In India it has always been believed that the level of development of a country is determined to a greater extent by the spiritual greatness of its inhabitants, and not by the level of its material achievements and well-being. In 1920, pragmatic, materialistic Americans met an Indian who would change the lives of millions. Paramhansa Yogananda (1893–1952) was sent to America by his teacher with this parting message: “The material achievements of the West are very high, but they lack spiritual understanding. And by God’s will, your mission is to help humanity understand how important the balance is between the outer, material and inner, spiritual sides of life.” In 1923, Yogananda gave a series of lectures in major cities in America, and everywhere he was accompanied by extraordinary success. Unprecedented crowds of people flocked to him, sometimes forming huge queues. He never tried to impose his country's cultural traditions on Americans, but sought to show them how to spiritualize their own culture. Energetically, with infectious optimism, he began to convince the American minds, ossified in mundane practicality, that the most practical of all paths is the path that leads to God.