Destination Unlimited

Aired Wednesday, 30 May 2018, 8:00 PM ETPhilip Goldberg – The Life of YoganandaThe word guru is used frequently in modern vernacular to imply an expert or master in a field. We hear about financial gurus, tech gurus and fashion gurus. The word guru comes from Sanskrit and translates as “spiritual teacher” and literally, a dispeller of darkness. When we think of modern gurus, perhaps Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Satya Sai Baba and Swami Satchidananda come to mind, but the first modern “superstar guru” was Yogananda. Ninety-seven years after his arrival in the United States and 65 years after his transition, Paramahansa Yogananda remains the best known and most beloved of all the Indian spiritual teachers who came to the west. This is because of the durability of his teachings and the institutions he created and inspired, including more than 600 centers worldwide, and his landmark memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi. The book has sold millions of copies since its publication in 1946, but there are huge gaps in the story