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· Preface |
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Autobiography
of a Yogi
(Original 1946 Edition)
by Paramhansa Yogananda
Notes from the Publisher, Crystal Clarity Publishers
Introduction Introduction
Autobiography
of a Yogi is not an ordinary book. It is a spiritual treasure.
To read its message of hope to all truthseekers is to begin a great
adventure.
Paramhansa
Yogananda was the first yoga master of India whose mission it was
to live and teach in the West. In the 1920's, as he criss-crossed
the United States on what he called his "spiritual campaigns," his
enthusiastic audiences filled the largest halls in America.
His initial
impact was truly impressive. But his lasting influence is greater
still. This single volume, Autobiography of a Yogi, first
published in 1946, helped launch, and continues to inspire, a spiritual
revolution in the West.
Only rarely
does a sage of Paramhansa Yogananda's stature write a firsthand
account of his life experiences. Childhood revelations, his visits
to saints and masters of India, the years of training he received
in the ashram of his guru, and long-secret teachings of Self-Realization
are all made available to the Western reader. Followers of many
religious traditions have come to recognize Autobiography of
a Yogi as a masterpiece of spiritual literature. Yet for all
its depth, it is full of gentle humor, lively stories, and practical
common sense.
Notes on the Original First Edition
This online
edition is identical to the text of the first edition, published
in 1946, by Philosophical Library in New York City. This volume
also contains reproductions of the photographs from the original
edition.
Although Yogananda
himself participated in preparing both the second and third editions
of the Autobiography of a Yogi, correcting spelling and grammatical
errors and addressing questions raised by his readers, there is
a unique power to the original that we feel is particularly worth
preserving. In order to be faithful to the original edition, we
have not corrected errors of spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Editions past
the third have been prepared since the author's passing in 1952.
In 1953, Self-Realization Fellowship, the organization founded by
Paramhansa Yogananda in Los Angeles, California, acquired the rights
to Autobiography of a Yogi from Philosophical Library; it
has been the publisher of all subsequent editions, until the reprint
of the first edition by Crystal Clarity Publishers in 1993.
Crystal Clarity,
Publishers, is the publishing house of Ananda Church of Self-Realization.
Ananda, dedicated
to the dissemination of the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, was
founded in 1968 by one of Yogananda's direct disciples, J. Donald
Walters (Kriyananda).
Who owns the copyright on the Autobiography of a Yogi? The first edition is in the public domain. Why do you spell Paramhansa Yogananda's name differently than most people? We've chosen to honor the way Yogananda himself wrote his name. Some years after his passing, editors decided to change the spelling of his name by adding an extra 'a', turning it into 'Paramahansa'. According to some pundits in India, the extra 'a' makes the spelling a proper translation from the original Sanskrit. Other noted Sanskrit scholars say the way Yogananda wrote his name is the correct way. Ananda chooses to respect the way that Sri Yukteswar (who gave Yogananda the title 'Paramhansa') and Yogananda spelled it. You can see Yogananda's original signature in the first edition, reproduced on the title page, just as he wrote it. How much
has been changed in later editions?
Yogananda made
a few changes leading up to the third edition. Later editors made
changes numbering in the hundreds after Yogananda's passing.
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