Quest of Divinity in Autobiography of a Yogi: A Term Paper
One of the preeminent spiritual figures, Paramhansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi is about the quest of divinity. It is a long search especially for the study of the nature of God and religious belief. The book talks about two types of quest: linear and vertical. Spiritual quest always brings about a change in the character; either physical or mental transformations. It is reflected through inner thought, i.e. sense of achievement. When a person travels in time and space he is reflected with experiences.
There will be the caller, receiver and message from the receiver. While the receiver (quester) receives the message then the caller is disappeared. While the receiver creates the message, the receiver does not exit but the message lies. It does not die. The receiver receives the message through different ways: experiences, calling, sounds, dreams, etc. Yogananda's quest is based on experiences. The beginning of the spiritual quest varies in different ages. To Yogananda, spiritual quest begins in childhood. He writes openly about his intense desire, even in childhood, to know what lay behind all the experiences of life and death. As a child he asked, "What is behind the darkness of closed eyes? (9)"
He remembers the power of his will even in the childhood. While his sister had a boil on arm he said to his sister, "By the power of will in me, I say that tomorrow I shall have a fairly large boil in this exact place on my arm; and your boil shall swell to twice its present size! (10)" The next morning he found with a stalwart boil on the indicated spot and the dimensions of his sister's boil had double.
When Yogananda was 11, his mother passed away. This incident greately intensified his personal search of god. He states "I loved Mother as my dearest friend on earth. Her solacing black eyes had been my refuge in the trifling tragedies of childhood.(13)" Later Yogananda states that in a spiritual vision God, in the aspect of Divine Mother, told him, "It is I who have watched over thee, life after life, in the tenderness of many mothers. See in My gaze the two black eyes, the lost beautiful eyes, thou seekest! (13)."
His quest of divinity continues even in the student life. During his high school life Yogananda longed to dedicate his life to god. With three friends he attempted to run away from home and find his long sought guru amid the Himalayan mountains. But it was not until after his graduation from high school, which he had promised his father he would finish, that Yogananda was to meet the great sage Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri. He then spent the better part of ten years under his guru's strict discipline.
Every knowledge is received under the direction of guru. When Yogananda meets his guru and gets some speeches from him, he praises his guru in this way.
Discipline had not been unknown to me: at home Father was strict, Ananta often severe. But Sri Yukteswar’s training cannot be described as other than drastic. A perfectionist, my guru was hypercritical of his disciples, whether in matters of moment or in the subtle nuances of behavior. (118)
During his stay with his guru Sri Yukteswar for ten years Yogananda receives a lot of knowledge on spiritual quest. He is so much impressed with his guru. His methodology of giving speech and the way of convincing is very simple and vivid. In his book Autobiography of a Yogi under the topic "Years in My Master's Hermitage", Yogananda states,
In Master’s life I fully discovered the cleavage between spiritual realism and the obscure mysticism that spuriously passes as a counterpart. My guru was reluctant to discuss the superphysical realms. His only “marvelous” aura was one of perfect simplicity. In conversation he avoided startling references; in action he was freely expressive. Others talked of miracles but could manifest nothing; Sri Yukteswar seldom mentioned the subtle laws but secretly operated them at will. (120)
Yogananda is not impressed only by Sri Yukteswar guru. He is
