Paramhansa Yogananda was born as Mukund Lal Ghosh (also known as Swami Yogananda) in a Bengali Hindu family on January 5, 1893 in Gorakhpur, India. He showed signs of spiritual awareness even as a young child. His quest to find a great Guru to guide him in his spiritual path led him to Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, who molded the young man who was to become a great spiritual force. After his college graduation in 1915, he took formal vows and was from that time on called Swami Yogananda Giri. Then in 1935, when he returned to India to visit his Guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri bestowed upon him the title of "Paramhansa." The "supreme swan," of which this title is named after, is a mythological bird that can separate water from milk and drink the milk.

The book begins with his childhood and family life, then finding his...