 Cover of the 1946 first edition | |
| Author | Paramahansa Yogananda |
|---|---|
| Language | Hindi, English |
| Subject | Autobiography,memoir |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | The Philosophical Library[1] |
Publication date | 1946 |
| Publication place | India and the United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
Autobiography of a Yogi byParamahansa Yogananda is a spiritual classic published in 1946. It recounts Yogananda's life, his search for his guru, and his teachings on Kriya Yoga. The book has introduced many to meditation and yoga and has been influential in both Eastern and Western spiritual circles. It has been translated into over fifty languages and continues to be widely read. Notable admirers have includedSteve Jobs,George Harrison, andElvis Presley.
Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh inGorakhpur, India, into aBengaliHindu family.[2]Autobiography of a Yogi recounts his life and his encounters with spiritual figures of the Eastern and the Western world. The book begins with his childhood and family life, then finding his guru, becoming a monk and establishing his teachings ofKriya Yoga meditation. The book continues in 1920 whenYogananda accepted an invitation to speak at a religious congress inBoston, Massachusetts,USA. He then travelled across the USA, lecturing and establishing his teachings inLos Angeles, California. In 1935, he returned to India for a yearlong visit. When he returned to the USA, he continued to establish his teachings, including writing this book.
The book is an introduction to the methods of attaining God-realization and the spiritual wisdom of theEast, which had only been available to a few before 1946. The author claims that the writing of the book was prophesied by the nineteenth-century masterLahiri Mahasaya (Paramguru of Yogananda).
The book has been in print for seventy-five years and translated into over fifty languages by theSelf-Realization Fellowship,[3] a spiritual society established by Yogananda. It has been acclaimed as a spiritual classic, being designated byPhilip Zaleski, while he was under the auspices of HarperCollins Publishers, as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century."[4][5][6] It is included in the book50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose byTom Butler-Bowdon.[7] According toProject Gutenberg, the first edition is in the public domain,[8] at least five publishers are reprinting it and four post it free for online reading.
Autobiography of a Yogi examines the life and spiritual development of Paramahansa Yogananda. The book describes Yogananda's childhood family life, his search for his guru,Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri,[9] the establishment of his first school, Yogoda Satsanga Brahmacharya Vidyalaya,[10] and his journey to America where he lectured to thousands,[11] established theSelf-Realization Fellowship[12] and visitedLuther Burbank,[13] a renownedbotanist to whom the book is dedicated. The book then describes Yogananda's return visit to India in 1935, where he encountered leading spiritual figures such asTherese Neumann[14][15] in Bavaria, the Hindu saintAnanda Moyi Ma,[16]Mahatma Gandhi,[17]Rabindranath Tagore,[18]Nobel Prize-winning physicist SirC. V. Raman,[19] and Giri Bala, "the woman yogi who never eats."[20] Finally, Yogananda describes his return to the West, where he continued to establish his teachings in America, including the writing of theAutobiography.
The preface was written by anthropologistWalter Evans-Wentz, a writer who was a pioneer in the study ofTibetan Buddhism in the west, most notably through his translations ofTheTibetan Book of the Dead andTibet's Great YogiMilarepa. In the preface he wrote, "His unusual life-document is certainly one of the most revealing of the depths of the Hindu mind and heart, and of the spiritual wealth of India, ever to be published in the West."[21]
Yukteswar Giri, Yogananda's guru, told him about a significant prediction made byLahiri Mahasaya, Yukteswar's guru.[22] Yukteswar heard him say, "About fifty years after my passing," he said, "my life will be written because of a deep interest in yoga which the West will manifest. The yogic message will encircle the globe, and aid in establishing that brotherhood of man which results from direct perception of the One Father." In 1945, fifty years after Lahiri Mahasaya's passing in 1895, the Autobiography was complete and ready for publication.
In 1999,Autobiography of a Yogi was designated one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel oftheologians and luminaries convened byHarperCollins publishers.[4] According to Philip Goldberg, who wroteAmerican Veda, "... the Self-Realization Fellowship, which represents Yogananda's Legacy, is justified in using the slogan, 'The Book that Changed the Lives of Millions.' It has sold more than four million copies and counting ..."[23]Autobiography of a Yogi is the most popular of Yogananda's books and SRF has published the book in over fifty languages.[24]
Autobiography of a Yogi has introduced meditation and yoga to many Westerners since its publication.[25] Its success has also made Yogananda a distinguished figure in India, where commemorative stamps were issued in 2017 to honor him.[26]
The book has many famous advocates, particularly in the business and entertainment communities. One of the most famous advocates of the book wasSteve Jobs, the co-founder, and formerly chairman and CEO ofApple Inc. Jobs "first readAutobiography of a Yogi as a teenager, then re-read [the book] ... once a year ever since."[27]Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, told his story of attending Steve Jobs' memorial service, where the attendees were handed a small brown box on their way out. "This is going to be good," he thought. "I knew that this was a decision he made, and whatever it was, it was the last thing he wanted us all to think about." The box contained a copy of the book.[28]
George Harrison,lead guitarist ofthe Beatles, received his first copy ofAutobiography of a Yogi fromRavi Shankar in 1966 and, according to Shankar, "that was where his (George Harrison's) interest in Vedic culture and Indian-ness began."[29]Gary Wright, who wrote the songDream Weaver, wrote: "In 1972, my friend George Harrison invited me to accompany him on a trip to India. A few days before we left, he gave me a copy of the bookAutobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Needless to say the book inspired me deeply, and I became totally fascinated with Indian culture and philosophy. My trip was an experience I will never forget."[30]
Elvis Presley was introduced toAutobiography of a Yogi in 1965 by his hair dresser-turned-guru,Larry Geller.[31] Elvis continued to study the book throughout the 1970s. He left a copy of the book behind in a Nashville hotel room on 21 January 1977. Later on this book was auctioned off with a letter of authenticity.[32]
The actressMariel Hemingway says that she was introduced to theAutobiography of a Yogi by Peter Evans, a direct disciple of Yogananda. She was "mesmerized by theAutobiography of a Yogi and loved the whole great Hindu tradition of spiritual seeking ..."[33]
The actorDennis Weaver gave a copy of the book toLinda Evans, saying that it had changed his life. Evans says that, "Because of Dennis, I took the first step in what would become a life long spiritual journey."[34]
Andrew Weil, director of the program inintegrative medicine atUniversity of Arizona, wrote the bookEating Well for Optimum Health. He mentioned reading theAutobiography of a Yogi, which he said, "awakened in me an interest in yoga and Indian religious philosophies." He continued, "It is filled with wondrous tales from an exotic land, none more amazing than that of Giri Bala, 'a woman yogi who never eats.'"[35]
The work has also attracted less favourable comments.Srinivas Aravamudan has described its contents as "miracle-infested territory" whose "single most memorable feature ... is a repetitive insistence on collocating the miraculous and the quotidian. ... The autobiography is an eclectic directory of sorts that might be dubbed a hitchhiker's guide to the paranormal galaxy." Aravamudan notes the "aggressive marketing" of the Yogoda Satsang and Self-Realization Fellowship, that Yogananda himself "worked the mass media" and used a technique described as "Guru English". He notes that Yogananda was the collator of the testimonials that purport to validate the miracles described, which appear at a rate of around one per page.[36]
According toChris Welch and the liner notes on the album,Tales From Topographic Oceans, aconcept album recorded byYes, theprogressive rock group, was inspired by "a lengthy footnote on page 83" ofAutobiography of a Yogi. The footnote describes fourShastricscriptures that cover religion, art, social life, medicine, music and architecture. On 3 March 1973, Jon Anderson was given a copy ofAutobiography of a Yogi byJamie Muir atBill Bruford's wedding. Anderson became particularly fascinated by the footnote on page 83, which inspired him to write much of the material forTales from Topographic Oceans.[37]
Cholo-goth iconRafael Reyes credits the book with saving his life and opening him to spiritual self-awareness.[38]
James Dudley, in his bookLibrary Journal: Autobiography of a Yogi, wrote: "Yogananda's masterly storytelling epitomizes the Indian oral tradition with its wit, charm, and compassionate wisdom."[39]
Phil Goldberg, in his bookThe Life of Yogananda, states thatAutobiography of a Yogi is "the book that changed the lives of millions".[40]
Today, readingAutobiography of a Yogi has become an unofficial prerequisite for prospective students of the Self-Realization Fellowship's "Lessons for Home Study", a set of lessons, reflections, and assignments that one may read and apply before being initiated intoKriya Yoga.[41]
TheAutobiography of a Yogi was first printed in December 1946 by Philosophical Library, who printed it until 1953. In October 1953, Self-Realization Fellowship, Yogananda's organization, acquired the rights to the book and have been printing the book ever since, including translating it into over fifty languages.[24][42] According toProject Gutenberg, the first edition ofAutobiography of a Yogi is in thepublic domain in the USA.[8]
Many editions ofAutobiography of a Yogi have been printed, including the following.[43]
The first four editions in the United States were published by thePhilosophical Library.
Self-Realization Fellowship has published the book in the United States since the fifth edition in 1954.
An Indian edition has been published by Jaico.
British editions have been published byRider since 1949.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)The first edition, which is in the public domain according to Project Gutenberg,[8] has more recently been reprinted by a number of publishers.
TheAutobiography is now available in a Kindle edition.[44] An unabridged audio book (15 CDs) version narrated byBen Kingsley and published bySelf-Realization Fellowship (2004) is available in English and German (ISBN 0-87612-095-8). It is also offered as a download fromiTunes.
Self-Realization Fellowship has translated the book into over fifty languages.[24]
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