Rating *****

Paramahansa Yogananda
Autobiography of a Yogi

569 pages
published by Self Realization Fellowship
ISBN 0876120796

With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) narrates the inspiring chronicle of his life - the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. He records as well his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. Also included is extensive material that he added after the first edition came out in 1946, with a final chapter on the closing years of this life.

Autobiography of a Yogy is at once a delightful account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its tradition of meditation. Clearly explaining the subtle but definite laws behind the natural events considered miraculous, the author reveals the scientific foundation underlying the great religious paths of both East and West. His absorbing life story thus becomes the background for a penetrating and unforgettable look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence.

Considered a modern spiritual classic, this book has been reference work in numerous colleges and universities and has found its way into the hearts of millions of readers around the world.

"The experience of meeting Paramahansa Yogananda is etched in my memory as one of the unforgettable events in my life... The impact of seeing him was incalculable... As I looked into his face, my eyes were almost dazzled by a radiance - a light of spirituality that literally shone from him. His infinite gentleness, his gracious kindliness, enveloped me like warm sunshine... I could see that his understanding and insight extended to the most mundane of problems, even though he was a man of Spirit. In him I found a true ambassador of India, carrying and spreading the essence of India's ancient wisdom to the world."

- Dr. Binay R. Sen, former Ambassador of India to the U.S.

Last Updated Friday, December 25, 1998