Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian saint and yogi who introduced the ancient teachings of Kriya Yoga to the world. He is often regarded as “the Father of Yoga in the West.” More than a century after his birth, Yogananda is still considered among the greatest emissaries of ancient Indian wisdom in the world. His work touched the lives of millions from various faiths, backgrounds, races, and nationalities.

Yogananda’s famous “Autobiography of a Yogi” continues to inspire and attract spiritual seekers to India’s ancient practice of Kriya Yoga and the underlying universal unity among the world’s greatest religions.

Early Life

On 5^th January 1893, Yogananda was born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh State, to a well-to-do and spiritually inclined Hindu family. His father, Bhagabati Charan Ghosh, was an executive at Bengal-Nagpur Railway and his mother was Gyana Prabha Ghosh. Both were sincere disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, a renowned Kriya Yoga master in India. The fourth of eight children, his parents named him Mukunda Lal Ghosh.

Yogananda’s parents, Bhagabati Charan Ghosh (left) and Gyana Prabha Ghosh (right)

When Yogananda was still an infant, his mother had two unusual experiences. The first occurred when she brought the baby Yogananda with her to an audience with Lahiri Mahasaya. Her spiritual teacher placed the infant in his lap and then predicted Yogananda’s extraordinary future:

“Little mother, thy son will be a yogi. As a spiritual engine, he will carry many souls to God’s kingdom.”

Source: om-guru.com

Yogananda when he was six years old

The second unusual event occurred when a wandering sadhu visited and foretold that a silver amulet would miraculously materialise in Yogananda’s mother’s hand during a meditation session and that she would die young. The sadhu also advised Yogananda’s mother to arrange for the amulet to be passed to Yogananda one year after her death.

When Yogananda reached the tender age of 11, the sadhu’s prediction came true. His profound grief over his mother’s passing sparked his interest in the practice of spiritual discipline and the path of self-realisation.

A year later, one of Yogananda’s brothers revealed that their mother had entrusted him with an amulet before she died. True to her instructions, he gave it to Yogananda a year after her passing. When Yogananda received it, he was overwhelmed by the experience of a “blaze of illumination” [Source: om-guru.com] and the awakening of many dormant memories. He was convinced that the powerful magical silver amulet was a gift from the teachers of his former lives.

The young Yogananda with one of his brothers, Ananta

Yogananda’s spiritual inclination was apparent to those around him from an early age. One of his younger siblings, Sananda, recalled that “from his earliest years, young Mukunda’s awareness and experience of the spiritual was far beyond the ordinary.” [Source: poemhunter.com]

Yogananda is said to have possessed psychic powers as a child. He had little interest in his secular education and always tried to find ways to do as little academic work as possible. At one point, while he was still in college, he decided to go to the Himalayas on a pilgrimage. However, one of his brothers found out and brought him back home.

Meeting His Teacher and Spiritual Training

In his quest to find a spiritual guide, Yogananda visited many holy men in India. This search eventually led him to meet with his true master, Swami Yukteswar Giri, in 1910. For Yogananda, the meeting with Giri was like rekindling an old relationship, one that encompassed many lifetimes.

“We entered a oneness of silence; words seemed the rankest superfluities. Eloquence flowed in soundless chant from heart of master to disciple. With an antenna of irrefragable insight I sensed that my guru knew God, and would lead me to Him. The obscuration of this life disappeared in a fragile dawn of prenatal memories. Dramatic time! Past, present, and future are its cycling scenes. This was not the first sun to find me at these holy feet!”

Source: Wikipedia.org

At their first meeting, Giri predicted that Yogananda’s great destiny would be to spread the ancient practice of Kriya Yoga in the United States and other places in the world.

“Some day you will go to the West. Its people will lend ears more receptive to India’s ancient wisdom if the strange Hindu teacher has a university degree.”

Source: hindustantimes.com

Yogananda was 17 years old and still in Serampore College when he met his master. Fortunately, the college was close to his master’s Serampore ashram. He would study intensively under Giri’s loving but strict guidance for the next 10 years.

The 16-year-old Yogananda

Known as “the mad monk” among his schoolmates because he spent more time on his meditation practice and spiritual work than on his studies, Yogananda called his graduation in 1915 a miracle. He attributed his academic success to Giri who often took the necessary steps to ensure Yogananda passed his examinations.

Once done with school, he entered the Swami Order where he was given the name Yogananda. “Yoga” means “divine union”, and “Ananda” means “bliss”. He became known as Swami Yogananda Giri.

The practice of Kriya Yoga that Yogananda received from Swami Yukteswar Giri had the following spiritual lineage:

Mahavatar Babaji

Mahavatar Babaji was a great master who lived in the Himalayas. He was responsible for reviving the practice of Kriya Yoga that had previously been lost “due to priestly secrecy and man’s indifference.” “Mahavatar” means “the great avatar”, and “Babaji” means “the revered father”.

It is said that Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Babaji and told him that his followers had forgotten how to commune with him through meditation. Jesus advised Babaji “to send someone to the West to remind his people that the goal of life is to become one with God through inner communion.” [Source: paramhansayogananda.com]

That person was Yogananda. One of Mahavatar Babaji’s chief disciples was Lahiri Mahasaya.

Lahiri Mahasaya (1828–1895)

Lahiri Mahasaya worked as an accountant by day and taught his disciples by night. He is known for spreading the Kriya Yoga meditation practice that was previously only known to those who were spiritually advanced. Lahiri Mahasaya taught Yukteswar Giri and both of Yogananda’s parents.

Yukteswar Giri (1855-1936)

Yukteswar Giri was a renowned disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya and a great Kriya Yoga master in his own right. He was known both for his strict discipline and as Yogananda’s teacher.

Mahavatar Babaji (left), Lahiri Mahasaya (middle), and Yukteswar Giri (right)

Yogananda’s Spiritual Experiences

Yukteswar Giri’s seaside hermitage in Puri

Under Yukteswar Giri’s loving guidance, Yogananda’s Kriya Yoga practice flourished. He spent the majority of his time in his master’s ashram doing intensive meditation practice. During this time, Yogananda went to the Himalayan mountains without his teacher’s permission. Realising his mistake, he returned to his teacher’s ashram and apologised. After this incident, he continued his meditation practice, but had difficulties controlling his thoughts.

Through his clairvoyance, Yukteswar Giri knew the challenges that Yogananda was going through and called Yogananda to see him. Yukteswar Giri expressed his sympathies and assured Yogananda that he would achieve his heart’s desire. The great master then struck Yogananda on his chest just above the heart, giving him an extraordinary experience:

“My body became immovably rooted; breath was drawn out of my lungs as if by some strange magnet. Soul and mind instantly lost their physical bondage and streamed out like a fluid piercing light from my every pore. The flesh was as though dead, yet in my intense awareness, I knew that I had never been so fully alive. My sense of identity was no longer narrowly confined to a body but embraced the circumambient atoms.”

Source: om-guru.com

The Long-Awaited Vision

In 1917, Yogananda established a school for boys, called Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya, in Dihika, West Bengal. The school curriculum was unique because it combined academic education with spiritual ideals and yoga training. Within a year, his work impressed the Maharajah of Kasimbazar so much that he decided to gift Yogananda his summer palace and 25 acres of land at Ranchi, which is about 250 miles from Calcutta. The school relocated to Ranchi where Mahatma Gandhi visited several years later and made his famous remark, “This institution has deeply impressed my mind.” [Source: awaken.com]

Three years later, Yogananda received a divine vision while meditating on the school premises that told him it was time to start his work in the West. He immediately left for Calcutta where he received an invitation to join an Indian delegation that would participate in the International Congress of Religions in Boston later that year.

Sensing that this would be an important start for his mission, Yogananda checked with his teacher, Yukteswar Giri, who confirmed Yogananda’s conviction and said, “All doors are open for you. It is now or never.” [Source: yogananda-srf.org]

Before he left for Boston, Mahavatar Babaji appeared to him in a vision and said:

“You are the one I have chosen to spread the message of Kriya Yoga in the West. Long ago I met your guru Yukteswar at a Kumbha Mela; I told him then I would send you to him for training. Kriya Yoga, the scientific technique of God-realisation, will ultimately spread in all lands, and aid in harmonising the nations through man’s personal, transcendental perception of the Infinite Father.”

Source: awaken.com

Later that year, Yogananda sailed to the United States with his teacher’s blessing to fulfil his destiny.

A group of Ranchi students and teachers with the Maharaja of Kasimbazar (centre, in white). The Maharajah of Kasimbazar gave Yogananda his summer palace and 25 acres of land at Ranchi, for his school, Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya.

The central building of the Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya at Ranchi, Bihar.

Spreading Eastern Spirituality in the West

A ship named City of Sparta brought Yogananda to Boston where he gave his maiden speech on the Science of Religion. A naturally gifted orator, Yogananda’s address was very well-received. In that same year, Yogananda established the Self-Realization Fellowship in Boston with the help of his earliest students in the United States, Dr M. W. Lewis and his wife, and Mrs Alice Hassey. The objective of the Self-Realization Fellowship was to spread the practice and teachings of ancient Indian meditation and yoga.

Yogananda (centre) and the other delegates at the International Congress of Religions in Boston

Yogananda wrote that the objectives of the Self-Realization Fellowship and Yogoda Satsanga Society are:

• To disseminate among the nations a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God.
• To teach that the purpose of life is the evolution, through self-effort, of man’s limited mortal consciousness into God Consciousness; and to this end to establish Self-Realization Fellowship temples for God-communion throughout the world, and to encourage the establishment of individual temples of God in the homes and in the hearts of men.
• To reveal the complete harmony and basic oneness of original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and original Yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna; and to show that these principles of truth are the common scientific foundation of all true religions.
• To point out the one divine highway to which all paths of true religious beliefs eventually lead: the highway of daily, scientific, devotional meditation on God.
• To liberate man from his threefold suffering: physical disease, mental inharmonies, and spiritual ignorance.
• To encourage “plain living and high thinking”; and to spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples by teaching the eternal basis of their unity: kinship with God.
• To demonstrate the superiority of mind over body, of soul over mind.
• To overcome evil by good, sorrow by joy, cruelty by kindness, ignorance by wisdom.
• To unite science and religion through realisation of the unity of their underlying principles.
• To advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West, and the exchange of their finest distinctive features.
• To serve mankind as one’s larger Self.

Source: Wikipedia.org

A poster to promote Swami Yogananda’s lecture at the Philharmonic Auditorium.

Yogananda’s work in the United States grew at an unprecedented rate. For the first three years, Yogananda mainly taught on the East Coast. In 1924, Yogananda began a cross-continental teaching tour. In 1925, Yogananda established the international headquarters of the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, which served as the administrative and spiritual heart of his work.

Yogananda became a very renowned and famous teacher in the United States. He spoke in the largest auditoriums available such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Wherever he went, venues overflowed with eager attendees. The Los Angeles Times published an article after his talk at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium:

“The Philharmonic Auditorium presents the extraordinary spectacle of thousands… being turned away an hour before the advertised opening of a lecture with the 3000-seat hall filled to its utmost capacity. Swami Yogananda is the attraction. A Hindu invading the United States to bring God in the midst of a Christian community, preaching the essence of Christian doctrine.”

Source: yogananda.com.au

The attendees at Yogananda’s lecture at the Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles

Yogananda and the attendees of his lecture in New York.

Yogananda’s teachings were appealing because, instead of discriminating, he emphasised the unity of the world’s main religions and introduced universal methods for the audience to attain the direct experience of God. He believed that the teaching of Yoga could be found in the scriptures of all religions. For example, the Ten Commandments were seen as the beginning of Pantajali’s Yoga. He was familiar with the Christian scriptures and could effortlessly quote the New and Old Testaments as well as Indian religious texts.

Rituals did not get much emphasis in Yogananda’s teachings. He was even known to speak in the vernacular, to use language that was easily understood by the laypeople, and to never impose his ideas on others. He also advised on the art of achieving balanced well-being and health for the mind, body, and soul.

Yogananda and his disciples

Celebrities and notable personalities flocked to him. Some of his followers include the operatic soprano Amelita Galli-Curci, Mark Twain’s daughter Clara Clemens Gabrilowitsch, the tenor Vladimir Rosing, horticulturist Luther Burbank, the inventor of the Kodak camera George Eastman, symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski, and the poet Edwin Markham.

In 1927, newspaper reports on Yogananda attracted the attention of the then President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, who invited him to the White House for a meeting. In 1929, Yogananda expanded his reach to South America. During a two-month trip to Mexico, he was welcomed by none other than the then President of Mexico, Dr Emilio Portes Gil, who was an admirer of Yogananda’s teachings.

Yogananda and the President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge

Yogananda and the President of Mexico, Dr Emilio Portes Gil

Although based in the United States, Yogananda continued to travel widely to spread the spirit of spirituality in the American continent and Europe. Wherever he went, he emphasised the underlying unity of the world’s great religions and introduced the ancient techniques of Kriya Yoga. He also encouraged harmony between nationalities, races, and religions.

Yogananda before one of his classes in Washington D.C. There were approximately one thousand attendees at this lecture.

Yogananda’s work in the United States thrived because of devoted students who dedicated their lives to nurturing the Self-Realization Fellowship, such as:

• Dr M. W. Lewis and his wife. They met Yogananda in Boston in 1920 and helped him establish the first Self-Realization Fellowship.
• Rajarsi Janakananda (James J Lynn), who met Yogananda in Kansas City in 1932. He was appointed Yogananda’s successor after his passing.
• Sri Daya Mata, who began attending Yogananda’s teachings in Salt Lake City in the early 1930s and took on the responsibility of recording Yogananda’s informal talks, classes, and lectures so that they would be available for many generations to come.
• Gyanamata, who met Yogananda in Seattle in 1924.
• Tara Mata, who met Yogananda in San Francisco in 1924.
• Durga Mata, who met Yogananda in Detroit in 1929.
• Ananda Mata, who met Yogananda in Salt Lake City in 1931.
• Sraddha Mata, who met Yogananda in Tacoma in 1933.
• Sailasuta Mata, who met Yogananda in Santa Barbara in 1933.

Yogananda and one of his devoted disciples, Sri Daya Mata.

Due to the efforts of his students, the Self-Realization Fellowship grew at an astonishing rate. Its beautiful headquarters, built on 12 acres of land in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles, include buildings for resident monks and a printing facility. His students also established Self-Realization Fellowship temples in various cities in California: Hollywood (1942), San Diego (1943), and Long Beach (1947).

The Self-Realization Fellowship’s beautiful headquarters, built on 12 acres of land in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles.

The Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Hollywood, California.

VIDEO: The Purpose of Life

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Visit to India

In 1935, Yogananda went on an 18-month visit to India, mainly to pay homage to his master Yukteswar Giri and to expand the Yogoda Satsanga Society (previously known as Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya). For this journey, he travelled by automobile and ship, which took him through Europe, Palestine, and Egypt, before finally arriving in Mumbai in the summer of the same year.

Yukteswar Giri was pleased with Yogananda’s achievements and bestowed him with the religious title of “Paramahansa” which means “the supreme swan”. This title indicates the highest spiritual attainment because the sacred swan is believed to have the extraordinary power of extracting pure milk from a mixture of water and milk.

Yogananda in Egypt with his travel companions, Mr Wright and Miss Bletch

Yogananda and his teacher, Yukteswar Giri

During this visit, Yogananda met with various wise men and saints of India. They include:

• Mahatma Gandhi – India’s social and independence activist;
• Ramana Maharisi – a Hindu sage;
• Sri Anandamayi Ma – a Bengali saint and spiritual leader;
• Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman – a renowned physicist;
• Sir C. V. Raman – a physicist and a Nobel Laureate; and
• Several students of Lahiri Mahasaya.

Yogananda and Mahatma Gandhi enjoying a quiet lunch in August 1935

Yogananda and Sri Anandamayi Ma, a Bengali saint and spiritual leader

During this trip, Yogananda also consolidated his work in his native land with the Yogoda Satsanga Society as its primary vehicle. He gave various classes, teaching sessions, and Kriya Yoga initiations in a few Indian cities. One of his famous initiates was Mahatma Gandhi.

After witnessing the success of his devout disciple, while Yogananda was visiting Calcutta, Yukteswar Giri attained mahasamadhi in Puri. Mahasamadhi means the greatest of meditations, one that is carried out at the time of death and leads the person to complete communion with God, free of the mortal shackles of the physical body.

Today, Yogananda’s legacy survives in India through the Yogoda Satsanga Society. The original boys-only school has expanded to include a kindergarten, a girls’ school, a medical dispensary, a music school, an arts and crafts school, a college, meditation centres, ashrams, charitable works, and a college for homoeopathic medicine.

The last Solstice Festival that Yogananda celebrated with his teacher, Yukteswar Giri in December 1935. Yukteswar Giri is seated in the centre and Yogananda is seated on his right. The celebration took place in the large courtyard of his hermitage in Serampore.

A Student’s Gift for Yogananda

While Yogananda was in India, his devoted student, Rajarsi Janakananda, built a beautiful temple on 23 acres of land in Encinitas, California, for his beloved teacher. The Encinitas Hermitage, with its incredible view of the Pacific Ocean, would become the place where Yogananda spent most of his time when he returned from India.

Today, this beautiful complex remains one of Yogananda’s many legacies and continues to hold various Self-Realization Fellowship retreat programs.

Aerial view of the Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage in Encinitas, California.

Preparing for the Future Generation

Yogananda returned to the United States in late 1936. There was a noticeable change after his return as Yogananda started to focus on preparations for the future and the preservation of his teachings. Instead of going on teaching tours and delivering public lectures, Yogananda concentrated on his writing and building a foundation for the spiritual work of both the Yogoda Satsanga Society and the Self-Realization Fellowship. Together with his close disciples, he prepared instructions for classes and materials for home study. At the same time, he also worked on his seminal work “Autobiography of a Yogi” and other books.

Despite his heavy workload, Yogananda continued to give regular teachings to Self-Realization Fellowship members on various spiritual subjects. His devoted student, Sri Daya Mata, faithfully recorded all these teachings using a stenographic method. These talks would later be published as a three-volume book called “Yogananda’s Collected Talks and Essays” and in Self-Realization magazines.

VIDEO: Removing All Sorrows from Life (in Yogananda’s Voice)

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VIDEO: Removing Suffering (in Yogananda’s Voice)

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Autobiography of a Yogi

Yogananda’s landmark work “Autobiography of a Yogi” was published in 1946. It became an immediate bestseller and a spiritual classic. A panel of spiritual authors considered “Autobiography of a Yogi” as one of the “100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century.” [Source: Wikipedia.org]

The book described Yogananda’s various experiences and meetings with renowned personalities such as Nobel Laureate in literature Rabindranath Tagore, plant scientist Luther Burbank, Mahatma Gandhi, Therese Neumann, Nobel Laureate in physics C. V. Raman, and Indian scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose.

In the chapter titled “The Law of Miracles”, Yogananda explained the appearances of miraculous occurrences and gave hope to many when he wrote that “the word ‘impossible’ is becoming less prominent in man’s vocabulary.”

The book has been in continuous print since it was first published. It has sold more than four million copies and has been translated into 34 languages. Philip Goldberg, American author of “American Veda”, wrote:

“The Self-Realization Fellowship which represents Yogananda’s Legacy, is justified in using the slogan, “The Book that Changed the Lives of Millions.” It has sold more than four million copies and counting”.

Source: Wikipedia.org

“Autobiography of a Yogi” is a timeless book that continues to inspire. Fans of the book include famous modern personalities like Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, and Steve Jobs. It is said that Mr Jobs read “Autobiography of a Yogi” when he was a teenager and made a habit of re-reading it again each year. Before he passed away in 2011, Mr Jobs arranged for copies of the book to be distributed to those who attended his funeral.

The Great Master’s Final Years

Yogananda spent the final years of his life completing his writings.

Yogananda spent his final years in seclusion together with his close disciples. He concentrated on completing his writings, which included commentaries on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bhagavad Gita. He believed that, “I can do much more now to reach others with my pen.” [Source: Wikipedia.org]

To his close disciples, like Sri Mrinalini Mata, Sri Daya Mata, and a few others, Yogananda provided guidance on how they should carry on with the work he had started once he was gone. He advised:

“My body shall pass but my work shall go on. And my spirit shall live on. Even when I am taken away I shall work with you all for the deliverance of the world with the message of God.

Those who have come to Self Realization Fellowship truly seeking inward spiritual help shall receive what they seek from God. Whether they come while I am in the body, or afterward, the power of God through the link of the SRF Gurus shall flow into the devotees just the same, and shall be the cause of their salvation… The ever living Babaji has promised to guard and guide the progress of all sincere SRF devotees. Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswarji, who have left their physical forms, and I myself, even after I have left the body — all will ever protect and direct the sincere members of SRF YSS.”

Source: yogananda-srf.org

The year 1950 marked two significant occasions for Yogananda and the Self-Realization Fellowship:

• The Self-Realization Fellowship established a beautiful ten-acre lake shrine in the Pacific Palisades in California. Yogananda enshrined a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes in the meditation gardens in the complex.
• The first ever Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation was held at its headquarters in Los Angeles. This annual event continues to attract thousands of spiritual seekers every year from around the world.

The Passing of a Great Master

Yogananda after he entered Mahasamadhi

On 7^th March 1952, Yogananda attended an event at the Biltmore Hotel to honour India’s ambassador to the United States, Binay Ranjan Sen, where he delivered a memorable speech:

“I am proud that I was born in India. I am proud that we have a great ambassador representing my spiritual India. Somewhere between the two great civilisations of efficient America and spiritual India lies the answer for a model world civilisation.”

Source: thebetterindia.com

This picture of Yogananda was taken approximately an hour before he passed away.

He then proceeded to read several lines from his poem, “My India” and concluded with the words “Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God — I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.” [Source: Wikipedia.org] He then slid to the floor with a beautiful smile on his face. The official cause of death was heart failure. In truth, the great master Paramahansa Yogananda had entered mahasamadhi.

A notarised letter from the director of Forest Lawn Memorial Park stated that Yogananda’s body showed no sign of deterioration although 20 days had passed since his death. The extraordinary phenomenon was reported in various magazines and periodicals, including TIME magazine. The Indian ambassador Binay Ranjan Sen who witnessed Yogananda’s final moments paid homage to the great master in his tribute:

“He was born in India, he lived for India, and he died with the name of India on his lips.”

Source: hindustantimes.com

Rajarsi Janakananda

Yogananda’s funeral service was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters in Mount Washington in Los Angeles. Rajarsi Janakananda presided over the ritual of “releasing the body to God.” His remains were interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Great Mausoleum in Glendale, California. His tomb remains accessible to visitors who wish to pay homage to him.

Indian Commemorative Stamp

In March 1977, the Indian government issued a commemorative stamp in honour of Yogananda:

“The ideal of love for God and service to humanity found full expression in the life of Paramahansa Yogananda. Though the major part of his life was spent outside India, still, he takes his place among our great saints. His work continues to grow and shine ever more brightly, drawing people everywhere on the path of the pilgrimage of the Spirit.”

Source: Wikipedia.org

On 7^th March 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released another commemorative stamp to honour the 100^th anniversary of the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India and to appreciate Yogananda’s work in “spreading the message of India’s spirituality in foreign shores.” [Source: Wikipedia.org]

Tribute by Ram Nath Kovind, President of India

In November 2017, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, visited the Ranchi Ashram of the Yogoda Satsanga Society for the official release of the Hindi translation of one of Yogananda’s books titled “God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita”. On this occasion, the President paid tribute to Yogananda:

“Paramahansa Yogananda’s message is a message of spirituality. Going beyond the confines of religion, his is a message of respecting all religions; his perspective is of world brotherhood. … Paramahansa Yogananda has also deeply impressed today’s young generation, which is surrounded by materialism and competition. Achieving prosperity and success on an international level amidst fierce struggle, many young people credit their accomplishments to Paramahansaji’s Autobiography of a Yogi. This is a very renowned book, and I think most of you have read it; I too have had that opportunity. This book illumines the right course for all to follow in life.”

Source: Wikipedia.org

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, visited the Ranchi Ashram of the Yogoda Satsanga Society for the official release of the Hindi translation of one of Yogananda’s books titled “God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita” in November 2017.

Award-Winning Documentary

Yogananda’s life story was immortalised in the award-winning documentary, “Awake: The Life of Yogananda”. The documentary features beautiful recreations of events from Yogananda’s life and interviews with many of his admirers such as sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, the new age spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, and the lead guitarist of the Beatles, George Harrison.

VIDEO: Awake (Trailer)

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Recommended Reading (Free Download)

Autobiography of a Yogi (click to download PDF)

Yogananda for the World (click to download PDF)

Paramhansa Yogananda: History, Life, Mission (click to download PDF)

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

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