Man's Eternal Quest (Hindi) About the Author Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian guru and yogi, who introduced millions of people in the west to meditation and Kriya Yoga. Growing up, he tried to devote his life to god as he often went into the Himalayas to meditate. In the last few years of his life, he spent most of his life as a recluse. In the last week before he died, he hinted that it was his time to leave. He died in 1952.