Critical Appreciation of Autobiography

of a Yogi
Autobiography of a Yogi introduces the reader to the life of
Paramahansa Yogananda and his encounters with spiritual figures
of both the Eastern and the Western world. Paramahansa
Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India,
into a Bengali Hindu family.

The book begins with his childhood family life, from finding his guru,
to becoming a monk and establishing his teachings of Kriya Yoga
meditation. The book continues in 1920 when Yogananda accepts
an invitation to speak in a religious congress in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA. He then travels across America lecturing and
establishing his teachings in Los Angeles, California. In 1935, he
returns to India for a yearlong visit. When he returns to America, he
continues to establish his teachings, including writing this book.

The author claims that the writing of the book was prophesied long
ago by the nineteenth-century master Lahiri Mahasaya (Paramguru
of Yogananda) also known as the Yogiraj and Kashi baba. Before
becoming a yogi, Lahiri Mahasaya’s actual name was Shyama
Charan Lahiri.

It has been in print for seventy years and translated into over fifty
languages by Self-Realization Fellowship.

Steve Jobs was so taken by Yogananda's book that he made sure that everyone attending his funeral
in 2011 received a copy of it in a special brown box. The book's very intention is to stretch our
visions of what is possible.

"In [Yogananda's] celebrated ​Autobiography of a Yogi​, he

offers a stunning account of the 'cosmic consciousness'
reached on the upper levels of yogic practice, and numerous
interesting perspectives on human nature from the yogic and
Vedantic points of view."

— Robert S. Ellwood, Ph.D., ​Chairman, School of Religion, University of Southern

California

In the towering legacy of spiritual literature, Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) by 

Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the most admired and well-respected memoirs in 
the genre. The book follows the spiritual journey of Yogananda, from the formative 
mystical experiences of his early years in India to the discovery and cultivation of the 
philosophies that brought him legions of followers all over the world. More than a 
series of inspired life lessons and the details of a sacred belief system, 
Autobiography of a Yogi is an ​epic​ life story told with the insight, humor, and wisdom 
that embody traditional Indian storytelling. The book has been translated into more 
than thirty languages and has never been out of print, illustrating the importance and 
global scope of Yogananda's teachings. 
 
As Yogananda grows up, his mystical encounters continue. Aware of his advanced 
spiritual capabilities, he seeks out saints and sages in his community, desperate to 
find someone to guide him on his own spiritual path. 
 
At the age of eleven, he has a vision in which his mother comes to him and tells him 
she will die. Not long after, she does, and Yogananda feels an inexorable pull to 
make a pilgrimage into the Himalayas. Ultimately, his brother convinces him not to 
go, but Yogananda continues to look for the guru that can better steer his sacred 
course. 
 
When he is seventeen, Yogananda finds that guru. His name is Swami Sri Yukteswar 
Giri; Yogananda has several visions and premonitions of him before the two ever 
meet. Then, when Yogananda sees Sri Yukteswar in a Benares market, he knows 
instantly who he is. Within minutes of meeting, the two men vow unconditional 
spiritual love to one another. 
 
At the same time, Yogananda has his other foot in the logical, practical world. He 
attends Serampore College, but throughout his schooling, he is not a good student 
as he only wants to focus his energies on meditation and the cultivation of the 
spiritual life. Sri Yukteswar reminds him of the lessons, perspectives, and 
opportunities for enlightenment that only come from living and being in the material 
world. In 1915, shortly after receiving the equivalent of today's Bachelor of Arts 
degree, Yogananda takes formal monastic vows into Sri Yukteswar's order and 
officially becomes known as Swami Yogananda Giri. 
 
Autobiography of a Yogi is the recounting of one exceptional man's life and a 
manifesto of the beliefs and lessons he espouses. Though the roots of his spiritual 
philosophies are in Hinduism, Yogananda sees the interconnectedness of all 
religious principles and traditions. He often infuses his teachings with those of 
Jesus Christ and those found in the Bhagavad Gita. The whole aim of his life's work 
is to awaken people to their innately divine nature. “The human mind," Yogananda 
says, "is a spark of the almighty consciousness of God.” 
 
Thus, The Autobiography of a Yogi is a book that takes its readers on a spiritual 
journey, while also keeping them in a practical and logical world, allowing them to 
navigate through life.