“Solve all your problems through meditation. Exchange unprofitable speculations for actual God-communion.”
— Lahiri Mahasaya
From time to time, a spiritual giant walks quietly among us — unnoticed by the world, yet leaving a path that transforms generations. One such master was Lahiri Mahasaya, born on September 30, 1828, in Ghurni, Bengal. His life, lovingly chronicled in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, marked a turning point in how humanity understood spirituality.
Unlike many saints, Lahiri Mahasaya was not a monk or recluse. Known as the Yogavatar — an incarnation of yoga — he lived as a householder: a government accountant in Varanasi with a wife and children. Yet in 1861, while stationed near Ranikhet, his destiny was forever altered. In the Himalayan foothills, he encountered the immortal Mahavatar Babaji, who initiated him into the sacred and long-hidden science of Kriya Yoga — a technique capable of greatly accelerating spiritual evolution. It is said that the practice of a single Kriya is equal to one year of natural spiritual growth.
This moment was historic. For centuries, such knowledge was reserved only for renunciates. But at Lahiri Mahasaya’s humble request, Babaji agreed that the sacred technique could be shared with all sincere seekers. Thus began Lahiri Mahasaya’s mission — not as a saffron-clad monk, but as a bridge between the ancient wisdom of yoga and the modern world.
Returning to Varanasi, he quietly began initiating earnest disciples — Brahmins, scholars, businessmen, householders — cutting across caste, creed, and tradition. His simple yet powerful message was: God is for everyone.
Among his many sayings, one phrase became legendary:
“Banat, banat, ban jai.”
(“Striving, striving — one day the Divine Goal is attained.”)
This was his assurance to seekers discouraged by the pace of their progress, a reminder that sincere effort unfailingly bears fruit.
His disciples carried forward his divine mission. The foremost was Swami Sri Yukteswar, revered as the Gyanavatar (incarnation of wisdom). Later, Sri Yukteswar became the guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, the great messenger of Kriya Yoga to the modern world. Lahiri Mahasaya himself had blessed Yogananda as an infant, prophesying:
“Little mother, thy son will be a yogi. As a spiritual engine, he will carry many souls to God’s kingdom.”
That prophecy blossomed into truth. Yogananda established the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles and the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) in Ranchi, ensuring that the sacred science of Kriya Yoga would spread worldwide.
Despite his miraculous powers, Lahiri Mahasaya lived in simplicity and humility. His life of service showed that spiritual enlightenment and worldly duties are not opposed but can harmoniously coexist.
As we celebrate Lahiri Mahasaya’s birthday on September 30, we remember the Yogavatar who changed spiritual history without ever seeking recognition. Once hidden in the Himalayas, Kriya Yoga today is a global practice — a gift of his quiet, radiant life.
In Lahiri Mahasaya, we see the perfect union of the eternal and the everyday: the divine fully expressed in human life.
✍️ Writer: Renu Singh Parmar
ℹ️ More information: yssofindia.org