When U G Krishnamurti ended Satsang midway to help Mahesh Bhatt find scotch

New Delhi: It was sometime in the 1980s. Iconoclastic guru U G Krishnamurti abruptly ended his Satsang in Bengaluru much to the surprise of his followers — a clearly distracted Mahesh Bhatt was craving a Black Label, and he said he had to get him the fix.

As the roomful of seekers debated silence, purity and 'moksha', Bhatt was tormented by a far earthlier craving, the filmmaker recalls in the new book, "The Ashes are Warm: Memories of a Lifetime Spent with UG Krishnamurti".

The book, a conversation between Bhatt and author Sunita Pant Bansal, is a deeply personal account of the filmmaker's relationship with the philosopher often described as the “anti-guru”. It recounts in detail the rather unusual incident.

The hotel had failed to arrange the bottle of whiskey and Bhatt could not stop thinking about it. Krishnamurti abruptly stopped speaking midway through the session and turned to Bhatt: “You’re not here,” he told him. The 77-year-old admitted his mind was back at the hotel, “fighting with room service” over the missing bottle.

“Don’t worry. If they can’t get it, I will get you the scotch you’re craving,” said the book quoting Krishnamurti.

Bhatt's confession shocked the gathering, particularly a person referred to only as 'Brahmachari' who had once been in the race to head a prominent Karnataka mutt. But UG responded to him with amusement rather than outrage.

As the evening progressed and Bhatt’s craving intensified, the philosopher ended the Satsang early.

“The reason I’m closing shop today is because I have to help this guy get his fix," he told the gathering. Calls were made across Bengaluru in search of Black Label, but none succeeded. Finally, 'Brahmachari' reluctantly revealed that his brother, a Member of Parliament staying in the Garden City, might have access to imported liquor, Bhatt recalls in the book.

So, Krishnamurti, Bhatt, 'Brahmachari' and their host Babu Chandrashekhar made a dash for the politician’s residence. The MP welcomed UG reverentially, only to hear the philosopher's blunt explanation for the purpose of the visit.

“Actually, I’ve come for a selfish reason. This man needs a drink. Black Label, if you have it,” he told the politician.

The MP did not have Black Label but offered a bottle of Chivas Regal instead. Bhatt readily accepted.

Bhatt drank nearly the entire bottle under UG’s amused gaze and the visible discomfort of 'Brahmachari', who struggled to reconcile the image of a revered spiritual figure acting, as he saw it, like a "bootlegger".

The next morning, unable to contain himself, 'Brahmachari' finally asked Krishnamurti why he had gone to such lengths to satisfy Bhatt’s craving.

“Because his thirst for alcohol is far fiercer than all of your thirsts for moksha and enlightenment. I respond to something living. He was in anguish, and I had to respond to that anguish,” he replied, deeply moving Bhatt.

Months later, during a visit to 'Brahmachari’s' house in Mysuru, Bhatt discovered the empty Chivas Regal bottle preserved in the courtyard among sacred idols, now repurposed as a planter for a money plant.

“To me, this bottle is sacred. It embodies what a guru-shishya relationship truly is — what a guru can do for a disciple,” 'Brahmachari' told him.

Krishnamurti was a distinguished philosopher and thinker who challenged humanity’s pursuit of enlightenment. He rejected the very foundations of thought, thereby dismissing all systems of thinking and accumulated knowledge.

He was a well-known figure in the West, where he preached from the 1970s until his death in Italy in 2007.

Priced at Rs 495 and published by Rupa, "The Ashes are Warm" is Bhatt's private jottings, recounting his memories of his "anti-guru" Krishnamurti with what he terms "ruthless and unflinching honesty".