Paramahamsa Yogananda

Paramahamsa Yogananda was born on 5 January 1893 as Mukunda Lal Ghosh, to his parents Gyana Prabha and Bhagabati Charan Ghosh. According to tradition, his birth fulfilled a prophecy of Lahiri Mahashaya.

His spiritual master was Swami Shriyukteshwar Giri, who conferred on him the highest monastic title of paramahamsa. Yogananda later also became one of the teachers of Paramahamsa Hariharananda.

Yogananda devoted fifteen years to tireless spiritual work in the United States before returning to India in 1935. Through his personality and spiritual authority he became “a beacon who blazed the trail of Kriya Yoga” for millions in the West.

His works include Autobiography of a Yogi, Whispers from Eternity, The Divine Romance, and The Science of Religion. These books reflect his profound erudition and personal experience of Self-realization.

On 7 March 1952 he entered mahasamadhi during a formal address. Yogananda remains the one who brought Kriya Yoga, and the message of “the underlying science of all religions,” to the Western world.

Source: Kriya Yoga International ↗