Autobiography of a Yogi

Born in Bengal with conscious memories of a previous incarnation in the Himalayan snows, an infant lies in "helpless humiliation," silently translating his desires while listening to the circumambient syllables of his family. As he grows, Paramhansa Yogananda embarks on a search across India for ultimate verities. He seeks out the country's holy men, encountering a saint with two bodies, a tiger swami, a levitating ascetic, and a perfume saint.

His path leads to his master, Sri Yukteswar. In the hermitage, Yogananda studies the science of Kriya Yoga and the law of miracles, preparing for a mandate that will pull him from his homeland. He founds a school in Ranchi, converses with Rabindranath Tagore, and eventually sails to America, carrying the practices of his lineage to the West and visiting figures like the botanist Luther Burbank and the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann.

First published in 1946, this autobiography brought the philosophies of Eastern religion to a global audience. It stands as a foundational text of modern yoga and Hindu theology.