Swami Sri Yukteswar: Why God Should Be Your Priority in Life

Nayaswami Jaya continues his fascinating discussion of key aspects of Sri Yukteswar's profound book The Holy Science in this second satsang. Here Sri Yukteswar explains the deeper meaning of the Shankhya philosophy, and the true purpose of life.

Nayaswami Jaya is a long-time disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and the path of Kriya Yoga, and, together with Nayaswami Dhyana, is spiritual director of Ananda Sangha India.

ABOUT SWAMI SRI YUKTESWAR

Swami Sri Yukteswar was born to a wealthy business man and his wife on May 10, 1855, in Serampore, India. Upon leaving college, he married and had a daughter, and in 1884 he became a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. After the death of his wife, Priya Nath Karar became a Swami and received the name Sri Yukteswar Giri. He met Babaji, the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya, in 1894. Babaji told him that one day he would send Sri Yukteswar a disciple who would share the teachings of yoga in the West. This disciple turned out to be Paramhansa Yogananda, who is best known for his book, Autobiography of a Yogi. Babaji also asked Sri Yukteswar to write a book on the essential unity of the Bible and Bhagavad Gita, the most well-known scripture in India. Sri Yukteswar titled this book The Holy Science.

Sri Yukteswar founded two hermitages, one of which was his family home given to him by his father as his inheritance. In the last year of his life, Sri Yukteswar turned over all his properties to Paramhansa Yogananda, asking him to find someone to maintain them. Sri Yukteswar left his body on March 9, 1936. Soon after, he appeared to Yogananda and described to him the nature of the afterlife. This description can be found in Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.

ABOUT PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA

Paramhansa Yogananda, born in 1893, was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence in the West. Yogananda arrived in America in 1920, and proceeded to travel throughout the United States on what he called his “spiritual campaigns.” Hundreds of thousands filled the largest halls in major American cities to see the yoga master from India. Yogananda continued to lecture and write up to his passing in 1952.

Paramhansa Yogananda’s initial impact on the Western culture was truly impressive. But his lasting spiritual legacy has been even greater. His Autobiography of a Yogi, first published in 1946, helped launch a spiritual revolution in the West. Translated into more than a dozen languages, it remains a best-selling spiritual classic to this day. [Read free at https://ananda.org/autobiography/.] The path of Kriya Yoga, which combines the practice of advanced yogic techniques with spirituality in daily life, can be learned at https://ananda.org/kriya-yoga/. 

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