Examples of Changes in 1959 Edition

The adventurous history of Autobiography of a Yogi continues. Keep in mind that the publisher's note to the 1956 edition stated that the work of incorporating the author's revisions had been accomplished in time for that edition.

Since this 8^th edition does not have a publisher's note which admits of editorial changes, one might pick up this book and assume that the revisions were indeed complete. But a comparison of the 7th and 8th reveals that the editorial department had been quite active, making around 280 additional text and footnote changes. An analysis reveals changes relating to Yogananda's spiritual teachings, historical events in his life, and the altering of direct quotes which had been part of the book from the beginning.

Some quite amazing changes, appear in this 8th edition (seven years after Yogananda's passing).
Here are some examples.

Yogananda'sÝ "Aims and Ideals", mentioned earlier, now are changed. While these were not part of the first edition, they were written by Yogananda, reflect his spiritual concepts and goals, and were distributed during his lifetime, and for years after his passing. An interesting observation can be made that they continued to be changed in later editions in order to reflect the changes in the book.

"To spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples; and to aid in establishing, in many countries, self-sustaining world-brotherhood colonies for plain living and high thinking" has now been downgraded to simply an encouragement for plain living and high thinking, and to spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples, by teaching the eternal basis of their unity: kinship with God. (This statement is consistent with the total deletion from the text of the book of any mention of world-brotherhood colonies)

"To attain threefold perfect development: body, mind, and soul" now speaks of the purpose of life being to attain God Consciousness; and to this end to establish SRF temples throughout the word, and to encourage the establishment of individual temples of God in the hearts of men.

"To prove the practical truth in the immortal teachings of Jesus Christ and the Self-realized Masters of India" is now different, expanded.

Forged Signature
When he returned to India in 1935, Yogananda was given the added spiritual title of "Paramhansa", by Sri Yukteswar himself. In the 1959 edition, one finds that the spelling is now changed to "Paramahansa", by adding an "a" in the middle.

But, then another discovery. Yogananda signed his name for the remainder of his life, after the title was bestowed, as "Paramhansa". This signature even appeared in this form on the frontispiece of all editions of Autobiography of a Yogi up to 1959. With the 1959 edition, a handwritten 'a' was added even to this signature! So, when you see Yogananda's "signature" today, you're really looking at what is, in essence, a forgery.

Look closely at the signature in a recent edition and you will see that the altered signature has seven "a"s. The original six are all distinct one from another. The new seventh "a" is identical to the first "a" in Yogananda. Quite apart from the fact that Yogananda died in 1952, and therefore was not available to sign his name after that, clearly the seventh "a" has been inserted into Yogananda's original signature.

SRF made no public announcement of the change. The new signature just started appearing. For 23 years, SRF simply acted as if this was Yogananda's actual signature, and might be pretending still if the public had not demanded an explanation.

SRF claims that Yogananda followed the Bengali spelling of the title, rather than the Sanskrit spelling. An Indian pundit advised them that "Paramhansa" actually has a different meaning from "Paramahansa."

There has been much debate since then as to whether that pundit's advice was accurate. David Frawley, an internationally known Vedic scholar, says there is no difference in meaning between the two spellings. Swami Kriyananda agrees. Kriyananda was with SRF at the time the change was made, and argued strongly against it, but to no avail. In a recent letter, he addresses the issue.

"'Paramhansa' is how Yogananda himself wrote and signed his name. It was SRF who added the 'a' on the advice of a pundit in India. This title, however, is written both ways in India (and not only in Bengal). In any case, it must be understood that the English transliteration is into the relatively restricted Roman alphabet, and must necessarily represent an attempt, therefore, to approximate the sounds of the spoken word.

"To me, two factors are decisive here: first, that Yogananda himself spelled his title without the 'a'; and second, that the people of India don't pronounce that middle 'a.' Apart from the obvious objection that this is forgery, the additional 'a' changes the vibration of his signature."

Direct quotes are now changed.
In the 7th edition one finds an interesting footnote in which Yogananda seemingly explains to the reader (several years after his death) why he decided to change the direct quotes which he had used before. A "scholarly friend" had pointed out to Yogananda that the import of the words of Ganga Dhar Babu (the photographer of Lahiri Mahasaya), as they appear in the first edition, are obscure. So the quote is recast to bring out more exactly Ganga Dhar's meaning. The footnote further explains that Sri Yukteswar, Lahiri Mahasaya, and most others in the book spoke Bengali, not English. In revising the book, we are told that Yogananda apparently found it desirable to change a few words "here and there", to convey more clearly in English the thoughts that the gurus originally expressed in Bengali. One might guess that this broad editorial license in the hands of an editor might become the springboard for all kinds of changes, or so the myriad revisions would indicate.

ÝIn the 8th edition one finds four direct quotes of Yogananda, and seven of Sri Yukteswar changed. (One is even changed twice: In both the 7th and 8th edition.)

Two direct quotes by Nobel prize physiologist Robert Richet are now changed, as well as words of Gandhi, and others. Direct quotes from Richard Wright's personal travel diary and of others were changed already in the 7th edition.

Changes changed
Some of the changes that were made for the 3rd edition (1951) are now re-changed. Did the editor change Yogananda's own changes?

Rajarsi Janakananda
The name of SRF's second president appears in earlier editions as Rajasi Janakananda." In this edition, four years after his death, it has been changed to "Rajarsi."

The severity of the changes in the 1959 edition, and the fact that they were not disclosed by the editor at the time of its publication, brings us back to the statement that entering Yogananda's revisions had been completed with the 1956 edition. If that were the case, it would follow that the changes in later editions are not the author's. We are led to ask the obvious question, whence the changes?

Years later, in the most recent edition, one reads that Tara Mata made further editorial revisions after 1956, in accordance with guidance she had supposedly received from Paramhansa Yogananda before his passing. Thus we are asked, once again, to believe that Yogananda retracted or reversed, with his last few breaths, principles and ideals he had espoused publicly throughout his life. In view of the nature of many of these changes, the real question for those interested in a non-institutionalized Yogananda and in his original concepts for mankind, is plainly "up to what point were SRF's changes legitimate, and where did the institution go too far?"

Far, certainly, the editors did go in the way they handled Autobiography of a Yogi! Over 1000 paragraphs and footnotes have been changed between editions 5 and 8 alone. We invite you to do your own study, and draw your own conclusions. To get a clear picture, the reader may compare the first (or any) chapter of a modern edition with the 1946 edition (which is quite the same as the 1951 edition, except the last chapter). The "feel" is quite different, as you will soon notice. Obviously, this large number of changes had a profound effect on Yogananda's vibrations in the book

One remembers that Yogananda had announced his book ready for 1944 publication. But, as he tells the story, he had to go "over and over every bit" of it, since the Lord disciplined him to do so. He seems to have worked on each molecule of the book, to get it perfect. After that work, would he have wanted almost every page changed, in many instances completely reversing his original thoughts?

Next: After 1959