In this letter Kriyananda responds to a devotee who questioned the need for Kriyananda to add his writings to the body of works written by Yogananda.
Dear _____________________
Thank you for your letter. I’m pleased with your sincerity, though unsure as to how far I can satisfy your desire for an explanation.
First of all, I certainly have no wish to replace Yogananda, or to be installed as the next guru in our line of gurus, or indeed to be considered a guru at all (since I’m not one). As Yogananda’s disciple, however, it is right that I express his teachings creatively and not merely parrot them. It is also natural that those who have come to Yogananda through me should turn also to what I have written, and not set that rigidly aside for Yogananda’s words alone.
It would be idle, however, to say that I am not the guide of those who come to Yogananda through me and Ananda. Rather, this fact needs to be affirmed. Those who want to go straight to Yogananda without a guide are welcome to do so, as indeed you are welcome to do. But if people come wanting my help and guidance in the matter of attunement with Yogananda and his ray, what point would be served by not accepting a responsibility which the guru himself gives to his disciples, and which Yogananda gave to me? Those people err who imagine their only responsibility to others is to introduce them to Yogananda.
You must decide what you want. I only want to be of help if help from me and Ananda is what you yourself desire.
I think that perhaps you subconsciously resist the very thought of accepting guidance. At least, please consider the possibility. You might even ask yourself: Would you follow Yogananda himself if he were living? Much may depend on your answer to this question, for guidance is important to spiritual growth.
In divine friendship
Swami Kriyananda
