Krishna Nair came from Kerala; Meher Baba Travels gives his birthplace as Kallur village in Palghat District. In October 1939, when Baba had established his ashram at the estate known as the Links in Bangalore, Jalbhai found this young Kerala boy working in a humble restaurant and brought him to Baba. Seeing him, Baba remarked, "You have a past connection with me," and Krishna was appointed to serve Baba personally. In 1940 at Meherabad, when Baba asked the Bangalore boys what they wanted in life, the others asked for farming, business or a tonga, but Krishna replied, "I want you, Baba!"
For years Krishna was Baba's night watchman, a duty in which one had to sit as still as a statue, at times through the whole night. In 1942 at Dehra Dun, after he had rudely rebuffed a schoolgirl, Krishna insisted to Baba that he would never marry. Baba told him he would marry and have a son, and had him write in his own blood the pledge "I will not marry," which Vishnu kept. In 1946, on leave to see his mother for the first time in nine years, Krishna found her pressing him to marry; Baba wired, "Obey your mother's words," and the wedding took place twelve days later. In 1949, when news came that a son had been born, Baba had the blood pledge brought out before the mandali.
In November 1947, after he struck the servant boy Chandrabhan in Baba's absence, Krishna was sent home to South India, where he lived until 1949. Before the New Life began, Baba sent him instead on a pilgrimage to temples and shrines of all religions throughout India, which took about seven and a half months; afterwards Krishna joined the police force. In 1951 an errand took him to Hyderabad, where Baba was staying. Baba asked him, "Are you willing to come and stay with me again?" Krishna quit his job and rejoined Baba, again keeping night watch in Dehra Dun, Mahabaleshwar and Satara.
In 1955 at Satara a school superintendent wrongly suspected Krishna over a letter sent to one of her pupils. Baba told her that he knew Krishna had done nothing wrong but would send him home anyway, and he told Krishna, "I know you have done nothing wrong but I am sending you away for my own reasons. I will always have my nazar on you and help you internally." After that Krishna was never again kept as a permanent member of the mandali, though Baba called him back on various occasions, such as the 1955 sahavas programs. In March 1957 Baba urgently sent him a telegram: "Don't worry. I am with you. I will never abandon you. Love, Baba."
In 1968 Krishna came unannounced to Meherazad; Baba saw him alone and told him he would not see him for a long, long time. It was their last physical meeting. When Baba dropped his body on 31 January 1969, Krishna arrived at Ahmednagar at midnight and walked the several miles to Meherabad, where he lost consciousness on seeing Baba's body. In 1989 he came back to live at Meherabad, but failing health later took him home to Kerala, where he lived with his daughter until his death on 1 October 2003.
