Unlike Dhirendra Brahmachari, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Guru Jiddu Krishnamurti (11 May 1895- 17 February 1986) was not much discussed in the Indian political circles. I vividly remember having attended some of the lectures by J. Krishnamurti, the Guru of my teacher Prof. B.S. Patel at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad at J.J. Fine Arts campus opposite V.T. station at Mumbai without even grasping what he talked about. Of course, my reading of Pupul Jayakar’s most authentic biography of the late PM made me curious to read more about Krishnaji, as he was fondly addressed by those who were close to him. Jayakar was close to both Indira Gandhi and Krishnaji as well. Jayakar was closely involved with the development of indigenous culture, handicrafts and textiles in India since the country achieved independence in 1947.
A classic biography of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our times “J. Krishnamurti: A Biography” by Pupul reveals authentically how close Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was to Krishnaji. Whenever she was disturbed or undergoing any serious problem, she would rush to seek advice of her spiritual teacher which would definitely make her relaxed. Quite sometimes even her Guru would visit her home and family. Even the exchange of letters between the two reveals the bond of trust between the two great souls.
In the introduction of the biography of Krishnaji written by Jayakar it is stated: “In 1909, when he was just fourteen, Krishnamurti was proclaimed the world teacher-to-be in whom Maitreya, the Bodhisattva of compassion, would manifest. The proclamation was made by Annie Besant, the President of the Theosophical Society, a movement that combines Western occult philosophy with Buddhist and Hindu teachings…As a contemporary of Krishnamurti and one of his closest associates, Pupul Jayakar offers an insider’s view of the fascinating life and thought of an extraordinary individual.”
From the description of Jayakar, one derives the impression that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi would seek solace in Krishnaji by meeting, writing or talking to him in good or bad times. She would spend one or two hours talking to Jidduji and come out confident. He would evaporate her tensions. PM Gandhi seems to be in touch with Krishnamurti since late 1950s through her closest friend Pupul Jayakar. Pupul first met Indira in 1931 at Anand Bhavan, her family home at Allahabad when she was 16 and Indu two years junior to her. Since 1955 she developed friendship with Mrs. Gandhi when she shifted to Delhi. Jayakar writes: “Indira’s first meeting with Krishnaji was at dinner at my house in the late 1950s. Indira appeared shy and hesitant to speak. Krishnaji was also shy, but soon started relating anecdotes. One Zen tale in particular delighted her.”
Jayakar notes: “The war with Pakistan in 1971 and the formation of Bangladesh had been a traumatic experience for the subcontinent. Krishnaji, on seeing us in 1972, had spoken with passionate concern about the war. He asked us why we did not protest strongly against war, which was the ultimate act of violence; whatever the circumstances, war could not be countenanced. We tried to explain the presence on 10 million refugees of Indian soil, the pressure generated, and the problems inherent in the situation. But Krishnaji would not waver from his position.” In 1977, with the defeat of Indira Gandhi, Jayakar resigned from the chairmanships of several government boards and societies and returned from Delhi to Mumbai, where she was to live in an old, rented flat on Malabar Hill. She was still President of the Krishnamurti Foundation, “but I sensed a breath of discontent among several of my colleagues.” Krishnaji writes to her from California: “Of course, there’s old age, with all its troubles but they are normal and natural. But these should in no way interfere with the mind and its beauty; though they are interrelated, the mind is infinite.”
Not many people may be aware that PM Gandhi took the decision to call for elections during the black Emergency after consulting J. Krishnamurti despite her own son Sanjay was insisting “In my scheme of things, there were to be no elections for three or four decades” (as Jr Gandhi told Kuldip Nayar quoted in ‘On Leaders and Icons from Jinnah to Modi’). Krishnaji did feel that Indira would lose the March 1977 elections and he was proved to be right. On hearing the news of her defeat, he wrote a letter to Pupul from California: “I feel somewhat responsible in this event. As I told you in Bombay, she may be defeated.”
After defeat one day Gandhi came to Jayakar’s house “to sit quietly.” She appeared totally unafraid for herself, but was extremely anxious for her son, Sanjay. She had been told by the few people who remained with her that he would be arrested and tortured in jail. Even Indira was arrested and spent a night in the police lock-up. After her release she did spend a week in Tihar Jail. During the traumatic period she could find solace in Krishnaji. Even after she bounced back to power in 1980 and lost her son, Sanjay, Krishnamurti stood solidly behind her. Even when she was assassinated, Krishnaji’s blessings were showered on her elder son, Rajiv, and his family. Krishnamurti died at Pine Cottage, California on 17 February 1986. Before his death he said that the teacher was unimportant; only the teaching was important. It was the teaching that had to be protected from distortion and corruption.
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Photoline:
Indira Gandhi with her Guru J. Krishnamurti
