"I will give you the privilege of choosing it yourself," he said,
smiling.
"Yogananda," I replied, after a moment's thought. The name literally
means "Bliss (ANANDA) through divine union (YOGA)."
"Be it so. Forsaking your family name of Mukunda Lal Ghosh,
henceforth you shall be called Yogananda of the Giri branch of the
Swami Order."
As I knelt before Sri Yukteswar, and for the first time heard him
pronounce my new name, my heart overflowed with gratitude. How
lovingly and tirelessly had he labored, that the boy Mukunda be
someday transformed into the monk Yogananda! I joyfully sang a few
verses from the long Sanskrit chant of Lord Shankara:
"Mind, nor intellect, nor ego, feeling;
Sky nor earth nor metals am I.
I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He!
No birth, no death, no caste have I;
Father, mother, have I none.
I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He!
Beyond the flights of fancy, formless am I,
Permeating the limbs of all life;
Bondage I do not fear; I am free, ever free,
I am He, I am He, Blessed Spirit, I am He!"
Every swami belongs to the ancient monastic order which was organized
in its present form by Shankara. {FN24-3} Because it is a formal
order, with an unbroken line of saintly representatives serving
as active leaders, no man can give himself the title of swami.
He rightfully receives it only from another swami; all monks thus
trace their spiritual lineage to one common guru, Lord Shankara.
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