In this excerpt from a special talk given by Swami Chidananda Giri in October 2025 celebrating the 100th anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s founding of the SRF International Headquarters (Mother Center) atop Mount Washington in Los Angeles in 1925, the YSS/SRF president reflects on the spiritual significance of the Mother Center.
He explains that when a divinely liberated soul such as Paramahansaji comes to earth, spiritual power not only flows through that master and his teachings, but also “the places that are associated with his work…become like powerful storage batteries for the spiritual light, for the divine grace, the divine blessings that that liberated avatar brings to earth in a physical incarnation.”
Drawing from Paramahansaji’s own words and experiences, Swami Chidanandaji also recounts how the Guru foresaw the Mount Washington headquarters in spiritual visions long before he arrived in America — and how he later recognized it as the destined centre from which his worldwide work would spread.
During his talk Swami Chidanandaji shares that the original date planned for the opening of the Mount Washington Hotel (later to become the SRF International Headquarters Building) was January 5, 1910 — which is the birthday of Paramahansa Yogananda, who was born on January 5, 1893.
You can view the full talk by Swami Chidanandaji from which this excerpt is taken, “Celebrating Yogananda’s Founding of the SRF International Headquarters 100 Years Ago,” in our Teachings Library. In the complete talk, he shares additional reflections on the founding of Mount Washington, its role in Paramahansa Yogananda’s worldwide mission, and the enduring spiritual blessings that flow from the Mother Center to truth seekers everywhere.
