Who is Paramahansa Yogananda?

Who is Yogananda?  Easy answer read - Autobiography of a Yogi is an autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (5 January 1893–7 March 1952) first published in 1946. Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, into a Bengali Hindu family.

Autobiography of a Yogi introduces the reader to the life of Paramahansa Yogananda and his encounters with spiritual figures of both the Eastern and the Western world. The book begins with his childhood family life, to finding his guru, to becoming a monk and establishing his teachings of Kriya Yoga meditation. The book continues in 1920 when Yogananda accepts an invitation to speak in a religious congress in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He then travels across America lecturing and establishing his teachings in Los Angeles, California. In 1935, he returns to India for a yearlong visit. When he returns to America, he continues to establish his teachings, including writing this book.

The book is an introduction to the methods of attaining God-realization and to the spiritual wisdom of the East, which had only been available to a few in 1946. The author claims that the writing of the book was prophesied long ago by the nineteenth-century master Lahiri Mahasaya (Paramguru of Yogananda) also known as the Yogiraj and Kashi baba. Before becoming a yogi, Lahiri Mahasaya's actual name was Shyama Charan Lahiri.

It has been in print for seventy years and translated into over fifty languages by Self-Realization Fellowship. It has been highly acclaimed as a spiritual classic including 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.  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.  According to Project Gutenberg, the first edition is in public domain and at least five publishers are reprinting it and four post it free for online reading.

Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) is widely regarded as one of the most influential spiritual figures of modern times. Best known as the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda introduced millions in the West to the ancient science of yoga and meditation, and to the idea that direct personal experience of the Divine is available to everyone.

Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh on January 5, 1893, in Gorakhpur, India, Yogananda showed an intense spiritual inclination from early childhood. He often sought out holy men and saints, convinced that life’s ultimate purpose was communion with God. At the age of 17, he met his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, who initiated him into the sacred practice of Kriya Yoga — a powerful meditation technique designed to accelerate spiritual growth.

After years of training and monastic discipline, Yogananda received his guru’s blessing to share yoga’s universal truths with the world. In 1920, he traveled to Boston to attend an international congress of religious leaders. That same year, he founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) to teach Kriya Yoga and promote a path of balanced spiritual living.

For more than three decades, Yogananda lectured across the United States, drawing thousands eager to hear his message of divine unity and practical spirituality. In 1925, he established SRF headquarters in Los Angeles, which remains the hub of his global mission. His teaching emphasized that religion is not limited to belief or ritual — it is a science of the soul, and every individual can experience God through deep meditation.

In 1946, Yogananda published Autobiography of a Yogi, a landmark spiritual classic. The book introduced readers to India’s saints, yogis, and miraculous traditions, while also offering profound philosophical insights. It has since been translated into dozens of languages and continues to inspire seekers, scientists, and cultural leaders around the world.

Yogananda entered mahasamadhi — a yogi’s conscious departure from the body — on March 7, 1952, after delivering a speech in Los Angeles. His body reportedly showed no signs of decay for weeks, a phenomenon that astonished observers. Through the Self-Realization Fellowship and its sister organization in India, the Yogoda Satsanga Society, his teachings on meditation, divine love, and the unity of all religions continue to reach millions.

Paramahansa Yogananda’s central message is timeless: each soul is inherently divine, and through meditation and self-discipline, anyone can realize their unity with God. He bridged Eastern and Western thought, showing that spiritual truth transcends cultural boundaries. Today, his life and work stand as a testament to the transformative power of inner awakening.