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Autobiography of a Yogi – Read Online

The book that sparked a spiritual revolution.

Autobiography of a Yogi : a first-hand account of the life experiences of Paramhansa Yogananda, a spiritual master, this book has sold millions of copies and is beloved around the world by those interested in yoga and spirituality.

Available in 19 Languages

Kindle Edition , only $14.99 Online edition , free

About This Edition

This is the original edition of Autobiography of a Yogi , just as Yogananda wrote it, without the hundreds of changes made to editions published after Yogananda’s passing in 1952.

Utmost care has been taken to make this the most accurate reprint ever published.

Table of Contents

• My Parents and Early Life
• My Mother’s Death and the Mystic Amulet
• The Saint With Two Bodies
• My Interrupted Flight Toward the Himalayas
• A “Perfume Saint” Displays His Wonders
• The Tiger Swami
• The Levitating Saint
• India’s Great Scientist, J. C. Bose
• The Blissful Devotee and His Cosmic Romance

I Meet My Master, Sri Yukteswar

Two penniless boys in brindaban.

• Years in My Master’s Hermitage
• The Sleepless Saint
• An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness
• The Cauliflower Robbery
• Outwitting the Stars
• Sasi and the Three Sapphires
• A Mohammedan Wonder-Worker
• My Master, in Calcutta, Appears in Serampore
• We Do Not Visit Kashmir
• We Visit Kashmir
• The Heart of a Stone Image
• I Receive My University Degree
• I Become a Monk of the Swami Order
• Brother Ananta and Sister Nalini
• The Science of Kriya Yoga
• Founding a Yoga School in Ranchi
• Kashi, Reborn and Rediscovered

Rabindranath Tagore and I Compare Schools

• The Law of Miracles
• An Interview with the Sacred Mother
• Rama is Raised from the Dead
• Babaji, the Yogi-Christ of Modern India
• Materializing a Palace in the Himalaya
• The Christlike Life of Lahiri Mahasaya
• Babaji’s Interest in the West
• I Go to America
• Luther Burbank — A Saint Amidst the Roses
• Therese Neumann, the Catholic Stigmatist
• I Return to India
• An Idyl in South India
• Last Days with My Guru

The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar

• With Mahatma Gandhi at Wardha
• The Bengali “Joy-Permeated Mother”
• The Woman Yogi Who Never Eats
• I Return to the West
• At Encinitas in California

About two years after founding the Ranchi school, I received...

For the first time in my life I did not...

Trailanga Swami

Lahiri Mahasaya had a very famous friend, Swami Trailanga, who...

“Merciful Mother of the Universe, teach me Thyself through visions,...

My Transformational Fast

Whether famishment gleamed in my eye, I knew not. That...

My Sister Nalini

Soon after Ananta’s passing, my younger sister Nalini was brought...

My Saintly Parents

Both were blessed with saintly nature. Their mutual love, tranquil...

Lahiri Mahasaya’s Enigmatic Photograph

One of my most precious possessions is that same photograph....

What Is Behind the Darkness of Closed Eyes?

“What is behind the darkness of closed eyes?” This probing...

I Am Healed by Lahiri Mahasaya

Lahiri Mahasaya left this world shortly after I had entered...

Explore Autobiography of a Yogi

Stories and Insights from a Spiritual Classic

A Vision of America

The Bengali "Joy-Permeated Mother"

Babaji's Divine Permission

Christmas and the Silver Cup

A Poem by Mirabai

What is Behind the Darkness of Closed Eyes?

Sri Yukteswar Expounds on the Bible

What makes autobiography of a yogi so great.

Adapted from an answer on Quora by Nabha Cosley • January 9, 2016

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda talks about miracles, the yogic teachings, and the teachings of Jesus Christ in a modern way — a way that is easy to understand and even entertaining. For someone interested in spirituality, or even just alternate ways of looking at life, it’s incredibly illuminating.

The world is a different place than it would have been without this book. The New Age movement in the West, the impact the book has had on leaders in many fields, and the rise in the practice of yoga and meditation are due in large part to Yogananda’s influence and the influence of his autobiography.

Philip Goldberg wrote in American Veda that “Among the people I interviewed about their key spiritual influences, a high percentage named a book, and by far the book most often mentioned was Yogananda’s unique memoir. A distant second was Be Here Now by Ram Dass, and he mentioned the Autobiography .”

Sometimes people read it and have their life turned around entirely. It’s a book that, like other scripture, inspires life-long devotion.

Anyone who is interested should read it. It is a great book in every sense of the word.

“As a bright light shining in the midst of darkness, so was Yogananda’s presence in this world. Such a great soul comes on earth only rarely, when there is a real need among men.”

The Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram

“The greatest book I ever read.”

Swami Kriyananda

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The Autobiography of a Yogi: A Tribute to Yogananda

Philip Goldberg is a spiritual counselor, public speaker and author of numerous books.

Yogananda is best known for his groundbreaking memoir, " Autobiography of a Yogi ." It has sold well over four million copies since its publication in 1947, and I suspect it has been read by two or three times that many, because it is the sort of book people lend to their friends. This was especially true in the 1960s and '70s, when Baby Boomer seekers were thirsty for Eastern wisdom and couldn't afford the five bucks to buy the AY, as it has come to be known. (I know the hardcover cost five dollars then because I still have my copy, and I hope this essay will repay the karma of not returning it to whoever loaned it to me.) Based on my research for my own book, American Veda , the AY prompted more Americans to explore Indian spirituality than any other text.

An iconic memoir would be legacy enough for any spiritual leader, but Yogananda's contribution far exceeded that book. The first major Indian teacher to settle in America, he was rightly called by the Los Angeles Times "the 20th century's first superstar guru." After arriving in Boston to lecture on "The Science of Religion," he toured the country addressing huge audiences. In 1924, he made L.A. (which he dubbed "the Benares of America") his permanent home and the headquarters of his Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) . Anyone who has visited the organization's Southern California facilities knows why I say that the founder had the best real estate karma of any other guru.

I often cite Yogananda as a leading example of the qualities that virtually all successful Eastern spiritual teachers possessed. Because he spoke eloquent English and was well schooled in Western ways before leaving India, he could communicate to rational Americans ideas that must have seemed exotic and strange in the pre-World War II era. His reverence for Jesus made him non-threatening to Christians, even though his yogic interpretation of Jesus's teachings was unconventional to say the least. At the same time, his logic and pragmatism made his ideas acceptable to secular audiences as well. He skillfully tread the fine line between maintaining the integrity of his tradition (Hinduism in general and Kriya Yoga in particular) while also adapting the language, format and delivery systems to modern America. It didn't take him long, for instance, to offer Sunday services -- complete with pews and organ music in some locations -- because that's the day Americans get spiritual. He also distributed some of his teachings by mail order, a somewhat newfangled technology in the 1920s.

Yogananda arrived the year Warren G. Harding was elected, and he died during Harry S. Truman's last year in office. His legacy is still going strong. SRF, along with some smaller breakaway organizations (the largest is Ananda Sangha ), are represented in virtually every major city. Of all the gurus who came here, only Swami Vivekananda , founder of the Vedanta Society , and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, can match his impact. His success can be attributed to several factors, in addition to his seminal autobiography: his long tenure in this country, his personal charisma, his results-driven package of offerings, and his appeal to both secular and religious students. Everyone who meditates, goes to yoga classes or has, in any way, benefitted from India's great spiritual heritage, owes a debt of gratitude to Yogananda. It is only fitting that he is interred in the resting place of so many American celebrities, Forest Lawn Memorial Park , five miles from the hilltop sanctuary that he made his home.

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From our partner, more in religion.

Autobiography of a Yogi (Complete Edition‪)‬

• 4.7 • 289 Ratings

Publisher Description

Autobiography of a Yogi  is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages. With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda tells the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. Also recorded here are his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. The author clearly explains the subtle but definite laws behind both the ordinary events of everyday life and the extraordinary events commonly termed miracles. His absorbing life story becomes the background for a penetrating and unforgettable look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence.  Selected as "One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century", Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into more than 30 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a classic of religious literature. Several million copies have been sold, and it continues to appear on best-seller lists after more than sixty consecutive years in print. Self-Realization Fellowship's  editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final chapter on the closing years of his life.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JAN 1, 2003

The original text of Yogananda's classic introduction to Eastern mysticism.

Customer Reviews

An artifact of a true master with otherworldly experience.

A must read for those seeking God

After stumbling upon this book I soon realized it was by no accident. Circumstances in my life had led me to seek God about how to deal with them, as I had done for the last 36 years. This time God's response was different. He was determined to draw me closer to him than ever before, and to change my way of seeing and dealing with him and my life concerns and life in general. He wanted me to know his loving ways towards me and all his creation, his sweet expressions of himself all around. The encounter and reading of this book is a small but critical part of this leg of my spiritual journey. And if you're seeking a closeness with God, wanting to hear his voice and learn from him, this book will give you insight and direction. My spiritual expression through my Judaic-Christian points of view have not been challenged by this book. Instead, I've found a deeper understanding and an appreciation for the foundational aspects of my religion. Read it and be blessed.

One of a kind book!

Anyone who is on a spiritual path, must read this book! IT is life changing

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Did We Get the Joke? Thousands of You Had Some Thoughts.

Responding to our list of the funniest books since “Catch-22,” readers offer their own choices.

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Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, according to Samuel Beckett, and publishing an excruciatingly short list of books deemed “the funniest” was bound to create a fair amount of it. We asked our staff book critics to choose 22 favorites among the many books that have made them laugh: They had to be novels written in English and published since “Catch-22” (1961), which we felt was a turning point in American literary humor. Then we heard from you on what our critics missed. In article comments and a reader questionnaire , more than 4,000 of you let us have it.

What fired up readers the most was our omission of A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES (1980), John Kennedy Toole’s novel about a hapless medievalist and sometime hot-dog vendor padding around New Orleans. It was, by a landslide, the most frequently cited title in your responses, and your reactions ranged from gentle prodding to biblical wrath . Many recounted their ecstatic reading experiences: “My wife and I took turns reading chapters aloud in bed, readings that countless times were choked off by paroxysms of laughter and tears,” wrote Fritz and Cindy Tripp Johnson of Dillingham, Alaska.

Other popular picks included THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (1979), by Douglas Adams; WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? (2012), by Maria Semple; and LESS (2017), by Andrew Sean Greer. John Irving! many clamored. Gary Shteyngart! Elif Batuman! All great suggestions. For some of you, the time frame was too constraining, as were any conventional understandings of humor: You oddballs went to bat for “Wuthering Heights,” “Moby-Dick,” “The Magic Mountain” and, somewhat distressingly, “The Pentagon Papers.”

“Not since ‘The Bell Jar’ have I laughed at food poisoning,” said Alice McGinnis of Silver Spring, Md., who pulled for Katherine Heiny’s STANDARD DEVIATION (2017).

Here’s what else you told us.

You appreciate certain authors but disagree on which is their funniest book.

Carl hiaasen.

SQUEEZE ME (2020): “Skewers the Former Guy [Donald Trump], Palm Beach, xenophobia and Florida wildlife control, and makes me laugh out loud, even on second reading. What’s not to love?” — Lin Robinson (Albuquerque, N.M.)

DOUBLE WHAMMY (1987): “Playfully violent plot with rotting losers, and strangely kindhearted and sympathetic heroes. I get all smiley just thinking about it.” — Christine Shuler (Sunnyside, N.Y.)

Kurt Vonnegut

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS (1973): “It’s irreverent, hilarious, breaks the fourth wall with madcap energy, has these delightful asides, but also some real wisdom.” — Josh Henderson (Springfield, Va.)

GOD BLESS YOU, MR. ROSEWATER (1965): “When I was a young man, it helped to shape my worldview. Now that I’m an old man, it still occupies a cozy apartment just above the volunteer fire department in my heart.” — Grant Loud (Los Angeles)

Terry Pratchett

SMALL GODS (1992): “A beautiful satire of the ways in which organized religion has lost sight of the importance of personal faith and piety. Loved by atheists and the deeply religious alike.” — Terry Fletcher (Pullman, Wash.)

GOOD OMENS, with Neil Gaiman (1990): “Enduring dark wit, dexterous language, a healthy look at humanity with fabulous allegories that make one sit up and realize that we can and must do better.” — Shaheena Karbanee (Harare, Zimbabwe)

James McBride

THE GOOD LORD BIRD (2013): “One of the funniest books ever written based on real characters and events: John Brown, Frederick Douglass and the raid on Harpers Ferry. The narrator is one of the great characters in American fiction and, like ‘Catch-22,’ the humor is made more poignant by the serious parts.” — Mike Sokoloski (Seattle)

DEACON KING KONG (2020): “Set in a fictional Brooklyn housing project just as heroin is arriving in New York, this is a hilarious yet deep look at race, community and drugs in the United States. It made me laugh aloud and cry.” — Helen Benedict (New York)

You have a taste for academic foibles.

DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS , by Julie Schumacher (2014): “Inventively told through a series of recommendation letters, this novel is a hilarious jaunt through both the emptiness of an academic career and the self-excoriating emptiness of a man who has lost his way. It’s a book that made me laugh and cry simultaneously, while nodding in recognition.” — Kyle Rudgers, (Flemington, N.J.)

STRAIGHT MAN , by Richard Russo (1997): “I am a retired professor who until recently was teaching at a regional Rust Belt campus of a state university, exactly the setting for Russo’s novel. One can laugh at the ridiculousness unfolding in the book while acknowledging the grim realities it exposes.” — Ruth Glasser (Watertown, Conn.)

MOO , by Jane Smiley (1995): “I teach women and gender studies in a liberal arts college at a land grant university, and Smiley nails it with wit and insight. From the provost’s assistant who actually runs the university to the ever-fattening pig housed in the agriculture college, the novel reveals the foibles and foolishness afoot in universities. And we see, in the novel as in real life, that during budget cuts, women’s studies is the first to go.” — Susan M. Shaw (Corvallis, Ore.)

“I live just a few miles from the Iowa border. I know these people. And ‘Moo’ stars the best literary pig since Wilbur: Earl Butz, named after the former secretary of agriculture.” — Peggy Derrick (La Crescent, Minn.)

CONJURE WIFE , by Fritz Leiber (1943): “Modern audiences might find the sexism of the male protagonist insufferable, but that is part of what Leiber is satirizing. The idea that the success of male academics in mid-20th-century America was dependent upon their wives’ use of witchcraft was a brilliant sendup. Though gender politics have changed, Leiber’s satire of the cutthroat means needed to survive in academia remains relevant as ever.” — Bert Clere, (Carrboro, N.C.)

KINGS OF INFINITE SPACE, by James Hynes (2004): “A bad breakup, an academic career lost. Could a furloughed professor’s life get worse? Wait, what are those otherworldly moans coming from the HVAC ducts? Why does no one else hear them?” — Jane Niles (Culver City, Calif.)

Some of you made the only case for a given book.

BLOTT ON THE LANDSCAPE , by Tom Sharpe (1975): “Sharpe’s books always take a good poke at the British way of seeing the world. Rollicking good fun.” — Kris Bulcroft (Chieri, Italy)

EPITAPH OF A SMALL WINNER , by Machado de Assis (1881): “This ‘autobiography’ of a dead man is funny and startlingly modern! That is all the more remarkable since it was written in 1881 in imperial Brazil by the Black grandson of enslaved people.” — Samuel Cole, (Richardson, Texas)

I AM A CAT , by Natsume Sōseki (1906): The descriptions of human behavior by the unnamed cat are so realistic and at the same time so absurd. The story is set in early 1900s Japan, but it makes you realize that human behavior always and everywhere is crazy, tragic and hilarious at the same time. — Jeffrey R. Hannig (Fargo, N.D.)

Classic can still be funny.

THE PICKWICK PAPERS , by Charles Dickens (1837): “The bad news: This book is about the size of a brick. But please keep in mind that it’s a picaresque. After being introduced to our cast of morons, we are invited to join them on a series of misadventures, each amazingly visual and filled with puns, malaprops and visual shtick. It’s almost like watching a Charlie Chaplin movie!” — Jeffrey Kahan (Los Angeles)

DON QUIXOTE , by Miguel de Cervantes (1605): “Its humor operates at every level, from the crudest slapstick to the most cerebral, self-reflexive play. Always bittersweet, at once funny and sad, joyful and tragic, a reminder that laughter is always more than fun.” — Paul Cohen (Providence, R.I.)

THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF TRISTRAM SHANDY, GENTLEMAN , by Laurence Sterne (1759): “In this still unclassifiable novel, the asides, omissions, diatribes and narration make for the most rollickingly hilarious read.” — Jonathan May (Memphis)

Some of you can really sell a book.

PRIESTDADDY , by Patricia Lockwood (2017): “This author sincerely loves her father, who happens to be a priest and rarely wears pants at home.” — Jerah Kirby (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

THE BREAST , by Philip Roth (1972): “Lucky the character is stuck in the pages of time. He’d probably be catatonic once he realizes that, as the breast, he’ll be no more than shriveled hanging fruit.” — Rose R. Jeter (Macon, Ga.)

INFINITE JEST , by David Foster Wallace (1996): “The longest drug joke of all time.” — William Larsen (Plymouth, Mass.)

REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi (2012): “The love child of ‘The Office’ and ‘Galaxy Quest.’ ” — Maggi Schierloh (Chicago)

GALÁPAGOS , by Kurt Vonnegut (1985): “What could possibly be funnier than the extinction of the human race? Heartwarming, too.” — Dan Kravitz (Harpswell, Maine)