Autobiography of a Yogi

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Autobiography of a Yogi
Cover of the 1946 first edition
AuthorParamahansa Yogananda
CountryIndia and the United States
LanguageHindi, English
SubjectAutobiography, memoir
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherThe Philosophical Library[1]
Publication date
1946
Media typePrint (Hardback)

Autobiography of a Yogi is an autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (5 January 1893 – 7 March 1952) published in 1946.

Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in

Los 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 the

Paramguru
of Yogananda).

The book has been in print for seventy-five years and translated into over fifty languages by the Self-Realization Fellowship,[3] a spiritual society established by Yogananda. It has been acclaimed as a spiritual classic, being designated by Philip 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 book 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose by Tom Butler-Bowdon.[7] According to Project 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.

Overview

Yogananda
wrote Autobiography of a Yogi

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,

Mahatma Gandhi,[17] Rabindranath Tagore,[18] Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir C. 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 the Autobiography.

The preface was written by anthropologist

Tibetan Book of the Dead and Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa. 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 by Lahiri 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.

Influence

A 1920 photograph published in Autobiography of a Yogi, showing Yogananda attending a religious congress upon his arrival in the United States

In 1999, Autobiography of a Yogi was designated one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of

theologians and luminaries convened by HarperCollins publishers.[4] According to Philip Goldberg, who wrote American 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 into 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 was Steve Jobs, the co-founder, and formerly Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. Jobs "first read Autobiography 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]

Dream 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 book Autobiography 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 to Autobiography 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 actress Mariel Hemingway says that she was introduced to the Autobiography of a Yogi by Peter Evans, a direct disciple of Yogananda. She was "mesmerized by the Autobiography of a Yogi and loved the whole great Hindu tradition of spiritual seeking ..."[33]

The actor Dennis Weaver gave a copy of the book to Linda 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]

Integrative Medicine at University of Arizona, wrote the book Eating Well for Optimum Health. He mentioned reading the Autobiography 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 to

scriptures that cover religion, art, social life, medicine, music and architecture. On 3 March 1973, Jon Anderson was given a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi by Jamie Muir at Bill Bruford's wedding. Anderson became particularly fascinated by the footnote on page 83, which inspired him to write much of the material for Tales from Topographic Oceans.[37]

Cholo-goth icon Rafael Reyes credits the book with saving his life and opening him to spiritual self-awareness.[38]

James Dudley, in his book Library 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 book The Life of Yogananda, states that Autobiography of a Yogi is "the book that changed the lives of millions".[40]

Today, reading Autobiography 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 into Kriya Yoga.[41]

Editions

The Autobiography 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 to Project Gutenberg, the first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi is in the public domain in the USA.[8]

Many editions of Autobiography of a Yogi have been printed, including the following.[43]

Philosophical Library

The first four editions in the United States were published by the Philosophical Library.

  • Autobiography of a Yogi (1st ed.). New York: The Philosophical Library. 1946. 498 pages.
    LCCN 47000544
    .
  • Autobiography of a Yogi (2nd ed.). New York: The Philosophical Library. 1949.
  • Autobiography of a Yogi (3rd, enlarged ed.). New York: The Philosophical Library. 1951. .
  • Autobiography of a Yogi (4th ed.). New York: The Philosophical Library. 1952. .
Self-Realization Fellowship / Yogoda Satsanga Society of India

Self-Realization Fellowship has published the book in the United States since the fifth edition in 1954.

Jaico

An Indian edition has been published by Jaico.

Rider

British editions have been published by Rider since 1949.

Reprints of the first edition

The first edition, which is in the public domain according to Project Gutenberg,[8] has more recently been reprinted by a number of publishers.

Adaptations and translations

The Autobiography is now available in a Kindle edition.

ISBN 0-87612-095-8). It is also offered as a download from iTunes
.

Self-Realization Fellowship has translated the book into over fifty languages.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Catalog entry 4700544". U.S. Library of Congress. 1946.
  2. ^ "Autobiography of a Yogi". Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Translations Around the World". Self-Realization Fellowship. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b "HarperCollins 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century". Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  5. ^ "HarperCollins 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century". Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  6. ^ "HarperSanFrancisco, edited by Philip Zaleski 100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century". Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  7. .
  8. ^ a b c Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012 – via Project Gutenberg. (see "Bibrec" tab)
  9. ^ Chapter 10 – I Meet my Master, Sri Yukteswar
  10. ^ Chapter 27 – Founding of a Yoga School at Ranchi
  11. ^ "End of Series". The Washington Post. 20 February 1927. p. F4.
  12. ^ Chapter 37 - I Go to America
  13. ^ Chapter 38 – Luther Burbank, A Saint Amidst the Roses
  14. ^ Chapter 39 – The Catholic Stigmatist of Bavaria
  15. .
  16. ^ Chapter 45 – The Bengali "Joy-Permeated Mother"
  17. ^ Chapter 44 – With Mahatma Gandhi at Wardha
  18. ^ Chapter 29 – Rabindranath Tagore and I Compare Schools
  19. ^ Chapter 41 - An Idyl in South India
  20. ^ Chapter 46 - Giri Bala - The woman Yogi Who Never Eats
  21. ^ Evans-Wentz, W. Y. Preface
  22. ^ Chapter 32 – Rama is Raised from the Dead
  23. ^ Goldberg, Philip (2012). American Veda. Harmony; 1 edition (2 November 2010): 109.
  24. ^ a b c "Translations of Autobiography of a Yogi around the World". Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  25. . p. 629.
  26. .
  27. .
  28. ^ Farber, Dan (10 September 2013). "Marc Benioff explains Steve Jobs' spirituality and chides Apple". San Francisco: CNET News. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  29. ^ O'Mahony, John (3 June 2008). "A Hodgepodge of Hash, Yoga and LSD – Interview with Sitar giant Ravi Shankar". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  30. ^ Wright, Gary (2014). Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison. TarcherPerigee.
  31. .
  32. ^ "ELVIS PRESLEY OWNED AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI". julienslive.com. 8 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  33. .
  34. .
  35. .
  36. .
  37. .
  38. ^ mikemaxwellart (29 August 2011). "Live Free Podcast #62 W/Guest Mr Rafael "Baby Boy" Reyes | Mike Maxwell Art Blog". Mikemaxwellart.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  39. ^ Dudley, James (1997). Library Journal: Autobiography of a Yogi. Cahners Magazine Division of Reed Publishing.
  40. .
  41. ^ "Paramahansa Yogananda's SRF Lessons for Home Study". www.yogananda.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda's Wishes for Later Editions (scroll down to Affidavit)". October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  43. ^ "Search Results for "Autobiography of a Yogi" -- 1 - 23 of 23 from the Library of Congress". U.S. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  44. ^ Autobiography of a Yogi (Complete Edition) [Kindle Edition]. Self-Realization Fellowship. 22 April 2014. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2017.

Further reading


Free online editions of 1946 first edition