On the 131st Avirbhav Divas of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), the spiritual organization he founded to disseminate his Kriya Yoga teachings to spiritual seekers, will release the Hindi translation of the new edition of Yogoda Satsanga Lessons in Self-Realization.
Ahead of the release of these Hindi Lessons, senior YSS sannyasi Swami Ishwarananda Giri addressed a press conference explaining the significance of the YSS Lessons in Self-realization, and the service to humanity provided by YSS in various areas.
“Paramahansa Yogananda often referred to the Kriya Yoga path, with its scientific techniques of meditation, as ‘the highway to the Infinite.’ His teachings are made available through the printed YSS Lessons — a transmission of sacred knowledge that will uplift and transform all aspects of your life — and are now available in Hindi, and accessible to the masses of India in their mother tongue.”
“Despite our varying achievements in life, there often still remains a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose; these Kriya Yoga meditation teachings provide us with the necessary tools to fill the void — to bring out from within ourselves all the peace and joy of the soul,” Swami Ishwaranandaji said, inviting newcomers interested in learning the sacred science of Kriya Yoga meditation to apply for YSS Lessons at yssi.org/Lessons-Hindi.
About YSS Lessons
“The release of the new edition of the Yogoda Satsanga Lessons in Hindi marks a historic milestone for the spiritual work of Paramahansa Yogananda, who viewed the Yogoda Satsanga Lessons as the very core of the teachings he was ordained to bring to the world as a special spiritual dispensation for the coming global civilization.”
“The new edition of YSS Lessons offers a greatly enhanced and expanded version of Yoganandaji’s home-study programme. The basic series consists of 18 in-depth Lessons, which students receive by mail, one lesson posted every two weeks over a period of 9 months. This new edition contains a wealth of previously unpublished material from Paramahansaji’s writings and classes on the YSS meditation techniques and the sadhana that leads to inner and outer harmony and balance, and the highest states of blissful divine consciousness.
“The new edition of Lessons have been reorganized in such a way that new students will become eligible to apply for Kriya Yoga after eight months of study.”
“From the very first Lesson, you receive definite methods by which you can experience the benefits of meditation immediately. While building a solid foundation for deep meditation, you learn three powerful techniques taught by Paramahansa Yogananda as necessary first steps in the comprehensive spiritual science of Kriya Yoga.
“Once enrolled in the new Lessons series, you will also be able to access each Lesson digitally through a digital app — the SRF/YSS App. Also available digitally is supplementary audio and video content with each Lesson.
About the SRF/YSS App
The SRF/YSS App is a digital resource to aid everyone on their spiritual journey — whether you are brand new to the teachings of Yoganandaji or have been immersing yourself in this great teacher’s wisdom for decades. It is also for anyone who wants to learn more about meditation, the science of Kriya Yoga, and practical ways to live a spiritually balanced life.
It features guided meditations on peace, living fearlessly, God as light, expansion of consciousness, and more — with customizable meditation times from 15 to 45 minutes. One gets free access to live online meditations, and for those who are students of the YSS Lessons, the app includes the digital versions of these Lessons along with a rich variety of multimedia content to help one apply the YSS Kriya Yoga teachings in their daily life.
Charitable Activities Undertaken by YSS
Swamiji enumerated the key charitable activities undertaken by YSS:
“During the Covid pandemic, YSS sannyasis, along with a large number of YSS devotees from in and around Ranchi, provided food to the poor and the marginalised people, in areas that were remote and without access to relief. Rice, pulses, vegetables, cooking oil, and spices etc. were also delivered to them in large numbers to enable them to run their homes during the adverse circumstances of this pandemic. YSS also provided charitable medical facilities to some private and government institutions during the period.”
“YSS runs a charitable hospital — the Yogoda Satsanga Sevashram in Ranchi. In the year 2023, a total of 23,297 patients have received health checkups and treatment via the general OPD at this hospital so far, while 12,720 patients have benefited from the ophthalmology OPD. Eye operations of 1,430 ophthalmology patients were also performed at the hospital this year. Moreover, the hospital also provides medicines and pathology tests to patients free of cost.”
“The organization also provides charitable medical help in the remote areas that are mostly inaccessible. The YSS medical team provides free health check-up as well as free medicines to the deprived and the underprivileged people in these areas. YSS set up the Paediatric High Dependency Unit (PHDU) at a community health centre in Angada Block of Ranchi district.”
“YSS also provides scholarships every year to meritorious and underprivileged students pursuing matriculation and higher education. A new building complex and a large multipurpose auditorium and hall was recently constructed for the Yogoda Satsangs Vidyalaya. The total cost of this construction was around ₹ 22 crores, of which YSS received an amount of ₹ 8 crores as financial assistance from the Government of India.”
“The new building complex of Yogoda Satsanga Vidyalaya has been designed on the basis of the ancient gurukul system keeping in mind the principles propounded by Paramahansa Yoganandaji such as the idea of studying amidst nature. YSS presently has 17 educational institutions for boys and girls all over India.”
“In 2024, 17 Sadhana Sangams are being organized for the benefit of YSS devotees, of which eight will be held in Ranchi, four in Noida, three in Dakshineswar and two in Igatpuri, Maharashtra.”
“Sadhana Sangams provide a wonderful opportunity not only for spiritual rejuvenation, but also for improving their understanding and practice of Yoganandaji’s teachings and meditation techniques.Twenty one-day programmes, 13 three-day programmes, five two-day programmes, and three retreats will be organized in different locations across the country in the coming year — to facilitate the reach of yoga-meditation teachings of Yoganandaji to spiritual seekers, in turn leading to the strengthening of the spiritual environment in the country.”
