Priya Nath Karar, known in Hindu religion as Sri Yukteswar Giri (May 10, 1855-March 9, 1936) was the guru of Paramhansa Yogananda. He was a member of the Giri branch of the swami order, though his own guru, Lahiri Mahasaya, was not a swami. Yogananda titled Sri Yukteswar Jnanavatar, or "Incarnation of Wisdom".
He was born in Serampore, India, and married and had a daughter, joining the Swami Order after his wife's death. He converted his family home into a religious hermitage where Yogananda and other disciples studied.
His 1895 book The Holy Science seeks to show the unity of Eastern and Western religion, though its reliance on Hindu mythology as prehistory when scientific support for the past civilizations it claims existed has not been found presents an obstacle to the modern reader.
Sri Yukteswar is pictured at the extreme upper left of the crowd on the cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
