Shri Yukteswar Giri
Sri Yukteswar was a Jyotisha (traditional astrologer), a yogi, and a believer in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible. He was a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya of Varanasi and a member of the Giri branch of the swami order.
Early Life
He was born Priyanath Karar in Serampore, India to Kshetranath Karar and Kadambini. Priyanath lost his father at a young age, and took on much of the responsibility for managing his family's land holdings. A bright student, he passed the entrance exams and enrolled in Srirampur Christian Missionary College, where he developed an interest in the Bible. This interest would later express itself in his book, The Holy Science, which discusses the unity behind the scientific principles underlying Yoga and the Bible. He also attended Calcutta Medical College for almost two years.
After leaving college, Priyanath married and had a daughter. His wife died a few years after their marriage, and he eventually was formally intitiated into the monastic Swami order as "Sriyukteshvar Giri" (note: thus 'Sri' is not a separate honorific, but part of his given name).
In 1884, Priyanath met Lahiri Mahasaya, who became his Guru and initiated him into the path of Kriya Yoga. Sri Yukteswar spent a great deal of time in the next several years in the company of his guru, often visiting Lahiri Mahasaya in Benares. In 1894, while attending the Kumbha Mela in Allahabad, he met the Guru of Lahiri Mahasaya, Mahavatar Babaji, who asked Sri Yukteswar to write a book comparing Hindu scriptures and the Christian bible. Mahavatar Babaji also bestowed on Sri Yukteswar the title of 'Swami' at that meeting. Sri Yukteswar completed the requested book in 1894, naming it Kaivalya Darsanam, or The Holy Science.
Spiritual Life
Sri Yukteswar converted his large two-story family home in Serampore into an ashram, named "Priyadham", where he resided with students and disciples. In 1903, he also established an ashram in the seaside town of Puri, naming it "Kararashram". From these two ashrams, Sri Yukteswar taught students, and began an organization named "Sadhu Sabha".
An interest in education resulted in Sri Yukteswar developing a syllabus for schools, on the subjects of physics, physiology, geography, astronomy, and astrology He also wrote a book for Bengalis on learning basic English and Hindi called "First Book", and wrote a basic book on astrology. Later, he became interested in the education of women, which was uncommon in Bengal at that time.
Sri Yukteswar was especially skilled in Jyotisha (Indian astrology), and prescribed various astrological gemstones and bangles to his students. He also studied astronomy and science, as evidenced in the formulation of his Yuga theory in The Holy Science.
He had only a few long-term disciples, but in 1910, the young Mukunda Lal Ghosh would become Sri Yukteswar’s most well known disciple, eventually spreading the teachings of Kriya Yoga throughout the world as Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda attributed Sri Yukteswar’s small number of disciples to his strict training methods, which Yogananda said “cannot be described as other than drastic”.
Sri Yukteswar left his mortal coil at his Puri ashram on March 9, 1936.
Sri Yukteswar Giri had a dream of building a circular meditation hall which would incorporate the 4 yugas namely: Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparayuga, Kaliyuga and also the star and planetary systems. The disciple would be able to sit within the meditation hall and easily see his/her cosmic birth sound, star sign, birth sign and astrological constellation.
In a practical sense the hall would serve to remind disciples of the intimate connection between God, the Universe/Cosmos, Time (Past, Present and Future) and the Individual. Each Human, made in the image of God, is also an image of ALL His creation. The hall brings together in one place all these connections. It is a profound place for the realisation of Truth.
Swami Shankarananda Giri has fulfilled Sri Yukteswar Giri's dream by building a unique temple with a circular hall. It includes life-size statues of 5 Kriya masters and has capacity for 200 people to sit and meditate in the meditation hall. The domed ceiling incorporates all 12 planetary signs engraved in astrologically correct positions. The 4 major yugas and the 27 stars are depicted. The meditation hall harmonizes deep resonances and powerful vibrations enabling deep meditation. On the outside wall of the meditation hall, there are 16 caves. This enables any disciple to meditate in a cave for as long as he or she wishes.
The temple is unique in bringing together astrological and spiritual symbols. In time to come, this will become a highly sort out centre and it will be open to all Kriyabans.
The Hiranyagarbha meditation hall has now been completed and the statues of the five masters have been installed. The remaining parts of the temple are still being built see photos below.
In the huge circular meditation hall of the Kriya Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh.
