Two of Yogananda's earliest converts were Mrs. Fiona Darling and Mrs. Edith Bissett, Ma Durga and Gyanamata respectively. Both these well-loved and stalwart self-realized souls give credit in writing for the role that Sri Nerode played in their lives bringing them to Yogananda. His early counsel to Mrs. Darling led her to decide to move to Los Angeles (rather than to Florida) to be near Yogananda, and Mrs. Bissett expresses her gratitude in a letter to Sri Nerode after he had left the movement, "[Yogananda] wrote me after Mr. Bissett's death that he had long known that this was to be my home -- but you were the first to try to bring it about. "
Yogananda announced in East-West that Nerode had been initiated by him as a brahmachari (Vol. I, No. 6, Sept-Oct, 1925-1926, p. 31) thus giving the impression that Yogananda was his guru. Since Nerode already had a guru, he requested that the 'brahmachari' title be dropped (with its religious implication).
It took five more years before Yogananda would assent to Nerode's requests, and Yogananda (1934) not only named him Sri but designated Sri Nerode's wife as Srimati and also stated that the same should apply to their five year old son, Anil. By this time Yogananda had not only performed the marriage ceremony of this Indian immigrant to an American white lady (Agnes Spencer), but he had also given kriya initiation to little Anil when he was but 4 years old.
However without warning Yogananda excommunicated the Nerodes from the Fellowship in September of 1939. Philip Goldberg says there were multiple charges in the papers served by Yogananda's attorneys there at Mother Center (SRF, Inc. headquarters) (The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru, April 2018, p. 243). The only public reason I have seen is Yogananda's charge that Nerode had violated the Fellowship's rules by marrying "a white woman." The irony of that intriguing remark is shown in the picture of Yogananda conducting their wedding ceremony at SRF, Inc. headquarters approximately seven years earlier. I have posted that picture of Yogananda's blessing them during that event.
Yogananda's later characterization of Nerode as a 'judas' is curious. Perhaps he was upset that just prior to returning in 1937 from the Miami, Florida SRF Group on Venetian Street (where Yogananda had sent him), Nerode had secured a promise of sufficient money from James J. Lynn to start a temple in Florida. Mr. Lynn subsequently sent a large sum of money to Yogananda to help with SRF, Inc. expenses, and asked Yogananda to forward to Nerode the $10,000 Mr. Lynn had promised him for the temple work. Yogananda did not forward the money, and at approximately the same time called the Nerodes back to Mother Center to assist with the new 17th Street SRF, Inc. Temple.
Swami Satyeswaranandaji published Yogananda's undated October 17 letter to Nerode in which Yogananda authorizes Nerode to 'try to raise funds & create a permanent center. You will do much good that way." (p. 973, Satyeswarananda, op. cit.)
On p. 982 Swamiji posts a Nov. 10, 1937 transcribed note (mentioned earlier in the Preface) from Yogananda apparently reinstating Sri Nerode's status at Self-Realization Fellowship because "they had broken their working relationship". None-the-less two years, four months later (Sept. 1937) they were "ousted in the fall of 1939." (Goldberg, op cit., p 243) Nerode's famous lawsuit occurred after the 'ouster' and not prior.
Nerode for his part continued to write, teach, give kriya initiations, and publish books of a spiritual nature for the next four decades. He never gave up his lifelong love affair with God nor his role as a minister. And at the University of Kentucky Dr. Harry Epstein (in 1972) wrote a magnificent letter acknowledging and endorsing Nerode for the contributions of this 85 year old faculty member for the mental health training and Ph.D. dissertation supervision of graduate psychology students.
In the meantime interest in and curiosity about Sri Nerode's teachings in the SRF, Inc. publication has been left adrift in a vague fog of censure and disapprobation, as if Yogananda's private characterization of Nerode as a 'judas' was meant as an article of dogma.
Judas? I leave that to Yogananda and his SRF, Inc. organization.
I will tantalizingly point out that Sister Gyanamataji stayed in touch with the Nerode's after their eviction, and I include her letter to Nerode in which she states, "There must be a great work for you to do, for you are a wonderful teacher and always establish a strong hold upon the affections of your students."
