The Yogoda Satsang branch ashram in Ranchi joyously celebrated the 197th birth anniversary of Lahiri Mahashay. The day began with an online meditation session led by Swami Shankarananda Giri, attended by devotees worldwide from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM. During the meditation, Swami Shankarananda Giri highlighted Lahiri Mahashay’s life as a prime example of the balanced life required for happiness in the modern world, integrating Kriya Yoga meditation with Karma Yoga. This balance includes daily meditation and selfless action for family and societal welfare.
Following the meditation, heartfelt bhajans, led by Brahmachari Gautamananda and Brahmachari Aradhyananda, filled the ashram with devotional energy from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. In the evening, Brahmachari Hridayananda led a special two-hour meditation session from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Readings from the ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda, featured the teachings of Lahiri Mahashay. He urged devotees to remember their detachment from worldly possessions and prepare for the journey of death through God-realization. He emphasized the need for constant meditation to recognize oneself as the sorrow-free Supreme Being and the importance of Kriya Yoga for liberation from the body.
Lahiri Mahashay, a key figure in the Yogoda Satsang lineage, was a disciple of Mahavatar Babaji, the immortal Himalayan yogi. Babaji entrusted Lahiri Mahashay with the revival of the ancient science of Kriya Yoga. Lahiri Mahashay was unique in his practice of offering Kriya initiation to spiritual seekers of all faiths. As a householder-yogi, he demonstrated how to live a balanced life through devotion, meditation, while meeting all familial and social responsibilities. His life was an inspiration to many, offering hope to the marginalized and working to dismantle caste-based discrimination. For further information, visit yssofindia.org.