Yogananda: Answer the Call of Christ: Awaken to Divine Love

When Paramahansa Yogananda spoke of Christ, he was not referring exclusively to a historical figure. He was pointing to a universal state of consciousness, a boundless, unconditional love that exists within every human soul, waiting to be recognized and expressed. In this recording, he issues a direct and personal invitation: answer the call. Stop postponing. The love that created the universe is calling you by name.

Yogananda’s understanding of Christ bridged East and West. He saw no conflict between the teachings of Jesus and the ancient wisdom of India. Both pointed to the same truth: the highest purpose of human life is to awaken to the divine love that is your birthright.

This talk is suffused with devotion. Yogananda’s voice carries an urgency that goes beyond intellectual teaching. He is speaking from the heart of someone who has felt this love directly and who aches for others to taste it. If you have been holding the spiritual life at arm’s length, treating it as something to get to eventually, this may be the nudge that changes your approach.

In This Video

• Yogananda’s expansive definition of Christ consciousness and its universality
• Why divine love is not a reward for spiritual achievement but the foundation of it
• How to respond practically to the inner call toward deeper spiritual life
• The relationship between devotion, meditation, and the awakening of Christ consciousness
• Why postponing the spiritual journey creates unnecessary suffering

Key Teachings

Yogananda taught that Christ consciousness is not the exclusive property of Christianity. It is the intelligence of God present in every atom of creation, the love that holds the stars in their courses and the cells in your body. Jesus embodied this consciousness fully, but the potential for it lives in every human being.

“Christ is not a person. Christ is a state of consciousness, the consciousness of God’s presence in all creation.”

– Paramahansa Yogananda

The “call” Yogananda describes is not an external command but an inner pull, the quiet, persistent sense that there must be something more, something deeper, something worth giving your life to. Most people feel this call but dismiss it as impractical or delay responding to it indefinitely. Yogananda’s message is that every delay costs you. Not as punishment but as missed joy.

“If you want to be loved, start loving others who need your love, and you will find that Love comes to you in boundless measure.”

– Paramahansa Yogananda

Divine love, in Yogananda’s experience, is not passive. It expresses itself through service, compassion, and active engagement with life. Answering the call of Christ means becoming a channel for this love in the world. Not withdrawing from people but meeting them with a quality of presence that comes only from inner communion.

Questions & Answers

Do I need to be a Christian to respond to this teaching?

No. Yogananda explicitly taught that Christ consciousness transcends all religious boundaries. Whether you identify as Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or hold no religious label at all, the love he describes is your inheritance. Respond in whatever language feels natural to your heart, and you will find the same love at the center regardless of tradition.

What does it feel like to awaken to divine love?

Yogananda described it as a joy beyond anything the senses can produce, a fullness that needs nothing external to sustain it. Those who have tasted it report a warmth in the heart, a softening of judgment, spontaneous compassion, and a deep certainty that all is well, because you are rooted in something circumstances cannot touch.

How do I answer the call practically, starting today?

Begin with one sincere act: sit quietly for ten minutes and speak to God (or to the highest presence you can conceive) as you would speak to a trusted friend. Do not recite prayers. Speak from your heart. Tell the Divine what you want, what you fear, what you hope for. Then sit in silence and listen. This act of turning inward with honesty is the first step. Everything else unfolds from it.

Why does Yogananda emphasize urgency?

Because time spent in spiritual ignorance is time spent in unnecessary suffering. Yogananda was not trying to frighten anyone but to awaken a sense of priority. Every day that passes without contact with the inner source of love is a day that could have been richer, deeper, and more joyful. He saw postponement as the greatest obstacle on the spiritual path. Not doubt, not sin, but simply the habit of saying “later.”

Practice

Today, choose one person you will encounter in your normal routine, a coworker, a family member, a cashier, anyone. Before you interact with them, take one conscious breath and silently set an intention: “Let me meet this person with the love that lives in me.” Do not try to act differently. Simply hold the intention and let it work through you naturally.

At the end of the day, sit quietly for five minutes. Recall the interactions you had, especially where you set the intention. Notice any difference, in how you felt, in how the other person responded. Then speak one sentence to the Divine: “I am answering.” Let the commitment deepen on its own. Do this daily for one week and observe how your experience of love begins to shift.