JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI-A MODERN PHILOSOPHER WHO NEGATED ESTABLISHED BELIEFS.

Jiddu Krishnamurthi is one of our modern philosophers whose thought is so abstract that few people could understand it. As per me, he stretches into several pages what can be said in a sentence. His core thought is that truth is pathless and it has to be approached by each one in their own different ways. As per Krishnamurthi this is precisely the reason why no one can guide you because your thinking process is different from any other, and is unique. He has hit the core of all beliefs by negating the concept of Guru itself. However, despite stating these views he functioned like a big guru himself touring all over the world and giving his lectures on all topics under the sun. It is interesting to see how he has evolved. 

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in 1895 at Madanapalle in the Chittor district of Andhra Pradesh. His father Narayaniah was employed as a petty official with the British administration. The family later moved to Cuddapah where Krishnamurthi contracted malaria and had recurring bouts of it. He was a sickly child and was considered to be intellectually disabled and was often beaten by his teachers at school and by his father at home. 

After retirement, their father was employed as a clerk in the Theosophical Society and given a cottage near its headquarters in Adyar. In the beach at Adayar in Madras in 1909 Krishnamurthi and his brother Nityanand were spotted by Colonel Charles Leadbetter who was a co-founder of the Theosophical Society. Leadbetter felt that Krishnamurthi is an extraordinary and spiritual person. He recommended them to Mrs Annie Besant who adopted them. 

An order of the “Rising Star of the East” was formed by Annie Besant in 1911 and Krishnamurti was proclaimed as its messiah. Initially the boys were taught at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society. During this time Krishanmurti developed a strong bond with Mrs Annie Besant. 

Later the brothers were sent to England in 1911 to the care of Emily Lutyens, the wife of the famous architect. They studied privately in England and later at Sorbonne in France. Between 1911 and 1914 when war started the brothers toured many European countries along with Theosophists. Theosophy then had a following all over the world and all its adherents’ worshipped Krishnamurti as he was anointed by Annie Besant herself. . 

Krishamurti’s father initially gave permission to Annie Besant to adopt Krishnamurti but later as this pulled the boys away from him and was sidelined sued Annie Besant in 1912 to annul the guardianship agreement. Annie Besant won the battle and took both the brothers into her custody. 

Krishnamurti did well in sports but fared poorly in studies and could not get into the university as he could not get admission and finally gave up. He picked up languages fast though and spoke many foreign languages. 

After the war, Krishnamurti started giving lectures and holding meetings of the Order and also started writing. He was initially a halting repetitive and hesitant speaker but with time he gained confidence. 

In 1922 Krishnamurti travelled to California where he stayed in a cottage in the Ojai valley. By this time his brother Nityanand was diagnosed with TB and was ailing. There the brothers met Rosalind Williams an American who became close to both Krishnamurti and Nityanand. This is the first time the brothers were left alone by the Theosophical society members who had been following them everywhere. After sometime a trust formed by his followers bought a cottage and the surrounding property for them. This became the official residence of Krishnamurti.

 At Ojai in 1922 Krishnamurti went through a life changing experience most probably a sort of neurotic condition which he believed to be spiritual. As news of this spiritual experience spread Theosophists elevated the messianic status of Krishnamurti to an intense pitch as their convention in 1925 approached. Internal politics broke out in its membership trying to push themselves into positions to receive the messiah. 

In November 1925 Nityanand died unexpectedly and this shook Krishnamurti and the news broke him completely. Krishnamurti later slowly freed himself from the theory of the Theosophical society and its style and started evolving an independent philosophy. Finally at the annual Star camp in the Netherlands Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of the Star in 1925. 

While dissolving the order he maintained that “Truth is pathless and one cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion or by any sect. Truth being limitless, unconditioned, and unapproachable by any path whatsoever cannot be organized nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path.” 

This all sounds wonderful and one expects that Krishnamurti would relieve himself from the role of a teacher but surprisingly he remained a teacher to people going against the very tenet he has endorsed. Whenever he was confronted with this question to clarify his position, he either asserted that the matter was irrelevant or gave answers which were purposefully vague. 

To Krishnamurti’s credit he resigned from the various trusts and organizations affiliated with the Order of the Star and also the Theosophical society. He returned the money and properties donated to the order which included a castle in the Netherlands and 5000 acres of land back to their donors. 

During the years 1930 to 1944 Krishnamurti was engaged in speaking tours in Europe, Latin America, India, Australia and the United States. He founded a publishing trust along with D.Rajagopal and Ojai was the base of their operations. Rosalind married Rajagopal in 1927 and they along with Krishnamurti stayed in the house at Ojai. The house was known as’Arya Vihara”. The marriage of the Rajagopal’s got estranged in 1931 after the birth of their daughter Radha. The friendship between Rosalind and Krihsnamurti grew into a love affair which started in 1931. 

Krihsnamurti did not speak in public for period of 4 years during the war between 1940 to 1944. He started speaking in May 1944 and toured India in 1947. In his tour of India many prominent personalities came to meet Krishnamurti including PM Nehru. 

In the 1970’s Krishnamurti met Indira Gandhi a number of times. Krishnamurtis’s relationship with Rajagopal deteriorated to such an extent that Krishnamurti sued him in court accusing him of embezzlement. This litigation began in 1971 and was settled only by 1986 by which time Krishnamurti died. He died in 1986 at the age of 90.  

To put it simply, there is no path to truth according to Krishnamurti's philosophy. Therefore, an organization or a guru cannot guide a person in a certain way. The individual him/herself have to search arou8nd and find their own way.

According to the prevailing system, a person needs a Guru to guide him. It was turned over on to its head by Krishnamurti. He said that each persons way is his own, and no one else can show them the way. This means that the guru system does not work. 

The surprise is that after saying all that, he should not show the way to anyone  else. But he travelled all over the world and gave various interpretations to the questions asked by people. It means that he himself made prophecies to people like a guru when he actually said that he cannot tell us anything and show us a path. That means he violated his own theory. 

Krishnamurti's life tells us one thing. No matter how great the teachers claim to be, they are also human. They have the same strengths and weaknesses that we have. It is never wrong to listen to what someone else has to say. But analysing it shows us the right path for our life. No one in the world is perfect. It is a big mistake to accept whatever someone says without ever analysing it. 

Rishi Valley School is Krishnamurthy's contribution to the education system in India. It started teaching students in a new way. Rishi Valli School was started in 1925 by Annie Besant, initially with the intention of creating a world university. She started it on 360 acres near Madanapalle, Jiddu Krishnamurthy's hometown. But she could not devote time to it. By then Krishnamurthy was in America. He came to India in 1947 and started trying to restore that school. Since 1950, the school has been revived. 

Music, dance, hiking, trekking, camping and Krishnamurti’s philosophy are also taught in the school. Apart from that, because of the different teaching methods used there, in the later period it became known as a special institution for training students.

Krishnamurthi said that he does not believe in one nation, one caste, one religion, or one philosophy. He spent his last life traveling the world interacting with people and writing many books and finally died in 1986 at the age of 90. 

He still has many disciples in America and Britain. They have established many charitable institutions and educational institutions to popularize his philosophy and thousands of his lectures, public talks, and books have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. 

We may or may not believe what Krishnamurthi said, but even after his death, his disciples continued to propagate his teachings with great devotion.

 

THE 1857 SEPOY MUTINY-SOME POINTS.

The mutiny was confined to Uttarpradesh, northern MP and Delhi regions alone. It started on 10^th May1857 and concluded with the fall of Gwalior on 20^th June 1858. Other regions of the Bengal Presidency and the Bombay and Madras Presidencies largely remained calm. The Sikh princes of Punjab actively helped the British by providing soldiers and support.

The commanders who fought on the rebels side were:

1.      Bhahadurshah Jafar-The Mughal Emperor only in name as he was fully dependent on the English. But the prestige of the Mughal Emperor was such that in him the rebels found a rallying point.

2.      Nana Saheb-Peshva Bajirao II’s adopted son who was refused the pension Bajirao II was getting and thus turned against the British. After his forces were defeated by the British he chose to escape and disappeared.

3.      Rani Lakshmibai-She is a valiant lady who opposed the British as they applied the doctrine of Lapse and confiscated her state and gave her a pension of Rs 54,000 per annum in 1854. She was killed in battle but her adopted son Damodar Rao for whom she fought ran away and hid in the forests.

4.      Begum Hazrat Mahal—Wife of the nawab of Oudh. Oudh was annexed by the British and the nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta in1856. She resented the British for this and rebelled against them. After her forces were defeated by the British she ran away to Nepal and took asylum there. Her son Birjis Quadir was installed as the Nawab in the early stages of the rebellion. After the defeat by the British he accompanied his mother to Nepal.

5.      Kunwar Singh— he was the Raja of Jagdishpur in Bihar. He is a Rajput. By the time the revolt broke out he was 80 years old and his health was failing yet he fought valiantly and died undefeated after sustaining injuries in the battle with the English on 23 April 1858 in which he defeated the British. He died 3 days later.

Surprisingly enough the first 4 figures are always prominently mentioned in our history books but the last receives but a passing mention.

Bahadur Shah Jafar became a leader by virtue of the office he held and not because of his personal strength. All the three Nana Sahib, Rani Lakshmibai and Begum Hazrat Mahal had personal grudges against the British.

Kunwar Singh is no less than the Rani of Jhansi in valor going to battle at the age of 80 and in failing health. Kunwar Singh fought on principle. Also he was the only rebel leader to die undefeated by the British.

Nana Sahib and Begum Hazrat Mahal ran away from the British after their defeat. I would put Kunwar Singh above the Rani of Jhansi because he was equal to her in valour but died undefeated by the British.

It was the Sikh soldiers that helped the British to put down the mutiny and all the Princely states of Punjab like Patiala, Nabha and Kapurthala etc. actively supported the British in this war. 

RANA SANGRAM SINGH (RANA SANGA) OF MEWAR.

Maharana Sangram Singh was one of the greatest Rajput princes of India who stood against Babur but was unfortunately defeated at the battale of Khanwa in Babur’s hands due to deceipt and treachery. Despite that, but for Baburs cannons the victory would have been Rana Sanga's.  

Maharana Sangram Singh also known as Rana Sangha was born to Rana Raimal of Mewar from the Sisodiya clan in the year 1484. Rana Sangha succeeded his father Rana Raimal in the year 1508 after a battle of succession with his brothers. He was the grandson of Rana Kumbha under whose name the fort of Kumbalgarh was erected. 

When Rana Sanga came to power the Sultanate of Gujarat was at the height of its power under Sultan Mujaffar Shah II. Idar was a small Rajput principality situated on the border of Gujarat. There was a succession fight after the death of the king between Rai Mal and Bhar Mal. Rai Mal was a minor and took refuge with Rana Sanga at Chitor while Bhar Mal became the ruler at Idar.

In 1514 Rai Mal got control of Idar with the help of Rana Sanga. Bhar Mal appealed to Mujaffar Shah II for help. The Sultan sent Nizam Ul Mulk along with an army to reinstate Bhar Mal. In this Rai Mal was defeated and he withdrew to the mountains. After reinstating Bhar Mal, Nizam Ul Mulk went in pursuitof Rai Mal who ensued from the mountains and defeated him convincingly in 1517. In the battle the best officers were slain and the Sultan recalled Nizam Ul Mulk. The Sultan sent Zahir Ul Mulk with a large army who was roundly defeated by Rai Mal and his army had to suffer a great slaughter. The Sultan then sent Nusrat Ul Mulk but with little success. All the conquests of Rai Mal were achieved with the help of Rana Sanga.

In 1517 Ibrahim Lodi succeeded on the throne of Delhi. He received news of Mewars encroachments on the empire and marched against Mewar. Rana Sanga advanced to meet him at Khatoli where their armies joined battle. The Delhi army could not withstand the Rajputs and in just 5 hours time    the army fled with the Sultan following them. A Lodi prince was left prisoner in the hands of Rana Sanga but he was released later on payment of ransom.

In the battle, the Rana lost his hand due to a sword cut and an arrow made him lame for life.

Ibrahim Lodi did not forget his defeat and after careful preparations set a march to defeat Rana Sanga 1519 and their armies met at Dholpur. As usual the Sultans army could not withstand the onslaught of the Rajput cavalry and were roundly defeated. With this battle almost the entire Rajasthan fell into the Ranas hands.

Medini Rai was granted Chanderi as a Jagir by Rana Sanga which the sultan of Malwa Mohammed Khilji II encroached upon. This was an affront to the Rana and he advanced with a large army from Chittor reinforced by the Rathors of Merta and met the Sultans forces reinforced by his Gujarat Auxilaries led by Asaf Khan at the battle of Gagron in the year 1519.

The Sultans cavalry could not withstand the charge of the Rajput cavalry and their defences tore. Later the Rajput cavalry fell on the remaining Malwa forces which were decisively defeated. Most of the Sultans army was annihilated and most of his officers killed including Asaf Khans son. Asaf Khan fled the scene of battle and the Sultan was taken prisoner wounded and bleeding.

In the line of Rajput chivalry, the Rana treated the Sultan with honor and restored the kingdom to him. In turn the Sultan gave his jewelled crown and belt to the Rana. The Rana also kept the Sultans son in Chittorgarh as a hostage for the Sultans future good conduct. 

This clemency was acknowledged by Muslim historians including Abul Fazal and is treated as an act of great magnanimity. But this act proved to be injurious to the national cause of the Rajputs.    

In the year 1520, a minstrel narrated the bravery and generosity of Rana Sanga but was insulted by Nizam Ul Mulk the fief holder of the Sultan of Gujarat. This made the Rana angry and he marched against Gujarat along with a coalition of Rajput forces. He decisively defeated the Sultans armies and Nizam Ul Mulk fled. He then plundered Gujarat and the Sultan dared not coem to stop him. He returned back to Chittor feeling that his mission was accomplished.

The sultan of Gujarat did not forget this insult. In the same year later he raised a large army of 100,000 cavalry and 100 elephants and sent it under Malik Ayaz. This army was joined by the army of the Sultan of Malwa Mohammed Khilji from Mandu.  All the Rajput chiefs rallied under Rana Sanga.  

The sultans army laid seize to Mandsaur which was under Rana sangas governor Asok Mal. Asok Mal was killed but the fort did not fall. The enoromous forces assembled by the Sultan and Rana Sanga faced each other.

Due to the ill feeling the Amirs had on Malik Ayaz he could not advance on the fort with full force. He felt that he is bound to be defeated and made peace with Rana Sanga and retreated back to Gujarat where he was seen as a coward.

After the number of gains of Rana Sanga his objectives grew in scope. It was at this juncture that Babur has become the master of Delhi. Now the Rana eyed Babar as his defeat would yield him Delhi which is considered as a prestigious seat of power.

Rana Sanga decided to wage a war againsthe Moghul Emperor Babur. He first coerced Afgan fugitive princes like Mehmud Lodi to join him. A number of Mewati msulims under Hasan Khan Mewati also promised their support to Rana Sanga.  

In 1527 the Rana ordered Babur to leave India. He sent his vassal Sardar Silhadi of Raisen to negotiatae with Babur. Silhadi was won over by Babur and they both hatched a plot that Silhadis forces numbering around 35,000 would join Baburs camp at the critical moment of battle. Silhadi went back to Chittor and told the Rana that a battle is a must. This is treachery.   

Their armies met in 1527 at Khanwa near Fatehpur Sikri. The battle was bitter and bloody. At a critical moment of battle Silhadi’s forces defected to Babur as planned. The battle turned but even then Rana Sanga while trying to rebuild his front was wounded and fell unconscious from his horse. The Rajput army thought that their leader was killed and fled in disorder leaving the Moghuls to win the battle.

The Rana was rescued by the Rathore contingent from the battle and went back to Chittor. When he again tried to assemble armies to fight Babur his chiefs found the plan to be suicidal and therefore poisoned him in 1528.

Rana Sangram Singh married Karnavati who later committed jauhar at Chittorgarh in 1535 after the Ranas death. Rana Pratap Singh was her grandson.