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At The Feet of the Master

By Alcyone

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Foreword

As a spider moves along the thread it produces, and as from a Ere tiny sparks By in all directions, so from this Self emanate all organs,

all worlds, all gods, and all beings.

Its secret name, Upanishad, is 'the Truth of truth.'

 

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Verse 2.1.20)

 

THIS book was written by a young scholar and contains the lessons given to him by his teacher, referred to as "Master," during his preparation for initiation. It is considered a reproduction of the Master's own words and the Master's thoughts dressed in his student's writings. Although the author's identity is cloaked with a pseudonym, many people have attributed this work to the World Teacher, J. Krishnamurti.

Penned in the early 20th century, this book begins with a prayer, referred to as the Pavamana Mantra from a Hindu Scripture known as the Bribadaranyaka Upanisbad, estimated to be composed around 700 BCE. The Upanishads are part of a larger collection of Hindu Scriptures referred to as the Vedas. In the Upanishads, masters and sages discussed the problems of life and life after death by asking and answering suchquestions as: What is life? What is this world? What is our duty?

The sages of the Upanishads endeavored to enter into the core of reality by casting off all which limits human life. Thus, scholars describe the writings as the record of the life experiences and explanations given by "Masters who set themselves in tune with ultimate Truth." As Swami Krishnananda wrote, "The Upanishads, therefore, are mystical revelations, secret wisdom; and, as the word itself denotes, they are supposed to be listened to, heard about, or learnt from a Master by one's being seated in front of him, beside him, near him."

For the Sanskrit word, "Upanishad" translates as "sitting at the feet of," referencing the student sitting down near the teacher while receiving esoteric instruction. Thus, one can discern a clear connection between ancient text from the Upanishads and a 20th century book entitled, "At the Feet of the Master."

In this edition, we have included additional verses from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, at the beginning of each chapter. May the addition of the verses from the Upanishad shine new esoteric light onto this important work.

To The Glory of God

And The Perfection Of Humanity