Sri Daya Mata
The writing of Autobiography of a Yogi was a project that took many years of Paramahansaji’s time to complete. When I came to Mt. Washington in 1931, he had already begun work on it. Once when I was in his study attending to some secretarial duties for him I was privileged to see one of the first chapters he wrote — it was about “The Tiger Swami.” Gurudeva asked me to save it because it would be going into a book.
However, the greatest portion of his autobiography was composed
during the period 1937–45. Paramahansaji had so many responsibilities
and commitments, he was not able to work on his book every day; but in
general, he devoted the evenings to it, as well as whatever other free
time he was able to put his mind on it. A small group of us — Ananda
Mata (below), Shraddha Mata, and myself — were around
him much of that time, helping to type the manuscript. After each part
was typed, Gurudeva would give it to Tara Mata, who served as his
editor.
One day, while working on his autobiography, the Guru told us: “When I
have left this world, this book will change the lives of millions. It
will be my messenger when I am gone.”
When the manuscript was finished, Tara Mata went to New York to find a
publisher for it. Paramahansaji had great respect for her knowledge and
for her editorial abilities, and often praised her publicly. He said:
“What [she] has done for this book I cannot begin to describe. Before
she was to go to New York she fell violently ill. She left for New York
just the same. But for her, the book would never have gone through.”
Gurudeva’s reaction to the completion of the book was joy that no words can express. He inscribed my copy, as he did for many of the other devotees who were here in the ashrams. When I received it, I knew, having helped to type the manuscript, that this was an immortal book — one that for the first time revealed hidden truths which had never before been presented in such a clear and inspirational way. No other author has approached Guruji’s explanation of miracles, reincarnation, karma, the afterlife, and the other wonderful spiritual truths contained in its pages.
What would be his reaction to the book’s renown today? He would be humbly touched that Autobiography of a Yogi
has reached into all corners of the earth to people of every culture,
race, religion, and age, and that it has been received with tremendous
acclaim and enthusiasm throughout these fifty years. Though Guruji never
dwelt on his own importance, he certainly did believe in the great
value of what he wrote — because he knew he was writing Truth.
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