Paramahansa Yogananda, Mukunda Lal Ghosh

The author of his autobiography, Paramahansa Yogananda was born in 1893 in Gorakhpur in northeastern India near the Himalaya Mountains, the fourth child of Bengali parents of the Kshatriya caste, originally that of rulers and warriors. He was one of eight children, and describes his parents as saintly and peaceful. Because his father was well-to-do as a railroad executive, young Mukunda had the privilege of traveling and plentiful spending money compared to most. From the time he was small, Mukunda longed to go the Himalayas, where he felt he could focus on meditation and reach an ascended level of spirituality. His parents were followers of Lahiri Mahasaya, a well-known and well-loved saint whose miracles and clairvoyant abilities were known to Mukunda throughout childhood, even though Lahiri died before Mukunda was born. Mukunda was not a good student of academics, according to his own account, but...