Swami Kriyananda reads and comments on his book, Conversations with Yogananda. (Date is approximate.)

With Swami Kriyananda

In this candid and deeply personal talk, Swami Kriyananda recounts his first meeting with Paramhansa Yogananda in September 1948, just one week after reading Autobiography of a Yogi for the first time. He describes the swift decision to travel from New York to Los Angeles, and Master's remarkable readiness to accept him as a disciple.

Kriyananda is refreshingly honest about the doubts that followed: an intensely analytical mind wrestling with accounts of miracles and centuries-old gurus, even a prolonged period of inner turmoil in 1950.

He shares the story of another man nicknamed "Kriyananda" whose intellectual questions were met only with Master's repeated instruction to "Love God," an exchange that this second man misunderstood as evidence of Yogananda's failure, but which Kriyananda offers as proof that love, not endless questioning, resolves spiritual doubt.

Kriyananda calls for focus on genuine growth and purification of the heart rather than getting lost in unanswerable intellectual puzzles.

These films go back 20 years.

These films go back 20 years.

With Swami Kriyananda

With Swami Kriyananda

With Swami Kriyananda

In this talk, Swami Kriyananda reflects on his experience organizing the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) monks under Paramhansa Yogananda's guidance. Initially hesitant due to Yogananda's aversion to organization, Swamiji eventually undertook the task of structuring activities. Yogananda's approach was non-traditional, preferring individual guidance over formal organization. Despite this, Swamiji took initiative in organizing the monks, which later influenced the women renunciants' organization.

Through personal anecdotes and interactions with Yogananda, the speaker highlights the evolved structure within SRF, emphasizing the importance of intuitive understanding and adaptation in fulfilling Yogananda's vision.