160 Biography of a Yogithe two poles rest some more ambiguous characters, such as Gandha Baba, or the
“Perfume Saint.”
The encounter with Gandha Baba is perhaps the best example of Yogananda’s
ultimate position on superhuman powers. The Perfume Saint appears to have
had a very particular skill, consisting of the ability to produce any aroma at will,
floral perfumes being his specialty. Yogananda initially suspects that Gandha
Baba may have simply “induced an auto- suggestive state” or, in simpler terms,
hypnotized him, until his sister is likewise able to perceive the smell of jasmine
emanating from an otherwise scentless flower. However, Yogananda remains
unconvinced of the utility of making flowers smell like other flowers. Gandha
Baba is also able to materialize objects at will, an ability that Yogananda discov-
ers anecdotally when a friend mentions having seen the Yogi materialize tanger-
ines at a party. Although such displays have understandably made Gandha Baba
quite popular, Yogananda concludes that “a guru too literally ‘marvelous’ was
not to [his] liking”^13 and denounces “ostentatious displays of unusual powers.”^14
He closes the account with a sentiment that echoes the traditional position also
voiced by the Ramakrishna devotee quoted above: “Wonder- workings such
as those shown by the ‘Perfume Saint’ are spectacular but spiritually useless.
Having little purpose beyond entertainment, they are digressions from a serious
search for God.”^15
The example of Gandha Baba is immediately followed by an account of the
“Tiger Swami,” or Sohong Swami, whose story demonstrates a somewhat differ-
ent trajectory. The Tiger Swami stands as a perfect example of the intersection
between yoga and physical culture that was only beginning to take root at this
time. He gives voice to a concept that would come to form the core of Yogananda’s
teachings in America: the power of the mind to effect changes in the develop-
ment of the body. The Tiger Swami explains:
Mind is the wielder of muscles. The force of a hammer blow depends on
the energ y applied; the power expressed by a man’s bodily instrument
depends on his aggressive will and courage. The body is literally manufac-
tured and sustained by mind.^16Having discovered this principle, the Tiger Swami proceeds to utilize his new-
found mental powers and bodily strength in pursuit of fame and self- edification.
As his name indicates, he had made his fortune by wrestling tigers until a particu-
larly difficult match and a fateful illness turned him to the monastic path where
he would thenceforth “subdue the beasts of ignorance roaming in jungles of the
human mind.”^17 Yogananda leaves impressed both by the Tiger Swami’s earlier
physical prowess and his subsequent spiritual turn. It appears that the initial