Autobiography of a Yogi -
The Secret History
An Illustrious Beginning
Autobiography of a Yogi was the first book ever written in English that is “about yogis, by a yogi.” First published by The Philosophical Library, one of America’s oldest publishers of scholarly material for the general public, Yogananda’s Autobiography was listed in 1946 alongside works by Charles Darwin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Bernard Shaw.
The book created an immediate sensation. In 1947, Newsweek described it as “... a fascinating and clearly annotated study of a religious way of life, ingeniously described in the lush style of the Orient.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported that, “Yogananda presents a convincing case for yoga, and those who ‘came to scoff’ may remain to pray.” Columbia University’s scholarly journal, the Review of Religion wrote, “There has been nothing before, written in English, or in any other European language, like this presentation of yoga.” After its translation into German (and 17 other foreign languages to date), the Tage-Post of Schleswig-Hostein stated, “We must credit this book with the power to bring about a spiritual revolution.”
A Swami Meets the President
The reception accorded Autobiography of a Yogi was not entirely surprising. By the time of its publication, Yogananda had already lived in America for over 25 years, having met with President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 (the first Swami ever received by a President of the United States), and attracting a great following of prominent people in politics, business, science, and the arts. His students included the horticulturist Luther Burbank, businessman George Eastman (of Eastman-Kodak), conductor Leopold Stokowski, President Woodrow Wilson’s daughter, Margaret, Nobel prize winning author, Thomas Mann, and Clara Clemens, daughter of author Mark Twain.
On his final trip to India in 1935, which is richly documented in his Autobiography, Yogananda personally initiated the great pacifist and statesman Mahatma Ghandi into the Kriya Yoga science. In our own time, Autobiography of a Yogi continues to serve as an entry point for seekers from all backgrounds, races, and faiths. More recent public followers include Elvis Presley and former-Beatle George Harrison. Elvis first read the Autobiography around 1962, and immediately began spiritual counseling sessions with a prominent disciple of Yogananda’s. George Harrison is known to have carried with him a briefcase filled with copies of Autobiography of a Yogi, which he supplied (and autographed) to anyone interested.
The Direct Experience Of God
Today the many charismatic religious figures who came on the American scene between the world wars are in general left to the social historians: Father Divine, Billy Sunday, Frank R. Robinson, Amy Semple McPherson, and Dr. Frank Buchman, to name a few. But Yogananda, with his remarkable life story, remains as a vibrant, living presence in the daily lives of millions worldwide. What are the reasons for the enduring appeal of his Autobiography? As the distinguished Oxford University scholar, W.Y. Evans-Wentz, explains, “As an eyewitness recounting of the extraordinary lives and powers of modern Hindu saints, the book has importance both timely and timeless. Yogananda’s unusual life-document is certainly one of the most revealing of the Hindu mind and heart, and of the spiritual wealth of India, ever to be published in the West.” It was Yogananda’s unwavering insistence, however, that all true religions are but “branches of God‘s one tree of Truth” – a message to which America, after suffering through world war, conspicuous materialism, and the many competing sects – had become increasingly receptive.
The Essential Oneness of the Truth
Likewise he attracted others with his gentle humor and natural humility, making it clear to all that he did not come here to convert Americans to his “religion.” He writes: “Sectarianism is anathema to religion. Only shallow people think, ‘Mine is the one true way. All other ways are false.’ ” He further explains, “The wish [of my teachers] was to interpret the Christian New Testament, and the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, and thereby to demonstrate the essential oneness of the truth of both religions.” At that time of Autobiography of a Yogi’s publication, the Scopes Trial – America’s first public battle between science and religion – was still fresh in the national psyche.
Autobiography of a Yogi offered a new way of bridging this philosophical chasm. It captivated readers with its insistence that science and religion had much to learn from each other. “Science and religion should work hand in hand together,” writes Yogananda. “From religion, science can learn a more intuitive approach to reality: experiential, rather than only experimental. And from science,” he continues, “religion can learn to depend more on common sense – to be more reasonable, and less dogmatic. Religionists should learn above all to test their beliefs, just as science does.” Thus the essence of ancient Indian thought, freshly presented by Yogananda, offered a real solution to the thorny problem of science versus religion. Like his efforts to promote understanding between East and West, Yogananda sought to demonstrate that it is possibly to know God directly through the divine science of yoga.
“Am I Not Always With You?”
In addition to the wide-spread success of his Autobiography, Yogananda founded twelve centers in the United States, as well as eight in India, Mexico, London, and West Africa. He had personally initiated over 100,000 seekers in the science of Kriya Yoga. Today, only a handful of his direct disciples are left with us, including Swami Kriyananda, himself the founder of eight worldwide centers devoted to Yogananda’s scientific approach to God. Yogananda, the celebrated author, confidante of world leaders, and towering religious figure, expressed to his young disciple a teaching that has guided his efforts continually: “The company one keeps determines to a great extent whether his energy will move inward, toward God, or outward, toward the world. Good company is essential on the spiritual path.” “Sir, what if I am alone?” The Master gazed deeply into his eyes as he replied, “Am I not always with you?”.
Autobiography of a Yogi
After Yogananda’s passing in 1952, his Autobiography underwent many revisions innumerous editions, ranging from minor spelling corrections, to significant alterations of his original manuscript. Now this treasured book is again available in this special collector’s edition: a meticulous reprinting of the scarce 1946 first edition, with all of its original spiritual power once again intact. Regarded as the first book in history written about yogis, by a yogi, here is the real-life story of a true modern saint, and his lifelong efforts to awaken us to our divine nature through yoga science. From the golden chain of masters who first revealed the long-secret methods of self-realization, to Yogananda’s determination to teach them in the West, here is the legendary bestseller just as Yogananda wrote it, again available to all seekers, in all lands, of all faiths.
Click here to read the original, unedited edition of
Autobiography of a Yogi.
© 2004 Ananda Sangha