The Yoga of Respectability

Hollywood temple of the
Self-Realization Fellowship

 

“Yogananda and the Kriya Yoga Masters” is a 2019 documentary about Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), one of the first Hindu missionaries to the United States. His followers still exist and call themselves the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). After watching this production, I have to say that it´s probably the most boring documentary ever made. It´s dragging, confusing and not particularly informative. I don´t like the narrator´s voice either.

But sure, a few things did struck me. The docu constantly emphasizes the middle class or upper class social standing of the Kriya Yoga masters, their patrons and associates. They worked for the British in India (hint: they weren´t dangerous nationalists or rebels), owned enough property to rent it out, lived off their British government bonds, were on a first name basis with Indian maharajas or Nepalese princes…you get the picture. They were also very respectful of Christianity, attended Christian schools, and so on. Why are these things emphasized, rather than, say, naked sadhus in Benares or the California counter-culture? Presumably, the SRF wants to be the super-respectable wing of the Golden State alt-spirituality milieu.

The documentary also tries to establish a connection between Yogananda and Ramakrishna, but while he is widely revered as a saint in India, most Westerners might see him as anything but respectable – but perhaps the producers count on the viewers not being well-informed about this Kali-worshipping cross-dressing crypto-Tantrika? The organization wearing Ramakrishna´s name, the Ramakrishna Mission, is of course respectable enough. A funny “mistake” in the documentary is that it shows Krishna when really talking about the Great Mother (a reference to Kali)! Nor are we ever told what Kriya Yoga actually is, except that it has enormous health benefits and can help us connect with God while still in the body. Hmmm…

Only twice does “Yogananda and the Kriya Yoga Masters” hint at what could be the *actual* sources for these teachings. The mysterious and incredibly long lived Himalayan master Babaji makes brief guest appearances and then promptly vanishes again. My guess is that Babaji is really a symbol for Shiva, who is said to meditate on his holy mountain Kailash in the Himalayas. This Shaiva tie-in suggests that Kriya might be a secret and perhaps even dangerous form of Tantric yoga. The teachings come from the margins of proper Vedic society and very much beyond the British Raj…

With that reflection, I leave you for now.