Autobiography of a Yogi (A book review by Sanjay)

'Kriya Yoga', I heard and got introduced to this term for the first time, I didn't knew, what we see today through the other saints, was the creation of the yogis who lived this country about more than two thousand years ago.

Parmahansa Yogananda (In cover page of book)

"Mavatar Babaji" a mysterious and a very interesting character in this book is the best among all, I enjoyed. He is a saint who has outgrown all the fears and is immortal. He appeared in his physical form  to "Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya"(born September 30, 1828, Ghurni village, British Bengal), a household person who got enlightened through Kriya Yoga techniques which Babaji gave to him.

Mahavatar Babaji appeared to Lahiri Mahasaya in the Himalayas when Lahiri was transferred to Ranikhet. Lahiri was working as an accountant with the military engineering department of the British Govt. One day he heard a voice calling him towards the mountains, he followed the voice and met his Guru "Babaji".

Mahavatar Babji(As described
by Lahiri Mahasaya and Yukteswar Giri)

Babaji reminded him of his earlier life and then initiated him to the Kriya Yoga.Well, these characters Lahiri Mahasaya and Mahavatar Babaji are not fictitious characters. These are real characters which you will know more about if you read "Auto-biography of a Yogi" by Swami Paramahansa Yogananda.

Parmahansa Yogananda was born on January 5, 1893, at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh in British India. His life was full of the miracles from his early childhood as described in this book. His mother was directed by a saint to offer her youngest son(Mukunda- name given by parents to Yogananda) a amulet which guided him towards his further life of a Yogi.

Shayam Charan Lahiri Mahasaya
a disciple of Babaji

He met many wondrous people from his early life, he has named them such as "The tiger saint", "The levitating Saint" and then he met his Guru "Yukteswar Giri" in 1910 at the age of 17 and started to visit him at his hermitage at "Serampore".
He went to America in 1920 to spread the word of the Kriya Yoga to the western world. Yukteswar had already tell Yogananda about his future travel to America and he himself was directed to direct Yogananda to this path by the great Babaji.

Sri Yukteswar Giri -
a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya
and Guru of Yogananda

This book covers the major events of the life of Parmahansa Yogananda in India as well as his travels to the other countries, and if you are one who want to explore the spirituality like these great historical saints did, this book can show you the path.

This book will fill you with a new ray of hope and knowledge. A bright light on a world, world which might be invisible to you till now will be uncovered. I am not a complete believer because I am still exploring and I don't consider myself enlightened but, surely my understanding of the spirituality has got tripled.
This book is a must for a person who is interested in spirituality and Yoga. You might have seen Baba Ramdev and other Yoga Gurus of these days but the initial spark was lightened by these great people who, really deserve to be known to the spiritual world.