At the Feet of the Master

At the Feet of the Master is a short devotional manual published in December 1910 under the pen name Alcyone, attributed to the 14-year-old Jiddu Krishnamurti and presented as a record of teachings received from the Theosophical Master Kuthumi. It is organized around four qualifications for the spiritual path: discrimination, desirelessness, good conduct, and love. The foreword declares: "These are not my words; they are the words of the Master who taught me."

The authorship of the book has been disputed since its first publication. Krishnamurti's mentor Charles Webster Leadbeater maintained that the teachings were transmitted to the boy through a mystical process over five months in 1909–10; Krishnamurti's father contested this account in court, citing the boy's poor knowledge of English as evidence. Krishnamurti himself, in adulthood, said he had no memory of writing it. Despite the controversy, the book sold millions of copies, went through more than forty editions by 1925, and remains in print as a Theosophical classic.

These are not my words; they are the words of the Master who taught me.

Foreword

First lines

These are not my words; they are the words of the Master who taught me. Without Him I could have done nothing, but through His help I have set my feet upon the Path. You also desire to enter the same Path, so the words which He spoke to me will help you also, if you will obey them.

Contents

Reception

The book was introduced at the December 1910 Theosophical Convention at Adyar and sold out immediately; within a year it had appeared in twenty-seven editions, and by 1925 in at least forty. It was enthusiastically received within the Theosophical Society and the Order of the Star in the East, where it was treated as a sacred document attesting to Krishnamurti's spiritual credentials. Contemporary press characterised it variously as a "boyish testament" and a text that "draws on the pious morality that underlies all religions." Scholars have noted structural parallels with Adi Shankara's Vivekachudamani, suggesting the Advaita four-qualifications framework underlies the text. Krishnamurti's 1929 dissolution of the Order of the Star recast the book's institutional context but did not end its circulation. Millions of copies have been sold across dozens of languages. The ongoing authorship debate — whether the text reflects Krishnamurti's own writing, Leadbeater's editorial construction, or some combination — remained unresolved into the early twenty-first century.

Frequently asked

What is At the Feet of the Master about?

It is a short devotional manual presenting four qualifications for the spiritual path — discrimination, desirelessness, good conduct, and love — framed as teachings received by the 14-year-old Krishnamurti from the Theosophical Master Kuthumi and recorded under the pen name Alcyone.

Did Jiddu Krishnamurti write At the Feet of the Master?

The authorship is disputed. The book was published in 1910 under the pen name Alcyone, when Krishnamurti was 14. His mentor C. W. Leadbeater said the teachings were transmitted through a mystical process; Krishnamurti's father contested this in court. In adulthood Krishnamurti said he had no memory of writing it.

What are the four qualifications described in the book?

The four are Discrimination (distinguishing the real from the unreal), Desirelessness (freedom from personal wanting), Good Conduct (ethical behaviour and service), and Love (extending care toward all beings). Each is presented as a prerequisite for entering the spiritual path.