{"id":179,"date":"2021-06-29T17:58:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T17:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?page_id=179"},"modified":"2021-06-29T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T17:58:09","slug":"1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\/","title":{"rendered":"1973: Planting Roots: A New Movement for the Masters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Gandharvas (Celestial Singers), an early Ananda performing group. Music has played a major, defining role in the spread of the Ananda branch of Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s work.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Swamiji returned to San Francisco,<\/strong> some fifty people were at the airport to meet him. He was scheduled to arrive at 6:30 p.m., but because of a series of delays, including a mid-Atlantic turn-around when a passenger suffered a heart attack, he landed at 2:00 a.m. He was surprised to see such a large crowd. He assumed that all but the necessary one or two would have given up and gone to bed.<\/p>\n

He had carried photographs of Ananda with him to show his friends what he had been doing for the last decade. \u201cThey all remarked on your happy, shining faces,\u201d he told us. \u201cAnanda compares favorably with the best ashrams in India. Master has abundantly fulfilled his promise to bless and guide his devotees, even after he left this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he got home, and began to turn his letters into a book, Swamiji found he couldn\u2019t describe the journey without first explaining why it was so meaningful to him. To leave that part out would be insincere. He had talked to people about his separation from SRF, but this would be his first published account. He felt Master guiding him to write it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m going to do more than drag you along in the impersonal capacity of a tour guide, I had better touch on certain experiences that will help you travel with me as a friend and to experience India through my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a brief account, fair to both sides. \u201cSome people there are who, perhaps, too innately eccentric, don\u2019t seem cut out for organization work. Perhaps I am one of them.\u201d He also frankly stated, \u201cI believe we would have cut twenty years off our efforts to develop the work in India had my plan been accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Just as Swamiji predicted, we grew stronger in his absence. But it was not all smooth sailing.<\/p>\n

In the Jewel in the Lotus, <\/em>the character Romesh was transformed by the Storyteller; in real life, the actor Jim was not. While Swamiji was away, Jim wrote a new constitution for the Farm, separating it from the rest of Ananda, and removing it from the influence and authority of Swami Kriyananda. \u201cHe is a monk and not qualified to lead a community of householders,\u201d Jim declared. He and a few supporters presented Swamiji with the new constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201calmost all the money to pay the mortgage for the Farm comes from Ayodhya and the Retreat. You would last six months\u2014three months to default on the mortgage, three months for the bank to foreclose. Second, I did not start Ananda to turn it over to you.\u201d Soon after, Jim left the community, moving to nearby Nevada City.<\/p>\n

There had also been an unfortunate occurrence at the Retreat. In his absence, Swamiji had appointed \u201cJ\u201d to give classes, Sunday Services, and to lead the Christmas meditation\u2014which was particularly deep and joyous. J was bright, talented, sincerely devoted, and had a weakness for women. He was married, but started an affair with one of the guests.<\/p>\n

The whole community was young and inexperienced. \u201cDoubly ignorant,\u201d Swamiji deemed us later. \u201cToo ignorant to know what you are ignorant of.\u201d Our idea of the spiritual path was romantic, not realistic. Few understood how long and arduous is the journey from first aspiration to final transcendence.<\/p>\n

J was one of those Swamiji had left in charge, so when the affair was discovered, the lines of authority were muddled. A few vigilantes took matters into their own hands and angrily confronted him. J neither apologized nor repented, but claimed he had done nothing wrong. It was the vigilantes, he said, who were at fault, for being so judgmental.<\/p>\n

Sex, intoxicants, and money are the three major delusions. Even advanced souls fight long and hard to overcome them. One can\u2019t banish these delusions with a wave of the hand just because others demand it of you.<\/p>\n

The vigilantes expected praise from Swamiji for defending the honor of the ashram. Instead, they got a severe scolding. \u201cWhen people are struggling, that is the time to help them rise, not push them further down!\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cYou went after a gnat with a baseball bat! Yes, he has a weakness, but he is a good man, with much to offer. You have to think about the person involved and what will help <\/em>him. J is proud. He needed a way to save face. Instead you humiliated him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years earlier, when Swamiji was still in SRF, one of the monks strayed from his vow. The monk wanted to keep serving SRF, but now as a married man. Daya Mata felt a harsh response was needed. To do otherwise, she said, would weaken the will of the other monks.<\/p>\n

Swamiji disagreed. \u201cPeople join SRF to become <\/em>strong; very few are strong to begin with. If SRF turns its back on its own children merely because they are weak and succumb a little to delusion, they will feel like outcasts in their own home, and will certainly fail. It was the knowledge that Master\u2019s love was unconditional that made people stick so firmly to him.\u201d Daya Mata was not persuaded and the man was never allowed to serve SRF again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I put J in a teaching position,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cI knew his weakness. But it was karma that had to be faced; I wanted to help him through it. I didn\u2019t expect to be 10,000 miles away when it surfaced.\u201d Swamiji tried valiantly to save him, but the humiliation was more than J could face, and eventually he left Ananda.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

A few weeks after he returned from India, Swamiji left again, taking a dozen singers with him for a week of recording in Los Angeles. He had been offered a studio, an engineer, and a talented tabla player who had only a few days free to record. Haridas Blake was one of the singers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been at Ananda for a couple of years,\u201d Haridas said. \u201cI had seen Swamiji in classes and satsangs, and occasional small gatherings, but this was my first time up close and personal with him. I was just out of my teens; he was twenty-five years older than me, but I could barely keep up! There was no way we could afford a motel, so we stayed with a devotee. Swamiji had a private room. The rest of us stretched out on the floor wherever we could find space. Long lines for the bathroom, but somehow we made it work.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day Swamiji woke us up bright and early so we could meditate together. Then off to the studio, sometimes not returning \u2018til the wee hours of the morning. At times, some of us crashed out on the floor of the studio, but Swamiji never stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were there to record an album of chants\u2014Swamiji leading, us following. None of us were professionals; most had never been in a recording studio before. Swamiji didn\u2019t try for perfection musically, but he insisted that we get the vibration right. Take one. Take two. Take three. He kept on until he felt we were singing with our whole hearts\u2014not for each other, not for him, but for God Alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we weren\u2019t in the studio, or cooking meals, or trying to keep our crowded living space in order, Swamiji sent us out with piles of his books to sell to bookstores: Yoga Postures, Cooperative Communities, Yours! The Universe, Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide. <\/em>I was attached to the path of moderation. Swamiji showed me how much energy it takes to find God.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was called O God Beautiful<\/em>, after one of Master\u2019s chants. Swamiji also made another album, Songs of the Soul, <\/em>which was mostly him singing devotional songs. Some he had written, some were traditional songs he had learned in India. He had just returned, and a lot of India came back with him. The crowded conditions, not getting enough sleep, driving around Los Angeles looking for bookstores\u2014it was all worth it for the hours we spent in the studio listening to Swamiji sing. Especially the Indian songs. He held nothing back. His whole heart was in every note. He went to worlds I didn\u2019t know were there, and took us with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In 1964, Swamiji had spent a weekend camping in Yosemite. One evening he joined an impromptu songfest with some guitarists. His contribution was the American spiritual, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. <\/em>After that, he had no other appropriate songs to offer. Schubert? Puccini? Indian bhajans<\/em>? Not right for the audience.<\/p>\n

He had always loved singing. His high school choir director told him, \u201cSon, there\u2019s money <\/em>in your voice!\u201d\u2014not realizing that money was the last thing that would motivate Swamiji. In college, his elderly singing teacher said, \u201cI\u2019m living for just one thing now, to see you become a great <\/em>singer.\u201d Swamiji never took another lesson from her. He was seeking truth<\/em>, not fame. When he became a disciple, he dedicated his love of singing to Master\u2019s chants, spending hours every day with his harmonium. SRF issued a recording of him chanting.<\/p>\n

Driving home from Yosemite, Swamiji thought, \u201cSinging is a wonderful way to share with people, but what could I sing? Perhaps I could write my own songs!\u201d In that moment a love song to Divine Mother was given to him, both melody and lyrics\u2014Farther Away Than the Stars.<\/em><\/p>\n

Master had written songs, put new words to old melodies, and translated or adapted music from India for American audiences. Writing music was following Master\u2019s way, but not competing with SRF, since no one there was doing it.<\/p>\n

Over the next few years, Swamiji wrote several dozen songs. Melodies were effortless. \u201cAll my life I\u2019ve been hearing melodies in my mind,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is not my music; it is given to me.\u201d Writing poetry that fit took more time. As a break from the effort of writing lyrics, in one day he wrote melodies for eighteen of Shakespeare\u2019s songs. He learned to play guitar and in 1965 made a solo album: Say “YES\u201d to Life!<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/em><\/p>\n

When he and the singers returned to Ananda, Swamiji continued to work with them. He wrote choral arrangements and four-part harmony for many of his songs. \u201cI didn\u2019t write this music just for listening; it is for everyone to sing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnanda is a community.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

When the group began to perform at Sunday service, or before his satsangs, Swamji would often correct them in public, frequently asking them to sing the song again with the changes he had suggested. Sometimes he even stopped them in the middle of a verse, especially if the rhythm was wrong. Practice makes permanent; <\/em>he didn\u2019t want them to reinforce their own mistakes.<\/p>\n

In order to sing Swamiji\u2019s music correctly, the singers had to raise their vibration to match that of the songs. For some, it took more energy and concentration than they were used to putting out. Whatever singing they\u2019d done in the past was mostly folk music or rock and roll.<\/p>\n

One of the few who was classically trained had a different problem. \u201cMy focus has always been on the beauty of my voice,\u201d she said. \u201cThe song was there to serve me. Now I am the servant of the song. I have to deliver its<\/em> message, not my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the lyrics took will power and conviction to sing properly.<\/p>\n

Give life your heart! Bless everything that\u2019s grown;<\/em><\/p>\n

Fear not the loving: all this world\u2019s your own.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Before the light the veils of sorrow rend;<\/em><\/p>\n

In inner freedom all delusions end.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Sing when the sun shines, sing when the rain falls, sing when your road seems strange.<\/em><\/p>\n

In a tempest, seize the lightening flash, and ride the winds of change!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMelody in music represents your aspirations,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cWhen I am clear about what I want to say, the melody simply appears. Most modern music has a beat, because there is an urge toward self-expression, but no clarity or aspiration, and therefore no melody.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heavy downbeat, so popular today, is ego-affirming. Even when the lyrics are positive, even spiritual, the music itself affirms worldly consciousness. It says, \u2018I don\u2019t have to relate to anyone but myself.\u2019 Carried to an extreme, it declares, \u2018I can be as irrational as I want.\u2019 Communication doesn\u2019t matter. At its worst, that kind of music forces the listener to stop thinking, but in a sub<\/em>conscious, not a super<\/em>conscious way.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you aren\u2019t aware of its message, the message still affects you. Music not only expresses <\/em>states of consciousness, it helps create <\/em>them. The early Christian church was held together by its music. The Gregorian chants perfectly expressed the vibration of their mission. Repeatedly singing them together kept them in tune with what they were doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic is its own language, as specific as any other. You can\u2019t always translate it into words, but you feel it intuitively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melodies were given to Swamiji, but sometimes afterward he could see why that combination of notes was exactly right. Taking his song Hello There, Brother Bluebell!<\/em> as an example, he showed the singers three possible endings:<\/p>\n

First, was the stock ending, with a regular rhythm, going down in pitch, into a strong, harmonious resolution. \u201cThat ending affirms the reality of this world and one\u2019s own place in it,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cThat\u2019s why so many people would choose it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next was to end on an upward, melodic phrase, but slowing way down. \u201cThis gives a soaring feeling, but the slow rhythm leaves you clinging to this world. You drift toward subconsciousness, rather than soaring into superconsciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final choice was the one he had received\u2014an upwardly soaring melody in a regular rhythm right to the end. \u201cThis takes you into higher consciousness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The singers learned to welcome Swamiji\u2019s input, any time, any place. Some of the audience, though, were appalled when he corrected the singers in public. Swamiji responded, \u201cI\u2019m not a dictator, but I do reflect back to people\u2014and to the community as a whole\u2014what I know they are capable of doing. It wouldn\u2019t help anyone to settle for less.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In Autobiography of a Yogi, <\/em>in the chapter Outwitting the Stars, <\/em>Master describes a twenty-four thousand\u00a0year equinoctial cycle on planet Earth, divided into two, equal parts: ascending and descending. These half-cycles consist of four ages, called yugas\u2014Kali, Dwapara, Treta<\/em>, and Satya. <\/em>These correspond to the Greek idea of Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Golden Ages, and the Egyptian cycle, Ages of Men, Heroes, Demigods, and Gods.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The four yugas<\/em> are unequal in length. Kali <\/em>is twelve hundred years, Dwapara<\/em>, twenty-four hundred, Treta<\/em>, thirty-six hundred, Satya<\/em>, forty-eight hundred. The duration of each yuga<\/em> is the same, ascending and descending. The beginning and ending of each yuga <\/em>is a transition period, proportional to the length of the yuga<\/em> itself. At the apex of the twenty-four thousand year cycle, Satya<\/em> ascending is followed by Satya<\/em> descending. At the nadir, Kali<\/em> descending is followed by Kali<\/em> ascending.<\/p>\n

Kali <\/em>(dark) is the age of matter; Dwapara <\/em>(second), the age <\/em>of energy; Treta <\/em>(third), the age of mental power; Satya<\/em> (truth),<\/em> the age of consciousness. Presently we are in an ascending cycle. Kali<\/em> ascending began in 500 A.D. The transition from Kali <\/em>into Dwapara<\/em> began in 1700 and the yuga<\/em> itself in 1900. In the relatively short period of time since Dwapara<\/em> began, centuries of tradition have been annihilated; cultures, languages, and species are becoming extinct; and almost everything that defines modern life has been invented.<\/p>\n

The yugas<\/em> are a planetary phenomenon. The real drama in creation is individual soul evolution. Great souls incarnate in every age, and their disciples with them. Krishna came in the descending <\/em>cycle as Dwapara<\/em> transitioned into Kali<\/em>. Master incarnated in the ascending <\/em>cycle as Kali <\/em>transitioned into Dwapara<\/em>. The consciousness of a Self-realized master is untouched by planetary conditions; Jesus came near the nadir of Kali<\/em> descending. A master\u2019s message<\/em>, however, is defined by the needs of his disciples, and the age into which he is born.<\/p>\n

The transitions between yugas<\/em> are tumultuous times, as one set of values is displaced by another. Krishna\u2019s incarnation was defined by the battle of Kurukshetra<\/em>, described in the epic Mahabharata<\/em>, of which the Bhagavad Gita is one chapter. The battle is a spiritual allegory, and also a historical event. In Master\u2019s lifetime, there were three wars\u2014with much more suffering to come, he said, before the change of yugas<\/em> is complete.<\/p>\n

In the first pages of Swamiji\u2019s book, Cooperative Communities: How to Start Them, and Why<\/em>, he writes, \u201cYogananda stressed the joys of simple, natural living and God thinking\u2014a way of life that, he said, would bring people \u2018happiness and freedom.\u2019 But his message went beyond simply presenting people with an attractive idea. There was an urgency to his plea.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The time is short,\u2019 he repeatedly told his audiences. \u2018You have no idea of the sufferings that await mankind. In addition to wars,\u2019\u201d\u2014Master predicted two more world wars\u2014\u201c\u2018there will be a depression the like of which has not been known in a very long time. Money will not be worth the paper it is printed on. Millions will die.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When Swamiji was living with Master at Mount Washington, one Sunday in the middle of his sermon, Master declared in a voice of thunder, \u201cYou don\u2019t know what a terrible cataclysm is coming!\u201d War and depression are human events; cataclysm implies an act of Nature, beyond the control of man. Human events can be anticipated; acts of Nature often catch us unaware.<\/p>\n

The purpose of these events is not to crush us, Master said, but to inspire us to turn toward God: \u201cAmerica will have half as much wealth, but will be much more spiritual.\u201d This country has some bad karma to pay off, he said, because of the way we treated the American Indians. Overall, though, America\u2019s karma is good, and in the end, the country will emerge victorious. Then America and India will unite to lead the world in a three hundred year period of unprecedented peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is a difficult aspect of prophecy,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cbut Master made it seem as if these cataclysmic events would begin on the morrow. No matter what his announced topic, Master would always digress into the subject of communities, and the urgent need to gather together with like-minded friends to buy land in the country where you can grow your own food and live safely through the coming hard times.\u201d<\/p>\n

With such a warning ringing in his ears, Swamiji felt it was his duty to pass on the words of Master. Few wanted to hear them, chiding Swamiji at times for attracting the very things he feared by talking about them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a difference between positive <\/em>thinking and wishful <\/em>thinking,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cWishful thinking is like invading a country with ten soldiers, hoping to find the opposing army asleep. Positive thinking is accepting what is, then dynamically facing and overcoming whatever challenge those facts present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji decided to write a small book about Master\u2019s prophecies: The Road Ahead<\/em>. The prophecies themselves fill only a few pages. The rest is Swamiji\u2019s reasoning about why, how, and most importantly when <\/em>the events Master predicted are likely to occur. He doesn\u2019t pretend to be an expert, but just looks with common sense at political, social, and economic conditions.<\/p>\n

He includes the story of a man who, after living through World War I in Europe, felt it was just a matter of time before another war broke out. He searched the globe for the safest place to be when that happened\u2014and settled on the isolated island of Guam. In World War II, Guam was the center of the battle in the Pacific!<\/p>\n

The point is obvious: we must use our common sense, but God is our true security. \u201cGet on the spiritual path now,\u201d Swamiji said in one powerful lecture. \u201cOtherwise, when these cataclysms come, you won\u2019t be able to stand the horror of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

SRF also knew Master\u2019s predictions, but didn\u2019t publish them until after The Road Ahead <\/em>came out. Then they put an article into their magazine, which included some of Master\u2019s predictions, but most of the emphasis was how to be spiritually prepared. When asked, \u201cWhat should we do?\u201d SRF\u2019s response was, \u201cKriya.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a beautiful answer,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cif you are so absorbed in meditation that nothing else is of interest. The fact is, even people devoted to the spiritual path usually have many interests besides doing Kriya. I see no reason, therefore, not to have a thoughtful interest in what may be happening on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone asked Swamiji, \u201cWould God allow mankind to destroy this planet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes,\u201d he said, without a trace of concern or trepidation. \u201cBut the karmic condition here wouldn\u2019t allow that. There is evil energy, but there is also great spiritual awakening. The difficult times ahead are merely an adjustment. When a child outgrows a suit of clothes, if he is wise, he simply throws away the old one and puts on the new. But if he is attached to that old suit, and refuses to give it up, even though it no longer fits him, eventually the change will have to be forced upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Banyan Tree<\/em> was a newsletter Swamiji wrote himself, and sent to the entire Ananda mailing list, \u201cBi-monthly, quarterly, or whenever we can afford it.\u201d In November, speaking of hard times to come, he wrote, \u201cThe time, I truly feel, is NOW. So, dear friends, instead of my usual newsy letter I have felt it vital this time\u2014for many people\u2019s sake; for your <\/em>sake as well\u2014to issue a call to combat and victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reiterated Master\u2019s call to start a community or join an existing one, then listed other practical ways of preparing, above all, spiritually.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy prayer is for a much more important kind of victory for you: the spiritual. Earthly successes, disasters, crises, and fulfillments, are revealed, in the end, to be only dreams. God alone is real. Though Master often warned us of trials to come, he told us above all to look to God for our support, even while exercising common sense in our own and on others\u2019 behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the early years of his work in the United States, a visitor to Mount Washington asked Master, \u2018What are the assets of this organization?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018None!\u2019 Master replied joyously, \u2018Only God!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch, too, is the spirit here at Ananda. By worldly standards we are poor indeed. But our hearts are rich in the awareness of God\u2019s nearness. And our faith is strong. For we have seen countless miracles, without which Ananda could never have been brought to its present state of remarkable success.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Most of the founding members of the community were born within a few years of each other. We had to be young and unencumbered to launch Ananda. Swamiji was in his forties; we were in our twenties. But it was he who set the example of child-like freedom in God.<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Eve, Swamiji led a meditation from 10:00 p.m. to midnight. \u201cAs things begin, so they continue.\u201d Meditating set the right tone. Contemplating the year ahead, and the troubles it might bring, we abandoned ourselves to God\u2019s will. Two hours passed like ten minutes.<\/p>\n

During the meditation it began to snow. Coming out of the Retreat temple at midnight, we gazed in silent awe at the white world around us\u2014until the solemn mood was broken by a well-formed, deftly aimed snowball! Tossed by Swamiji himself! The resulting joyous melee\u2014in which he played a leading role\u2014was the perfect complement to the joy of inner communion we had shared only minutes before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> Crystal Clarity has published a fascinating book on this subject,The Yugas<\/em>, by Joseph Selbie and David Steinmetz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 When Swamiji returned to San Francisco, some fifty people were at the airport to meet him. He was scheduled to arrive at 6:30 p.m., but because of a series of delays, including a mid-Atlantic turn-around when a passenger suffered a heart attack, he landed at 2:00 a.m. He was surprised to see such a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-179","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"\n1973: Planting Roots: A New Movement for the Masters - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda tells the inspiring story of the early days of Ananda.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1973: Planting Roots: A New Movement for the Masters - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda tells the inspiring story of the early days of Ananda.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/gandharvas-in-sfo-dinanath-Dscn1234.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/\",\"name\":\"1973: Planting Roots: A New Movement for the Masters - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/gandharvas-in-sfo-dinanath-Dscn1234.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-29T17:58:09+00:00\",\"description\":\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda tells the inspiring story of the early days of Ananda.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1973-planting-roots-a-new-movement-for-the-masters\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/gandharvas-in-sfo-dinanath-Dscn1234.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/gandharvas-in-sfo-dinanath-Dscn1234.jpg\",\"width\":2003,\"height\":1204,\"caption\":\"The Gandharvas (Celestial Singers), an early Ananda performing group. 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