The Sovereign Archives

1989 | Shortly after The Avatar’s enlightenment experience at Pavazha Kundru, at the age of almost 12, His yoga Guru Yogananda Puri arranged for a photoshoot of Him. After taking The Avatar’s photographs, The Avatar insisted that Yogi should also sit for a picture. He agreed. This is the picture that was taken. Yogi is in deep samadhi doing a kumbhaka (a yogic method of holding the breath). One can clearly see the formation of a Shivalinga in his stomach! The photographer who took this picture is the same person who witnessed The Avatar levitating during this very same photoshoot.

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru. The Avatar remembers His Yoga Guru with deep gratitude and respect. He says, “It is because of yoga that My body is even able to hold this enlightenment energy, the kundalini shakti. Enlightenment is almost like an atomic bomb, literally. The kind of energy that expresses when an atomic bomb explodes – the same kind of intense energy expresses in your body with enlightenment. Only if your system is prepared with heavy yoga, strong yoga, your nervous system can hold the energy and behave in a balanced way.”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru. The Avatar describes him, “Yogananda Puri had mastered the whole science of Yoga, not only the physical aspects of yoga, which we call āsana or hatha yoga, but in a much deeper way like working with prana (life energy), working with the mind, working with visualization power, working with emotions, and so on. He had deep insights into the core truth of Yoga, and expressed so many different shaktis (powers) as well.”

1970s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru stood by Manu (planet Earth’s first-ever lawmaker), who said that knowledge is free. Even though he was an amazing yogi, he took up a job as a cashier in The State Bank of India, and worked to maintain his family. His Yoga lessons were always free of charge. He had twelve children through his wife Premavati.

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru is giving a traditional massage to a student, with aushadha (sacred herbs from the ancient Hindu Siddha Science of healing and medicines)

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru in Tiruvannamalai

1900s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru in his days of youth. He was short, stocky and muscular, radiating a Yogic body with all its spiritual powers.

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru. The Avatar recalls the joyful lifestyle around him thus: “Every morning he would come, hold My finger, and make Me walk to the temple. He would give Me whatever I asked for – puffed rice, coconut balls (village candy) and coffee. He used to bring all these, keep them like a museum, and make Me climb all the pillars, after which he would release them one by one. After that, he would take Me to the temple tank (sacred pool), put sacred ash on Me, make Me take a bath and then do pranayama (yogic breathing) there itself. The way he took care of My whole practice was so joyful.”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru. The Avatar had the most intense training in yoga with Yogi. He recalls it thus, “I was learning from Yogananda Puri from the age of three till the age of thirteen. At least four to five hours a day, he would make Me do all kinds of asanas, and clean the body through neti and dhauti – the traditional cleaning methods of the nostril passage and the intestine. He would make Me swallow a long cloth, dhauti, to clean the intestine and the system…all kinds of things. To tell you honestly, only now I feel happy about it; in those days, it was practically a torture!”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru who recognised Him as an Avatar when He was three years of age. The Avatar recalls, “He would never let Me touch his feet as a sign of respect. He would always tell Me: History will curse me if You touch my feet! I am here only to prepare You, to show the world that You are an incarnation.”

1990s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru seated amidst a group of people,

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru is with a student who is affectionately feeding him with a drink. The Avatar says while recalling His days with Yogi, “The physical process especially needs a lot of love and care. Only somebody with whom you really feel deeply connected can make you do it again and again. Fortunately, I had a lot of time with him. But today, neither that much time is possible, nor the physical nearness is possible as a lifestyle.”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home. The Avatar specifically shares on this yogic posture called Mayurasana and how Yogi used to make especially heavy students do it. He says, “I can tell you, it is a medical miracle, because such a heavy weight cannot stand on two palms! But he would simply tell them, “Eh, mayurasana!” And they would do it.

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home. This yogic posture is called Shirasasana. The Avatar remembers how Yogi made his students do this head-stand posture. He shares, “Sometimes they would get into such a panic – they will not know whether they are turned upside down, or the temple is turned upside down! They would be completely shaken. All their survival instincts would be completely awakened and frightened! Then Yogananda Puri would just call them and give them one hug. He was a lean, short person, maybe five feet tall. But his hug was like an initiation! He would give just one hug. Something happens in that hug; something is transmitted, something is sent directly to your DNA. And literally, in those two or three seconds, the shivering would settle down; they would become balanced and very calm, and they themselves would stand upside down – just like that! The whole process would be done in maybe 30 seconds, that’s all! They would stand upside down. The blood pressure would be normal and then he would tell them: Alright, enough now. Come down!”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri’s Yoga students practice the Yogasanas – Yogic postures – at home

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru is seen at the Arunachaleshwara Temple in Tiruvannamalai. The Avatar cherishes and shares His memories of Yogi till date. He says, “Till the age of thirteen, he prepared My body and mind to enter into the experience of enlightenment, and to stay in the experience of enlightenment. Entering into the experience is not such a big thing. To have a glimpse of the no-mind state, to have satori, or to have one experience of unclutching is not a big thing at all actually. But to stay in that experience, and not only stay in that, but express that energy through your body… for that, your body and mind need to be prepared; that is the real thing. Just having one glimpse is not a big thing; anybody can have it. But staying in that same space, staying in that same consciousness and expressing it, needs preparation. I think that is why Yogananda Puri was concentrating on that part. He really helped Me in so many ways to understand, to experience, and above all, to stay in that same space: to stay in that high-energy plane and radiate that experience.”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru, with some of his other Yoga students in Tiruvannamalai. Behind them can be seen the sacred Arunachala (Hill) and the Arunachaleshwara temple’s lofty towers. The person on the extreme right is Sri Upadhyaya, owner of Udupi Hotel in Tiruvannamalai, in whose hotel terrace, this photograph is taken. Sri Upadhyaya is a highly respected person in Tiruvannamalai and a close acquaintance of The Avatar and His biological family. The Avatar says of Yoga, “Yoga cannot be reduced to mere physical exercise; meditation cannot be reduced to just a technique to give you a little peace…no! It has got a deeper and sacred meaning. Yoga is for much more than physical health. Physical health is just one side effect happening through yoga. In the same way, mental well-being is just one side effect happening through meditation. They are meant for much deeper purposes: to experience a different space.”

1980s | Yogi Yogananda Puri teaches Yoga to his students in Tiruvannamalai, amidst the backdrop of sacred Arunachala (Hill) and the temple towers of the Arunachaleshwara temple. This is on the terrace of Udupi hotel, one of the locations where Ragupathi Yogi’s Yoga lessons used to happen. Students sought him out from all over the world to connect to authentic Yoga. But his most intense and favour… See more

1990s | Yogi Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru since age 3. The Avatar describes His relationship with Yogi thus: “He was a great, loving being, but he really had to stick his neck out to train My body. It was such heavy training. For a few days, I would not want to see him; I would just run away, escape from him. Then for a few days, I would feel overflowing love for him, run and sit on his lap! Although I was his disciple, I was more like a grandson to him.”

Yogi Yogananda Puri with his wife Premavati Ammal. 1980s | The Avatar fondly remembers her as a mother to Him, who took care of him and served him food whenever he went to Yogi’s house.

RARE photograph of Yogananda Puri, The Avatar’s Yoga Guru, with a group of people during a procession