Back السيرة الذاتية ليوغي Arabic Autobiographie eines Yogi German Autobiografía de un yogui Spanish Joogin omaelämäkerta Finnish Autobiographie d'un Yogi French אוטוביוגרפיה של יוגי HE योगी कथामृत Hindi Autobiography of a Yogi Interlingua Autobiografia di uno yogi Italian Autobiography of a Yogi Latin
 Cover of the 1946 first edition | |
| Author | Paramahansa Yogananda |
|---|---|
| Language | Hindi, English |
| Subject | Autobiography, memoir |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | The Philosophical Library[1] |
Publication date | 1946 |
| Publication place | India and the United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda is a spiritual classic published in 1946. It recounts Yogananda's life, his search for his guru, and his teachings on Kriya Yoga. The book has introduced many to meditation and yoga and has been influential in both Eastern and Western spiritual circles. It has been translated into over fifty languages and continues to be widely read. Notable admirers include Steve Jobs, George Harrison, and Elvis Presley.
Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, into a Bengali Hindu family.[2] Autobiography of a Yogi recounts his life and his encounters with spiritual figures of the Eastern and the Western world. The book begins with his childhood and family life, then finding his guru, becoming a monk and establishing his teachings of Kriya Yoga meditation. The book continues in 1920 when Yogananda accepted an invitation to speak at a religious congress in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He then travelled across the USA lecturing and establishing his teachings in Los Angeles, California. In 1935, he returned to India for a yearlong visit. When he returned to the USA he continued to establish his teachings, including writing this book.
The book is an introduction to the methods of attaining God-realization and the spiritual wisdom of the East, which had only been available to a few before 1946. The author claims that the writing of the book was prophesied by the nineteenth-century master Lahiri Mahasaya (Paramguru of Yogananda).
The book has been in print for seventy-five years and translated into over fifty languages by the Self-Realization Fellowship,[3] a spiritual society established by Yogananda. It has been acclaimed as a spiritual classic, 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."[4][5][6] 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.[7] According to Project Gutenberg, the first edition is in the public domain, [8] at least five publishers are reprinting it and four post it free for online reading.
- ^ "Catalog entry 4700544". U.S. Library of Congress. 1946.
- ^ "Autobiography of a Yogi". Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Translations Around the World". Self-Realization Fellowship. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ "HarperCollins 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century". Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "HarperCollins 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century". Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "HarperSanFrancisco, edited by Philip Zaleski 100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century". Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ Butler-Bowdon, Tom (2005). 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. ISBN 978-1857883497.
- ^ Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012 – via Project Gutenberg. (see "Bibrec" tab)