Introduction
Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti, better known as U.G. Krishnamurti, was a thinker who turned the world of spirituality upside down. Unlike his more famous contemporary, Jiddu Krishnamurti, U.G. didn’t offer comforting words or a path to enlightenment. Instead, he boldly claimed that every saint and sage was fooling themselves—and the rest of humanity. This statement wasn’t just a provocative jab; it was the core of his philosophy, rooted in his rejection of spiritual ideals, practices, and the very concept of enlightenment.
To understand why U.G. made such a radical claim, we need to dive into his life, his experiences, and the ideas that shaped his worldview.
Who Was U.G. Krishnamurti?
Born in 1918 in South India, U.G. grew up in a world steeped in spirituality. His family was deeply involved with the Theosophical Society, a group that blended Eastern and Western spiritual ideas. As a young man, U.G. was exposed to religious teachings and sought enlightenment with fervor.
He studied with spiritual giants like Swami Sivananda and spent time with Jiddu Krishnamurti, the Theosophists’ chosen “World Teacher.” But U.G.’s journey took a dramatic turn when he experienced what he called “the calamity” at age 49—a mysterious biological transformation that shattered his beliefs about spirituality.
After this event, U.G. emerged with a new perspective. He rejected everything he had once pursued: enlightenment, gurus, meditation, and spiritual practices. He believed that the search for spiritual awakening was not only futile but also a trap that kept people chasing illusions.
His statement that saints and sages were fooling themselves stems from this radical shift in thinking. To U.G., the entire spiritual enterprise was a delusion, and those who claimed to have found ultimate truth were either mistaken or misleading others.
The Illusion of Enlightenment
At the heart of U.G.’s philosophy is the idea that enlightenment doesn’t exist. He argued that the concept of a higher state of consciousness—something saints and sages claim to have attained—is a fantasy created by the human mind. People crave meaning, purpose, and a sense of transcendence, so they invent ideas like enlightenment to escape the messiness of everyday life.
According to U.G., saints and sages who claim to have reached this state are caught in their own mental constructs. They believe they’ve found something profound, but in reality, they’re just reinforcing their own illusions.
U.G. saw the human mind as a machine that constantly creates stories to make sense of existence. The idea of becoming a saint or sage, he said, is one such story. It’s a way for people to feel special or superior, to believe they’ve transcended ordinary human struggles.
But U.G. insisted that there’s no escaping the human condition. No amount of meditation, prayer, or spiritual discipline can lead to a permanent state of bliss or wisdom. The pursuit of these ideals, he argued, only deepens the illusion, keeping people trapped in a cycle of seeking something that doesn’t exist.
Rejecting the Guru Trap
U.G. was particularly critical of spiritual leaders—gurus, saints, and sages—who position themselves as guides to enlightenment. He believed they were either deluded themselves or exploiting others’ vulnerabilities.
In his view, the guru-disciple relationship is a power game. Gurus offer promises of salvation or awakening, while disciples surrender their independence in hopes of achieving something extraordinary. U.G. saw this as a scam. He famously said, “I would be happy if you leave me and find a proper guru,” emphasizing that he had no teachings to offer and no desire to lead anyone.
This rejection wasn’t just theoretical for U.G.; it was personal. He had spent years following spiritual paths, only to conclude that they led nowhere. His time with the Theosophical Society and figures like Jiddu Krishnamurti showed him how spiritual organizations often thrive on people’s desperation for answers.
U.G. believed that saints and sages, by claiming to have special wisdom, were perpetuating a cycle of dependency. Their followers, eager for guidance, were being fooled into believing that someone else could solve their problems or lead them to truth.
The Natural State vs. Spiritual Goals
One of U.G.’s most striking ideas was his concept of the “natural state.” After his “calamity,” he claimed to have returned to a state where the mind no longer interfered with the body’s natural functioning. He described this as a purely biological process, not a spiritual achievement.
In this state, thoughts arise and fall without creating a sense of self or a need for continuity. U.G. insisted that this natural state is not something you can work toward through spiritual practices—it’s already there, hidden by the mind’s endless chatter and desire for something more.
Saints and sages, U.G. argued, are fooling themselves because they believe they’ve achieved a special state through effort or divine grace. In reality, he said, their so-called enlightenment is just a mental projection, a story they tell themselves to feel significant.
By promoting their experiences as attainable goals, they mislead others into chasing the same illusion. U.G.’s message was blunt: stop seeking. There’s nothing to find, because you’re already in the natural state. The problem is that the mind, conditioned by centuries of spiritual teachings, refuses to accept this simplicity.
The Role of Thought and Conditioning
U.G.’s critique of saints and sages was deeply tied to his views on thought and conditioning. He believed that the human mind is shaped by culture, religion, and society, which fill it with ideas about how life should be. Spiritual traditions, in particular, create a framework where people are taught to strive for ideals like purity, wisdom, or liberation.
U.G. saw this as a form of mental slavery. Saints and sages, he argued, are products of this conditioning, just like everyone else. Their claims of transcendence are merely a repackaging of the same old ideas they’ve inherited.
For U.G., thought itself was the problem. He didn’t see it as a tool for liberation but as a source of division and conflict. The mind creates a sense of “I” that feels separate from the world, leading to endless striving and dissatisfaction. Saints and sages, by promoting spiritual paths, reinforce this sense of separation.
They tell people to meditate, pray, or follow certain practices to become something better, but U.G. insisted that all these efforts only strengthen the ego. True freedom, he said, comes when the mind stops trying to change or improve itself.
Debunking Spiritual Authority
U.G.’s approach was unique because he didn’t just criticize spiritual leaders—he challenged the very idea of authority. He refused to be seen as a guru or teacher, insisting that he had nothing to offer. His conversations were often confrontational, designed to shock people out of their assumptions.
If someone asked him about enlightenment or spiritual growth, he would dismiss the question as meaningless. “There is nothing to understand,” he’d say, urging people to abandon their reliance on external guidance.
This rejection of authority extended to his view of saints and sages. He believed they were fooling humanity by setting themselves up as role models. Their teachings, no matter how profound they seemed, were just words—products of thought that could never capture reality.
U.G. argued that reality is not something you can describe or teach; it’s something you live in the moment. By claiming to have special knowledge, saints and sages create a hierarchy that keeps people feeling inadequate and dependent.
The Paradox of U.G.’s Message
Ironically, U.G.’s rejection of saints and sages could make him seem like a sage himself. His fierce independence and uncompromising views attracted followers, even though he insisted he wasn’t leading anyone. This paradox highlights the complexity of his message.
By saying that everyone was fooling themselves, U.G. wasn’t trying to elevate himself above others. Instead, he was pointing to a universal truth: the human mind is endlessly caught in illusions, and the only way out is to see through them.
U.G.’s encounters with figures like Ram Dass and Jiddu Krishnamurti illustrate this. When Ram Dass met U.G., he was shaken by U.G.’s dismissal of spiritual seeking. Yet, in that moment of shock, Ram Dass experienced a kind of clarity—a glimpse of the peace that comes from letting go of ideals.
Similarly, U.G.’s interactions with Jiddu Krishnamurti were tense, as he felt Jiddu was still operating within the spiritual framework he claimed to reject. U.G.’s point was that even the most well-meaning spiritual figures were trapped in the same mental patterns they sought to dismantle.
Why His Message Matters
U.G.’s claim that saints and sages were fooling themselves and others wasn’t just a critique of spirituality—it was a call to question everything. In a world obsessed with self-improvement and spiritual goals, U.G.’s message is a reminder to stop chasing ideals and start living in the present.
He challenged people to see through the illusions created by thought, culture, and tradition. For U.G., the ultimate freedom was not in becoming a saint or sage but in realizing that there’s nothing to become.
His ideas are especially relevant today, when spiritual practices and self-help industries are booming. People spend billions seeking happiness, purpose, or enlightenment, often looking to gurus or influencers for guidance. U.G.’s warning—that these pursuits are based on false promises—encourages us to question the narratives we’re sold. Instead of following someone else’s path, U.G. urged us to trust our own experience and live authentically.
Conclusion
U.G. Krishnamurti’s statement that every saint and sage was fooling themselves and humanity was not just a bold opinion—it was a radical rejection of the spiritual status quo. He saw enlightenment as an illusion, spiritual practices as traps, and gurus as perpetuators of dependency.
His concept of the natural state challenged the idea that we need to strive for something better. By debunking the authority of saints and sages, U.G. invited us to let go of illusions and embrace life as it is. His message, though unsettling, offers a powerful reminder: true freedom lies not in seeking, but in seeing through the stories we tell ourselves.