J.K. – Philosopher or Humanist?
Have you read Gita – asked
Morarji Desai.
No Sir, I have not read and
I do not read it – J. Krishnamurty said.
Morarji was taken aback.
On some other occasion, a
young man asked, Are you the Jesus?
He was silent for a while
and then smiled.
He once said that even death
would not enter his premises without his consent.
He was a philosopher and his
speeches were abstract, probably his conversations were simple and lend easy
understanding.
He said many things: Let there be no Guru. He obstructs your freedom in thinking. One finds a lot of similarity between J.K.
and Rousseau since both felt that the good individual becomes polluted due to
contact with his society.
Freedom of thinking in one’s
own way without being influenced by so-called Guru is the common point between
the two.
J.K. believed in soul and
referred to it on many occasions. When
Indira Gandhi was assassinated, J.K. said, ‘her soul was travelling into
Heavens and one should not weep since that would obstruct the movement of her
soul.’
J.K. experienced astral
separation in his own case now and then.
He felt that his soul left the body and again after sometime it got into
this cage. He also underwent the purification
process of his mind. Some one was found
to remodel his brain, when he felt the pain.
He used to cry ‘oh, oh.’
Krishnamurty and Swami
Vivekananada discussed the need of a Guru.
For the latter Ramakrishna Praramahansa was not only a Guru but God
father. “There is a door, you go
through it.” Here according to Swami
the door represents Guru where as J.K. says that the door was one’s own
self. One has to pass through his own
sentiments. Because these sentiments
are the bandages. One has to free
himself from these bandages.
It is exactly at this point
that Buddha freed himself from the bonds.
Who was the Guru of Buddha? His
own independent thinking, sitting under that tree, away from the society was
his Guru. J.K. refers to Buddha in this
context.
On one occasion, some body
asked his opinion about temple-entry by Harijans, one of Gandhiji’s
programmes. Then Krishnamurty asked why
Temples at all? They only complicate
the present society. It was strange
that Krishnamurty refers to revolution more than once to solve and eradicate
the present problems, like hunger, poverty etc., but he did not specify the
nature and content of the revolution.
He considers reform as purification and replacement as revolution. According to him the Indian society needs
revolution. Swami Vivekananda said on
this subject – that India was in need of a football field but not
Bhagavad-Gita, meaning that people must take the bold and active path rather
than reading Gita in seclusion.
There is what is known as
treatment through prayers. There are
quite a few Sadhakas who are adept in this approach. Krishnamurty was equally at home in this line. But he never wanted any publicity. He had healed a few cases. It may not be out of place both Nehru and
Indira Gandhi sought relief from J.K. when they were mentally agitated.
restfallen. When some other trust was formed by some of
his friends, he insisted that he should be given a place as one of the
trustees. But his request was not
accepted. This shows that there is some
contradiction in his views.
Krishnamurty talked about
the religions of different schools in his own unique way! Religion is a cup. The content is the essence of that religion. People drink some of the content and instead
of praising the content they admire the cup, ignoring the preachings. This is very common among those practicing
different schools of thought. I have
come to repair hearts not bodies, J.K. said.
But actually he influenced the way of thinking of humanity. He was so powerful that certain energy was
found released on the audience who were close to him and that would give
relief. Indira Gandhi with her family
members met Krishnamurty in Rishi Valley and stayed there for eighteen hours
and they felt refreshed when they left the place.
According to him, one should
not misuse spiritual powers. It is like
opening others’ letters. Very unethical
to say the least. He cured three cases
during a journey by a flight. He
observed lot of discretion and never allowed any publicity.
J.K. was so categorical in
his statements on time-honoured subjects, there are others who equally strongly
expressed on the same subjects. For
instance, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi said that J.K. did not realise his soul, and
he had no authority to disclaim any Guru.
When philosophers try to
explain a theory – they usually start from known to unknown. But here is a thinker and philosopher who
starts from unknown to unknown. But yet
hundreds and thousands sit craning their necks to listen to him. On one occasion, a gentleman walked for
seven days to attend his speech in America.
He used to say very often
that he did not believe either in Gurus or in disciples.
“What do you want us to do
with your books, Sir, after you leave us?” asked someone in the meeting.
“Burn them” – was the answer
given by Krishnamurty.
Do not try to recall any
thing of the past. It is all dead. Do not try to collect your memories and try
to indulge in them. It is all waste
material – Krishnamurty says.
Krishnamurty, an Indian by
birth, was pampered by Anne Besent and loved by Americans.
He received tremendous
experiences but he never explained them to others, being very discreet. He just expected that posterity would treat
him as a humanist nothing more and nothing less.