Below are some rather strange accounts of Yogananda's impulse to harm. It's hard to believe that these acts of "necromancy" were possible, but it does make one question the guru's ability to NOT harm or control others when hurt or angry. At the very least, the fact that these stories exist means he was known for getting his way no matter what. These stories really do contradict Jesus' well known saying "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

As a boy in his parent's house:

"Only the Oriya cook of the house knew about his (Yogananda's) secret meditation sittings in the storage space. One day, the cook more or less jokingly said, “See here ‘middle sir’. I will tell ‘big sir’ about your hiding around and meditating in the storage room.” “Big sir” was Ananta Lal. It was wholly disagreeable to Mukunda Lal that his daily spiritual duty would come to an end; he became very angry upon hearing this type of threat. But controlling himself, he simply said, “Look. If I wish, your hand will be stuck to the wall.” The cook challenged him, “Let’s see how you can do that!” Mukunda Lal took the cook’s left palm and put it up against the wall, kept it extended from his body, and counted “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6” and immediately, the cook’s hand became locked to the wall. He could not pull himself off no matter how much he tried. He begged, “Sir, please release my hand!” Mukunda said, “Stand here just like this. This is your punishment.” And then he went out to play with his mates and forgot about the whole thing. Panchakoti [the cook] was in a sense “handcuffed” to the wall. Gradually, evening came. The work in the kitchen area was completely at a standstill. People in the household also started to wonder where their cook was; finally they were astounded to find him standing there in that condition."

Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences (Kindle Locations 504-510). Yoga Niketan, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

As a young adult in charge of a boys school:

"A brahmachari residential student named Dhiren was once looking at a picture of the Lord Sri Sri Lahiri Mahasaya and, for whatever reason, made some unflattering comment about the Yogiraj’s physical form. Yoganandaji was nearby. He became overcome with anger and the wrathful words “Your face will become twisted!” spewed forth from his mouth. Immediately, the boy’s face, head and neck turned to a crippled and twisted position. Because of this the boy eventually had to leave the ashram. This writer had not yet enrolled in the school. Some of the students who were present at the time are still alive today. The boy’s home was on Bechu Chatterjee Street. During 1934-35, when the Calcutta Yogoda Satsanga center and its students’ quarters – managed by the students’ committee at the time – were on 84 Bechu Chatterjee Street, this poor man came to visit this writer several times. Neck and face twisted to one side, a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth to stop the uncontrollable drooling, Dhiren could barely walk without swaying and his speech was slurred, having difficulty forming words correctly with a crooked mouth. The purpose of his visits was to find out when Swami Yogananda would return from America; Dhiren wanted to fall at his feet and beg forgiveness. When Swamiji had returned, one day at his father’s house on Ram Mohan Roy Street, Dhiren turned up. This writer was present at the house at the time. Swamiji was getting ready to leave for someplace or other. He was taken aback upon seeing Dhiren, but did not recognize him. This writer introduced the cursed fellow and refreshed Swamiji’s memory about the past incident. By this time, Dhiren had touched Swamiji’s feet. Yoganandaji looked at him with deep compassion, but there was no change in the man’s condition. Swamiji did not have the power to take back the curse which had sprung forth spontaneously from his heart."

Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences (Kindle Locations 1372-1383). Yoga Niketan, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

The following story recounts what Yogananda experienced after the death of his guru, Sri Yukteswar:


"Swamiji’s heart was heavy-laden. As he was going to sleep at night at his hotel, suddenly, like a dream, he saw Sriyukteshvarji physically appear in his room. Yoganandaji looked at Gurudev’s face and said, “Why are you so disappointed?! Are you offended so much?!” Swamiji retold this statement to the writer later; Nani Bhaya* (Nalini Mohan) was present at the time, along with one or two others; one cannot now recall exactly who they were. After this vision, Swamiji postponed his travel to America for the time being and returned with his assistants to Calcutta. It is true however that on New Year’s Day – January 1, 1937, during the first public speech after he went back to America, Yoganandaji described the above-mentioned event as the resurrection of Sriyukteshvarji. A professional in the psychological sciences may say that the vision was a reflection of Swamiji’s own pained state of mind."

Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences (Kindle Locations 2299-2305). Yoga Niketan, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

"If examined, the speech Yoganandaji gave at that reunion celebration reveals much. The first noticeable thing is that up to that point, he had never used the name “Paramhansa Yogananda”; he was always known previously as “Swami Yogananda.” It was in his autobiography that he first makes it known that Gurudev Swami Sriyukteshvarji bestowed the title of “paramhansa” on Yoganandaji while he was in India. However, the writer and others who were close to him were not aware of this happening. Swamiji himself had never mentioned this news to anyone. Any sannyasi [renunciate], sadhu [sage] or brahmachari [celibate aspirant] can be given the title of “paramhansa”; this is one of the wonderful aspects of Hindu culture. Swami Satyanandaji had said, “Yogananda was attracted to the ‘paramhansa’ title since childhood.” One humorous incident comes to mind regarding this. Once at dusk, Swamiji was urinating at a drainage spot in the front alley by Gurudev’s house in Serampore. Gurudev was standing on the second floor veranda and speaking to someone when he jokingly remarked, “Yogananda has become a ‘paramhansa’ [great swan]!” Ananda-da [Ananda Mohan Lahiri] and the writer were standing by the front door of the house. They and Swamiji heard Gurudev’s ironic joke. Swamiji came to the front door and said, “Ananda-da! Did you hear? Swamiji [Sriyukteshvarji] called me a ‘paramhansa’ [great soul]!” Ananda-da softly said to the writer, “You’ll see! Yogananda will use this title in the future, for certain.” It is not possible to understand why Swamiji did not announce at the speech of New Year’s Day in 1937 that Gurudev bestowed this title on him, and why he revealed this only in his autobiography later." 

Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences (Kindle Locations 2381-2385). Yoga Niketan, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

[www.google.com]

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Like that Hamsa separates the good things from the bad things, Water birds separate good water from the bad water. It has got a sieve like structure (lamellae) in its mouth which separates water from mud. Probably this is what lead to the belief that Swans can separate milk from water and drink only milk.

By contrast, Yogananda transformed human nutrition into urine.

The laws of Manu:

[books.google.com]

I am a former SRF-monastic. Lived at Mother Center and the other ashrams for more than a decade.


Raja Begum's observations and analogies with fascism are brilliant: "How the SRF experience holds our thinking hostage".

Yes, I see how it aligns with fascism. The experience, especially the SRF group or temple services, are highly scripted, choreographed for maximum theatrical and emotional effect. Convocations and guru's birthdays are sort of twisted, spiritual Nuremberg Rally. How timely, given the recent upswing in nationalism and abdication of leadership to psychopathic, egomaniacal leaders who prey on victims' self-doubts, financial and psychological insecurities.

One correction I'd make to Raja's essay--
"PSEUDO-RELIGIOUS IDEAL".
No! Not, Pseudo-religious! SRF is an actual-religious ideology. What does it matter if devotees worship living or dead saints? I wouldn't call that "pseudo". SRF devotees often revere and idealize the Matas, senior disciples who had the dumb-luck to be born and join SRF while the guru-god-man Yogananda was living, breathing, and expanding in his mortal frame.

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One correction I'd make to Raja's essay--
"PSEUDO-RELIGIOUS IDEAL".
No! Not, Pseudo-religious! SRF is an actual-religious ideology. What does it matter if devotees worship living or dead saints? I wouldn't call that "pseudo". SRF devotees often revere and idealize the Matas, senior disciples who had the dumb-luck to be born and join SRF while the guru-god-man Yogananda was living, breathing, and expanding in his mortal frame.

Corboy: Yeah: after years of enduring tyranny from god-man Yogananda, the Matas, after Y died, got to be tyrants themselves by making the next generation adulate them.

This pattern is common in many Indian families. The new bride is lowest in status. She gets tyrannized by mother in law. She endures years of physical and emotional slavery. If she survives, she eventually becomes mother in law and when the time comes, tyrannizes the next generation of daughters in law. Shit rolls downhill.

So perhaps this gets re-enacted in ashrams.

Here is an example of this senior disciple tyranny from the ashram of another deceased guru, Meher Baba, who advertised himself as being God and Avatar of the Age.

After MB croaked, many young Americans visited his ashram and many came to stay. .

Yogananda's first disciples were called Matas; the disciples of MB were called
Mandali.

Seven year old Rachel Manjia Brown finds herself whisked from life in the USA only to find she's marooned at eherabad with her parents, both of them Baba lovers. Here is a scene from Rachel's memoir, All the Fishes Come Home to Roost:An American Misfit in India. (pp. 36--38)

On arrival at the ashram, Rachel is confronted by a female disciple who had known MB personally. This woman is wearing a traditional Indian outfit, the salwar kameez, which, to an American child would be nothing more than a long shirt and matching set of trousers. Trousers. PANTS.

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A pink cheeked female mandali, Zireen, beckoned to Mom.

"You must dress your child properly for India. She may not wear pants or shorts. Girls must wear skirts or dresses."

"You're wearing pants" I pointed out.

"Mani!" exclaimed Mom. "Don't ever contradict a mandali."

Zireen smiled. "When you're older, you may wear the salwar kameez".[/quote]

It all went downhill from there. Along came another mandali named whom Rachel Brown names Coconut.

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I took an immediate dislike to Coconut who asked bewildering questions and would not take "Huh?" for an answer. There was no need to explain his nickname. He was brown, hairy and spherical Just when I thought he was getting bored, he produced the most peculiar inquiry yet.

"Are you my little mummy?"

Mom intervened. Sort of. "Mani, Mummy is how they say Mommy here."

"Come with me", said Coconut. "I will tell you why you're my Mummy."

I shot a "Help!" look at Mom.

"Go with him, Mani" she said through clenched teeth."He's a one of the mandali."

(Rachel thinks)He's a sixty-year old man named Coconut who thinks a seven year old girl he's just met is his mother, I tried telepathically to convey to my mummy-mommy, Mom. He's a nut!

Rachel Brown had to follow this bloke to the ashram office. Luckily for her, all he did was ask weird questions about the kali yuga-the final age. But, her mother failed to pick up on her daughter's dismay -- all because Coconut was a senior disciple, a mandali.

Mata, Mandali, whatever.

If read objectively, the descriptions of MB's behavior toward his mandali
make him sound like a psychiatric case, a tyrant, perhaps both.

Now it was payback time and this kid was on the receiving end.

(Corboy note: Plenty of little girls in India wear salwar kameez, btw. Ashrams are petty fiefdoms that teem with idiosyncratic rules.)

Back to SRF and Yogananda



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2017 12:39AM by corboy.

Interesting parallels, corboy. You reminded me, with your examples of disciple devotion to senior ashram members, of this documentary about the alleged abuses of Sai/Meher Baba:
BBC The Secret Swami Satya Sai Baba 2004 full.

Corruption and abuses are often part of unquestioning obedience and surrender to a revered guru or senior swami or priest.

@uwsboi14: Revealing quotations.

Readers who want to understand Yogananda, the man, should look beyond his Autobiography, which is wild fantasy about yogi magic.

I agree with you the book Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences by Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy sheds light on the guru's fantasy-prone personality and his self-aggrandizing yogic, spiritual path.

Sai Baba of Putthaparthi was totally different from Meher Baba in that the two had separate careers and in different parts of India.

And their methods of showmanship were different.

Sathya Sai Baba

[culteducation.com]

SSB claimed to be a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a blameless Sufi
dervish who lived in poverty and who had crafted a simple message accessible to both Hindus and Muslims and died very early in the 20th century.

Sai Baba lived well into the 20th century and beyond. He was thus able to receive and benefit from the thousands of spiritual seekers who poured into India, fantasies fuelled by having read Autobiography of a Yogi. Autobiography of a Yogi, along with Wenz's Theosophicaly flavored translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Castaneda Don Juan books were all favorite books on the Hippie Trail.

SSB created a vast ashram that drew hundreds, sometimes thousands of people. He went about with a huge Afro, long sleeved orange robe and claimed to materialize sacred objects. Sai Baba photos sometimes generated ash. Tim Ward's memoir, The Great Dragon's Fleas has a detailed and fascinating first person description of a visit to SSB's ashram. People bought the required ashram clothes, paid for cheap bland ashram food and sat for hours craving and hoping SSB would stop as he walked by and take a note from them. The Westerners did not realize that they had been manipulated into behaving exactly the way Indian peasants comported themselves, seated on the ground in the heat and cold, abjectly waiting for hours, desperate in hopes and dreams, waiting for the Zamindar//thakur/chieftain to put in an appearance.

In India and south Asia, being made to wait in this manner is a power move.

Westerners as Trophies for Gurus

[forum.culteducation.com]

SSB's'miracles' were debunked by brave Indian rationalists.

[www.google.com]

SSB brought in millions of dollars, had politicians in his retinue, and created the usual schools and hospitals, yet still amassed a cash fortune of millions. Over the years many reports surfaced that SSB had a taste for boys and young men.

[www.google.com]


His devotees ferociously protected him.

[www.google.com]

SSB died some years ago.

Meher Baba famously went silent for over 30 years, communicated via an alphabet board. He managed
to give a lot of messages and actively maintained written correspondence.

He was famous for his anti drug stance against LSD, saying God could not be found in a pill. Died in 1969 before the mass tourist crush, so had a modest following compared with Sathya Sai Baba.

MB kept an alert eye on which places in the USA were worth purchasing for development as ashrams.

I regard Meher Baba's motto, "Mastery in Servitude" as chilling, rather than inspirational.

Many MB followers have a multitude of MB photos, as though one or two are not sufficient.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2017 03:28AM by corboy.

@Scott, probably the following quotation speaks the most plainly about PY's ability to fantasize. Very sad to read it.

The Picture of Babaji Maharaj
Another point of interest in this reunion speech is Swamiji’s references to Mahamuni Babaji Maharaj, the Divine Master of Kriya Yoga. It is clear by this lecture that Yoganandaji did not directly see Babaji Maharaj. Later however, his organization went on propagating a drawing of Babaji Maharaj saying that this is how Swamiji had seen him. This contradiction is astounding and deluding. In truth, there is no similarity with this picture and the description of Babaji Maharaj given by Yoganandaji’s Gurudev Sriyukteshvarji, nor is there any similarity in the picture with the descriptions of the Divine Master given by Sri Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri’s other senior disciples of old. In 1978, the writer asked Sananda Lal about this matter. He said that his “Mejda” [middle elder brother] – meaning Swamiji – saw Babaji Maharaj at their house on Garpar Road, and that that image of the Divine Master was drawn according to Swamiji’s instructions by Sananda Lal. The description of Babaji Maharaj that the writer wrote in his book on Kriya Yoga in English was ascertained from conversations with Sriyukteshvarji, and Sananda Lal concurred that he had also heard Sriyukteshvarji give the same description of Babaji Maharaj [as the writer had heard in his conversations with Sriyukteshvarji]*.   [* Editor’s note: The description referred to by Sri Daguptaji is from Chapter 5 of His book “Kriya Yoga” (Yoga Niketan, Portland Maine) and is as follows- “One day, sometime in the year 1932, Swami Sri Yukteshvar paid a surprise visit to the dormitory where this author was living as a college student. After passing some time the saint asked the author to accompany him to the ancestral house of Paramhansa Yogananda, which was not far from the dormitory. We were not required to go to the house as Shri Sananda Lal Ghosh, third brother of Yoganandaji, appeared on the road in front of the house. Sananda Lal is a reputed artist, expert in drawing portraits. He is now in his eighties and is still hale and hearty. Seeing him the Swami said he was looking for him. Then he asked him to draw a picture of the Babaji Maharaj stating that this would not be difficult for him. He was simply to make the picture of Lahiri Mahasaya in a standing position, make locks of hair a little longer and flowing over the shoulders, free end of the narrow Dhoti worn made to go round the shoulders and resting on the right arm held in a right angle like that of an up-country cow boy, and the left hand hanging parallel to the body. Face would be exactly like that of Lahiri Mahasaya but should look much younger. The Swami assured Sananda Lal that he could do it without much difficulty. But the artist became bewildered. How could he paint such a picture he demurred and whose picture he would succeed in drawing he would not know. He expressed strong diffidence in succeeding to accomplishing the task as desired. Sri Yukteshvar re-assured him of his success and left. However, Sananda Lal did not dare to handle the task, perhaps considering the holiness of the individual involved. From the description given a clear idea as to how the holy one had looked like, at least as far as how Sri Yukteshvar had seen, can be made out.”] The March 1937 issue of “Inner Culture,” the primary journal of Yogoda Satsanga, contained an article by Swamiji regarding Babaji Maharaj. It seems appropriate to bring it out here, and is presented below:


Lahiri Mahasaya’s Guru
The great Babaji was the Guru-preceptor of Lahiri Mahasaya. Very little is known about Babaji’s life. We hear that he is several hundred years old, and looks exactly like Lahiri Mahasaya, only much younger in appearance. We are told that once Babaji wanted to give up his body. One of his advanced disciples objected. Babaji reasoned, “What is the difference if I keep a dream body or not? I am alive evermore with or without a body.” Then the great disciple of Babaji asked, “Honored Guru-preceptor, if it is the same with you to keep your body or dissolve it in the cosmic stream, why not keep it just for a change?” Babaji answered that he would do so, and vanished. This is why it is said he is never going to give up his physical body. Swami Keshabananda of Brindaban, disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, speaks of meeting Babaji in Badri Narayan Himalayas, India. Swami Keshabananda hinted a message from Babaji to me when I visited Keshabanandaji’s hermitage in Brindaban, India. Swami Keshabananda especially urged, “Yogananda, sometime you must see Badri Narayan Himalayas, for there I met Babaji.” [Inner Culture – March 1937] The above article written by Swamiji in his institution’s primary journal and his speech on the 1st of January 1937 shows that at least up until that time he had not seen Babaji Maharaj directly. Swamiji did not again come to India as well, so the issue of going to the Himalayas and Badri Narayan cannot even be brought up. Yoganandaji was a man who lived in the world of imagination and spiritual feelings. He saw some things directly and some things with the eyes of his feelings. Towards the end, he often did not perceive a difference between the two. In any case, in the perspective of a historical biographer, there is no believable evidence that the propagated picture of Babaji Maharaj was drawn from having seen the Divine Master directly.

Dasgupta, Sri Sailendra Bejoy. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences (Kindle Locations 2416-2432). Yoga Niketan, Inc.. Kindle Edition.