Paramahansa Yogananda 143475 225244380 2008-07-12T17:40:16Z Nvineeth 298260 /* Autobiography of a Yogi */ {{Infobox Person | name=''Paramahansa Yogananda''| image=Aycover.jpg| image_size = 208px | dead=dead | birth_date= 5 January 1893| <!-- do not add flag icons to place of birth/death, per [[Wikipedia:Don't overuse flags]] --> birth_place= Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India| death_date= 7 March 1952| death_place= Los Angeles, California, U.S.}} '''Paramahansa Yogananda''' ([[Bengali language|Bengali]]: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ ''Pôromohôngsho Joganondo'', [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]: परमहंस योगानं‍द ''Paramahaṃsa Yogānaṃda''; [[January 5]], [[1893]]&ndash;[[March 7]], [[1952]]), born '''Mukunda Lal Ghosh''' (Bengali: মুকুন্দ লাল ঘোষ ''Mukundo Lal Ghosh''), was an [[India]]n [[yoga|yogi]] and [[guru]] who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and [[Kriya Yoga]] through his book, ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi]]''.<ref>Bowden, p. 629</ref> ===Youth=== [[Image:Yoganandaatsix.JPG|thumb|right|Yogananda at age six]]Yogananda was born in [[Gorakhpur]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]] into a devout [[Bengal]]i family.<ref name=mejda>Ghosh, p. 3</ref> According to his younger brother, Sananda,<ref>Ghosh, p. 23</ref> from his earliest years young Mukunda's awareness and experience of the spiritual was far beyond the ordinary. In his youth he sought out many of India's [[Hindu]] sages and saints, hoping to find an illuminated teacher to guide him in his spiritual quest.<ref>Yogananda, p. 59</ref> Yogananda's seeking after various saints mostly ended when he met his [[guru]], [[Swami]] [[Sri Yukteswar Giri]], in [[1910]], at the age of 17. He describes his first meeting with Yukteswar as a rekindling of a relationship that had lasted for many lifetimes: <blockquote>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!<ref>Yogananda, p. 90</ref></blockquote> After passing his Intermediate Examination in Arts from the [[Scottish Church College, Calcutta]], he did his graduation in religious studies from the [[Serampore College]], a constituent college of the [[University of Calcutta]]. This allowed him to spend time at Yukteswar's ashram in Serampore. In [[1915]], he took formal vows into the [[monastic]] Swami Order and became 'Swami Yogananda Giri'.<ref>Yogananda, p. 217</ref> In 1917, Yogananda founded a school for boys in [[Dihika]], West Bengal that combined modern educational techniques with [[yoga]] training and spiritual ideals. A year later, the school relocated to [[Ranchi]].<ref>Yogananda, p. 240</ref> This school would later become [[Yogoda Satsanga]] Society of India, the Indian branch of Yogananda's American organization. ===Move to America=== In [[1920]], he went to the [[United States]] aboard the ship City of Sparta, as India's delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals convening in [[Boston]]. That same year he founded the [[Self-Realization Fellowship]] to disseminate worldwide his teachings on India's ancient practices and philosophy of [[Yoga]] and its tradition of meditation. For the next several years, he lectured and taught on the East coast and in 1924 embarked on a cross-continental speaking tour. Thousands came to his lectures.<ref>Yogananda, p. 341</ref> The following year, he established in Los Angeles, California, an international headquarters for Self-Realization Fellowship, which became the spiritual and administrative heart of his growing work. Yogananda was the first Hindu teacher of yoga to make his permanent home in America, living there from 1920-1952. {{Fact|date=January 2008}} ===Visit to India, 1935-6=== [[Image:Swami-kriyananda-gift.jpg|thumb|[[Swami Kriyananda]] offering sweetmeats to Yogananda.]] In 1935, he returned to India to visit Yukteswar and to help establish his Yogoda Satsanga work in India. During this visit, as told in his autobiography, he met with [[Mahatma Gandhi]], the Bengali saint [[Sri Anandamoyi Ma|Anandamoyi Ma]], Nobel winning physicist [[Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman]], and several disciples of Yukteswar's Guru [[Lahiri Mahasaya]].<ref>Yogananda, all pages</ref> While in India, Yukteswar gave Yogananda the monastic title of ''[[Paramahansa|Paramhansa]]'' (the spelling was later changed to 'Paramahansa').<ref>"The next afternoon, with a few simple words of blessing, Yukteswar bestowed on me the further monastic title of ''Paramhansa''." Yogananda, p. 383</ref> Paramahansa means "supreme swan" and is a title indicating the highest spiritual attainment.<ref>"Paramahansa means "supreme swan" and is a title indicating the highest spiritual attainment." Miller, p. 188.</ref><ref>Kriyananda (2003), p. xiii</ref> In 1936, while Yogananda was visiting Kolkata, Yukteswar died in the town of Puri. ===Death=== After returning to America, he continued to lecture, write, and establish churches in Southern California. In the days leading up to his death, he began hinting that it was time for him to leave the world.<ref>Kriyananda (1977), p. 399.</ref> On March 7, 1952, he attended a dinner for the visiting Indian Ambassador to the U.S., [[Binay Ranjan Sen]] and his wife at the [[Millennium Biltmore Hotel|Biltmore Hotel]] in Los Angeles. At the conclusion of the banquet Yogananda spoke of India and America, their contributions to world peace and human progress, and their future cooperation,<ref>Kriyananda (1977), p. 400</ref> expressing his hope for a "United World" that would combine the best qualities of "efficient America" and "spiritual India."<ref>Miller, p. 179.</ref> According to two eyewitnesses &mdash; long-time disciples [[Swami Kriyananda]] and [[Daya Mata]] &mdash; as Yogananda ended his speech, he read from his poem ''My India'', concluding with the words "Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God—I am hallowed; my body touched that sod".<ref>Kriyananda (1977), p. 400</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Mata | first = Daya | author-link = Daya Mata | title = My Spirit Shall Live On: The Final Days of Paramahansa Yogananda | newspaper = Self-Realization Magazine | pages = | date = Spring 2002}}</ref> At the very last words, he slid to the floor,<ref>Kriyananda (1977), p. 400</ref> dead from a heart attack.<ref name="titleGurus Exit - TIME">{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,822420,00.html |title=Guru's Exit - TIME |accessdate=2008-01-17 |format= |work=}}</ref> Kriyananda wrote that Yogananda had once stated in a lecture, "A heart attack is the easiest way to die. That is how I choose to die."<ref>Kriyananda (1977), p. 400</ref> == Teachings == [[Image:Paramahansa-Yogananda Yoga-Class-in-Washington-DC.jpg|thumb|right|Paramahansa Yogananda at a yoga class in Washington, D.C.]] Yogananda taught his students the need for direct experience of truth, as opposed to blind belief. He said that “The true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience. Intuition is the soul’s power of knowing God. To know what religion is really all about, one must know God.”<ref>Kriyananda (2003), p. 31</ref> Echoing traditional [[Hindu]] teachings, he taught that the entire universe is God's cosmic motion picture, and that individuals are merely actors in the divine play who change roles through reincarnation. He taught that mankind's deep suffering is rooted in identifying too closely with one's current role, rather than with the movie's director, or God.<ref>Yogananda, p. 269-270</ref> He taught [[Kriya Yoga]] and other meditation practices to help people achieve that understanding, which he called [[self-realization]]: <blockquote>Self-realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray that it come to you; that God’s omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing.<ref>Kriyananda (2003), p. 197</ref></blockquote> ==Kriya Yoga== {{main|Kriya Yoga}} Kriya Yoga is a set of yoga techniques that are the main discipline of Yogananda's meditation teachings. Kriya Yoga was passed down through Yogananda's guru lineage &mdash; [[Mahavatar Babaji]] taught Kriya Yoga to [[Lahiri Mahasaya]], who taught it to his disciple Yukteswar, Yogananda's Guru. Because of ancient yogic injunctions, "the actual technique must be learned from a ''Kriyaban'' or ''Kriya Yogi''", according to Yogananda.<ref>Yogananda, p. 231</ref> He gave a general description of Kriya Yoga in his Autobiography: <blockquote>The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man. One-half minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment.<ref>Yogananda, p. 234</ref></blockquote> ==Autobiography of a Yogi== {{main|Autobiography of a Yogi}} {{wikisourcepar|Autobiography of a Yogi|Autobiography of a Yogi (1946 edition)}} In [[1946]], Yogananda published his life story, ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi]]''. It has since been translated into twenty-five languages. In 1999, it was designated one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of spiritual authors convened by HarperCollins publishers.<ref>[http://www.faithalivebooks.com/collections/harper_100_best.html 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century]</ref> Autobiography of a Yogi describes Yogananda's spiritual search for enlightenment, in addition to encounters with notable spiritual figures such as [[Therese Neumann]], [[Sri Anandamoyi Ma|Anandamoyi Ma]], [[Mohandas Gandhi]], Nobel laureate in literature [[Rabindranath Tagore]], noted plant scientist [[Luther Burbank]] (the book is 'Dedicated to the Memory of Luther Burbank, An American Saint'), famous Indian scientist Sir [[Jagadish Chandra Bose]] and [[Nobel Prize]] winning physicist Sir [[C. V. Raman]].<ref>Note: The 1946 ed. of Autobiography of a Yogi is in the Public Domain: {{cite web |url=http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/author?name=Yogananda%2C%20Paramahansa%2C%201893-1952 |title=Project Gutenberg Titles by Paramahansa Yogananda (Yogananda, Paramahansa, 1893-1952) |accessdate=2008-01-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> ==Bodily incorruptibility== As reported in [[Time Magazine]] on [[August 4]], 1952, Harry T. Rowe, Los Angeles Mortuary Director of the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Glendale, California]] where Yogananda's body was embalmed,<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,822420,00.html "Guru's Exit"] Time, 4 August 1952 "At Forest Lawn Cemetery, where Paramhansa's body was embalmed"</ref><ref>[http://www.adam.com.au/bstett/PaIncorruptibility.htm "INCORRUPTIBILITY: Miracle or Myth?"] by Harry Edwards, Investigator 45, November 1995 "Professor Angel ... obtained a copy of Yogananda’s death certificate from the Los Angeles Department of Vital Statistics ... bore the ... 'Signature of embalmer.'"</ref> stated in a notarized letter: <blockquote>The absence of any visual signs of decay in the dead body of Paramahansa Yogananda offers the most extraordinary case in our experience.... No physical disintegration was visible in his body even twenty days after death.... No indication of mold was visible on his skin, and no visible drying up took place in the bodily tissues. This state of perfect preservation of a body is, so far as we know from mortuary annals, an unparalleled one.... No odor of decay emanated from his body at any time....</blockquote> An article in the [[Skeptic's dictionary]] states that Rowe's statement, was accurate but incomplete. Rowe also mentioned that "he observed a brown spot on Yogananda's nose after 20 days, a sign that the body was not 'perfectly' preserved". The article states that the claim of a lack of physical disintegration being "an extraordinary phenomenon" is misleading as a "typical embalmed body will show no notable desiccation for one to five months after burial without the use of refrigeration or creams to mask odors."<ref name="titleincorruptible bodies">{{cite web |url=http://skepdic.com/incorrupt.html |title=incorruptible bodies |author=skepdic.com |accessdate=2008-01-17 |format= |work=}}</ref> ==Organizational Legacy== Yogananda's work is continued by several of his disciples and organizations. [[Self-Realization Fellowship]], which he founded, is headquartered in [[Los Angeles]] and has meditation centers and temples across the world. The current head is [[Sri Daya Mata|Daya Mata]], a direct disciple of Yogananda. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.srf-yogananda.org/aboutsrf/index.html#leadership |title=About SRF: Leadership of the Society |accessdate=2008-02-09 |format= |work=}}</ref> Ananda, near Nevada City, California, was founded by [[Swami Kriyananda]], a direct disciple of Yogananda. Ananda expresses an aspect of Yogananda's vision for [[World Brotherhood Colonies]], an idea for spiritual intentional communities that Yogananda often recommended to his students. [[Ananda Village]] is located near [[Nevada City]], California, with six other Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies worldwide. Ananda also has centers and meditation groups throughout the world. [[Swami Kriyananda]] often speaks at Ananda Center in Palo Alto, California.<ref name="titleAnanda: Source for the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda – Meditation, Kriya Yoga, and more, including talks from Swami Kriyananda">{{cite web |url=http://www.ananda.org/ |title=Ananda: Source for the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda – Meditation, Kriya Yoga, and more, including talks from Swami Kriyananda |accessdate=2008-01-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> Song of the Morning Retreat Center, near Vanderbilt, Michigan, was founded by Yogacharya Oliver Black, a direct disciple of Yogananda. The retreat center offers classes on yoga and meditation and hosts programs featuring visiting spiritual teachers.<ref >{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenlotus.org/ |title=Golden Lotus|accessdate=2008-01-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> The Center for Spiritual Awareness, located in [[Lakemont]], Georgia, was founded by [[Roy Eugene Davis]], a direct disciple of Yogananda. The CSA publishes books and audio cassettes, and offers meditation seminars at its retreat center headquarters on a voluntary donation basis.<ref name="titleCenter for Spiritual Awareness">{{cite web |url=http://www.csa-davis.org/ |title=Center for Spiritual Awareness |accessdate=2008-01-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> {{see also|Yogoda Satsanga Society of India}} ==Noted disciples== The members of this list were drawn from Yogananda's Journey to Self-Realization, unless otherwise noted.<ref>[Book: Journey to Self Realization original list in footnotes]</ref> *Dr. Lewis, [[1920]] Boston *Sister Gyanamata, [[1924]] Seattle *Tara Mata, [[1924]] San Francisco *Kamala Silva, [[1925]]<ref>Book: The Flawless Mirror</ref> *Hamid Bey, [[1927]]<ref>[http://www.coptic-sun.org/history.html Coptic Fellowship]</ref> *[[Swami Premananda]] [[1928]]<ref>http://www.self-revelationchurch.org/ Yogananda ordained as a swami in 1941</ref> *Durga Mata, [[1929]] Detroit *Yogacharya Oliver Black,[[1930]] Detroit<ref>[http://www.yogacharyaoliver.com/ Yogacharya Oliver Site]</ref> *[[Daya Mata]], [[1931]] Salt Lake City *[[Rajarsi Janakananda]], [[1932]] Kansas *Rev. John Lawrence, [[1933]] Washington DC<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/revjohnlaurence/JL-5.html 70 years of discipleship]</ref> *Daniel Boone, [[1945]]<ref>[http://www.ufocongressstore.com/servlet/the-613/Daniel-Boone-Presents-Excerpts/Detail Interview]</ref> *Norman Paulsen, [[1947]] Los Angeles, <ref>Book: Christ Consciousness</ref> *[[Swami Kriyananda]], [[1948]] Los Angeles<ref>Book: The Path</ref> *[[Roy Eugene Davis]], [[1949]] Los Angeles <ref>Book: Paramahansa Yogananda as I knew him</ref> *Bob Raymer, [[1951]]<ref>[http://www.goldenlotus.org/GenInfo.html Date is when he became ordained</ref> ==Notes== {{Reflist|2}} ==References== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book |last=Bowden |first=Henry Warner |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Dictionary of American Religious Biography |year=1993 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location= |isbn=0313278253 }} *{{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Sananda Lal |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Mejda: The Family and the Early Life of Paramahansa Yogananda |year=1980 |publisher=Self-Realization Fellowship Publishers |location= |isbn=978-0876122655 }} *{{cite book |last=Kriyananda |first=Swami |authorlink=Swami Kriyananda |coauthors= |title=The Essence of Self-Realization: The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda |year=2003 |publisher=Crystal Clarity Publishers |location= |isbn=978-0916124298}} *{{cite book |last=Kriyananda |first=Swami |coauthors= |title=The Path: Autobiography of a Western Yogi |year=1977 |publisher=Crystal Clarity Publishers |location= |isbn=978-0916124113}} *{{cite book | last =Miller | first =Timothy | title =America's Alternative Religions | publisher =SUNY Press | date =1995 | isbn =0791423972 }} *{{cite book |last=Yogananda |first=Paramhansa |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Autobiography of a Yogi |year=2005 |publisher=Crystal Clarity Publishers |location= |isbn=978-1565892125}} Reprint of 1946 first edition published by Philosophical Library, New York. {{Refend}} ==See also== *[[Rajarsi Janakananda]] *[[Sri Panchanon Bhattacharya]] *[[Survey of Hindu organisations]] *[[World Brotherhood Colonies]] ==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{wikisource|Author:Paramahansa Yogananda}} {{commons|Category:Paramahansa Yogananda|Paramahansa Yogananda}} *[http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) website] *[http://www.yssofindia.org/ Yogoda Satsanga Society of India] *[http://www.ananda.org/ Ananda - Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters) - Yogananda disciple] *[http://www.csa-davis.org/ Center for Spiritual Awareness - Rev. Roy Eugene Davis - Yogananda disciple] *[http://www.solarlogosfoundation.org/ Solar Logos - Norman Paulsen - Yogananda disciple] *{{gutenberg author| id=Yogananda+Paramahansa | name=Paramahansa Yogananda}} *{{gutenberg|no=7452|name=Autobiography of a Yogi ''by Paramahansa Yogananda'}} *[http://www.whispersfrometernity.org Yogananda's ''Whispers from Eternity''] - Online edition of Yogananda's Prayer-Poems {{Bengal Renaissance}} {{ModernDharmicWriters}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Yogananda, Paramahansa}} [[Category:Modern Hindu writers]] [[Category:1893 births]] [[Category:1952 deaths]] [[Category:Indian autobiographers]] [[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]] [[Category:Hindu gurus]] [[Category:Indian religious leaders]] [[Category:Indian spiritual writers]] [[Category:People from Kolkata]] [[Category:Yogis]] [[Category:American Hindus]] [[Category:Americans of Indian descent]] [[Category:Alumni of Scottish Church College, Calcutta]] [[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]] [[Category:Hindu missionaries]] [[Category:People from Gorakhpur]] [[Category:Indian memoirists]] [[Category:Indian missionaries]] [[bg:Парамаханса Йогананда]] [[de:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[es:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[fr:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[hr:Paramahansa Jogananda]] [[ia:Paramanhansa Yogananda]] [[it:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[nl:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[pl:Paramahansa Jogananda]] [[pt:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[sa:परमहंस योगानन्‍द]] [[sv:Paramahansa Yogananda]] [[vi:Paramahansa Yogananda]]