Yogananda travels to America, where he has been invited to serve as a delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston. Anxious about the trip, Yogananda prays for divine guidance, and Babaji appears at his door. He tells Yogananda that he, Babaji, has chosen him to spread Kriya Yoga in the West. He gives Yogananda instructions and prophecies and then departs.

Yogananda leaves India in August 1920. During the two-month voyage, he is asked to give a lecture titled “The Battle of Life and How to Fight It.” After a nervous beginning in which he can find no words, he prays to his master and gives a talk in English that is received extremely well.

On October 6, 1920, he addresses the congress, and his lecture is well received by the audience. For three years, Yogananda lives in Boston, giving lectures and teaching classes. In 1924, he tours the continent, giving lectures in many big cities. By the end of 1925, he has established an American headquarters in Los Angeles. As the 1920s continue, Yogananda lectures at clubs, colleges, and churches all over the nation.