Paramahansa Yogananda

Lore & Background

Yogananda was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, to a Hindu Bengali Kayastha family. He was the fourth of eight children. His father was Bhagabati Charan Ghosh, vice president of Bengal-Nagpur Railway, and his mother was Gyanprabha Devi. According to his younger brother Sananda, Mukunda's spiritual awareness was far beyond the ordinary from his earliest years. At age 11, his mother died, leaving him a sacred amulet given by a holy man. After finishing high school, he joined a Mahamandal Hermitage in Varanasi but soon became dissatisfied. In 1910, at age 17, he met his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri; at that time his amulet mysteriously vanished. He trained under Sri Yukteswar for the next ten years (1910–1920) at hermitages in Serampore and Puri. In July 1915, after graduating from Serampore College, he took formal vows into the monastic Swami order, choosing the name Swami Yogananda Giri. In 1917, he founded a school for boys in Dihika, West Bengal, which later moved to Ranchi and became the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.

Reader's Guide

Paramahansa Yogananda was among the first Indian religious teachers to settle in the United States and the first prominent Indian to be hosted in the White House (by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927). His early acclaim led the Los Angeles Times to dub him 'the 20th century's first superstar guru.' He published Autobiography of a Yogi in 1946 to critical and commercial acclaim; it has sold over four million copies and was listed by Harper San Francisco as one of the '100 best spiritual books of the 20th Century.' Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs ordered 500 copies for each guest at his memorial, and it was one of Elvis Presley's favorite books. The book is known as 'the book that changed the lives of millions.' A documentary about his life, Awake: The Life of Yogananda, was released in 2014. Biographer Phillip Goldberg considers him 'the best known and most beloved of all Indian spiritual teachers who have come to the West.' His 'plain living and high thinking' principles attracted people from all backgrounds. As of 2012, SRF had groups in nearly every major American city. He remains a leading figure in Western spirituality.

Did You Know?

• Yogananda was the first prominent Indian to be hosted in the White House, by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
• His autobiography, Autobiography of a Yogi, has sold over four million copies and was listed among the '100 best spiritual books of the 20th Century.'
• Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs ordered 500 copies of Autobiography of a Yogi for each guest at his memorial.
• Yogananda was dubbed 'the 20th century's first superstar guru' by the Los Angeles Times.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Paramahansa Yogananda (परमहंस योगानन्‍द; January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952), born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, was an Indian yogi and guru who was instrumental in bringing Kriya Yoga to the West." — Paramahansa Yogananda "Thou art I, I am Thou,Knowing, Knower, Known, as One!" — Paramahansa Yogananda "Grosser light vanishes into eternal raysOf all-pervading Cosmic Joy.From Joy we come,For Joy we live,In the sacred Joy we melt." — Paramahansa Yogananda "Love is the song of the soul, singing to God." — Paramahansa Yogananda