The Making of a Modern Religious Seeker
The Making of a Modern Religious Seeker
From Mukunda Lal Ghosh to Swami Yogananda, 1893–1920
This chapter places Yogananda’s spiritual development in the context of Indian modernity, with rapid travel, exposure to diverse traditions, and awareness of the outside world—particularly the U.S. and the larger West. The chapter examines his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, focusing on the spiritual journey that culminated in his decision to become a swami under the leadership of a guru. He grew up in Kolkata, influenced by the writings of the Bengali Renaissance who opposed British imperialism. His connection to modernity continued with his college education and adoption of modern Hinduism, a framework that severed belief from its historic embeddedness in land, caste, life stage, and gender. This universalizing of Hinduism paved the way for Yogananda’s American ministry as a Hindu missionary.
Keywords: religious seeker, Swami Yogananda, Indian modernity, swamis, gurus, modern Hinduism, Bengali Renaissance, British imperialism, Kolkata, Hindu missionary
North Carolina Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .