Kamala Silva

Who was Kamala Silva?

Born in Colorado on June 21, 1906, Mary Isabelle Buchanan was first called by the name Kamala by the renowned Indian yogi, Swami Yogananda, at their very first meeting in 1925, when she was only 19 years old. From that moment until her death on November 29, 1997 at the age of 91, Kamala was a devoted and much loved disciple of the great yoga master and his Kriya Yoga Meditation teachings.

Kamala's early childhood years had been spent in Colorado. Her parents, Dr. Frances Grant Buchanan and William James Buchanan, were separated when Kamala was 12 years old, but remained close friends and steadfast caregivers throughout Kamala's youth. When Dr. Buchanan moved with Kamala to Southern California in 1918, Mr. Buchanan soon followed. Both parents were exceptional for their times, with open minds and thoughtful demeanors that must have greatly influenced Kamala's own exceptional talents and abilities.

Her mother was Kamala's closest companion for much of her life, and it was she who took Kamala to Yogananda's first Los Angeles lecture series on January 13, 1925. Both Kamala and her mother immediately recognized Swami Yogananda as their guru, and they welcomed him into their lives and their homes. Dr. Buchanan's newly built house in Santa Barbara and cottage in Manhattan Beach became Yogananda's refuges during brief vacations from his hectic, Coast-to-Coast lecture schedule. These restful interludes enhanced the natural bonds of the guru-disciple relationship they shared and filled Kamala's early years with deep joy and gratitude, as evidenced by numerous stories of those halcyon days in her book, The Flawless Mirror.