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Sri Yukteswar is the author of 'The Holy Science', a useful comparison of the Holy Bible and Hindu scriptures.
Jnanavatar – Incarnation of WisdomSri Yukteswar was born in Serampore, India, May 10, 1855. His name at birth was Priya Nath Karar. He became a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, who was also the guru of the parents of Paramahansa Yogananda. Through his one-pointed devotion to Kriya Yoga as taught by Lahiri Mahasaya, Priya Nath Kara became Swami Sri Yukteswar, a Jnanavatar or incarnation of wisdom. At age seventeen Mukunda Lal Ghosh, who would become Paramahansa Yogananda, met his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar. Mukunda spent as much time as possible in the ashram of his guru, perfecting himself for God-union also through the practice of Kriya Yoga. The swami attracted many other disciples to his ashram, but only the most devoted could stand the strict discipline that the swami administered. Premavatar – Incarnation of LoveWhile Paramahansa Yogananda is a premavatar or incarnation of love and one whose personality guides by love, Sri Yukteswar was more matter-of-fact and a stickler for details. Although the swami also had deep love in his heart, his nature was guided by attention to right action as he disciplined in a more severe way than his disciple Yogananda. The swami once told Yoganandaji that he (Yoganandaji) would be less harsh in his discipline than the swami as he trained his future disciples. But Paramahansa Yogananda made it clear that he would not have traded the discipline administered by his guru for all the less harsh discipline in the world. Paramahansaji realized that his guru knew exactly the kind of discipline he needed to reach his goal of self-realization. The Cauliflower StoryParamahansaji tells a little story in his Autobiography about an incident with six large cauliflowers that he had himself planted and cultivated to perfection. He presents the cauliflowers to his guru with great pride of accomplishment. Sri Yukteswar tells Mukunda to keep them in his room and that he would need them later for a special dinner. Then the guru along with Mukunda and several other disciples go out for a walk. As they march along, Sri Yukteswar asks Mukunda if he remembered to lock the back door. Mukunda says he thinks he did, but the guru says no I don’t think so and tells Mukunda such laxity must be punished. As they start back to the ashram, the little group halts to observe a man walking in front of the ashram, flailing his arms like a madman. Sri Yukteswar then remarks that this man would be the instrument of Mukunda’s punishment, so the guru puts the thought into the crazed man's mind that a cauliflower is easily within his reach. As they watch, sure enough, the man enters the ashram by the backdoor, thus confirming that Mukunda had, indeed, forgotten to lock it. A moment later, the man emerges with one cauliflower. Mukunda is astonished and starts to run after the man to retrieve his vegetable, but Sri Yukteswar stops him saying, “The poor crazy man has been longing for a cauliflower. I thought it would be a good idea if he got one of yours, so ill-guarded!” It was mostly through little lessons such as “The Cauliflower Robbery” that Mukunda learned his many valuable lessons; this one taught him the efficacy of locking doors! Sri Yukteswar Important to SRF MembersFor devotees of Self-Realization Fellowship and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sri Yukteswar remains a treasure as the guru of our guru Paramahansa Yogananda. The swami entered mahasamadhi (the conscious exit of the soul from the body) March 9, 1936. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Forget the past. The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until man is anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.” —Swami Sri Yukteswar The above quotation is one of my favorites for the profound comfort it affords me as I strive to improve my behavior, thoughts, and tendencies. It is found in Paramahansa Yogananda’s classic work, Autobiography of a Yogi, where I was first introduced to Swami Sri Yukteswar, guru of Paramahansa Yogananda.
The copyright of the article Swami Sri Yukteswar in Alternative Spirituality is owned by Linda Sue Grimes. Permission to republish Swami Sri Yukteswar in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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