Jiddu Krishnamurti

In 1921, he fell in love with Helen Knothe, an American. However, the relationship never progressed and the couple drifted apart.

He later fell in love with Rosalind Williams, who was the co-founder of Happy Valley School along with him (a piece of information that was not disclosed for a very long time). However, the duo could not be together and she ended up marrying his best-friend, Rajagopal.

He suffered from pancreatic cancer and passed away, aged 90. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in three countries where he held utmost influence; India, England and the United States of America.

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born to a Telugu-speaking Hindu Brahmin family in the town of Madanapalle, Madras Presidency (now located in Andhra Pradesh).

He hailed from a spiritual family and had ten siblings. Only six of his siblings however, survived childhood.

In 1903, the family moved to Cudappah and resided there. He suffered from a number of illnesses as a young boy and was often considered ‘mentally’ unstable. As a result, he was not a favorite with his teachers and would be repeatedly beaten by them and his father at home.

His mother died when he was just 10 years old, followed by his sister, which left him disturbed for a very long time. It was during these periods of turmoil that he found peace with nature.

He came to face-to-face with a soothsayer, Charles Webster Leadbeater, in 1909, who was astonished by Krishnamurti’s aura and proclaimed that one day; he would become a ‘World Teacher to guide the evolution of humankind’.

In 1911, the Theosophical Society established the ‘Order of the Star in the East’, organizing the world for their new head and teacher, in the form of Krishnamurti. He was taken to London the same year, where he delivered his first public sermon and also published his first writings.

From 1911 to 1914, Krishnamurti and his brother visited a number of European countries, escorted by Theosophist followers.

After World War I ended, he went on a tour around the world, where he delivered a series of sermons regarding his duties as the Head of OSE. In 1922, he traveled along with his brother to California, where the duo resided in Ojai Valley. It was here, he was introduced to one of his greatest influences, Rosalind Williams.

In 1922, he went through what he described as the ‘most intense spiritual awakening’ and even experienced ‘mystical union’.

After the sudden death of his brother due to tuberculosis, Krishnamurti’s belief in Theosophy spiraled downwards. Over the next few years, his life reached a new direction in 1929, which led to the ensuing dissolution of the organization. Following his decision of splitting from the organization, a lot of his followers began to resent him.

‘The First and Last Freedom’, written by Krishnamurti, was published in 1954. This was the second of his books published by a typical marketable publisher. The book became extremely popular for its themes of ‘belief’, ‘desire’, simplicity’ and ‘awareness and went on to spawn 36 editions, in 9 different languages and is housed in over 1,566 libraries around the world.

‘Krishnamurti’s Notebook’, published in 1976, is a publication about states of consciousness and is a part-autobiography. The work was expanded in 2003 after a few more pages of Krishnamurti’s diary were found. This book also became popular and produced two other editions; ‘Krishnamurti’s Journal’ and ‘Krishnamurti to Himself’.