My key takeaways from "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
At first, "Autobiography of a Yogi" seemed filled with implausible miracles, and for three years, it lulled me to sleep whenever I tried reading it in bed. It dawned on me that it demanded a more reverent approach—sitting upright with full focus. Yet, this posture did little to alleviate the challenge of its complex vocabulary, often sending me to search for meanings & definitions on my phone, disrupting my reading flow.
My vocabulary enriched, as I discovered new words in each chapter, I never learnt so many unfamiliar words even while preparing for Common Admission Test (CAT) during my MBA preparations in 1997-98. Finally in February 2020, I registered myself for the YSS lessons program at YSS stall in Kolkata Book Fair. This book is so profound that I wanted to read it repeatedly, but I was unable to do so for last few months. Hence, I decided to write this post, to crystallize my learnings from this book. While I am writing this in Jan 2022, I still need to read it again, just the way Steve Jobs read it repeatedly.
My favourite quotes from the book -
"God is Harmony; the devotee who attunes himself will never perform any action amiss. His activities will be correctly and naturally timed to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and meditation he is in touch with his divine consciousness; there is no greater power than that inward protection" - Outwitting the stars, Chap - 16
This book is an ideal gift for anyone who sincerely wants the progress and well wishes for the recipient. Apart from enriching your vocabulary, it improves your writing and expressing skills, to present ideas in a precise and concise format. A lot of English Literature students crib about the Shakespeare curriculum in their education, which is obsolete now. The language is not used anymore in modern times. Instead, "Autobiography of a Yogi" should be introduced as a part of course curriculum course curriculum by all Education boards, as it also revives the ancient healthcare and mind control tips too.