About Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri was the Guru ofSwami order and took the monastic name of Sri
Paramahansa Yogananda who was a pioneer forYukteswar. His name is suffixed with Giri as he
spreading Kriya Yoga in the west and well knownbelonged to the Giri ("mountain") branch of the
as the author of the classic book 'AutobiographySwami Order.
of a Yogi'.Swami Sri Yukteswar wrote the book as advised
Sri Yukteswar took birth on 10th May, 1855, asby Babaji to show the unity between world
Priya Nath Karar in Serampore near Calcutta,religions and it is now famous as 'The Holy
India. He was the only son of Kshetranah andScience'. In this book he explains the path to self
Kadambini Karar.realization comparing verses from Hindu and
From the childhood, Praya nath was interesting inChristian scriptures.
pursuing higher truths. He did not believe much inIn later years, Swami Sri Yukteswar sends his
formal education and so his academic training wasforemost disciple Paramahansa Yogananda to
not extensive.America to carry out the mission of spreading the
He had to take charge of their family land holdingsliberating science of Kriya Yoga and to make the
early in his life after his father expired. He washigher truths available to all throughout the world.
married but his wife died just a few years after.Sri Yukteswar entered mahasamadhi (a yogi's final
Their only daughter also passed away young.conscious exit from the body) on March 9, 1936,
Probably these developments in his life wouldat the age of 81, in Puri.
have encouraged him further in his search forLater after his death, Swami Sri Yukteswar
truth and he became a disciple of Lahiri Mahasayaappears to Paramahansa Yogananda in physical
of Banaras, who was the first to bring Kriya Yogabody and explains to him various facts about
to the world in the modern age. Through theastral worlds. This demonstration of the amazing
guidance of Lahiri Mahasaya and the practice ofresurrection of Swami Sri Yukteswar was
Kriya Yoga, Praya Nath Karar achieved higherdescribed by Yogananda in the 'Autobiography of
spiritual states.a Yogi' in detail. In this context, Yogananda quotes
Priya Nath Karar realized that the blending ofSri Yukteswar 'Grieve not for me; rather
spiritual heritage of the East with the science andbroadcast everywhere the story of my
technology of the West would help the humanityresurrection...New hope will be infused into the
to reduce the suffering in the modern world. Inhearts of misery-mad, death-fearing dreamers of
1894, when he went to attend Kumbh Mela, athe world."
saint addressed him with the words 'Swamiji'Describing about the self realized master Swami
though he was not a swami at that time. ThatSri Yukteswar, Yogananda applies this saying
saint was Babaji who appreciated his interest infrom Hindu scriptures: 'In shallow men, the fish of
bringing together east and west and advised himlittle thoughts cause much commotion. In oceanic
to write a book about the underlying harmonyminds, the whales of inspiration make hardly a
between Christian and Hindu scriptures.ruffle.
Later Priya Nath Karar was formally initiated into