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by Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasqupta (Author)
For ages and ages Kriya had been the preserve of ascetics and saints who normally lived away from human society. The system was so highly esteemed and possibility of attainments by devotedly adopting it that the early masters thought only a very select and deserving few should be initiated into it lest the system was wrongly practiced and applied for earthly gains or lest the price-less technique was in any way tampered with or misinterpreted. Many sound religious and spiritual teachings have been found to have been turned into unwelcome banal and vulgar features and decayed in the long history of India's spiritual efforts due to indiscriminate broadcasting of the teachings. The rigid attitude of the early Gurus of Kriya Yoga, even if it appears uncalled for and narrow today, saved the system from getting tarnished, debased and deviated from like many other valuable spiritual teachings.
The above barrier was, however, breached with the advent of Shyama Charan Lahiri on the scene, towards the middle of the last century, in 1861 to be specific. It was Lahiri Mahasaya's large-hearted kindness and unbounded loving consideration for his fellow worldly men and women that wrought the miracle. His ardent prayers to his Guru ultimately softened the Guru and "the ice" was melted. He was allowed by his god-man Guru to initiate deserving and devotedly desiring persons, even a householder, into the secrets of Kriya. Thus it was Shyama Charan who became the fountain source of Kriya that spread gradually throughout the country and abroad. Kriya performers would always remember the ever-kind Lahiri Mahasaya for his munificence in this respect and worship his memory in their heart of hearts.
