Autobiography of a Yogi: A Book that Moved Millions
Posted on Aug 07, 2021 by Shri Vedprakash Agarwal
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Whilst packing for a family trip to the hills of Uttarakhand I, as is my wont, picked up a book randomly from my shelf and added it to my backpack. Was it destiny that the book turned out to be the celebrated autobiography of Swami Yogananda? Its incredible how one book can change your perspective on life? I still recollect that sense of wonder, the goosebumps, the glowing feeling that I felt after I had finished the last couple of pages of a truly life-changing book.
Every morning I would select a spot amongst the hundreds of verdant wands of pine and deodar trees, on a pebbled mountain path on rock hewn steps. In the background stood the magnificent Himalayas, a dazzling sentinel that guards this magical place. I would open my book and soon get lost in a world that my limited brain could hardly fathom. I would be enthralled and enchanted.. I just couldn't stop turning its pages. I would be simply blown away by the quality of this book. These are words that will be treasured for a lifetime. I would sense a warmth spreading through my weary body. It is the perfect emotional rescue for those trapped in icebergs that took many years to form. This book invites a conversation with the heart. I could almost feel and hear Yogananda talking to me… "Brother Welcome."
The Swami takes us on a wonder trip, a dreamlike world that exists but we never knew existed. So mesmerized was I that I was totally lost in the ethereal world of visions, reincarnations, yoga, meditation, and self-exploration that the Swami so effortlessly creates. Whether he talks about ‘Babaji' the immortal saint, miraculous healings, or accepting a challenge that God will provide everything and travelling penniless to Vrindaban, or a vegetarian lioness, or the woman yogi who never slept, or Tiger Swami who fought and overpowered tigers with his bare hands or talks of people who can appear in two places at the same time or whether he transmits Indian wisdom and yoga science, he has the reader gripped and captivated.
I truly doubt that there will be anyone who reads this book and is not influenced by it. It is truly a profound work of literature. It is not hard to comprehend why the book has been translated into more than fifty languages and counts amongst its readers such celebrities as Apple founder Steve Jobs, Beatle George Harrison, Elvis Presley, Ravi Shankar and Virat Kohli.
At times the Swami's account of Kriya Yoga and the 'cosmic consciousness' and his explanation of things from yogic and vedantik points of view may be a little hard to comprehend for the ordinary mortal but it leaves an enduring impact on your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being. Speaking of Cosmic Consciousness he says...
"An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light."
The book brings to light that even though man has made huge strides in space exploration, wireless technology, he has yet to delve into the power and potential of spirituality.
Yogananda clearly spells out that our quest for material things, power and wealth will not bring happiness and fulfillment but when our laboratories turn their research towards God and His spiritual forces the world will experience true bliss and harmony. The swami mentions that it is only through kriya yoga that one can revitalize the seven chakras in the human body. It is a discipline that he taught Mahatma Gandhi. Yogananda brings to us the ancient science of Kriya. It is the same science that Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna in the Gita, it was known to Jesus Christ, Eliajah, St. Peter and Kabir. Kriya Yoga, says the ancient sage Patanjali, foremost proponent of yoga "consists of body discipline, mental control and meditating on Aum" The Kriya Yogi achieves victory over his five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch and finds it simple to unite his mind at will with divine realms.
If there's one book that changed everything for me, it's this one. How I wish I had read this book 10 years ago, or better still even 15 years ago. This book has changed my life and I am certain it will change yours as well. I seek solace in Yogananda's wise counsel,
"Forget the past, for it is gone from your domain! forget the future, for it is beyond your reach! control the present! Live supremely well now! This is the way of the wise."