After an unscheduled interlude occasioned by complications arising from vaccine reaction and the never-say-die spirit of Covid itself, that gave rise to several light-hearted (barring one: Covid’s Chance Calls) articles from me crafted mainly in the hospital, God has made it possible for us to turn our attention once again to this mind blowing topic.
(credit: fda.gov)The last time around in Misc. 49, we made the point that the Self Realization Fellowship founded by PY became too much of a Western organization and somewhat lost sight of the illumined teachings of PY. This is a classic case of an Indian mystic being adored by philosophical minded westerners looking for some relief from their materialistic society. So it was that the SRF became something of a cult, with YP as the lodestar. I suppose in a way this was inevitable, for the guru was right there in the heart of America for over three decades!
Now I have nothing against about immigrants realizing the vaunted American dream in a purely secular pursuit (several branches of my family have flourished there). But I think you would want to question the misplaced motives of spiritually oriented characters settling down comfortably in the U.S. of A in gross neglect of the needs of the meandering masses back home. In this context, I am often reminded of a verse in the Bible that goes “அமரிக்கையும் நம்பிக்கையுமே உங்கள் பெலனாயிருக்கும் ” (Isaiah 30:15). I suspect many people misread this as அமெரிக்கா and promptly line up at the U.S. Consulate office!
Be that as it may. But to be perfectly fair, PY was certainly not swayed by material prosperity that America proffered. I don’t know if I can dare say that his particular vulnerability was adulation. I rather think he became enamoured by the fact that western minds became attracted to eastern revelations like moths to a flame. And he had a good set up going at the international headquarters of the Self-Realization Fellowship in the hermitage at Encinitas, California; besides, there sprouted several temples all across the United States. It is reasonable to assume that as the years went on the spotlight began to shine on himself. Mind you, he was still meditating on the Bible and receiving divine revelations but those around him began to venerate the Yogi in place of his teachings.
Let me buttress this point.
The Wikipedia gives the following information. Among PY’s disciples in the 1920s :
Minott and Mildred Lewis, 1920, Boston. Minott W. Lewis, a Boston dentist, and his wife Mildred were among Yogananda’s first disciples in America
Sister Yogmata, 1920, Boston. Mrs. Alice Hasey took her final, lifelong vow of renunciation in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order from Yogananda and became Sister Yogmata
Gyanamata, 1924, Seattle. In 1932 Gyanamata (Mother of Wisdom) took a final, lifelong vow of renunciation in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order from Yogananda.
and in the 1930s:
Ananda Mata, 1931, Salt Lake City. She took her final, lifelong vow of renunciation from Yogananda in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order and was given the name Mataji.
Daya Mata, 1931, Salt Lake City. Daya Mata (Mother of Compassion) was one of the foremost disciples of Paramahansa Yogananda.
Oliver Black, 1932, Detroit. A self-made millionaire auto-industrialist from Michigan, J. Oliver Black was given the title Yogacharya (Yoga Teacher) by Yogananda
in 1940s:
Mrinalini Mata, 1945. President and spiritual leader of SRF/YSS from 7 January 2011 until her passing on 3 August 2017, Mrinalini Mata took her final, lifelong vow of renunciation in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order from Yogananda in 1947.
Mukti Mata, 1945. Mukti Mata took the final, lifelong vow of renunciation in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order, devoting her life fully to the SRF worldwide mission begun by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Bimalananda, 1947. Bimalananda took a final, lifelong vow of renunciation in the Self-Realization Fellowship Order, devoting his life fully to the SRF worldwide mission begun by Paramahansa Yogananda.
and in the 1950s
Bob Raymer, 1950. Bob Raymer, a former commercial airline pilot, met Yogananda in the latter years of Yogananda’s life. Yogananda initiated Raymer into Kriya Yoga and made him a minister of SRF.
Brother Mokshananda, 1952. Brother Mokshananda born Leland Standing, entered the Self-Realization Fellowship ashram just four days before Paramahansa Yogananda’s mahasamadhi.
The above list obviously is not exhaustive but is only intended to be exemplary.
Try spotting an Indian / Asian in the above photographs. But there were one or two like:
Anandamayi Ma (née Nirmala Sundari; 30 April 1896 – 27 August 1982) was an Indian saint, described by Sivananda Saraswati (of the Divine Life Society) as “the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced.”
More the exception than the general trend and it does not at all negate the point I made earlier about western fascination for the Yogi.
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