Today marks the birth anniversary of Lahiri Mahasaya (1828–1895).
Lahiri Mahasaya is renowned as a seminal figure in the renaissance of yoga that began in modern India in the latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1861, Mahavatar Babaji initiated him into the science of Kriya Yoga—and this tradition continues to this day through the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in “Autobiography of a Yogi”: “To the awe of all beholders, Lahiri Mahasaya’s habitual physiological state exhibited the superhuman features of breathlessness, sleeplessness, cessation of pulse and heartbeat, calm eyes unblinking for hours, and a profound aura of peace. No visitors departed without upliftment of spirit; all knew they had received the silent blessing of a true man of God.”
