Krishna Prem

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Krishna Prem (born Ronald Henry Nixon; 10 May 1898 – 14 November 1965) was a British spiritual seeker who came to India in the early 20th century. With his teacher Sri Yashoda Mai, he founded an ashram at Mirtola, near Almora in the mountains of northern India. He was one of the first Western followers of Vaishnavism, the devotion to Krishna, and he gained many Indian disciples. Later, he is said to have moved beyond rigid religious rules to teach a universal spiritual path without dogma.

Nixon was born in Cheltenham, England. He served as a fighter pilot in World War I. After the war he studied English at King’s College, Cambridge, and became interested in Indian philosophy, Theosophy, and different religions. In 1921 he went to India to teach at the University of Lucknow. In 1928 his teacher Monika Devi Chakravarti took vows as Sri Yashoda Mai and initiated Nixon into renunciation, giving him the name Krishna Prem. In 1930 the two founded the Mirtola ashram near Almora. When Yashoda Mai died in 1944, Krishna Prem led the ashram.

In 1948 he traveled to South India and met Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, and The Mother. He was widely respected in India for his spiritual insight and had many Indian devotees. The president of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, hailed him as a great soul after his death.

Krishna Prem wrote several books, including The Search for Truth, Initiation into Yoga, The Yoga of the Bhagavat Gita, and The Yoga of the Kathopanishad. He remained at Mirtola for the rest of his life and died there in 1965. His final words were “my ship is sailing.” His samadhi mandir (final resting place) stands at Mirtola.