Ananda Marga

Ananda Marga www.anandamarga.net; www.anandamarga.org, officially known as Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha (AMPS) meaning “the organization for the propagation of the path of bliss” was founded in Jamalpur, State of Bihar, India in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990), known by his spiritual name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. Ananda Marga bases its ideology on the theory that total human development can only be achieved through both personal development, and social service to the community.

The meaning of Ananda Marga is “path of bliss”, ananda meaning bliss, and marga path. Through a system of meditation techniques, yoga postures (asanas), spiritual gatherings, and social service the Ananda Margiis (followers of AM) strive to develop themselves as human beings, and the betterment of others.

History

Early history

The early history of P.R. Sarkar and his way towards the establishment of Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha is obscure and few writings can be found. There is however one account which proved to be significant in relation to Sarkars future as a spiritual leader, namely the initiation of a notorious criminal named Kalicharan.

In 1939, Sarkar left Jamalpur for Calcutta to attend Vidyasagar College of the University of Calcutta. He frequently visited the ghats along the river Ganges at night time to meditate and contemplate. At that time of day ordinary people shun the ghats because they were frequented by thieves and other petty criminals.

One night (probably in 1939 or 1940) young Sarkar was performing his meditation, when suddenly assaulted by a notorious criminal and killer, Kalicharan. Kalicharan demanded him to hand over his wallet or be killed. At that point Sarkar, who didn’t know the unknown assailant, is to have said: “Kalicharan, I promise to give you all my money, but first tell me whether you rob people out of necessity or habit?”. Kalicharan realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary person, and decided to receive initiation into meditation from Sarkar. He asked what he could call his new spiritual master, who simply replied: “call me Baba”, which became the name all his followers in the future would affectionately call him. From that time on Kalicharan changed his ways and got the spiritual name Kalikananda.

Recent history

Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha was officially established in 1955 in Jamalpur, Bihar, India. P.R. Sarkar was at that time working as a railway official in the Indian Railways. At that time he had only a handful of spiritual students whom he taught individually. However, according to one account, the establishment of Ananda Marga was not always Sarkar's intention. In his book "Ananda Katha" [1], Acarya Nagina describes Sarkar's frustration with a world of ignorance and violence, and eventually his decision to not continue his spiritual work. After pleas from his most sincere followers, Sarkar eventually decided to form the AMPS and took a vow to lead humanity to a higher state of existence.

TIMELINE:

In 1959 the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) was released. Some have claimed that this put Ananda Marga at stakes with the local communist authorities.

In 1962 a monastic order was formed, where the junior monks and nuns where known as brahmacharya, and the seniors known as avadhutas, where the former are dressed in a saffron colored top and white bottom, while the seniors are dressed in full saffron robes.

In 1963 the Education, Relief, and Welfare Section (ERAWS) of Ananda Marga was formed. Schools, orphanages, and emergency relief work was being conducted under its name.

From 1975-77 Ananda Marga was banned under the state of emergency imposed by the Indian government of Indira Gandhi. Over 400 of its schools in India were closed down, and several members were imprisoned. P.R. Sarkar had been in prison since 1971, falsely accused of conspiring to murder several former members of the organization (Margiis). He received a life sentence (Barker 1989: 168) which was later overturned. See below (1978) for details on his acquittal. During this time the government also allegedly murdered several monks of the organization, and attempted to poison food that Ananda Marga was distributing to the public. This latter attempt was foiled, and it prompted a new rule within the organization that only Margiis would be allowed to participate in food preparation and distribution in the organization's name.

P.R. Sarkar's imprisonment led to a global campaign of protests. Margiis claimed not only that he was innocent, but that an attempt had been made to poison him in prison: severely damaging his health and permanently damaging his sight. There were also protests against the alleged persecution of the movement. Several Margiis burned themselves to death (Barker 1989: 168, see also 54-5), although this was not condoned by the organization nor by P.R. Sarkar. These self-immolation incidents have broadly been reported in the news as speculative evidence of the organization's "terrorist" leanings, but self-immolation is not uncommon in India when there is an escalated political climate, and such acts are not commensurate with the organization's philosophy.

In 1978 there was another incident involving a small group of Margiis who departed from the philosophy in an extreme manner: three Margiis were found guilty of conspiring to murder the Indian High Commissioner in London the previous year, and were sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison. As part of their investigations, the anti-terrorist squad discovered bomb-making instructions and a copy of the "Anarchists' Cook-book" at the organization's London headquarters. Three weeks prior to the attack, one of the plotters had thrown a brick through the window of the New Bond Street office of Air India. The attached note called on Mr Moraji Desai, the Indian Prime Minister, to release Sarkar or have "blood on his hands". The initial plan was to shoot the High Commissioner in his car, but this was abandoned for security reasons. Next they decided to stab the Commission's commercial counsellor, but that failed when the would-be assassin couldn't go through with the attack. Finally one of the other plotters stabbed a junior Indian government employee in mistake for the commercial counsellor. The victim suffered a punctured lung and internal bleeding, but recovered with medical help. (See Birmingham Evening Mail, Saturday, November 4, 1978)

That year, Sarkar's conviction was overturned on appeal. He had been fasting for five years on a diet of yoghurt, following the alleged poisoning attempt. During his stay in prison his mission spread to all continents of the world.

Before 1971 AMPS was basically an Indian organization with few workers abroad, but during Sarkar's imprisonment his workers traveled the world and established local Ananda Marga centers in more than a hundred countries. What was once a national organization was now global.

P.R. Sarkar traveled to many countries after his exoneration, and worked continuously to spread his words. In 1982 he took up composing, and till his death in 1990 he managed to compose 5018 songs, which were called Prabhat Samghiit.

In 1986 he formed the theory of microvita, small, subtle entities which were said to be the foundation of all existence. Research on the field is being conducted by the Microvita Research Institute [2], [3], but their progress and findings are still limited.

On 21st of October 1990 he entered his maha samadhi and departed his physical body.

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the state of the organization has been in disarray. Internal quarreling and disagreements has led to a split. There are two fighting fractions, both Indians. One is mainly composed of Hindi speakers from Bihar, and the second Bengali speakers from Bengal. The origin of the conflict is uncertain, but one claim is that the Hindi faction expresses inferiority compared to the Bengali faction. The Bengali faction is thought to have been closer to Sarkar during his life, and has held higher positions in the organization. The conflict is ongoing, and does not seem to have an early solution, even though P.R. Sarkar was very clear in his teachings that all prejudices (and inferiority/superiority complexes) based on race, caste, class, language, etc. are detrimental to one's spiritual progress.

Organization

Ananda Marga is a hierarchal organization lead by senior members of AMPS, most of them dedicated monks and nuns. A well developed hierarchy is working in the AMPS organization where the Global Office is the main representative organ of AMPS, lead by the General Secretary. Globally the organization is divided into 9 sectors named after a city in each of them, namely:

1. Dehli Sector – the Indian sub-continent
2. Hong Kong Sector – North-East Asia [4]
3. Manila Sector – South-East Asia [5]
4. Suva Sector – Australia, Pacific region [6]
5. New York Sector – North, and Central America, the Caribbean [7]
6. George Town Sector – South America [8]
7. Berlin Sector – Europe [9]
8. Qahira Sector – Balkans, West Asia, North Africa [10]
9. Nairobi Sector – Sub-Saharan Africa [11]

Each sector is subdivided into regions, which again is further divided as per needs. Each of them is lead by a senior official, namely the Sectorial Secretary, Regional Secretary, and so on.

A separate entity of AMPS is the Women's Welfare Department (WWD), destined to help the betterment of women through education, social work, and local initiatives. WWD was started as a reaction to the common mistreatment and lack of respect women are suffering in many parts of the world. WWD is lead by women, for women, and one of their goals is the equality of both sexes.

AMPS also strives for development of the human sphere in other parts of life as well. Renaissance Artists and Writers Organization (RAWA) is an organization for the development of the fine arts. RAWA regularly arrange cultural events in several countries, those being concerts, theatrical acts, etc.

The official social welfare and development organization below AMPS is Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT). AMURT arranges both emergency relief during natural disasters, and long term projects such as building of schools and orphanages.

Practice

Spiritual Teachings and Practice

Ananda Marga (AM) is the practice of AMPS. Ananda Marga meaning the path of bliss. AM is based on tantra yoga, as interpreted by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti in the books "Discourses on Tantra volume 1 and 2". [12], [13]. "Tantra" meaning the liberation from darkness, the root "tan" meaning darkness, and "tra" liberation. Tantra in the popular western sense meaning sexual practices is not a part of the Ananda Marga tantra tradition. Sarkar in his book on Shiva, "Namah Shiváya Shántáya", and "Discourses on Tantra volume 1", he explains the difference between the lefthand crude tantric path, and the righthand subtle path by giving an explanation of panchamakara, also known as the 5 Ms. The practitioner of Ananda Marga tantra yoga sees the mind as a "trapped monkey" striving to escape from its cage. The tantra path is the path of the brave, because it requires the practitioner to follow strict rules as to their spiritual practice. Meditation is the main practice of this tantric tradition, and through the meditation the practitioner struggles to overcome his weaknesses and imperfections. Through daily meditations the practitioner faces his minds deepest secrets, and to proceed in the practice he must manage to overcome whatever he faces in the deepness. Because the path is considered so difficult many people stray from the path and reject the teachings afterwards.

The base Ananda Marga practice is covered in a set of rules called the sixteen points. The sixteen points guides the practitioner of the tantric path on both spiritual and social aspects.

Meditation

In the tantric tradition of Ananda Marga the spiritual aspirant is called a sadhaka, and he practices sádhaná. Sádhaná comes from the Sanskrit root word sadh which means “to complete”. Sádhaná signifies the effort through which a person becomes completely realized.

In the tantric tradition the spiritual master, the guru plays a special role. The guru, or dispeler of darkness, guides and leads his students on the razor sharp path on which he follows when he decides to become a spiritual aspirant. It is also stated in the tantric tradition that the student doesn’t find the teacher, but the teacher finds the student.

When the student decides to aspire on the path of bliss he will be initiated by a qualified meditation teacher called acharya, Sanskrit for teacher. An acharya is most commonly a monk or nun, but there are also a few family acharyas in the Ananda Marga tradition.

In the initiation the aspirant makes a commitment to practice meditation, and is then taught the technique itself. The aspirant is then required to keep all his practices secret and not discuss them with others.

Anandamurtiiji taught many systems of meditation such as Pra'rambhika Yoga, Sa'dharana Yoga, Sahaja Yoga and Vishesha Yoga.In addition, he also taught Kapalika meditation to many sanyasiins.His system of yoga can be termed as Rajadhira'ja Yoga or Tantra Yoga or just Ananda Marga Yoga.The base Ananda Marga meditation system is called Sahaja Yoga, meaning 'easy yoga', in the sense that everyone can do the practice. The sahaja yoga system consists of 6 meditation techniques called lessons. The lessons are taught one by one, on a personal basis. There is no specific system as to when one can learn a new technique, but is rather taught on a personal basis depending on the level of interest and dedication of the student. Thus some students learn all six lessons in a year or two, while some complete all lessons in over 20 years. There is also a higher set of meditation lessons taught by Ananda Marga, but these are highly secretive, and only a select few advanced practitioners are ever taught them.

Yoga and Physical Exercises

The physical practice of Ananda Marga comprises yoga asanas,mudras,bandhas,pranayama,self-massage and two specific dances, kaoshiki and tandava.Sentient diet & Fasting are considered integral part of yogic-practises in Ananda Marga style of yoga.

Yoga Asanas

The Ananda Marga system of yoga comprises 42 yoga asana postures, which were specifically selected by P.R. Sarkar for their benefits. In the Ananda Marga system yoga asanas should be performed at least once a day, preferable twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening. After the practice a full body massage and final relaxation is performed to complete the asana practice.

Kaoshiki

Kaoshiki is a dance performed by all students, and consists of 18 mudras, each with a specific meaning. The dance is both a spiritual and physical exercise. The spiritual ideation of the dance is done to establish a link to the divine, and the physical strengthens and softens the body. There is also a claim that the exercise strengthens the nervous and endocrine system to give full body balance.

Tandava

This is a vigorous dance associated with Shiva as the cosmic dancer Nataraj. The name tandava is derived from the Sanskrit word tandu, which means to jump. This dance is only performed by the male followers of Ananda Marga because of its testosterone producing effect. The dance is performed to strengthen the practitioner and dispel all fear, even fear of death itself, and therefore the dance also has an ideating factor. The dancer starts off with the two arms outstretched, the left arm with an open palm, and the right arm with a clenched fist. The dancer ideates holding a human skull in the left hand, symbolizing death, and ideates holding a knife in the right, symbolizing the fight against all fear. The dance starts with a vigorous jump and landing in a position of bent knees. Another jump follows, and the dance continues in a jumping manner lifting one leg then the other continuously. The dance is ended with a final jump.

Activities

Ananda Marga runs yoga and meditation centers, schools, orphanages, food distribution centers, disaster relief programs, medical centers, community development projects, and other projects through its service branch, the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team, AMURT& AMURTEL. AMURT, founded in India in 1965, has projects in over 80 countries. Emphasis is placed on solving the problems of the local people, whatever they may be, and assisting them in managing all their personal and social resources for the prosperity of all.

Proclaimed philosophy and goals

The philosophy of Ananda Marga is one of universalism. It is a synthetic outlook, recognizing God as the one limitless supreme consciousness. This universe, having been created by God, is existing in God, and as such all created beings are God's children, part of the one universal Cosmic family. Thus we are all brothers and sisters, connected in love by the bonds of Cosmic fraternity. This universe of diversity has evolved out of unity (God), and we must continually strive to see that unity in all diversity. Thus the social outlook of Ananda Marga recognizes that the welfare of the individual is inextricably linked with the welfare of the collective, each relying on the other for its existence and dynamism. Everyone has the right to equal opportunity and as such there should be no discrimination on the basis of superficial barriers such as race, nationality and religion.

Ananda Marga advocates a world of justice, security and peace for all. To this end Ananda Marga gives a practical, rational, and systematic way of life for the balanced development of all human potentialities: physical, psychic and spiritual. It is a system that incorporates practices that are beneficial for personal and social upliftment. These range from proper hygiene and diet, to yoga postures, to a scientific technique of meditation based on morality and leading to complete peace and inner fulfillment. It recognizes that a balance is needed between the spiritual and mundane aspects of existence, and that neither one should be neglected at the expense of the other. Hence, the goal of Ananda Marga is "Self-realization and the welfare of humanity."

Symbology

Pratik - The Symbol of Ananda Marga

Pratik - The Symbol of Ananda Marga

Pratik - The Symbol of Ananda Marga

Pratik practically means emblem, and summarizes the ideology of Ananda Marga in a visible form. The pratik is composed of two interconnected triangles where one points upwards and the other points downwards. In the center of the triangle a rising sun is placed, and in the core of the rising sun a svastika (counter clockwise) is seen.

Interpretation

1. Upwards pointing triangle: signifies action in the world, i.e. social work.
2. Downwards pointing triangle: signifies knowledge, i.e. spiritual meditation.

Action should be based on knowledge and knowledge should be followed by action.

1. The sun - the sum of work in the world and inner development leads to progress.
2. The svastika - Signifies personal victory, in the sense of spiritual fullfilment and salvation.

Flag

A triangular, orange/saffron colored flag with a white counter clockwise svastika in the center is used by the Ananda margiis.

Criticism

Ananda Marga has faced some criticisms. As a political protest some members reportedly practiced self-immolation[14] during the period when they faced repression in India. A report by the Italian police[15] placed them alongside Soka Gakkai International for political activities. There are news agencies that published critical articles like the BBC - [16] article mentioning an arms drop in India - and The Australian - [17] article on possible involvement of Ananda Marga members on the Sydney Hilton bombing. Some have labeled Ananda Marga a terrorist organisation.[18]

Supporters have pointed to events like [19] (Ananda Marga members charged of Hilton bombing were released and pardoned) and [20] & [21] (to whom the weapons were being delivered is still disputed), arguing that the criticism is based on speculations or unproven or disputed facts.

References

Barker, Eileen (1989) New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction (London: HMSO). Third impression, with amendments, 1992.

See also

• Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team: AMURT
• Neo-Humanism as propounded by P. R. Sarkar: Neo-humanism
• Progressive Utilization Theory: PROUT
• Ananda Marga Gurukula: AMGK
• Renaissance Artists and Writers Association
• Microvitum
• Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, the founder of Ananda Marga
• Shiva

External links

Ananda Marga Related

• Main site
• Ananda Marga site
• Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (social service)
• Gurukul educational site
• PU Proutist Universal
• Socio-Economic Concept of Ananda Marga Prout
• Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha AMPS
• Disaster Relief and Community Development AMURT World
• [22] Ananda Marga Association of Yoga Educators

Non-Ananda Marga Related sites

• Prout College
• Prout Institute of Australia
• North Carolina newspaper on Ananda Marga helping hurricane victims
• Ananda Marga Yoga Society, Angela An, 2000 (updated 2001). Profile written for The Religious Movements Homepage Project at The University of Virginia