Dwapara Yuga Kriya Yoga Gurus / Organizations

Yogananda cast a wide net, using modern marketing and publicity (example poster to the right) to attract as many people as possible. He is certainly the most well known of all the teachers in the Kriya Yoga Line of Gurus.

The lists below show the relationships from Mahavatar Babaji to Swami Lahiri Mahasaya to Swami Sri Yukteswar to Paramhansa Yogananda to those American, direct disciples still living such as Sister Mrinalini Mata, Sister Uma Mata, Brother Anandamoy, Swami Kriyananda and Rev. Roy E. Davis.  Yogananda created two organizations, Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in the US and Yogoda Sangha Society of India (YSS).

What seems clear to the author is that each Guru showed the divine light according to the lens of his nature, for example, in devotion with Yogananda and Satyananda and in a dryer, more scientific manner for Sri Yukteswar and Dhirananda.

In terms of links for further information, a best effort has been made since many of the sites have proved to be evanescent.

Mahavatar Babaji guru of:
• Swami Lahiri Mahasaya

Swami Lahiri Mahasaya guru of:
• Panchanan Bhattacharya (founded Aryya Mission Institution)
• Swami Mahabir
• Swami Kebalananda
• Swami Pranabananda
• Brahmachari Kesavananda
• Tinkori Lahiri
• Dukori Lahiri
• Swami Sri Yukteswar (founded Sadhu Sabha and Satsanga Sabha)
• Brajalal Adhikari
• Prasad Das Goswami
• Kali Kumar Banerjee
• Kesav Chandra Banerjee
• Ram Dayal Mazumder
• Hari Narayan Palodhi
• Bhupendranath Sanyal
• Brajalal Adhikari
• Joyram Bhattacharya
• Ramarupa Bhattacharya
• Kailash Chandra Benerjee
• Kanti Acharya

Swami Sri Yukteswar guru of:
• Motilal Mukherjee
• Swami Satyananda (initiated by Kebalananda)
• Swami (later) Paramhansa Yogananda (founded YSS, Ranchi School and SRF)
• Swami Bhabananda Giri
• Swami Paramananda
• Swami Narayana
• Amulya Charan Santra
• Bijoy Kumar Chatterjee
• Bipin Chandra Bhumia
• Swami Dhirananda (initiated by Kebalananda, left SRF)
• Sri Sailendra Bejoy Das Gupta
• Golakananda Giri
• Dasarathi Chatterjee

Paramhansa Yogananda Guru of Swamis, or within SRF Brothers & Sisters (a partial list):

• Swami Atmananda
• Swami Sevananda
• Swami Sadananda
• Swami Binayananda
• Swami Bidyananda
• Swami Satchidananda
• Swami Premananda (founded Self-Revelation Church)
• Swami Kriyananda (founded Ananda)
• Swami Hariharananda (founded Kriya Yoga Institute)

• Brother Anandamoy

• Sister Daya Mata

• Sister Mrinalini Mata

Yogananda explicitly said there would be no more Gurus and that his writings would be the Guru when he passed.    SRF in the US has a library of "authorized texts", although there are many more "unauthorized" texts.  

Some notable American Yogananda disciples and their dates of first meeting him are:

• 1920 Boston, Dr. Lewis - First US Devotee
• 1924 San Francisco, Tara Mata – Yogananda’s editor
• 1924 Seattle - Sister Gyanamata
• 1925 Kamala Silva
• 1927 Hamid Bey
• 1928 Swami Premananda
• 1930 Detroit, Yogacharya Oliver Black (founded Song of the morning) - Second most advanced male devotee
• 1931 Salt Lake City, Sister Daya Mata, her sister, Ananda Mata, mother and brother, Richard Wright came to SRF.  Daya Mata was chosen to be President of SRF and YSS and along with the Board of Directors oversaw SRF and YSS from 1955-2010
• 1932 Kansas, Rajarsi Janakananda - Most advanced male devotee, President after Yogananda's death, until his own in 1955
• 1933 Washington DC, Rev. John Lawrence

• 1934 Sri Nerode
• 1945 Daniel Boone
• 1945 San Diego, Mrinalini Mata
• 1947 Los Angeles, Norman Paulsen (founded Sunburst)
• 1948 Los Angeles, Swami Kriyananda (founded Ananda)
• 1949 Los Angeles, Roy Davis (founded Center for Spiritual Awareness)

A complete list would be huge given the scope of Yogananda's influence, with numerous organizations associated with him (but unaffiliated with SRF or YSS), beginning with Hamid Bey and a Christian mystical emphasis to legions of self help coaches and yoga teachers today.

Many of the cultural shapers of the modern era from authors such as JD Salinger, to the Beatles, the designer of the x86 PC microprocessor and Steve Jobs of Apple cite his influence.

It is worth re-reading the life of Lahiri Mahasaya from the Autobiography of a Yogi.

"After performing one's business and social duties, where is the time for devotional meditation? The harmoniously balanced life of the great householder-guru became the silent inspiration of thousands of questioning hearts. Earning only a modest salary, thrifty, unostentatious, accessible to all, the master carried on naturally and happily in the path of worldly life."

Sri Yukteswar makes the following statement to Yogananda in Man's Eternal Quest, p114:

"Many teachers will tell you to believe; then they put out your eyes of reason and instruct you to follow only their logic. But I want you to keep your eyes of reason open."

The author encourages the readers to keep their eyes of reason open and to follow their hearts, while exploring all teachers and organizations.

Footnote - Hatha Yoga and Martial Arts

The popular Hatha Yoga School franchise of Bikram Yoga traces its roots back to the more body-building nature of Yogananda's brother Bishnu Ghosh. Yogananda added his Yogoda (now called energization) exercises to the meditation system of his guru after observing Western fitness programs.

Many martial arts schools whether associated with Tibet, India, China or cross-overs of East-West like Gogen Yamaguchi or Bruce Lee emphasize meditation and elements of yoga along with the well known fighting moves, at least for advanced teachers. As any top athlete will attest, after a certain amount of physical training, it is really the mental game that determines success, as summed up by the famous phrase "anima sana in corpore sano" (ASICS), "a sound mind in a sound body". Yogananda's Ranchi school included the teaching of asanas (postures), sword and lathi (stick) play, and jujitsu as mentioned in the first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi.

[Thanks CRJ for help in editing]