His father, who had initially assented to Besant's
legal guardianship of Krishnamurti, was pushed into the background by the swirl of attention around his son. In 1912 he sued Besant to annul the guardianship agreement. After a protracted legal battle, Besant took custody of Krishnamurti and 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. In 1911 the
Theosophical Society established the
Order of the Star in the East (OSE) to prepare the world for the expected appearance of the World Teacher. Krishnamurti was named as its head, with senior Theosophists assigned various other positions. Membership was open to anybody who accepted the doctrine of the
Coming of the World Teacher. Controversy soon erupted, both within the Theosophical Society and outside it, in
Hindu circles and the Indian press.
Preparation as the World Teacher Mary Lutyens, a biographer, says that there was a time when Krishnamurti believed that he was to become the World Teacher after correct spiritual and secular guidance and education. Another biographer describes the daily program imposed on him by Leadbeater and his associates, which included rigorous exercise and sports, tutoring in a variety of school subjects, Theosophical and religious lessons,
yoga and meditation, as well as instruction in proper hygiene and in the ways of British society and culture. At the same time Leadbeater assumed the role of guide in a parallel
mystical instruction of Krishnamurti; the existence and progress of this instruction was at the time known only to a select few. While he showed a natural aptitude in sports, Krishnamurti always had problems with formal schooling and was not academically inclined. He eventually gave up university education after several attempts at admission. He did take to foreign languages, in time speaking several with some fluency. His public image, cultivated by the Theosophists, "was to be characterized by a well-polished exterior, a sobriety of purpose, a cosmopolitan outlook and an otherworldly, almost
beatific detachment in his demeanor." Demonstrably, "all of these can be said to have characterized Krishnamurti's public image to the end of his life."
Taking residence at Ojai, 'the process', and growing expectations In 1922 Krishnamurti and Nitya travelled from
Sydney to
California. In California, they stayed at a cottage in the
Ojai Valley. It was thought that the area's climate would be beneficial to Nitya, who had been diagnosed with
tuberculosis. Nitya's failing health became a concern for Krishnamurti. 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. For the first time the brothers were without immediate supervision by their Theosophical Society minders. They found the Valley to be very agreeable. Eventually, a
trust, formed by supporters, bought a cottage and surrounding property there for them. This became Krishnamurti's official residence.
'The process' At Ojai in August and September 1922, Krishnamurti went through a series of "disturbing physical symptoms that progressed from discomfort to pain," during which he mistook Rosalind for his mother, interpreted by some of his followers as intense "life-changing" experiences and signs of his advancement along "the path". The initial events happened in two distinct phases: First a three-day acute pain in the neck accompanied by a mystical 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. According to Krishnamurti, Nitya, Rosalind, and Mr. Warrington, it started on 17 August 1922 when Krishnamurti complained of a sharp pain at the nape of his neck. Over the next two days the symptoms worsened, with increasing pain and sensitivity, loss of appetite, and occasional delirious ramblings. He seemed to lapse into unconsciousness but later recounted that he was very much aware of his surroundings, and that while in that state at 19 August 1922 he had "the first most extraordinary experience", in which he felt "at one with his surroundings". The following day the symptoms and the experience intensified, and he had an out-of-body experience, feeling "the vibrations of Lord Buddha," experiencing peace and a "profound calmness". Krishnamurti also wrote that he had "touched compassion which heals all sorrow and suffering; it is not for myself, but for the world". Following – and apparently related to – these events the condition that came to be known as
the process started to affect him, in September and October that year, as a regular, almost nightly occurrence. Later
the process resumed intermittently, with varying degrees of pain, physical discomfort, and sensitivity, occasionally a lapse into a childlike state, and sometimes an apparent fading out of consciousness, explained as either his body giving in to pain or his mind "going off".
'The Otherness' These experiences were accompanied or followed by what was interchangeably described as, "the benediction", "the immensity", "the sacredness", "the vastness" and, most often, "the otherness" or "the other". It was a state related to, but distinct from the process. According to Lutyens it is evident from his notebook that this experience of
otherness was "with him almost continuously" during his life, and gave him "a sense of being protected". Krishnamurti describes it in his notebook as typically following an acute experience of the
process, for example, on awakening the next day: This experience of the
otherness was present with him in daily events:
Secretiveness and explanations revealed the existence of
the process in
The Years of Awakening, the first volume of her biography of Krishnamurti. The existence and history of these experiences had remained unknown outside of the Theosophical Society leadership and Krishnamurti's circle of close associates and friends.
Roland Vernon, another of his biographers, states that previous attempts (by others) at revealing details from his past, including these reputed experiences, were suppressed by Krishnamurti. According to Vernon, Krishnamurti "believed, with good reason, that the sensationalism of his early story would cloud the public's perception of his current work". Krishnamurti himself gave the following description of his development to Rom Landau in 1935: However Krishnamurti often hinted at
otherness-like states in later talks and discussions: During Krishnamurti's later years, the nature and provenance of the continuing
process often came up as a subject in private discussions between himself and associates, also stating that the experience of
the otherness continued as he was nearing death. These discussions shed some light on the subject but were ultimately inconclusive. Since the initial occurrences of 1922, several explanations have been proposed for these experiences of Krishnamurti's, including
epilepsy. Leadbeater and other Theosophists expected the "vehicle" to have certain
paranormal experiences but were nevertheless mystified by these developments.
Growing expectations As news of these experiences spread, rumours concerning the
messianic status of Krishnamurti reached fever pitch as the 1925 Theosophical Society Convention was planned, on the 50th anniversary of its founding. There were expectations of significant happenings. Paralleling the increasing adulation was Krishnamurti's growing discomfort with it. In related developments, prominent Theosophists and their factions within the Society were trying to position themselves favourably relative to the
Coming, which was widely rumoured to be approaching. He stated that "Too much of everything is bad". "Extraordinary" pronouncements of spiritual advancement were made by various parties, disputed by others, and the internal Theosophical politics further alienated Krishnamurti.
Death of Nitya Nitya's persistent health problems had periodically resurfaced throughout this time. On 13 November 1925, at age 27, he died in Ojai from complications of
influenza and tuberculosis. Despite Nitya's poor health, his death was unexpected, and it fundamentally shook Krishnamurti's belief in Theosophy and in the leaders of the Theosophical Society. He had received their assurances regarding Nitya's health, and had come to believe that "Nitya was essential for [his] life-mission and therefore he would not be allowed to die," a belief shared by Annie Besant and Krishnamurti's circle. Jayakar wrote that "his belief in the Masters and the hierarchy had undergone a total revolution." Moreover, Nitya had been the "last surviving link to his family and childhood. ... The only person to whom he could talk openly, his best friend and companion." According to eyewitness accounts, the news "broke him completely." but 12 days after Nitya's death he was "immensely quiet, radiant, and free of all sentiment and emotion"; "there was not a shadow ... to show what he had been through."
Break with the Theosophical Society Over the next few years, Krishnamurti's self-awareness and alienation from the Theosophical worldview continued to develop. He lost his faith in
'The Masters', 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 of land, to their donors.
Middle years – Arya Vihara and extra-marital affair From 1930 through 1944 Krishnamurti engaged in speaking tours and in the issue of publications under the auspice of the "
Star Publishing Trust" (SPT), which he had founded with Desikacharya Rajagopal, a close associate and friend from the
Order of the Star. Ojai was the base of operations for the new enterprise, where Krishnamurti, Rajagopal, and Rosalind Williams (who had married Rajagopal in 1927) resided in the house known as
Arya Vihara (meaning
Realm of the Aryas, i.e. those noble by righteousness in
Sanskrit). The business and organizational aspects of the SPT were administered chiefly by D. Rajagopal, as Krishnamurti devoted his time to speaking and meditation. The Rajagopals' marriage was not a happy one, and the two became physically estranged after the 1931 birth of their daughter, Radha. Krishnamurti's friendship with Rosalind became a love affair. According to Radha Rajagopal Sloss, the affair between Krishnamurti and Rosalind began in 1932 and it endured for about twenty-five years. Radha Sloss, daughter of Rajagopal, wrote about the affair in her book
Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti. According to Radha Rajagopal Sloss, Krishnamurti was dependent on his followers to support his way of life, and needed to uphold his image of a celibate guru to continue this support and way of life. During the 1930s Krishnamurti spoke in Europe, Latin America, India, Australia and the United States. He did not speak publicly for a period of about four years (between 1940 and 1944). During this time he lived and worked at
Arya Vihara, which during the war operated as a largely self-sustaining farm, with its surplus goods donated for relief efforts in Europe. Of the years spent in Ojai during the war he later said: : "I think it was a period of no challenge, no demand, no outgoing. I think it was a kind of everything held in; and when I left Ojai it all burst." English author
Aldous Huxley lived nearby; he met Krishnamurti in 1938, and the two men became close friends. They held common concerns about the imminent conflict in Europe which they viewed as the outcome of the pernicious influence of nationalism. Krishnamurti's stance on
World War II was often construed as pacifism and even
subversion during a time of patriotic fervor in the United States and for a time he came under the surveillance of the
FBI. Huxley encouraged Krishnamurti to write, and also introduced his work to
Harper, Huxley's own publisher. This eventually led to the addition of Krishnamurti in the publisher's roster of authors; Radha Rajagopal Sloss, daughter of D. Rajagopal, Krishnamurti's business manager at the time, states that Huxley introduced her father to the publisher. She adds that Krishnamurti had little interest in his manuscripts or other records of his work; this lack of interest by Krishnamurti is also remarked upon by his biographers. Until that time Krishnamurti works were published by
small or specialist presses, or in-house by a variety of Krishnamurti-related Krishnamurti broke the hiatus from public speaking in May 1944 with a series of talks in
Ojai. These talks, and subsequent material, were published by "
Krishnamurti Writings Inc." (KWINC), the successor organisation to the "
Star Publishing Trust". This was to be the new central Krishnamurti-related entity worldwide, whose sole purpose was the dissemination of the teaching. Initially, Krishnamurti (along with Rajagopal and others) was a trustee of KWINC. Eventually he ceased being a trustee, leaving Rajagopal as President – a turn of events that according to Lutyens, constituted
"... a circumstance that was to have most unhappy consequences." He had remained in contact with associates from India, and in the autumn of 1947 embarked on a speaking tour there, attracting a new following of young intellectuals. On this trip he encountered the Mehta sisters, Pupul and Nandini, who became lifelong associates and confidants. The sisters also attended to Krishnamurti throughout a 1948 recurrence of the "
process" in
Ootacamund. In
Poona in 1948, Krishnamurti met
Iyengar, who taught him
Yoga practices every morning for the next three months, then on and off for twenty years.
Later years – wider recognition, legal battles, and final evaluation Krishnamurti continued speaking in public lectures, group discussions and with concerned individuals around the world. In 1954
The First and Last Freedom was published, which was instrumental in broadening Krishnamurti's audience and exposing his ideas. It was one of the first Krishnamurti titles in the world of mainstream, commercial publishing, where its success helped establish him as a viable author. It consists of edited excerpts from his public talks and discussions, and includes examinations of subjects that were, or became, recurrent themes in his exposition: the nature of the self and of belief, investigations into fear and desire, the relationship between thinker and thought, the concept of
choiceless awareness, the function of the mind, etc. In the early 1960s, he made the acquaintance of physicist
David Bohm, whose philosophical and scientific concerns regarding the
essence of the physical world, and the psychological and sociological state of mankind, found parallels in Krishnamurti's philosophy. The two men soon became close friends and started a common inquiry, in the form of personal dialogues–and occasionally in group discussions with other participants–that continued, periodically, over nearly two decades. Several of these discussions were published in the form of books or as parts of books, and introduced a wider audience (among scientists) to Krishnamurti's ideas. The long friendship with Bohm went through a rocky interval in later years, and although they overcame their differences and remained friends until Krishnamurti's death, the relationship did not regain its previous intensity. Krishnamurti's once close relationship with the Rajagopals had deteriorated to the point where he took D. Rajagopal to court to recover donated property and funds as well as publication rights for his works, manuscripts, and personal correspondence, that were in Rajagopal's possession. The litigation and ensuing cross complaints, which formally began in 1971, continued for many years. Much property and materials were returned to Krishnamurti during his lifetime; the parties to this case finally settled all other matters in 1986, shortly after his death. Krishnamurti' stance raised doubts in long-time friends and devotees, some of whom got the impression that he was a divided personality unable to live according to his own teachings – raising the question: "If he cannot live it, who can?" 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 between then and January 1986. These last talks included the fundamental questions he had been asking through the years, as well as newer concerns about advances in science and technology, and their effect on humankind. Krishnamurti had commented to friends that he did not wish to invite death, but was not sure how long his body would last (he had already lost considerable weight), and once he could no longer talk, he would have "no further purpose". In his final talk, on 4 January 1986, in Madras, he again invited 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. Krishnamurti was also concerned about his legacy, about being unwittingly turned into some personage whose teachings had been handed down to special individuals, rather than the world at large. He did not want anybody to pose as an interpreter of the teaching. He warned his associates on several occasions that they were not to present themselves as spokesmen on his behalf, or as his successors after his death. His ashes were divided into three parts: For Ojai, India, and England. In India they were immersed in River Ganga in Varanasi, Gangotri, and in the ocean Adayar beach. ==Schools==