Paramahansa Yogananda

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Paramahansa Yogananda Quick Facts

Main Areas: Spirituality; Eastern Religion
Best Sellers: “Autobiography of a Yogi”
Career Focus: Author; Lecturer; Philosopher; Yogi; 1893-1952
Affiliation: Self-Realization Fellowship

Paramahansa Yogananda was a world teacher and one of the greatest emissaries to the West of India’s ancient wisdom. His mission in the West was to spread the knowledge of Yoga practices, by which man can enter into union with God. In 1917, Yogananda began his life’s work with the founding of a school for boys, where modern educational methods were combined with yoga training and instruction in spiritual ideals.

In 1920, Yogananda was invited to serve as India’s delegate at a meeting with the International Congress of Religions in Boston. His address to the Congress on “The Science of Religion” was well-received. As a lecturer, Yogananda emphasized the underlying unity of the world’s great religions and taught methods for attaining direct personal experience with God.

Yogananda founded Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920 to make available the universal teachings of Kriya Yoga, a sacred spiritual science originating millenniums ago in India. Today, the Self-Realization Fellowship has hundreds of centers throughout the world. Yogananda is also a best-selling author. His life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, is widely regarded as a modern spiritual classic.

Other Programs & Highlights

In 1924, Yogananda began a decade-long series of lecture tours in which he spoke to capacity audiences and met with such notable figures of the time as President Calvin Coolidge, horticulturist Luther Burbank, symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski, and Kodak camera inventor George Eastman.

In 1935, Yogananda began an 18-month tour of Europe and India, where he spoke and met with Mahatma Gandhi, Nobel-prize-winning physicist Sir C. V. Raman, and some of India’s renowned spiritual figures. During this time, Swami Sri Yukteswar bestowed on Yogananda India’s highest spiritual title—“Paramahansa”—which signifies one who manifests the supreme state of unbroken communion with God.

In 1977, on the 25th anniversary of the passing of Paramahansa Yogananda, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in his honor.

Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from Paramahansa Yogananda

• We are all part of the One Spirit. When you experience the true meaning of religion, which is to know God, you will realize that He is your Self, and that He exists equally and impartially in all beings. (Man’s Eternal Quest)

• Only those who partake of the harmony within their souls know the harmony that runs through nature. (Journey to Self-Realization)

• The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success. (The Law of Success)

• Do not take life’s experiences too seriously. Above all, do not let them hurt you, for in reality they are nothing but dream experiences. …If circumstances are bad and you have to bear them, do not make them a part of yourself. Play your part in life, but never forget it is only a role. What you lose in the world will not be a loss to your soul. Trust in God and destroy fear, which paralyzes all efforts to succeed and attracts the very things you fear. (Spiritual Diary)

• This life is a master novel, written by God, and man would go crazy if he tries to understand it by reason alone. That is why I tell you to meditate more. Enlarge the magic cup of your intuition and then you will be able to hold the ocean of infinite wisdom. (Savings of Paramahansa Yogananda)

• To have any color prejudice is to discriminate against God, who is sitting in the hearts of all the red, white, yellow, olive, and black peoples of the world. (Man’s Eternal Quest)

• True friends want nothing from you except the joy of your presence. ...No matter what you do, they will always be your friend. (Journey to Self-Realization)

Getting Started With Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda’s book, Autobiography of a Yogi, continues to attract countless readers seeking authoritative insight into metaphysical truths and Eastern Religion. Clearly it is the place to get started. Originally introduced in book form, it is now also available as an audio collection narrated by Ben Kingsley.

The book is popular because it has introduced millions of readers to Eastern spiritual thought. The yogi begins by sharing information on his childhood and continues with information on his training. The book concludes with details about his time living and teaching in the United States. Yogananda describes and interprets his spiritual evolution and provides an insightful look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence. An example of his clear writing style can be found below:

The science of Kriya Yoga, mentioned so often in these pages, became widely known in modern India through the instrumentality of Lahiri Mahasaya, my guru’s guru. The Sanskrit root of Kriya is kri, to do, to act and react; the same root is found in the word karma, the natural principle of cause and effect. Kriya Yoga is thus “union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite.” A yogi who faithfully follows its technique is gradually freed from karma or the universal chain of causation.

Kriya Yoga is a simple, psychophysiological method by which the human blood is decarbonized and recharged with oxygen. The atoms of this extra oxygen are transmuted into life current to rejuvenate the brain and spinal centers. By stopping the accumulation of venous blood, the yogi is able to lessen or prevent the decay of tissues; the advanced yogi transmutes his cells into pure energy. Elijah, Jesus, Kabir, and other prophets were past masters in the use of Kriya or a similar technique, by which they caused their bodies to dematerialize at will.

When Autobiography of a Yogi was originally published in 1946, Newsweek called it “fascinating.” The New York Times described it as a “rare account.” The book is still popular 50 years after its publication because of the value that it provides.