KriyaYogaGuru - Yogananda

Meditate! But you are too much in a hurry about meditation; you do not wait to receive His message. Meditate with calm perseverance; pray and look for His response in your heart centre. Pray again and again. When that joy comes, then notwithstanding what you are going through outwardly, you feel that everything is all right. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda “Solving the mystery of life”

August 9: *Surrender to God* “No matter how hard you work, never go to bed without giving God the deepest attention. You won't die; but die for God if it is necessary.” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _Lecture_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/Wisdom

God will not measure your defects or your merits. The preeminent merit is to be sincere with God — sincerity to Him in meditation is most important. ~ Paramahansa Yogananda “Solving the Mystery of Life”

August 8: *Surrender to God* “When someone tells me how much he has worked for God, I see the poor quality of his spirit. Those who work for the Lord in the right way never think in terms of how much they are doing for Him. Rather, they think only of how much He is doing for them—giving them a body through which they can render service to others, a mind to think about Him and His wonders, and a heart to love Him as their Father, Maker, and sole Benefactor.” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _“Yogoda Satsanga Magazine”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/YSM

"Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God, Jesus Christ, Bhagavan Krishna, Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, and our guru-preceptor, Paramahansa Yogananda, saints of all religions, I bow to you all. Free my life from all obstacles of delusion and give me material, mental, and spiritual development. Think and feel that God loves you through all these forms of love - Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God. Feel and visualize with closed eyes that the space all around you, to the farthest reaches of infinitude, is filled with God. After that, visualize Christ, and Krishna, then visualize Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswarji, and our Guru-preceptor." This is a very powerful practice…..you can utilize it during meditation or you can pause during the day and visualize the Gurus. Visualize one - ask for help, ask for attunement. Then feel. This practice can help improve your relationship with these Divine Beings. After all, how do relationships on a human level improve? We spend time on them, right? We nurture them; we help them grow. Spend time with the Gurus; spend time with these Great Beings. Tap into that blessing that's always there for us to tap into. Excerpts from Satsanga Q/A, By Brother Kartikananda SRF convocation, 2026

August 5: *Surrender to God* “I am Thine, O Lord! I will make myself worthy of Thine acceptance. I will not make a burnt offering unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. I will lay myself, with all my prejudices and pettiness, with all the flesh holds dear, upon the burning pyre. I will lift my heart daily to Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswarji, and my Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji, asking for their many-jewelled gifts of Self-realization. In the stillness of night, out of the depth of my heart I will cry: ‘Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.’ When the call to disagreeable duty is sounded, I will answer: ‘Here am I, Lord; send me.’” — *Sri Gyanamata,* _“God Alone: The Life and Letters of a Saint”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/GA

*A Personal Example* In my early years on the spiritual path, I was experiencing negative moods. When I heard the Self-Realization ministers talk on this subject, I made up my mind to learn to control my moods. I decided that I would not allow any mood to last over half a day. That was a big undertaking for me, because normally my moods could go on for a week or more! I began by inwardly monitoring my feelings, and as soon as I would become aware that I had slipped into a mood, I would start telling myself, “It’s going to be gone by noon. Everything is going to be better, and by noon I will see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel.'” And sure enough, it worked. Then I thought, “Why should I let it go for half a day? Two hours should be long enough to feel sorry for myself.” So I cut down the lifespan of my moods to two hours; then to just ten minutes. Now I am convinced that there is no need to stay in a mood for more than just a few minutes. Yes, the feeling of depression will come over you occasionally, but the length of time you carry it around is entirely up to you. If you are a victim of moods, I challenge you to try this method. You will find that you can take control of your life. Bro. Dharmananda from Self-Realization Magazine, Fall 2016 (excerpts)

🌹🌼*SRF Monks 3-hr Meditation with Kirtan _(Devotional Chanting)_* 🌼🌹 🗓️ *Mon, Aug 3* ⏰ *8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. _(IST)_* 📹 *YouTube Link:* https://www.youtube.com/live/vONKT4O8w_A 📲 *2026 SRF Convocation YouTube Playlist:* https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDos47JU1Oa4

“Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them.” -Paramahansa Yogananda

July 30: *Practising the Presence of God* “No matter which way you turn a compass, its needle points to the north. So it is with the true yogi. Immersed he may be in many activities, but his mind is always on the Lord. His heart constantly sings: ‘My God, my God, most lovable of all!’” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _“Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/SoPY

The Guru’s promise God has sent you to me, and I shall never fail you….Even when I am gone, my help will always be given to devotees all over the world, if they keep in tune. Never think for a moment that when I am physically absent from you all, I am not otherwise with you. I shall be just as deeply concerned for your spiritual welfare when I am no longer in this body as I am now. I shall always be watching over each one of you, and whenever a true devotee thinks of me in the silent depths of his soul, he will know that I am near. ~ yssi.org

July 29: *Practising the Presence of God* “There cannot be any excuse for not thinking of God. Day and night, rolling in the background of your mind, God! God! God!…Whether you are washing dishes or digging a ditch or working in an office or a garden — whatever you may be doing — inwardly say, ‘Lord, manifest to me! You are right here. You are in the sun. You are in the grass. You are in the water. You are in this room. You are in my heart.’” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _“Journey to Self-realization”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/JSR

"Just as a seed must push past the heavy resistance of the soil to blossom, your soul must overcome the inertia of old habits to expand. Do not look at obstacles as permanent barriers, but rather as necessary testing grounds to strengthen your spiritual muscles." - Paramahansa Yogananda

July 25: *Practising the Presence of God* _Sri Sri Mahavatar Babaji Smriti Divas_ “Mahavatar Babaji has promised to guard and guide all sincere _Kriya Yogis_ in their path toward the Goal.... ‘Whenever anyone utters with reverence the name of Babaji,’ Lahiri Mahasaya said, ‘that devotee attracts an instant spiritual blessing.’” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _“Autobiography of a Yogi”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/AY

July 24: *Practising the Presence of God* “God is approachable. Talking of Him and listening to His words in the scriptures, thinking of Him, feeling His presence in meditation, you will see that gradually the Unreal becomes real, and this world which you think is real will be seen as unreal. There is no joy like that realization.” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _“Man's Eternal Quest”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/MEQ

*With Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in Ranchi* ( a student's recollection) - By Sri S.K.D. Banerjee (Part 1) I may say unhesitatingly that three years from 1918 - 1920 were the golden years of my life. I consider myself most fortunate and blessed to have been in constant company with Sri Sri Paramahansa Yoganandaji - my guru, my teacher, and the most beloved friend I ever had... As I look back, I can still see, in my mind's eye, Sri Sri Yoganandaji present in the Ranchi Brahmacharya Vidyalaya, surrounded by his faithful and devoted disciples and students. I remember the day when I was taken to the Brahmacharya Vidyalaya by my father. It was about 10 a.m. Paramahansaji was sitting in padmasana on a blanket spread on a wooden cot. He looked at me and smiled. Immediately it flashed in my mind that he was one who was not only a teacher, but an intimate friend. His tender smile radiated light, bliss, love, and peace. I could feel that there was no one in this world more dear and near to me. That day I was to go back to my house to bring the few articles and clothes I might require during my stay in the ashram, but my wish was to continue to remain there and not to go back to my house even for a day. The next day I came to the ashram and my spiritual education began with others, after the Guru had tested us in various ways. Paramahansaji was never stern to a student. He was always loving and smiling, though his tests at times were very stiff... (To be continued ) Excerpts from SRF magazine, Winter 1977

July 19: *Right Attitude* “These three instructions, plus meditation, contain the only rule of life that any disciple needs: detachment; realization of God as the Giver; and unruffled patience. As long as we fail in any one of these three, we still have a serious spiritual defect to overcome.” — *Sri Gyanamata,* _“God Alone: The Life and Letters of a Saint”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/GA

July 18: *Right Attitude* Paramahansa Yogananda in a memorial tribute to Sister Gyanamata: “I had never seen, never heard Sister criticize anybody; never heard a cross word from her lips. All the disciples whose good fortune it was to know her felt a new inspiration, and they all said: ‘She is indeed a saint.’” — *Paramahansa Yogananda,* _in “God Alone: The Life and Letters of a Saint”_ *Further Reading:* 📖 yssi.org/GA

"Success is not a simple matter; it cannot be determined merely by the amount of money and material possessions you have. The meaning of success goes far deeper. It can only be measured by the extent to which your inner peace and mental control enable you to be happy under all circumstances. That is real success." — Paramahansa Yogananda on ‘Achieving True Success and Prosperity’