LINEAGE
The tradition of Kriya Yoga has been preserved through its lineage. It has maintained its relevance through the lives of the Kriya Gurus: Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, and their successors. Below is a brief introduction to the Kriya Yoga Gurus and teachers of this lineage. For a more detailed account of their lives, please see the books "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda and "Paramahansa Yogananda: As I Knew Him" by Roy Eugene Davis.
Mahavatar Babaji
Babaji stands at the origin of our Kriya Yoga lineage. He is not exclusive to this tradition. He works with seekers, teachers, and ministers across all genuine spiritual paths who share the intention of awakening spiritual consciousness on this planet. In Life Surrendered in God, Roy Eugene Davis describes Babaji as "fully illumined, with no karmic ties to the world, and embodied only to be a conduit through which enlivening forces can express to cleanse planetary consciousness."
His age is unknown. Traditional accounts describe him as an immortal yogi, able to manifest and dematerialize his physical form at will. Some regard him as an incarnation of Krishna. Stories place him initiating Shankara in the 8th century and the poet-saint Kabir in the 15th century into Kriya Yoga.
Lahiri Mahasaya and other teachers in our lineage encountered Babaji directly. His presence touched the lives of Sri Yukteswar and Paramahansa Yogananda in ways that shaped the course of their teaching. For their own accounts of these encounters, Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi speaks for itself.
Lahiri Mahasaya
Lahiri Mahasaya, born Shyama Charan Lahiri, lived as a householder. He was married, raising a family, and working an ordinary job while sustaining a rigorous spiritual practice. He was also an illumined teacher who guided an estimated 5,000 students over the course of his life.
His days followed a simple pattern: work, family responsibilities, the ordinary demands of household life. In the evenings, he gathered with Kriya Yoga students, teaching and guiding their practice. Notably, he and his wife Kashimoni Devi had their five children, two sons and three daughters, only after his encounter with Babaji and the beginning of his teaching work.
His students gave him the title "Mahasaya," meaning one who is broad-minded or cosmically conscious. The title reflects something essential about him. Lahiri Mahasaya was not only spiritually expansive but genuinely open and welcoming toward all religious traditions.
He initiated men and women from widely varying backgrounds into Kriya Yoga: Hindus, Christians, Muslims, and practitioners of many other paths. His teaching rested on a straightforward conviction. It does not matter what religion you follow. If you practice sincerely, live with integrity, and apply the techniques faithfully, spiritual awakening in this lifetime is possible.
Sri Yukteswar Giri
Born Priya Nath Karar, Sri Yukteswar was a devoted disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya and the Guru of Paramahansa Yogananda.
Yogananda honored him with the title Jñānavatar, a compound of jñāna (higher wisdom) and avatāra (divine representative), meaning one who fully embodies and transmits divine wisdom. The name Yukteswar itself points to this quality: it means "united with that aspect of God which benevolently rules and guides the natural order."
Sri Yukteswar was an accomplished astrologer with extensive knowledge of Ayurveda. Students spoke of his healing gifts and his remarkable ability to perceive exactly what a person needed. He was especially known for prescribing gemstones and bangles based on careful astrological analysis.
His intellect was penetrating, and his studies were wide-ranging, encompassing the Bible, the Bhagavad Gītā, the Upaniṣads, astronomy, and medicine. He had a deep commitment to education and founded the Satsanga Sabha, an organization devoted to spiritual inquiry and study. At Babaji's direct request, he wrote The Holy Science, a work demonstrating the essential unity underlying Eastern and Western scriptures.
Paramahansa Yogananda
Yogananda is best known for the Autobiography of a Yogi, in which he recounts his years in India and his encounters with yogis, saints, and spiritual practitioners of every kind. The book is filled with remarkable stories, but its deeper value lies in the profound philosophy woven through each narrative. Read with genuine attention, it offers an enduring source of inspiration and guidance for anyone walking a spiritual path. The text has been translated into more than 50 languages and is widely regarded as one of the most significant spiritual books of the twentieth century.
In his early adult years, Yogananda devoted considerable energy to supporting his Guru's organization. Education was another abiding concern. With Sri Yukteswar's blessing and the collaboration of his brother disciples, he established a school in Ranchi rooted in Vedic philosophy and the practice of yoga.
When Yogananda recognized his life's purpose, bringing Kriya Yoga to the West, he pursued it with the same wholehearted intensity he brought to everything. Shaped by years of Sri Yukteswar's exacting training, he set out on this mission in 1920 and eventually founded Self-Realization Fellowship to preserve and transmit the teachings.
His approach was practical and inclusive. He showed that the ancient methods of yoga and meditation were not exotic disciplines reserved for ascetics in remote caves. They were tools that ordinary people could use to genuinely transform their lives. He initiated thousands of students into Kriya Yoga across all religious backgrounds and established temples and meditation centers throughout North America.
Yogananda's legacy lives on through the organizations he founded and through the many practitioners who have found their way to these teachings by way of his writing and the lineage he established.
Roy Eugene Davis
Roy Eugene Davis first met Paramahansa Yogananda on December 23, 1949, at Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters. When he spoke at retreats in later years, he described that meeting with a vividness that made it feel immediate, as though he were watching it unfold again.
He arrived at SRF and was greeted by Donald Walters, later known as Kriyananda, who asked how he had come to learn about the organization and about Yogananda. During their conversation, Yogananda stepped out of a nearby elevator accompanied by Faye and Virginia Wright. He walked directly toward Davis, shook his hand gently, and asked his age and whether his parents knew where he was. Satisfied with the answer, Yogananda offered a blessing and said simply, "That's good. I'll talk to you again."
The following day, after settling in, Davis joined Yogananda and several hundred others for a six-hour holy season meditation. Afterward, he met with Yogananda privately and told him he wished to become his disciple. Yogananda accepted him and told him he could stay, closing the meeting with quiet, memorable instruction: "Read a little. Meditate more. Think of God all the time."
Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Davis returned to these stories often. At Center for Spiritual Awareness retreats they were frequently at the heart of his talks. For his complete account of this relationship, see his book Paramahansa Yogananda: As I Knew Him.
Mr. Davis went on to teach Kriya Yoga for more than six decades. He founded the Center for Spiritual Awareness in Georgia, initiated thousands of students into the practices, and wrote extensively on meditation, spiritual philosophy, and the practical application of yogic principles to daily life. He remained actively teaching until his passing in 2019 at the age of 87.
Swami Nirvanananda
In 1949, in Trieste, a port city in northern Italy, Swami Nirvanananda (Giorgio Kriegsch) was born to devout parents: a Catholic mother and a Lutheran father. His father moved his young family to Berlin for work, then returned to Trieste four years later. At the age of twelve, young Georgio began playing the guitar, a pursuit he continues to this day. He later taught himself piano. After graduating from high school, Giorgio worked for insurance giant Lloyd's of London, primarily in shipping goods to and from India—his first connection to India. At the University of Bologna, he studied agriculture and music, specializing in rock and folk music.
In 1975, Giorgio read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. This book transformed his life, and he began his spiritual journey in earnest. Giorgio was initiated into Transcendental Meditation and later received Kriya Yoga initiation in Holland from a visiting monk, Swami Hariharananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda's guru, Swami Sri Yukteshwar Giri. Giorgio first traveled to India in 1986. There, he volunteered with Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity to help care for the destitute people of Calcutta. He worked massaging their extremities to provide comfort and hand-feeding those too weak to feed themselves. This caused him to become ill, and he was forced to quit this work. He eventually resumed his travels in India, visiting many temples and sacred sites. Swami Nirvanananda has since traveled to India more than twenty times.
Isha Das
Isha Das (Craig Bullock) is the Spiritual Director of The Assisi Institute in Rochester, New York, where he guides students on their spiritual transformation journey through the integration of mystical Christianity and Kriya Yoga practices. With advanced degrees from the University of Notre Dame (Religious Studies) and the University of Duquesne (Clinical Psychology), Isha Das brings a unique blend of academic depth and practical spiritual wisdom to his teaching.
As an authorized Kriya Yoga teacher trained by Roy Eugene Davis (a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda) and a former pastoral administrator, Isha Das bridges Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. His spiritual name, bestowed by Swami Nirvanananda in 2016, means "servant of Christ" and reflects his dedication to revealing the universal truths that connect the teachings of Jesus Christ and Yogananda.
Through his books, speaking engagements, podcast, and teaching at the Assisi Institute, Isha Das helps students discover the transformative power of contemplative practices. His latest book, Open Wider The Door: The Integration of Kriya Yoga And Mystical Christianity, exemplifies his mission to present Jesus's teachings in a fresh light while demonstrating the profound harmony between Christian mysticism and yoga philosophy. His new book will be released in 2025.
Drawing from his extensive background in psychology, spirituality, mysticism, and world religions—and enriched by his friendship with influential spiritual teachers like Richard Rohr—Isha Das offers practical guidance for those seeking to deepen their spiritual practice and understanding.
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