This is the first book I read, keeping fiction & academic aside and it made me realise why I didn't touch non-fiction till that day, it is immensely deep, meaningful and advanced book but not an easy one, as it contains so many new & heavy words that you have to read and search for the meaning simultaneously.
Autobiography of a Yogi is I would say, the most well-known, preferred and spiritually advanced book by far. And it cannot be summarised in some short paragraphs. It's so hard to put it in essence because either it will be too short or too detailed.
If you truly want to comprehend it, read it slowly(unlike me). It might take a year to complete give or take but it's worth it.
It is so eminent that many successful people have recommended it for the youth. Just take the example of Steve Jobs and Virat Kohli.
Author
Autobiography of a Yogi is the story of the life of Paramhansa Yogananda (January, 1893-March, 1952) who is given credit for introducing Yoga to the western world. He was born in Gorakhpur, India named as Mukund Lal Ghosh. The book is nothing but his childhood, journey from India to America, encounters with some spiritual people and his learnings from them and has a major part about Kriya Yoga.
About
It was published in 1946 and has been translated into more than 50 languages worldwide. It is also designated as one of the '100 Most Spiritually Important Books of 20th Century'.
It's not a beginner book but if you're a person who wants to headway to the concept of spirituality or want to find the meaning of life or as simple as meditation this is the only book you'll ever need.
Autobiography sets about with Mukunda childhood and family. Mukunda and his seven siblings were born in a well respected family of spritual parents who were desciples of Lahiri Mahasya.
He left his family and found his Guru Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri at the age of 17 who had a great impact on him. Mukunda acquired everything from meditation to Kriya Yoga during his stay at Yukteswar's ashram.
In 1915 Yogananda got his Bachelor's degree in Kolkata.
He founded a school with typical curriculum along with yoga in 1917 in West Bengal.
In 1925 Yogananda established Self-Realization Fellowship in California which is a very well-known spiritual organization.
He came back to India for a brief time period in 1935. but after a year or so, he went back to USA to establish his teachings furthermore.
Throughout his life he met with some notable and well known people such as Rabindranath Tagore, C. V. Raman, Mahatma Gandhi, Therese Neumann and Luther Burbank.
I will not state the content further as it could take away that mystic feel you will get while reading it and frankly I haven't grasped the true meaning yet to explain it in some simple words.
My favourite Quotes from the book
The power of unfulfilled desires is the root of all man's slavery.
God is simple. Everything else is complex. Do not seek absolute values in the relative of world of nature.
The human mind is a spark of the almighty consciousness of God.
You do not have to struggle to reach God, but you do have to struggle to tear away the self-created veil that hides him from you.
Yoga is, as I can readily believe, the perfect and appropriate method of fusing body and mind together so that they form a unity which is scarcely to be questioned. This unity creates a psychological disposition which makes possible intuitions that transcend consciousness.
To put it in a nutshell, the terminal goal of Paramhansa Yogananda is to instigate everyone to the divinity. Autobiography of a Yogi is the portrayal of an absolutely exceptional person and about his teachings & beliefs. It will teach you everything you will need to attain the spirituality or to put it in simple language, to achieve the prominent peace of mind.