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Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda Summary

Autobiography of a Yogi
Paramahansa Yogananda
4.25 (71722 Reviews)
Biography
Inspiration
Philosophy
Overview
Key Takeaways
Author
FAQs

Overview of Autobiography of a Yogi

Paramahansa Yogananda's spiritual masterpiece that captivated Steve Jobs, who read it annually and gifted it at his memorial. This 75-year bestseller, translated into 50+ languages, reveals ancient yogic wisdom that transformed Western meditation practices and continues to inspire millions seeking inner enlightenment.

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Key takeaways

1

When the Material World Cracks Open

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A young boy in India stares at a photograph on the family altar, his body wracked with cholera, doctors whispering that death is certain. His mother's voice urges him to pray to the image of Lahiri Mahasaya. Suddenly, blinding light floods the room-not metaphorically, but as real as sunlight through a window-and the disease vanishes instantly. This wasn't a dream or a comforting story told afterward. This was Mukunda Lal Ghosh's childhood, and it shattered forever the thin membrane separating the ordinary from the extraordinary. This autobiography isn't about someone who studied spirituality-it's about someone who lived inside it the way fish live in water. From his earliest memories, Yogananda experienced a reality most people glimpse only in fleeting moments: visions of Himalayan saints, spontaneous healings, encounters with masters who appeared in two places simultaneously. What makes these accounts so compelling isn't their fantastical nature but their matter-of-fact presentation, as if describing breakfast rather than bilocation. The spiritual realm wasn't something distant or theoretical-it was the primary reality, with the material world merely its shadow.

2

The Architecture of Destiny

3

The Alchemy of True Mentorship

4

The Science Hidden in Mysticism

5

When Physics Meets the Impossible

6

The Geography of the Afterlife

7

The Bridge Between Worlds

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@Matt, YC alum
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108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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254
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17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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