He devotes himself to the study of this practice, living in the ashram with his guru, meditating, and learning the ancient yogic ways.
Sri Yukteswar introduces Yogananda more deeply to the principles of Kriya yoga, the ancient yoga system that Yogananda would eventually translate into contemporary terms to bring to the world. Yogananda says that the disciple-guru relationship goes beyond the confines of this one life it lasts multiple lifetimes, and he and Sri Yukteswar have been student and teacher in past incarnations. Though the young disciple acknowledges his teacher's coldness, he embraces the lessons he learns and the strength of the connection they share. Sri Yukteswar guides Yogananda with a firm hand. Both his mother and father have a deep and abiding connection with their guru, Lahiri Mahasaya. His loving mother, whom Yogananda declares "a queen of hearts" who taught "only through love," devotes her life to raising her eight children. His strict father has an executive position with the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. This fact produces frequent crying spells in the newborn Yogananda. He is also an enlightened infant-essentially, the soul of an adult, self-conscious man trapped in the body of a baby- and grows frustrated with not being able to walk and talk. For instance, he sees a past life as a yogi in the Himalayas. Because spiritual wisdom is clearly a major aim of his family and the society they inhabit, from his earliest memories, Yogananda has supernatural experiences and abilities. He explains the importance of the disciple-guru relationship both in his culture and in his home. Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, Yogananda opens his memoir with a detailed description of his family and childhood. The book has been translated into more than thirty languages and has never been out of print, illustrating the importance and global scope of Yogananda's teachings. More than a series of inspired life lessons and the details of a sacred belief system, Autobiography of a Yogi is an epic life story told with the insight, humor, and wisdom that embody traditional Indian storytelling. The book follows the spiritual journey of Yogananda, from the formative mystical experiences of his early years in India to the discovery and cultivation of the philosophies that brought him legions of followers all over the world.
In the towering legacy of spiritual literature, Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) by Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the most admired and well-respected memoirs in the genre.
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