JAMMU: The celebrations of the 132nd Birth Anniversary of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), author of the spiritual classic “ Autobiography of a Yogi”, and the centenary of the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) took place on 5th Jan at Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, Paramahansa Yogananda Path Udheywala Jammu. A capacity audience of 500 attended the event.
He began with a short slide introduction on the life history of Paramahansa Yogananda, including founding YSS and his world mission. Paramahansa Yogananda had founded YSS in 1917, in a humble hut in Dihika, West Bengal. Today it has grown to a worldwide organization with thriving monastic communities and a vibrant worldwide network of practitioners of Yogananda’s teachings. In India alone, YSS has over 200 meditation centers and 4 ashrams. Swamiji then gave an inspiring talk on ‘Kriya Yoga – An ancient science for the modern age’, which explained that exists a higher reality beyond the world of the senses, if we but know how to tune into it.
Our ordinary consciousness, which is engrossed with the world of matter, lends it a seeming realness. However, this higher reality of God as the Self can be experienced through the practice of scientific techniques of meditation. He said Yogananda brought to the world various techniques; such as those for recharging the body battery with Cosmic life force, to calm the restless breath and mind, to expand one’s consciousness by Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga, he mentioned, is an ancient science of calming the sensory tumult of the lungs and heart (amongst other benefits) to enable the practitioner to experience the transcendental reality.
This technique is also referred to by Bhagavan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and came from India’s higher age. Swamiji then stressed the need to make time for meditation all the while performing our duties and obligations in the world. By making time to meditate and feeling God’s infinite succour, one feels confident and enthusiastic to deal with life’s experiences and thereby live to one’s fullest potential. Guided meditation followed the talk in which Swamiji explained simple methods to calm the restless breath and mind. He then led a specific service with the audience to pray for their loved ones and world brotherhood. The audience participated enthusiastically and several members of the public mentioned they felt the beneficial after effects of the meditation and prayers.
Dear Gurudev Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda often used to say that the highest aim of human life is to find God. Everything else can wait but not the search for God. Yoganandaji was born on 5 January 1893 in Gorakhpur to devout Bengali parents Gyanprabha and Bhagwati Charan Ghosh. His childhood name was Mukunda Lal Ghosh. When Gyanprabha went to her Guru Lahiri Mahasaya with the infant Mukunda in her lap, the great saint blessed her and said, “Little mother, your son will be a yogi. Like a spiritual engine he will carry many souls into the Kingdom of God.” In time this sacred prophecy proved to be true.
In childhood, Mukund used to pray and meditate deeply to Mother Kali. On one such occasion, he fell into a deep daydream and a bright light flashed before his vision. They were astonished to see this divine light and asked, “What is this wonderful light?” He received a divine answer to this question, “I am God. I am light.” Yoganandaji has described this supernatural experience in his book “Yogi Kathamrita”, “That divine joy gradually diminished but I received from it a permanent inheritance of inspiration to search for Brahma.”
In 1910, at the age of seventeen, he began his spiritual journey in search of God. This search took him to his revered Gurudev Swami Shri Yukteswarji. Under the loving but strict guidance of his guru, he embraced sacred sannyasa within the Swami tradition. He became famous by his monastic name Paramahamsa Yogananda, which symbolizes the attainment of supreme bliss through union with God.
He founded the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) in Ranchi in 1917 and the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles in 1920. The primary objective of both these organizations is to spread the ancient spiritual science of “Kriya Yoga” meditation techniques to realize the ultimate goal of life—that is, the unity of the soul with God. Aspiring practitioners can obtain these sacred teachings given by the great Gurudev himself in the form of home-study courses by requesting the Yogoda Satsang Ashrams.
While living in America, Yoganandaji made tireless efforts to spread the knowledge of the above mentioned Indian spiritual practices, which was highly welcomed and appreciated. Driven by his desire to share his discovery of God with everyone, he decided to write the most famous and excellent spiritual book, “Yogi Kathamrita”, which has deeply influenced countless people all over the world and the book has been published in more than 50 Has been translated into languages.
His overarching teachings have deeply influenced millions of people. His teachings cover a wide range of subjects and focus especially on the following: (1) “Kriyayoga” meditative science, which is an advanced technique of Rajayoga for raising human consciousness to higher levels of realization; (2) the profound unity existing in all true religions; and (3) ways to live a balanced life taking into account physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Pujya Jagadguru is now counted among the most influential messengers of ancient Indian teachings throughout the world. His life and teachings are an eternal source of inspiration and enthusiasm for people from all walks of life and from all races, cultures, and faiths.
