Swami Kriyananda

“My goal in teaching is to awaken in people their own sense of the divine truth.”

In 1948 Swami Kriyananda found Paramahansa Yogananda’s now famous Autobiography of a Yogi in New York city, and left on a bus the next day to meet the saint who he felt “was the truest friend I had ever known.” The day he arrived in Los Angeles, he was blessed to meet the master. Referring to the feminine aspect of God, Yogananda said, “I agreed to see you only because Divine Mother told me to.”

Responding to an irrestible longing in his heart, Kriyananda said to the yogi, “I want to be your disciple.” This was the most important moment in Kriyananda’s life, for in this moment he asked for help from one who could fully give it: a true guru, one united with God. That day Yogananda accepted him as a disciple, and Kriyananda began a new life in search of divine joy.

Kriyananda dived headlong into Yogananda’s teachings and meditation techniques, seeking attunement above all with the great yogi’s consciouness. In time, Kriyananda found himself becoming transformed from within.

Before a year had passed, Yogananda asked him to conduct a Sunday Service in his place, and afterwards to teach Kriya Yoga, the highest technique of raja yoga. This was the “sink or swim” training technique. During his first public talk, Kriyananda felt so bad for everyone (who had expected Yogananda instead) that he wasn’t even nervous!  In the years that followed, the master continued to have him conduct services and give Kriya Yoga initiations.

“Your work,” Yogananda told Kriyananda, “is writing, editing, and lecturing.” In 1950 he asked Kriyananda to take charge and organize the monks, most of whom were many years older than him! In that same year, Yogananda invited him to his seclusion retreat at 29 Palms. Here Kriyananda worked closely with Yogananda, and had the opportunity to record much of what he said, which Kriyananda later compiled as part of Conversations with Yogananda.  Many times the guru told Kriyananda, “You have a great work to do,” and also, “You must do such and such, because you have a great work to do.” This, Kriyananda knew, was not praise, but a serious commission to help bring Yogananda’s teachings into the world.

Since that time, Swami Kriyananda has:

• Founded eight spiritual communities: 6 in America, one in Europe, and one, most recently, in India; - Given thousands of lectures, based on his guru’s teachings;
• Written books on subjects ranging from scriptural interpretation, yoga, art, leadership, and material success, to the life and wisdom of Yogananda;
• Composed several hundred pieces of music to convey his guru’s philosophy through song;
• Initiated thousands into Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the “airplane route to God.”

Yogananda saw in Swami Kriyananda the strong desire to help others. In part for this reason, Yogananda personally trained him to guide other disciples. This training, and Kriyananda’s own natural skill, would allow him to help many souls.

After Yogananda’s passing in 1952, Swami Kriyananda gradually moved into a role of greater public service, including lecturing, which his guru had guided him to do. In 1960 he was appointed First Vice-President of Self-Realization Fellowship, his guru’s organization.  In India, Swami Kriyananda’s talks drew large audiences, filling lecture halls. The Indians had a natural appreciation for his devotion and sincerity, and especially for the teaching and techniques that Yogananda, whose main work was in the West, had only barely been able to share in his homeland.

Watch a short clip from our 1 hour interview…

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Photo gallery of our visit to his ashram can be viewed here.

For more information about Swami Kriyananda please visit:

http://www.swamikriyananda.org/