Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952), often called the Father of Yoga in the West, is one of the most beloved and influential spiritual teachers of the modern era. Born in Gorakhpur, India, he displayed a deep longing for God and an extraordinary spiritual awareness from an early age. His parents were disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, and Yogananda’s own quest for truth led him to many saints and sages before meeting his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, who prepared him for his world-changing mission: to bring the sacred science of Kriya Yoga to the West.

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Following divine guidance and his guru’s blessing, Yogananda travelled to America in 1920 as India’s delegate to a congress of religious leaders. That same year, he founded Self-Realization Fellowship to share yoga’s universal science of soul-awakening and demonstrate that spiritual truth transcends culture, creed, and tradition. For more than three decades, he lectured to thousands across America—often filling the largest auditoriums—teaching meditation, yoga, and the essential unity of all great religions.

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His influence extended far beyond his physical presence. In 1946, he published his spiritual masterpiece, Autobiography of a Yogi, a book that continues to awaken and inspire millions around the world. Through his teachings, writings, and radiant example, Yogananda showed that divine joy, love, and wisdom are the birthright of every soul—and that through meditation and devotion, anyone can directly experience the presence of God.