Yogananda's book fantasy or instructional?

In my previous blog I mentioned that this book was given to me by my grandson to read and I started reading it but it took almost 10 days to complete, with 500 pages and spending time with my brother and his family who were here for few days. But today I was able to finish it, and immediately I started writing my views on it.

Paramahamsa Yogananda. whose autobiography it is, his original name was Mukundalal Ghosh, father, Bhagabati Charan Ghosh, hail from  Bengal  and he was second child to his parents out of eight children; four boys and four girls, while his father was an employee of Bengal-Nagpur Railways. Mukunda showed keen interest from his childhood on spiritual activities rather than regular studies in which he was only mediocre. Of course it may be because his parents were also into this line and were chelas of a saint LAHIRI MAHASAYA, who was Guru to Yogananda's Guru, Sri YUKTESHWARANANDA of the GIRI order.

This book is about yogis written by another YOGI of his life story may be perhaps for westerners, describing in detail his own many years of spiritual training under YUKTESHWARANANDA  of Serampore-Bengal.There are colorful chapters on Yogi's visits to Mahatma Gandhi, Jagadish Chandrabose, Tagore etc. Having established a high school and yoga institute at Ranchi he goes to US in 1920 to attend International Congress of Religious Liberals as a delegate  and having stayed in California founded a yoga institute for the benefit of westerners and train them in KRIYA YOGA.

This book is a fascinating read and the author has a good command of the English language. But if you ask my honest opinion it is like fantasy because in this book we come across yogis and sadhus performing miracles like one yogi appearing simultaneously at two places at the same time, a woman who never eats while absorbing cosmic energies; a resurrected man resurfaces from astral plains and tells this yogi about the many plains of existence, etc.

After reading this book some people may feel hesitant to take it on its face value. However it is a wonderful guide to the Indian philosophy as it guides the people along the path giving ample time for introspection, an essential pre-requisite for correct spiritual understanding.
And finally I believe that this book is so engrossing that once you start reading you won't stop until it's done.