Sri Shellyji (1917-1996) is the guru of Goswami Kriyananda and a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda. He was born with the name of Shelly Trimmer and lived his early years in the “Pennsylvania Dutch” country of the U.S. He recounted having mystical experiences from an early age, and he was interested in spiritual, mystical and scientific matters throughout his young life. In the late 1930’s, Shellyji met with, and asked for initiation from, Paramahansa Yogananda, who was teaching Kriya Yoga at his center in Los Angeles.
Paramahansa Yogananda accepted Shellyji as a disciple, and Shelly spent several years with Yogananda in the intense study and practice of Kriya Yoga, remarking that he had “a lot of fun” with Yogananda. Significantly, Yogananda advised Shelly to teach informally, rather than create a spiritual organization that could be confining and burdensome with its heavy administrative responsibilities.
In the late 1940’s, a young Goswami Kriyananda became aware of Shellyji, who was then living in Minnesota with his wife and family. He wrote to Shelly to ask if he knew the teachings of yoga. Shelly replied, ‘The only thing I know about yoga is what I learned sitting at the feet of a Hindu master.’ Kriyananda visited Shelly and his family in Minnesota, and subsequently became Shelly’s disciple. He moved into Shellyji’s household to immerse himself in the study and practice of Kriya Yoga. Kriyananda’s studies received an unwelcome interruption when he was drafted into the US Army. As a conscientious objector, Kriyanandaji agreed to become a battlefield medic, in which capacity he served during the Korean War, but he had to leave the ashram that had been his home with Sri Shellyji.
Years later, Shellyji moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida where he continued teaching students and maintaining a householder’s life. He enjoyed hobbies such as photography and ham radio operation. Kriyananda would often take his own disciples from Chicago to Florida to visit Shellyji and engage in question and answer sessions, as is common in the Guru-Disciple tradition. As Yogananda had advised, rather than creating a large religious organization, Shelly’s teaching remained largely intimate and personal throughout his life. He did not write books, and when Kriyanandaji urged him to write, Shellyji responded, “Kriyananda you are my book”.
Sri Shellyji touched, and transformed, the lives of many hundreds of people. If you would like to experience his personality, including his wonderful sense of humor, and his method of teaching, we encourage you to view the several lectures he gave in 1985 at The Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago.
Two books of interviews with Shelly have also been published. They are:
- An Infinity of Gods: Conversations with an Unconventional Mystic by Ray Grasse
- Gray Mist at Dawn: The Story of Kriya Yoga's Hidden Master by Steven Cozzi
Sri Shellyji touched, and transformed, the lives of many hundreds of people. If you would like to experience his personality, including his wonderful sense of humor, and his method of teaching, we encourage you to view the several lectures he gave in 1985 at The Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago.
Two books of interviews with Shelly have also been published. They are:
- An Infinity of Gods: Conversations with an Unconventional Mystic by Ray Grasse
- Gray Mist at Dawn: The Story of Kriya Yoga's Hidden Master by Steven Cozzi
