“The beguiling scope of an infant’s mind! adultly considered to be limited to toys and toes.” —Autobiography of a Yogi, first page
“Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family!” —Autobiography of a Yogi, last page
Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh
Mukunda Lal Ghosh was born in Gorakhpur, India, January 5, 1893. He was one of eight children, the second son and fourth child, of Gyana Phabha Ghosh and Bhagabati Charan Ghosh. As an infant, he was aware of being unable to make his body move as he wished; even before he had learned to walk, he felt confused that he could not walk. He remembered making sounds of languages that were not the Bengali language into which he had been born.
That this is an unusual child becomes clear as we read about this aspiring yogi. And we discover that very early in his life he wanted to know God; his parents were devout Hindus, but he knew that he did not want to follow the ways of the householder; he did not know want to marry and raise children. He discovered that his vocation was to be a monastic and serve God and to pass knowledge of God on to others.
A Strange Spiritual Journey
In the following passage, we get a hint that we are embarking on a strange journey through this autobiography, and we have not left the first page yet:
I find my earliest memories covering the anachronistic features of a previous incarnation. Clear recollections came to me of a distant life in which I had been a yogi amid the Himalayan snows. These glimpses of the past, by some dimensionless link, also afforded me a glimpse of the future.
If confusion has set in yet or we just do not get what he’s talking about, he explains:
My far-reaching memories are not unique. Many yogis are known to have retained their self-consciousness without interruption by the dramatic transition to and from “life” and “death.” If man be solely a body, its loss indeed ends his identity. But if the prophets down the millenniums spake the truth, man is essentially a soul, incorporeal and omnipresent.
Reincarnation
Of course, he is talking about reincarnation. He does not even use the term yet, but by easing us into the idea with his specific examples from his own memories, he has shown us that the phenomenon is real.
Most people meeting the concept of reincarnation for the first time either reject it or misunderstand it; for example, you’ve probably heard people say if they come back, they’d like to be a bird. But Yogananda explains that reincarnation is part of an evolutionary progress; therefore, coming back as a bird would be devolution, or going backward. Humans seldom come back as animals, unless they have lived an especially animalistic existence and need to learn a specific lesson by returning to the animal kingdom.
Returning to earth in a body is an important concept in this yoga philosophy, and it works in concert with karma, which is similar to the biblical concept of “reaping and sowing.” Yogananda’s explanation of these concepts is superb. He helps us understand why we are born on this earth, what our true goal is, and how we can achieve it.
Swami Yogananda
This yogi’s life story naturally unfolds all the concepts and ideas in such a gentle way; we never feel that we are being scolded or reprimanded. He writes with such love, compassion, and intelligence. He informs us with a wonderful clarity about the great mysteries of life.
Mukunda Lal Ghosh became Swami Yogananda in 1914, when he joined the swami order, after studying with his guru, Sri Yukteswar; then in 1935 his guru Sri Yukteswar bestowed on him the monastic title Paramahansa meaning “highest swan” in Sanskrit, so he became Paramahansa Yogananda.
Coming to America
Yogananda came to America in 1920 and in 1925 established Self-Realization Fellowship to disseminate his teachings. He had traveled and lectured widely in the United States during those five years, and his teachings attracted many followers. Through the devotion and loyal support of his followers, he was able to establish SRF, which today continues to grow world-wide.
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