“Lord,” I prayed, “please let my
inspiration be Thyself, and not again the laughter-bombs
of the audience!”
The city of Sparta docked near
Boston in late September. On the sixth of October
I addressed the congress with my maiden speech in
America. It was well received; I sighed in relief.
The magnanimous secretary of the American Unitarian
Association wrote the following comment in a published
account {FN37-4} of the congress proceedings:
“Swami Yogananda, delegate from the Brahmacharya
Ashram of Ranchi, India, brought the greetings of
his Association to the Congress. In fluent English
and a forcible delivery he gave an address of a philosophical
character on ‘The Science of Religion,’
which has been printed in pamphlet form for a wider
distribution. Religion, he maintained, is universal
and it is one. We cannot possibly universalize
particular customs and convictions, but the common
element in religion can be universalized, and we can
ask all alike to follow and obey it.”
Due to Father’s generous check, I was able to
remain in America after the congress was over.
Four happy years were spent in humble circumstances
in Boston. I gave public lectures, taught classes,
and wrote a book of poems, songs of the
soul, with a preface by Dr. Frederick B. Robinson,
president of the College of the City of New York.
{FN37-5}
Starting a transcontinental tour in the summer of
1924, I spoke before thousands in the principal cities,
ending my western trip with a vacation in the beautiful
Alaskan north.
With the help of large-hearted students, by the end
of 1925 I had established an American headquarters
on the Mount Washington Estates in Los Angeles.
The building is the one I had seen years before in
my vision at Kashmir. I hastened to send Sri Yukteswar
pictures of these distant American activities.
He replied with a postcard in Bengali, which I here
translate:
11th August, 1926
Child of my heart, O Yogananda!
Seeing the photos of your school and students, what
joy comes in my life I cannot express in words.
I am melting in joy to see your yoga students of different
cities. Beholding your methods in chant affirmations,
healing vibrations, and divine healing prayers, I
cannot refrain from thanking you from my heart.
Seeing the gate, the winding hilly way upward, and
the beautiful scenery spread out beneath the Mount
Washington Estates, I yearn to behold it all with
my own eyes.
Everything here is going on well. Through the
grace of God, may you ever be in bliss.
Years sped by. I lectured in every part of my
new land, and addressed hundreds of clubs, colleges,
churches, and groups of every denomination. Tens
of thousands of Americans received yoga initiation.
To them all I dedicated a new book of prayer thoughts
in 1929-whispers from eternity, with
a preface by Amelita Galli-Curci. {FN37-6} I
give here, from the book, a poem entitled “God!
God! God!”, composed one night as I stood
on a lecture platform:
