Paramahansa Yogananda Best Quotes & Sayings

Like any other science, yoga is applicable by people of every clime and time. The theory advanced by certain ignorant writers that yoga is "dangerous" or "unsuitable" for Westerners is wholly false, and has lamentably deterred many sincere students from seeking its manifold blessings. Yoga is a method for restraining the natural turbulence of thoughts, which otherwise impartially prevents all men, of all lands, from glimpsing their true nature of Spirit. Like the healing light of the sun, yoga is beneficial equally to men of the East and to men of the West. The thoughts of most persons are restless and capricious; a manifest need exists for yoga: the science of mind control. — Paramahansa Yogananda

I look forward optimistically to a healthy, happy world as soon as its children are taught the principles of simple and rational living. We must return to nature and nature's God. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The body is a treacherous friend. Give it its due; no more. Pain and pleasure are transitory; endure all dualities with calmness, trying at the same time to remove yourself beyond their power. Imagination is the door through which disease as well as healing enters. Disbelieve in the reality of sickness even when you are ill; an unrecognized visitor will flee! — Paramahansa Yogananda

Man's conscious state is an awareness of body and breath. His subconscious state, active in sleep, is associated with his mental, and temporary, separation from body and breath. His superconscious state is a freedom from the delusion that "existence" depends on body and breath. God lives without breath; the soul made in his image becomes conscious of itself, for the first time, only during the breathless state. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Why the ancient rishis selected the cow for apotheosis is obvious to me. The cow in India was the best comparison; she was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible. The cow is a poem of pity; one reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the second mother to millions of mankind. Protection of the cow means protection of the whole dumb creation of God. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Be satisfied with your part. Do not bemoan your fate. In this life everyone has troubles which he thinks nobody else has. Never wish to be in the shoes of someone else who you think is better off than you are. It is best to wish for nothing, but to ask the Lord to give you what is for your highest good. You are a part of the Lord's creation: He needs everybody to carry on this drama. Never compare yourself with anybody else. You are what you are. Nobody is like you. Nobody can act your part as you can. Similarly, you should not try to play somebody else's part. What is important is to do the will of Him who sent you; that is what you want. While you do your part, think all the time that God is working through you — Paramahansa Yogananda

If you are posing as religious and are not living the life as stressed by God, you should wake up. It is wrong to be insincere. The best time to begin a religious life is when you are youthful and well. If you have a short time to live, you must work harder at it. And if you have along time to live, you should not waste that precious opportunity. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The ignorant man sees only the unsurmountable wall of death, hiding, seemingly forever, his cherished friends. But the man of unattachment, he who loves others as expressions of the Lord, understands that at death the dear ones have only returned for a breathing-space of joy in Him. The — Paramahansa Yogananda

The best methods are those which help the life energy to
resume its inner work of healing — Paramahansa Yogananda

Bring into play the almighty power within you, so that on the stage of life you can fulfill your high destined role. — Paramahansa Yogananda

One cannot tell when he is going to be healed, so do not try to set an exact time limit. Faith, not time, will determine when the cure will be effected. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Mind is the creator of everything. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Self-realization may be and sometimes is attained even by people who are struggling with sick and otherwise imperfect bodies; but it cannot be attained unless one can concentrate and meditate uninterruptedly upon God. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Any apparent insurrection in the human body or mind against Emperor Soul, manifesting as disease or irrationality, is due to no disloyalty among the humble subjects, but stems from past or present misuse by man of his individuality or free will - given to him simultaneously with a soul, and revocable never. Identifying — Paramahansa Yogananda

Through Self-realization man becomes aware of true values as to his place in the divine plan and his relation to the past, present, and future of mankind. — Paramahansa Yogananda

He who is persistent will realize God. So try your best to make meditation a regular experience in your life. — Paramahansa Yogananda

human being falsely identifies himself with his physical form because the life currents from the soul are breath-conveyed into the flesh with such intense power that man mistakes the effect for a cause, and idolatrously imagines the body to have life of its own. Man's — Paramahansa Yogananda

Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along. — Paramahansa Yogananda

1. the Hindole Raga is heard only at dawn in the spring, to evoke the mood of universal love; 2. Deepaka Raga is played during the evening in summer, to arouse compassion; 3. Megha Raga is a melody for midday in the rainy season, to summon courage; 4. Bhairava Raga is played in the mornings of August, September, October, to achieve tranquillity; 5. Sri Raga is reserved for autumn twilights, to attain pure love; 6. Malkounsa Raga is heard at midnights in winter, for valor. — Paramahansa Yogananda

A master bestows the divine experience of cosmic consciousness when his disciple, by meditation, has strengthened his mind to a degree where the vast vistas would not overwhelm him. Mere intellectual willingness or open-mindedness is not enough. Only adequate enlargement of consciousness by yoga practice and devotional bhakti can prepare one to absorb the liberating shock of omnipresence. — Paramahansa Yogananda

As often as you fail, get up and try again. God will never let you down, so long as you don't let Him down, and so long as you make the effort. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The so-called miraculous powers of a great master are a natural accompaniment to his exact understanding of subtle laws that operate in the inner cosmos of consciousness. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Do your best and then relax. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Forget you were born a Hindu, and don't be an American. Take the best of them both, — Paramahansa Yogananda

The soul must stretch over the cosmogonic abysses, while the body performs its daily duties. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Through delusion you are perceiving yourself as a bundle of flesh and bones, which at best is a nest of troubles. — Paramahansa Yogananda

You naturally love those who are dear to you, and you must learn to give that kind of love to the whole world. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Only the wise know just where predestination ends and free will begins. Meanwhile, you must keep on doing your best, according to your own clearest understanding. you must long for freedom as the drowning man longs for air. Without sincere longing, you will never find God. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Group Meditation is a castle that protects the new spiritual aspirants as well as the veteran meditators. Meditating together increases the degree of Self-realization of each member of the group by the law of invisible vibratory exchange of group magnetism. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Opportunities in life come by creation, not by chance. You yourself, either now or in the past (including the past of former lives), have created all opportunities that arise in your path. Since you have earned them, use them to the best advantage. — Paramahansa Yogananda

I could not think of being unkind, even to a mortal enemy. It would hurt me. I see so much unkindness in the world, and there is no excuse for me to add to it. When you love God, and when you see God in every soul, you cannot be mean. If someone behaves hurtfully toward you, think of the best ways to behave lovingly toward him ... — Paramahansa Yogananda

Sincerity is a soul quality that God has given to every human being, but not all express it. — Paramahansa Yogananda

We fear death because of pain, and because of the thought that we may become obliterated. This idea is erroneous. Jesus showed himself in a physical form to his disciples after his death. Lahiri Mahasaya returned in the flesh the next day after he had entered mahasamadhi. They proved that they were not destroyed. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Whenever you want to produce something, do not depend upon the outside source: go deep and seek the Infinite Source. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The initiative to undertake your most important duty in life is often buried beneath the accumulated debris of human habits. — Paramahansa Yogananda

You must stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds — Paramahansa Yogananda

Meditation is like giving a hug to our ourselves, getting in touch whith that awesome reality in us. While meditating we feel a deep sense of intimacy with God, a love that is inexplicable. — Paramahansa Yogananda

When the # mind is strong and the # heart is pure,
you are free — Paramahansa Yogananda

Fear was given to man as a cautionary device to spare him pain; it is not mean to be cultivated and abused. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Mind is the creator of everything. You should therefore guide it to create only good. If you cling to a certain thought with dynamic will power, it finally assumes a tangible outward form. When you are able to employ your will always for constructive purposes, you become the controller of your destiny. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Careless indifference and bodily restlessness in meditation cause negative vibrations. — Paramahansa Yogananda

It is a great mistake to regard a certain object as pleasurable in itself and to store the idea of it in the mind in hope of fulfilling a want by its actual presence in the future. If objects were pleasurable in themselves, then the same dress or food would always please everyone, which is not the case. — Paramahansa Yogananda

I will be calmly active, actively calm. I am a prince of peace, sitting on the throne of poise, directing the kingdom of my activity. — Paramahansa Yogananda

With the opening of the New Year, all the closed portals of limitations will be thrown open and I shall move through them to vaster fields, where my worthwhile dreams of life will be fulfilled. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Sri Yukteswar showed no special consideration to those who happened to be powerful or accomplished; neither did he slight others for their poverty or illiteracy. He would listen respectfully to words of truth from a child, and openly ignore a conceited pundit. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Why shouldn't you strengthen your own vibrations through fellowship with people seeking Self-realization, and by group meditation with them? This practice will fortify your own spiritual convictions you will find that many seemingly insuperable barriers in your life will crumble and dissolve in the waters of meditation. Your devotion and love for God will commingle with the devotion and love of others. Divine bliss will radiate from you, helping all persons you meet. — Paramahansa Yogananda

The greater the will, the greater the flow of energy. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Death is only an experience through which you are meant to learn a great lesson: you cannot die. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Words saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs, which, when set off, shatter the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Conserve the vital energy, follow a balanced diet, and always smile and be happy. He who finds joy within himself discovers that his body is charged with electric current, life energy, not from food but from God. If you feel that you can't smile, stand before a mirror and with your fingers pull your mouth into a smile. It is that important! — Paramahansa Yogananda

Incredible amounts of energy are hidden in your brain;
enough in a gram of flesh to run the city of Chicago for 2 days.
And you say you are tired? — Paramahansa Yogananda

Turning a corner, I ran into an old acquaintance - one of those long-winded fellows whose conversational powers ignore time and embrace eternity. — Paramahansa Yogananda

Love is the Song of the Soul singing to God. — Paramahansa Yogananda

If you retain the joyous aftereffects of meditation throughout the day, or part of the day, you will see that this joy will correctly guide you in everything. Saints are guided by this joy, in the consciousness of which no erroneous actions are possible. Retain the acquired joy of meditation throughout the day. — Paramahansa Yogananda