In 1952 a Los Angeles mortuary director signed a notarized statement describing a body that showed no signs of decay for weeks. That body belonged to Paramahansa Yogananda, widely considered the father of yoga in the West, a cultural bridge whose writings later influenced figures from opera society to Steve Jobs.

This deep dive reconstructs his journey from a railway executive’s son in India to a celebrity spiritual teacher in 1920s America, examining his teachings, the prejudice he faced, and the supernatural claims woven through his life.

• His birth as Mukunda Lal Ghosh, his early search for a guru, and his training under Sri Yukteswar.
• Kriya Yoga taught as an internal science of breath and energy rather than physical postures.
• His 1920 arrival in Boston, cross-country tours, a White House meeting with Coolidge, and FBI surveillance and death threats.
• His globally influential autobiography, written in seclusion and published in 1946.
• His 1952 death at the Biltmore Hotel, described by followers as Mahasamadhi, and the later DNA test that settled a paternity claim.