Born in Chennai, then known as Madras, to famous Malayali writer Munshi Paramu Pillai and Retnamayi Devi. He got his surname, Dixit, from his stepfather Sitaram Dixit, a freedom fighter and journalist.^[5]

He did his schooling in Central India, Rajasthan and Delhi. thereafter he did BA Honours Degree in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science the Zakir Husain College (University of Delhi) (1952 Batch),^[6] then he did his Master's in international law and international relations from Delhi University, and pursued studies for Doctoral Degree at the Indian School of International Studies, now part of Jawaharlal Nehru University.^[7]

He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1958, and served in Vienna, Austria. He became India's Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh (1971–74) after its liberation. Subsequently, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassies in Tokyo and Washington, followed by Ambassador in Chile, Mexico (1960-1961 3rd Secretary), Japan, Australia, Afghanistan (1980–85); High Commissioner Sri Lanka (1985–89) and Pakistan (1989–91). He was Chief administrator of Indian aid in Bhutan.^[1]

He later served as the Indian Foreign Secretary from 1991 and ultimately retired from Government service in 1994. He was also a representative of India to the UN, UNIDO, UNESCO, ILO and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He was a member of the first National Security Advisory Board. He was also the author of several books. He was the High Commissioner in Colombo in 1987 when India signed an accord with Sri Lanka government and deployed of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to the Tamil area in the island nation at the height of ethnic crisis.

He succeeded to the post of the National Security Advisor in 2004.^[8] His columns on international and regional affairs, appeared regularly in various publications including Outlook and Indian Express.^[9] He remained a visiting lecturer at many educational institutions.^[10]

J N Dixit, died on 3 January 2005, in New Delhi, after suffering a heart attack. He was married to Vijaya Lakshmi Dixit (née Sundaram) and had five children, Ashok Dixit married to Mandakini Dixit (née Haldipurkar), Rahul Dixit married to Rupa Dixit(née Thakkar), Aabha Dixit married V. B (Anand) Dhavle, Dipa Dixit married to Rajiv Shakdher and the late Dhruv Dixit, who died in 2002. His grandchildren are Sanghamitra Dixit, Sumiran and Sagiri Dixit, Jaidev and Abhishek Dhavle and Vasudhaa Shakdher. He married a second time. He was the first National Security Advisor who died in office.^[11][12]

India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, was posthumously conferred on J N Dixit in 2005.^[13]

• Self in Autumn, 1982 (collection of poems)
• Anatomy of a Flawed Inheritance: A Survey of Indo–Pak Relations 1970–94, Konark Publishers, 1995
• My South Block Years, UBS publi
• Assignment Colombo, Konark Publishers, 1997.
• Across Borders: Fifty Years of India's Foreign Policy, PICUS Publishers. 1998.
• Liberation and Beyond: Indo-Bangladesh Relations 1971–99, Konark Publishers. 1999.
• An Afghom: Diary-Zahir Shah to Taliban, Konark Publishers, 2000.
• Indian Foreign Policies and its Neighbours, Gyan Books, New Delhi, 2001. ISBN 81-212-0726-6.
• India’s Foreign Policy—challenge Of Terrorism Fashioning Interstate Equations, by Gyan Books, 2003. ISBN 81-212-0785-1
• External Affairs. Roli Books, 2003. ISBN 81-7436-264-9.
• Indian Foreign Service: History And Challenge. Konark Publishers, 2005. ISBN 81-220-0694-9.

• National Security Council
• Navtej Sarna
• Taranjit Singh Sandhu
• Harsh Vardhan Shringla

• J.N. Dixit, Official biography Indian Embassy
• J. N. Dixit Columns at Outlook
• A Mission in Jaffna & the Memories of War-Torn Jaffna