Swami Shriyukteshwar Giri

Swami Shriyukteshwar Giri was born on 10 May 1855 in Serampore, on the banks of the Ganges. Originally named Priyanath Karar, he was the son of the disciplined and conscientious landowner Kshetranath Karar and the devout Kadambini Devi.

From childhood he displayed exceptional intellect. He received an advanced education that included medicine, was fluent in several languages — English, French, Hindi, Bengali, and Sanskrit — and excelled in astronomy and astrology. He was a rare union of scholar and seeker.

After a period of householder life, he longed for deeper spiritual fulfillment. He found his teacher in Lahiri Mahashaya in Kashi (Varanasi) and became his disciple. The master held a particular affection for him, calling him “Priya” (beloved).

Shriyukteshwar is the author of Kaivalya Darshanam (The Holy Science), a work presenting a synthesis of Western philosophy and Eastern mysticism — a search for harmony between scientific understanding and spiritual experience.

On 22 March 1903 he founded the hermitage known as Karar Ashram in Puri. Through it, Kriya Yoga began to spread beyond the Himalayas into wider regions. Among his disciples are the renowned spiritual teachers Paramahamsa Yogananda and Paramahamsa Hariharananda.

He entered mahasamadhi on 9 March 1936 at Karar Ashram in Puri. His strict yet loving guidance of disciples, together with his written work, remains to this day one of the pillars of this lineage.

Source: Kriya Yoga International ↗