Autobiography of a Yogi

An avatar (sometimes avatara) is an incarnation of the divine on earth. Examples include Babaji, Krishna, and Christ. The word means “descent,” and Yogananda states, “In the Hindu scriptures, avatara signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh” (332).

Bhakti means devotion. It is one of the main paths to God and is the path followed by Yogananda.

There are seven chakras, or energy centers, in the human body. The Sanskrit word means “wheels.” Yogananda also refers to them as spinal centers. The practice of Kriya Yoga is intended to rejuvenate the spinal centers.

The Eightfold Path of Yoga was outlined by the ancient seer Patanjali. The first two steps, yama and niyama, consist of qualities to be cultivated (such as devotion to God) and qualities to be avoided (such as untruthfulness). The third step is asana (correct posture), the fourth is pranayama (control of prana, or breath), and pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from external objects) is the fifth step. The next steps are dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (superconscious perception). Practice of the Eightfold Path leads to the realization of Truth.

Karma means action, and the law of karma states that for every action, there is an equal reaction. The effect of a person’s thoughts and actions, whether good or bad, will come back to them in equal measure. All people must work out their karma before they can attain enlightenment.

Maya means illusion. The illusion is that the relative world of space and time appears in the form of dualities when it is in reality a manifestation of the eternal One. Thus, through maya, the unity appears as multiplicity. Yogananda also calls maya “the dualistic Cosmic Delusion” (230).

Samadhi is an exalted state of consciousness in which the yogi experiences a union between his own essential, expanded nature and the infinite, unchanging reality of the Cosmic Spirit. Yogananda often describes yogis or spiritual masters going into a state of samadhi.

A sannyasi is a man who is on the spiritual path and lives apart from society. The opposite of a householder, the sannyasi has no earthly ties or concerns. The word literally means “abandoning” or “throwing down.” When Sri Yukteswar meets Babaji for the first time, the immortal guru is in the form of a sannyasi.