“…You realize that all along there was something tremendous within you, and you did not know it.”
– Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda’s lifework and world mission began at the age of seventeen with the training he received from his spiritual teacher, or guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar. In 1915 he was initiated into the ancient monastic order of Swamis. Shortly thereafter he founded a small school, which has since grown to twenty-one educational institutions in India. Subsequently he founded the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, which now has centers throughout India.
In 1920, Paramahansa Yogananda left India to serve as a delegate to an international congress of religious leaders in Boston. Soon after his arrival in the United States, he founded Self-Realization Fellowship so that the ancient teaching of Kriya Yoga might be made available in the West. Today, Self-Realization Fellowship has centers and meditation groups on six continents.
Most of his students, then as now, are men and women with responsibilities to work and family, who learn through the Self-Realization teachings how to balance their active lives with meditation. As a result, they not only find fulfillment within themselves, but are able to approach all their endeavors with a greater enthusiasm and efficiency.
Through its worldwide service, Self-Realization Fellowship seeks to awaken greater understanding of the harmony underlying all true religions, and a fuller expression in this world of the love that unites all peoples when they realize their oneness in God.
How You Can Study the Self-Realization Teachings
In his Autobiography of a Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda has included a clear, comprehensive exposition of the science of Yoga, giving encouragement to all in quest of Self-realization. As a first step, you will find it helpful to read this book.
If you feel drawn to the philosophy and ideals presented in Autobiography of a Yogi, or other writings of Paramahansa Yogananda, and wish to begin an in-depth study of his teachings, you may do so by enrolling for the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons. The SRF Lessons home-study series were compiled under Paramahansa Yogananda’s direction from his classes and lectures. It offers all sincere seekers of truth—regardless of religious affiliation—step-by-step instruction in the ancient yoga techniques of concentration, meditation, and energizing the body with life force. Providing comprehensive guidance, the weekly Lessons also feature Paramahansa Yogananda’s practical “how-to-live” teachings for all aspects of attaining balanced physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
More information about Paramahansa Yogananda and SRF can be obtained from our free literature table or by directly contacting SRF headquarters at: www.yogananda.org