The Teaching Is The Teacher

Punya Srivastava meets Swami Smarananda Giri, the General Secretary of YSS of India, and an eminent scientist who threw it all up to pursue spirituality.

- Punya Srivastava

The book, Autobiography of a Yogi is probably one of the most popular books in the spiritual world, having introduced lakhs of readers to spirituality. The travels and travails of Paramahansa Yogananda have intrigued, astounded, charmed, and inspired many a man and woman, in many a land. Yogananda, who introduced Kriya Yoga to the West on behest of his parampara, headed by the eternal Yogi Mahavatar Babaji, has been one of the most powerful disseminators of Indian spirituality in the US. In his own land, Yogananda founded the Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) which, since its inception, has dedicated itself to the service of mankind through the teaching of Kriya Yoga.

The organisation recently premiered Awake: The Life of Yogananda – a documentary based on the Autobiography of a Yogi. Swami Smarananda Giri, the General Secretary of YSS of India, delivered a precise, clear and practical speech on the true purpose of religion at the event, which inspired me to seek an interview with him. Within a week, I sat waiting for an audience with him in the meeting room of the Yogoda Satsanga Society’s Noida Centre.

He entered the room clad in his usual ochre dhoti and kurta, and sporting his small, grey ponytail. His voice, as calm as a summer sea, revealed his tranquil depth – ubiquitous to men of elevated consciousness. His meticulous attention to detail was apparent in the way he settled down – sitting straight with his back erect, right leg crossed on his left as he delicately smoothened out the crease of the dhoti at the knee. Every gesture spoke of peaceful serenity; every thoughtful word resonated with graceful humility. The shining pools of his eyes softly held your attention as he listened to you keenly with a slight smile that never seemed to leave his face.