| Kriya Yoga | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya , Paramhansa Yogananda |
| Practice emphases | |
| Pranayama | |
Kriya Yoga finds mention in the ancient spiritual texts of Patanjali Yogasutras "Tapah svadhyayeshvara pranidhani kriyayogah" (Second Pada; Sloka 1). It was later revived by Yogiraj Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri in the 19th century. Subsequently Paramhansa Yogananda in his Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) reported the same for his style of Yoga.[1] The system consists of a number of levels of Pranayama based on techniques that are intended to rapidly accelerate spiritual development[1]
Yogananda attributes Kriya Yoga to his lineage of gurus, deriving it via Yukteswar Giri and Lahiri Mahasaya from Mahavatar Babaji (fl. 1860s). The latter is reported to have introduced the concept as essentially identical to the Raja Yoga of Patanjali and the concept of Yoga as described in the Bhagavadgita.[2]
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Kriya Yoga, as taught by Lahiri Mahasaya, is traditionally learned via the Guru-disciple relationship.[3][4] He recounted that after his initiation into Kriya Yoga, "Babaji instructed me in the ancient rigid rules which govern the transmission of the yogic art from Guru to disciple."[5]
As Yogananda describes Kriya Yoga, "The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses) which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man. One half-minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man effects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment."[6]
In Kriya Quotes from Swami Satyananda, it is written, "Kriya sadhana may be thought of as the sadhana of the "practice of being in Atman"[7]
According to Yogananda, Kriya Yoga was well-known in ancient India, but was eventually lost, due to "priestly secrecy and man’s indifference".[8] Yogananda says that Krishna refers to Kriya Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV, Verse 29):
Offering inhaling breath into the outgoing breath, and offering the outgoing breath into the inhaling breath, the yogi neutralizes both these breaths; he thus releases the life force from the heart and brings it under his control.—[9]
Yogananda also stated that Krishna was referring to Kriya Yoga when "Lord Krishna … relates that it was he, in a former incarnation, who communicated the indestructible yoga to an ancient illuminato, Vivasvat, who gave it to Manu, the great legislator. He, in turn, instructed Ikshwaku, the father of India’s solar warrior dynasty."[10] Yogananda says that Patanjali was referring to Kriya Yoga when he wrote "Kriya Yoga consists of body discipline, mental control, and meditating on Aum."[11] And again when he says,"Liberation can be accomplished by that pranayama which is attained by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration."[12] A direct disciple of Sri Yukteswar Giri, Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta has written that, "Kriya entails several acts that have evidently been adapted from the Gita, the Yoga Sutras, Tantra shastras and from conceptions on the Yugas."[13]
The story of Lahiri Mahasaya receiving initiation into Kriya Yoga by the yogi Mahavatar Babaji in 1861 is recounted in Autobiography of a Yogi.[14] Yogananda wrote that at that meeting, Mahavatar Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya, "The Kriya Yoga that I am giving to the world through you in this nineteenth century, is a revival of the same science that Krishna gave millenniums ago to Arjuna; and was later known to Patanjali, and to Christ, St. John, St. Paul, and other disciples." Yogananda also wrote that Babaji and Christ were in continual communion and together, "have planned the spiritual technique of salvation for this age."[1][15]
Through Lahiri Mahasaya, Kriya Yoga soon spread throughout India. Yogananda, a disciple of Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri who was himself a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, then brought Kriya Yoga to the United States and Europe during the 20th century.[16]
Lahiri Mahasaya's disciples included his oldest son, Sri Tincori Lahiri, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, Sri Panchanon Bhattacharya, Swami Pranabananda, Swami Kebalananda, Swami Keshabananda, and Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahasaya).[17]
Yogiraj Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri; the Fountain-Head of Kriyayoga had several disciples. Notable amongst them were his two sons Tinkori and Dukori Lahiri, Panchanan Bhattacharya, Harinarayana Paladhi, Shri Yukteshwar Giri, etc.
There are different lineages of Kriya yoga. Here are some of them:
From teacher to disciple:
There are many other lineages as each teacher would most likely have taught many people through the years. Some of these in turn would have become teachers themselves and taught others. Lineages are not documented. The list above is just one of the most commonly known.
Supposedly there are "dynastic lineages" too. However this is no guarantee or proof of anything. If it were we would know of the descendants of Sri Sri Yukteswar (he had one daughter) too. Similarly, the descendants of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, probably numbering in hundreds and thousands by now, would also all be well known, realized teachers. Finally, the fruits of spirituality transcend any "physical" / "emotional" limits of race, family, religion and geography. Thus any claim to dynastic lineage is illogical and not directly a measure of one's ability to teach Kriya Yoga.
Details of some other teachers and lineages follow:
Another lineage of Kriya yoga of Babaji Maharaj-Lahiri Mahasaya started in 1984 when Satyacharan Lahiri authorized his disciple Shailendra Sharma to initiate in Kriya yoga.[18] Most of the gurus of this lineage are householders, but according to his teacher's instructions Shailendra lives a life of celibacy, does not work and lives at shmashana (the last makes him close to aghori).
Sri Satyacharan Lahiri the grandson of Lahiri Mahasaya authorized his disciple Yogacharya Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee to initiate in Kriya yoga. He also authorized him to write a biography "Purana Purusha" on the life of Yogiraj Sri Shyamacharan Lahiri from his 26 confidential diaries.[19] Yogacharya Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee has founded Yogiraj Shyamacharan Sanatan Mission on Sept 30th 1991.[20]
Paramahansa Prajnananda Giri is a direct disciple of Swami Hariharananda Giri maharaj and heads the Prajnana Mission. [[1]]