Let me look into his birth chart more closely.
His birth time was recorded as 8.38 PM, but I rectified it as 8.39. Those who know how to do birth time rectification will understand the process very well. So, no need to elaborate on that again.
He was born in Ketu-Moon-Saturn dasa. It made him an introvert, emotional and impulsive in nature with strong beliefs in other worlds, souls, energies and such supernatural stuff. If you read his book you will understand how he harps on these points again and again.
Balance of Ketu dasa at birth was 4 years 9 months 15 days. So, by 1897 Ketu dasa was over and Venus dasa of 20 years started.
Venus dasa (1897 to 1917)
He was under Venus-Mars dasas when his mother died in 1904. Venus in 4th and Mars in 8th clearly indicates mothers death.
Venus is not good for Simha lagna natives. It is stationed in 4th house of eduction, but Scorpio is a secretive sign. So, his college education was just nominal. It gave him spiritual educaton instead.
In 1910 when he met his guru Swami Yukteswar Giri he was under Venus-Jupiter dasa. Jupiter is with 9th Lord Mars stationed in spiritual sign Mina. Rahu who is in Mesha again signifies Mars. Rahu is non-traditional in nature, grants knowledge of astrology and foreign religions.
Swami Yukteswar Giri had in depth knowledge of Indian astrology. He revived an ancient branch of astrology known as Cosmic Astrology which has become defunt due to destruction of many invaluable books in Muslim invasions. However his efforts to unite Hinduism and Christianity were never fulfilled. At present the divide between these two religions has become deeper than it was in his time. Though Hindus are very liberal and accept all religions as different paths to the same God, religions like christianity and Islam never subscribe to this view, always asserting their superiority and looking down on Hinduism. This is nothing but a symptom of a primitive, unevolved racist mindset.
Yogannada took sanyas in July 1915 from Swami Yukteswar Giri. He was under Venus - Mercury - Rahu at that time. Mercury in 5th, Rahu in 9th, mutual aspect between them and Venus in 9th Lord Mars' house made him a monk in that period.
In 1917 in Venus-Ketu dasa, he started Yogoda Satsang Society in India. Venus was looking at 10th house indicating professional landmark and Ketu was in third house of past karma signifying Venus again.
Sun dasa (1917 to 1923)
on 25 July 1920 he had a vision in which he saw himself lecturing in front of a large gathering of white people. Some say he saw Babaji who asked him to go to America to preach Kriya Yoga. It was Sun-Jupiter-Rahu at that time. Sun and Rahu are in trinal aspect, being in 5th and 9th kona rasis. Rahu in 9th indicates a religious mission to foreign lands. Jupiter has argala from Moon and Ketu indicating an occult vision. Hence an event of deep spiritual significance must have happened at that time. But visit of Babaji ? I doubt very much.
Today there are nny number of charlatans who say 'I have seen Babaji'. All the internet gurus claim their authority from Babaji. Even movie actors claim to have seen Babaji. Hilarious ! Babaji has become very cheap nowadays.
Yogananda landed in Boston on 19 September 1920 under Sun-Saturn-Saturn dasa. Saturn is a malefic to this chart and certainly this dasa was not a good one to begin such an important task. That is why there were so many rifts, quarrels and law suits in SRF right from its beginning days.
As 7th Lord, Saturn took him to a distant land, USA. He faced many troubles in the west for 15 years while trying to preach Kriya Yoga. Though initially Americans listend to him with great interest, very soon they lost interest in it. It is natural for them to do so, because America needs newer fads every other day. They, being a very materialistic society, get bored with everything very quickly.
He lived in Boston in 1920-23, teaching Kriya Yoga to the Americans. In his chart, Mercury, Ketu and Venus sub periods were running in the Sun Maha Dasa at that time. So he saw many ups and downs in his spiritual career.
Moon dasa (1923 - 1933)
In 1923, He started touring USA to deliver lectures and continued them till 1924-25 and met his chief disciples. Moon as 12th Lord, being the natural indicator of travelling kept him on the the move always, made him to meet many distinguished personalities and built emotional bonding with many Americans. Moon controls emotions.
His main center, the Mother Center as it is called today, was started at Mt. Washington, Los Angels on 25 October 1925 in Moon-Rahu-Saturn. Moon being the 12th Lord, indicates a foreign land and Saturn is the lord of 10th from 9th showing his spiritual work place. Rahu in the 9th supports this karma. So his main center stood in a foregn land.
Between 1925-33 his fame started spreading. He got acquinted to many well known persons and initiated them into the path of Yoga.
In 1929 Dhirananda his college frined from India and who was summoned to USA to help him in the work, broke his association with Yogananda on monetary grounds. It was Moon-Saturn at that time. Saturn is 6th and 7th Lord, indicating partners turning into enemies. This dasa is known to give depression and mental unrest. True to its influence, Dhirananda started a law suit against him. Mercury antara followed. Moon-Mercury is known to break family bonds and land a person in serious family disputes. As Yogananda was a monk, and devoid of a family, his own organisation became his family. In the court case that went on for a few years, Dhirananda won against Yogananda. This is a clear indication which proves that a man howsoever great he might be spiritually, can never escape from the effects of planets and karma.
From 1929 to 1939 USA was under great economic depression. Yogananda ran Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus and Sun in the major dasa of Moon. He saw many ups and downs in this period. He was able to stand firmly, only with the financial support extended by his faithful supporter and successor James J. Lynn.
Mars dasa (1933-1940)
During this time, in June 1935 he went back to India for a year. It was Mars - Jupiter. Jupiter or Guru as he is called in Indian astrology, aptly indicates one's spiritual preceptor. Mars as 9th Lord also indicates one's teacher. However, as Jupiter owns the 8th house of demise and destruction, Sri Yukteswar Giri died shortly after.
In October and November 1935, when he visited Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai, it was Mars-Jupiter-Sun. It was strange to note that he met Ramana Maharshi, the Sun of the spiritual world, in the sub sub period of Sun in his chart.
However his judgement went wrong. Adivsed by Talyar Khan, a Farsi devotee of Ramana Maharshi, he visited the Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai. But he was impressed more by Yogi Ramayya who was a staunch disciple of Maharshi more than the Maharshi himself. It seems he remarked, 'The disciple (Yogi Ramayya) appears to be spiritually more advanced than his guru (Ramana Maharshi). Nothing could be more false than this evaluation ! When I read this statement by Yogananda, I was aghast with disbelief in his ability to see things clearly.
In December same year, he met Anandamayi Ma who was knwon for her loving nature as indicated by the Vidasa of Moon.
On 9 March 1936 in Mars- Jupiter-Rahu dasa, Swami Yukteswar giri died. We can notice Mars and Jupiter in the 8th house of destruction and Rahu in 9th indicating teacher. It is a guru chandala dasa period. Hence his guru died.
In June - 1936 while on his way back to USA, he saw the astral body of Swami Yukteswar giri from a hotel room in Mumbai, which engaged him in a conversation for about two hours on astral worlds. It was Mars-Saturn-Mercury. This dasa gives accidents or shocks to the mind, also severe depression and loneliness. Cause of his depression was his inability to be at the bedside of his guru, despite the guru's subtle indications that his life was coming to an end shortly. Yogannda certainly might have seen his guru in astral body, but the narration by Sri Yukteswar of the subtle worlds that went on for two hours seems to be a consoling imagination of Yogananda's fertile brain which was under a deep sense of remorse and guilt. Most of the narration was just his imagination. My deduction is clearly supported by the dasa prevaling at that time.
Rahu dasa (1940-1958)
In 1940, Rahu dasa, the last dasa of his life, started to operate. He became a recluse in his own Ashram, living in a solitary retreat cabin built for that purpose. Rahu is in the 9th house of spirituality and meditation. So his sadhana intensified in the final dasa of his life.
In the beginning of Rahu dasa Sri Nerode (Nirad Ranjan Chowdhury) who played a key role in the initial days of SRF separated himself from it and sued Yogananda. Rahu in 9th, with its Lord Mars in 8th started showing its effects. Though Yogananda won the case easily, it was a big blow to his organisation again, after Dhirananda episode.
During Rahu-Rahu and Rahu-Jupiter dasas that ran between 1940 and 1945 he started many new enterprises that eventually collapsed. These dasas are never supportive of any great things to materialize. This again, is a clear proof of what I have been saying for the past decade, that even great people are not immune to planetary influences.
In 1941 he started 'The Yoga Univarsity of Washington' which did not survive for long. In 1942, the started the 'World brotherhood colony' but there were no takers, so it suffered a natural decline and eventual death.
On 1 Jan 1946, he released his magnum opus, 'Autobiography of a yogi' which has been read by millions of people around the world since then. It was released under Rahu-Saturn-Saturn dasa. It was a sapita dasa. Because of the trinal stationing of Rahu and Saturn in his chart, the book became an instant success. However, as this is called Sapita Yoga or the cursed yoga, eventually this book has become responsible for the mushroom growth of many psuedo kriya yoga gurus and centers everwhere in the world, each claiming to be the possessor of real kriya yoga technique. I think this real technique does not exist anywhere, because what is real for one may not be so for another ! Spiritual sadhana is individual, never collective.
This book seems to encourage more the other worldy and the supernatural than the mundane. I feel it is more fiction and less real.
In 1948 he confided that he attained an exalted state called Nitya Samadhi. About this time, Kriyananda became his disciple. Rahu-Saturn ended and Mercury sub dasa started at this time in his chart. 5th house where Mercury is stationed was activated and he got new disciples. However, because of the influence of Rahu, Kriyananda separated from SRF in 1962 and established another organisation called Ananda. A court case continued between SRF and Kriyananda for a decade or so. Now the question is, did Yogananda who attained Nitya Samadhi, not know that Kriyananda would eventually estrange himself from SRF and proceed to sue his parent organisation?
In 1949, Yogananda published 'The Holy Science' a book written by Swami Yukteshvar under the guidance of Babaji himself. Though it is a brilliant book that explains the yuga theory in a micro way, I think there are some errors in its calculations. Moreover, cross references from the Vedas and the Bible to show that both are essentially the same, are not found in abundance in it as was expected by a knowledgeable reader who is well versed in both the religions. So, I think the idea of Babaji who wanted to prove the essential oneness of the above two religions was not fulfilled in toto. Even today, except the enlightened people of the west, others look down on Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism with contempt. Conversions are more rampant now in India than ever. So, the divide remains almost the same and the book served no big purpose.
During 1950-52 he was under Rahu-Mercury and Rahu-Ketu dasas. His health declined fast in this period. He became almost a recluse in his Ashram. Finally on 7 March 1952 he fell down after a speech and died of heart attack. He was under Rahu-Ketu-Saturn dasa on that day. Nodal dasa coupled with Sapita yoga drew the curtain on his life.
This proves again that none of us, including the spiritually realized souls, can escape from the influence of planets. A soul when it takes a human body, must undergo the effects of its karma as distributed by the planetary forces. There is no escape !
Yogananda in his book says, he outwitted the stars, in as much as he did not marry thrice as predicted by his family astrologer. He escaped his karma no doubt, but the same karma made him suffer in a different way. His family astrologer predicted that he will marry thrice and two of his wives will die but the third wife will live. Let me show you how this prediction came true, in a different sense.
7th house represents not only life partner, but also business partners. Dhirananda and Nirod were his trusted partners who left SRF and sued him. This is as good as the deaths of two wives. Only James J Lynn remained faithful to him till the end. This is the third marriage which lasted. Yogananda, by his will power, could cancel out the three marriages thus avoiding the deaths of his two wives, but he could not wipe out the karma totally. It came in the form of his trusted followers and made him experience the pain, all the way. 7th house controls marriage as well as business partnership !
So what Yogananda said was wrong. He never outwitted his stars, nor anybody can.
You can never overcome the effect of planets, it is impossible. If you close one window, another opens in the karmic mansion. This is how the law of karma acts, bypassing our efforts to escape from it.
You can only modify your karma. Cancellation is next to impossible !