Theos-Talk Archives (June 1997 Message tt00001)

A brief reply to Doss --

It seems to me perfectly honorable to mention the good work that Annie Besant
and Krishnamurti did in practical human affairs.  But I must protest against
dragging poor HPB into the claims surrounding K and his being the
"Messenger."  People tout her statement at the end of *The Key to Theosophy*,
where she looks forward to the Messenger of the next century, as supporting
everything from Purucker to K to far more ridiculous things like aliens
coming to the planet or Elizabeth Clare Prophet's wild schemes.

But in the esoteric writings HPB writes in black and white to her own
esoteric students that they have but a limited time to learn from her (until
December 31, 1899, should she live that long [she didn't]) and then a long
time to wait, because the next Messenger would not come before 1975.  That is
**1975**.

So if HPB is to be taken as an authority in these things at all (and one is
certainly not forced to take her as an authority ...) then one cannot quote
her regarding K being a Messenger, and then miss the point that he did not
come at all as expected.  The same goes for using her prediction for
Purucker, Gurdjieff, etc. etc. etc.  If one quotes HPB it must be done
correctly, and quote her in the entirety of what she wrote.  Or else leave
the poor woman alone, don't brutalize her writings, and just say "I think
Krishnamurti is great and did great work" and leave it at that.  Any one of
the great teachers might have been a messenger of one sort or another, 'tis
true.  But none of them can be the personage HPB was discussing with her 1975
date -- the last quarter of every century.

Rich Taylor