Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Autobiography of a Yogi
Go deeper: the whole of Autobiography of a Yogi
About 10 h 50 min to read.Für wen es gedacht ist
If you love true stories of seekers and teachers, and big questions about meditation, miracles and the soul, this memoir is for you. It suits curious readers of every faith.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
What does a boy do when light from a saint's photograph heals him of cholera? He grows up to search for the source of such power. That search is the story of Autobiography of a Yogi, written by Paramahansa Yogananda and finished in Encinitas, California, in 1945.
The book follows Mukunda Lal Ghosh from a railway family in Bengal to the hermitage of his teacher, Sri Yukteswar, and then to America.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A Bengali boyhood shaped by faithFree
- 2Loss of a mother sets the course
- 3Strange saints met along the road
- 4Science and devotion in two remarkable men
- 5Finding the guru in a crowded lane
- 6Training under a stern and tender master
- 7Kriya Yoga and the line of teachers
- 8Degree, vows and a school for boys
- 9Crossing to the West and back again
- 10Loss, return and the final promise
Punkt 1 von 10
A Bengali boyhood shaped by faith
Mukunda Lal Ghosh is born in Gorakhpur, the second son in a family of eight children. His father is a mathematician and railway official who lives plainly. His mother teaches her children through love and through stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
Both parents are disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, a householder master who taught Kriya Yoga. His framed picture stands on the family altar in every city where the father is posted. The boy meditates before it, and the image slowly grows from a picture into a living presence.
At about eight he falls ill with Asiatic cholera, and the doctors can do nothing. His mother tells him to bow inwardly to the photograph. A blinding light fills the room, and his sickness leaves at once. Yogananda uses these stories to show that words, belief and concentration carry real weight.
A child raised on devotion learns early that inner attention shapes outer life.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Go deeper: the whole of Autobiography of a Yogi
About 10 h 50 min to read.Who’s who
- Paramahansa Yogananda
- Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh, he is the spiritual seeker whose family, teachers, and experiences shape this memoir.
- Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
- He is Yogananda's demanding guru, guiding his spiritual training at the hermitage in Serampore.
- Lahiri Mahasaya
- He is Sri Yukteswar's guru and a revered spiritual teacher of Yogananda's parents.
- Mahavatar Babaji
- He is the mysterious master whom Yogananda identifies as Lahiri Mahasaya's guru and the reviver of Kriya Yoga.
- Bhagabati Charan Ghosh
- Yogananda's father is a disciplined railway official whose practical expectations contrast with his son's spiritual ambitions.
- Gyana Prabha
- Yogananda's mother is a deeply religious woman whose devotion helps shape her son's early spiritual life.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 158,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 10 h 35 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Autobiography of a Yogi
What is Autobiography of a Yogi about?
It is the life story of Paramahansa Yogananda, from his childhood in Bengal to his years teaching yoga in America. It follows his search for a guru, his training under Sri Yukteswar, and his meetings with saints in India and the West.
Who is Babaji in Autobiography of a Yogi?
Babaji is a Himalayan master described in the book as a deathless teacher who revived Kriya Yoga. He initiated Lahiri Mahasaya, who taught Sri Yukteswar, and he later tells the author to carry the teaching to the West.
What is Kriya Yoga?
Kriya Yoga is a meditation method involving breath and attention that the author says calms the senses and speeds spiritual growth. He gives an overview but not the technique itself, which he says must be learned from a trained teacher.
Is Autobiography of a Yogi easy to read?
Yes is not needed to say: the book is told in a warm, conversational voice, with short scenes, humor and lively dialogue. Each chapter centers on a person or event, so you can follow any story on its own.
Cite this edition
Yogananda. Autobiography of a Yogi. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/autobiography-of-a-yogi.
Yogananda. (2026). Autobiography of a yogi. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/autobiography-of-a-yogi (Original work published 1946)
Yogananda. Autobiography of a Yogi. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/autobiography-of-a-yogi.
@book{yogananda2026autobiography,
author = {Yogananda},
title = {Autobiography of a Yogi},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/autobiography-of-a-yogi},
note = {First published 1946}
}
