Yogananda in the context of Guru-param-para

It became unavoidable to mention Yogananda in the context of Guru-Param-Para, since he modified the Original Kriya and introduced several changes and became the popular leader of modified Kriya. Some of the changes are as follows:

 1. He started organizations in violation of Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay’s injunctions.

2. He modified the Original Kriya as taught by Mahamuni Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay.

3. He violated the tradition of keeping the Kriya practice “secret.”

4. He violated the Guru-param-para tradition, introducing group initiation, and putting Kriya into the market place.

5. He introduced the written lessons of the correspondence course for sale through the mail for mass education.

1. He starts Organizations 

In the Kriya tradition, there are injunctions from Mahayogi Mahamuni Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay “not to develop any organization around the teachings of Kriya.”

Why did Mahamuni Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay prohibit starting organizations?

Simply because founding spiritual organizations is wrong. Spiritual organizations never help a true seeker in his meditation. A spiritual organization is a social medicine for socializing. It renders disservice to honest seekers and makes them more confused regarding their performing Niskam Karma (Kriya), or “practicing Kriya without attachment to its results.”

Many of them fall victim to the organizations. The simple-minded honest seekers do not know how to protect themselves from the aggressive recruiting techniques of the organization. Yogananda was fully aware of Mahamuni Babaji’s and Lahiri Mahasay’s injunction not to start organizations around the teachings of Kriya, which he admitted in his book:

“The great Master [Lahiri Mahasay] lived his sublime life in partial seclusion, and steadfastly refused to permit his followers to build any organization around the teachings.” Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda, 1979 paperback edition, p. 339

If starting “spiritual organizations” were the right thing to do, then the ancient yogis and sages could have started many organizations, but they did not for obvious reasons.

Violating Babaji’s and Lahiri Mahasay’s injunction Yogananda founded his organization, Self Realization Fellowship Church (SRFC) on March 29, 1935, with the following four Western incorporators:

1. C. Richard Wright,

2. Florina Darling,

3. Karla Schramm, and

4. Edith D. Bissett.

He was so influenced by the Westerners that being himself a Bengali, strangely enough Yogananda excluded the following four well qualified Bengali colleagues who (except Dhirananda) were then living at the center.

1. Swami Dhirananda (M. A. in psychology), his boyhood college friend, later he received a Ph. D. from the university of Iowa.

2. Sri Nerode (Nirod R. Choudhuri, a Harvard graduate),

3. Brahmachari Jatin, B. A., (Yogananda’s disciple, later, Swami Premananda), and

4. Brahmachari Khagen.

As mentioned above, on March 29, 1935, Yogananda filed the necessary document of “Articles of Incorporation” with the Secretary of State of California and founded his organization.

Yogananda, when he returned to India for a year, approached Sriyukteswar with Swami Satyananda, Panchkori De, Tinkori De, and other friends to start Yogoda Sat Sanga Society of India in 1936, but permission was denied by Sriyukteswar.

Instead, Sriyukteswar said, “You have your organization in America, Self Realization Fellowship. I am going to announce that you will be the next President of Sadhu Sova (Sriyukteswar’s organization). Why do you need more organizations?”

Yogananda used the name Yogoda Sat Sanga of America in the United States which he did not disclose either to Sriyukteswar or Satyananda; so when permission was denied, he became adamant and continued to insist.

Then being frustrated Sriyukteswar said, “I am foreseeing lawsuits over my hermitages.”

Yogananda thought that it would be Sriyukteswar’s relatives who would enter into a lawsuit when in fact it would be his own organization (which he was going to start, Yogoda Sat Sanga Society of India) that would enter into litigation thirty-six years later. (Yogoda Sat Sanga Society of India vs. Swami Hariharananda Giri of Puri, India, 1972-75.)

“ ‘... he [Sriyukteswar] was anxious to prevent the possibility of litigation by relatives, ...’ Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, p. 460, paperback eleventh edition.”

Why did not Yogananda see Sriyukteswar’s desperate attempt to prevent him from starting another organization? Is it because of his inability to see things in the right perspective or is it because he was obsessed with an organization which would give him a chance to succeed?

On another occasion, in 1922, Sriyukteswar saw a bad omen of litigation when Dhirananda was leaving India for the United States. He could not come to bid him farewell. Sriyukteswar saw that Dhirananda would separate from his bosom friend, Yogananda, and would bring a lawsuit against him. (Swami Dhirananda vs. Swami Yogananda, Case No. 387 391, in the Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the County of Los Angeles, filed May 3, 1935.)

(However, the present author wants to make it abundantly clear that he is simply publishing the references to show that Sriyukteswar’s prophecy of litigation came true in connection with Yogananda’s life and his works.)

We found the following copies of documents in the files of the Secretary of state of California, the originals of which are in the California State Archives. These throw light on the subject.

Articles of Incorporation of SRF