Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (born May 21, 1921 in Jamalpur , Bihar , India , † October 21, 1990 in Kolkata , West Bengal ) was an Indian philosopher , social revolutionary, poet and linguist . He is considered an important spiritual teacher of tantra and yoga , was the founder of the Ananda Marga organization, where he is mostly known by his spiritual name Shrii Shrii Anandamurti . Sarkar left a large field of work that contains various theories , including the "Law of the Social Cycle", the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), the Microvita Theory and the philosophy of neo-humanism.

Childhood and youth

An exceptionally intelligent child, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar began to meditate at a young age and was very interested in foreign languages ​​and other things.

In 1939, Sarkar went from Jamalpur to Calcutta to attend Vidyasagar College at the University of Calcutta . He was a notorious criminal, the initiation and helped him to change his life. After the death of his father, he had to support his family and worked as a railroad clerk in his hometown Jamalpur. He remained in this work for sixteen years, while continuing to teach the spiritual practices of tantra and yoga .

Ananda Marga

In 1955, at the insistence of his followers, Sarkar founded the organization Ananda Marga Sanskrit for: "Path of Bliss", a socio-spiritual organization with a double mission, which Sarkar "self-realization and service" (service, Sanskrit: Seva) for all called. Sarkar's ideas are collected in a series of books called "Subhashita Sangraha," which are the writings of the ideology of Ananda Marga.

The books show in a simple, clear, rational way many important aspects of Bhagavata Dharma or the nature of human beings. Other scriptures such as Ramayana , Mahabharata , Gita , Koran , Tantra, Yoga, Vedanta are discussed and quoted in order to illuminate the various aspects of philosophy and Dharma , interpreting the various spiritual ideas. Sarkar's ideas are based on the ancient spiritual tradition of India, which he revived with new meanings.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, as his first disciples called him, saw the creation of an order when monks and nuns came to him to devote their lives to the practice of meditation and service and to share their knowledge throughout India and overseas. Until 1966 Shrii Shrii Anandamurti kept his job in Jamalpur to be the main breadwinner of his family after his father died. Eventually, he took over the full-time office of President from Ananda Marga. For the second half of his life, his primary residence was in Lake Gardens in Kolkata, West Bengal. He also spent a lot of time developing the community based on his PROUT theory in Ananda Nagar in a rural area of ​​West Bengal.

Ananda Marga opened a regional office in the United States in 1969, and by 1973 Ananda Marga had around one hundred local centers where one could learn yogic and social philosophies, with several thousand members, some of whom lived together in the ashrams . (These shared apartments are also called Jagriti, translator's note.)

Spiritual Philosophy

Sarkar's lectures on spiritual philosophy influenced modern ascetic movements among Hindus in India. His system of spiritual practices has been described as a synthesis of Vedic and Tantric philosophies. Sarkar's concept of "karma samnyasa" refers to the principle that someone who practices yoga becomes a person with a balanced mind (mind as well as spirit). Sarkar calls such a person "Sadvipra"; this is achieved by focusing on the “highest” through private exercises which have a transformative effect, as well as through engagement in the politics of social liberation as a form of service (Sanskrit: seva, AdÜ).

cosmology

Sarkar compares the universe to a dream of the cosmic mind. Everything is created from the ectoplasm or from the contents of the cosmic soul. The first stage in the creation of matter is the microvita ; these form the constituent parts of the atoms, while “idea” is the constituent substance of Microvita.

Microvitum is Sarkar's hypothesis about the connection between consciousness and life , presented by Sarkar as a unified field philosophy , which explains the origin and development of life. It is part of Sarkar's theory of living things progressing through the stages of reflexive consciousness. The microvita concept tries to explain phenomena that life travels faster than light through the universe or how a complex organism develops from a single cell or how meditation on the Supreme Being attracts positive microvita which lead to improved health, or how a genius leads to superconscious abilities comes. The word “microvita” means “small or microscopic life form”. Microvita is a concept that is not based on the scientific method, and Microvita is said to be so small that it cannot be observed experimentally.

According to Sarkar, modern science-based medicine results in negative microvita being concentrated at the central point of the disease and the concentration of negative microvita canceling out the effects of the medicine being administered. As a result, this concentration effect creates new diseases, two to three per decade. The spiritual practices are said to increase the positive microvita, which would then eliminate the negative microvita. Sarkar claims that medicine is becoming less important and that only applying the microvita theory could improve the development of new drugs.

Social and Political Philosophy

Theory about the social cycle

The concept of Varna wherein mental and physical aptitude and motivation is expressed in terms of four main types: Vipra (intellectuals), Kshatriya (warriors), Vaishya (merchants) and Shudra (workers).

Sarkar's "Law of the Social Cycle" applies these properties in a theory of social evolution , with epochs beginning and ending by ruling elites, each of which represents one of the characteristics mentioned. This law is possibly related to Sri Aurobindo's earlier historical ideas , which are also cyclical. In addition to the practice of yoga and purity of thought and action, Sarkar attached great importance to social service (service, Sanskrit seva, AD) as one of the means of liberation.

In Sarkar's view, it is socially necessary that social institutions support the inner development of people. Sarkar said both capitalism and communism are not suitable structures for humanity to move forward towards a golden age of a spiritual way of life. A serious problem of capitalism, according to Sarkar, is the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, and disruptions in the circulation of money, which he believed to be the main causes of economic recessions and depression . (He simply referred to capitalism and communism as “defective ideologies” and also predicted the collapse of the system in the Soviet Union and the GDR and German reunification , AdÜ.).

Progressive Use Theory

In 1959, Sarkar published the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), a socio-economic theory based on the basic values ​​of neo-humanism . This theory rejects both the system of capitalism and the system of communism, whereby all resources should be used in the best possible way and wealth should be distributed fairly. The way to achieve this is for companies and industry to be run on the basis of cooperatives.

In 1968 Sarkar founded the organization “Proutist Block of India” (PBI) to promote the ideals through political and social action. Neo-humanism is a comprehensive philosophy that focuses on the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of people, including the well-being of plants and animals. Sarkar formed the PROUT theory to establish neo-humanism in communities and nations around the world.

Sarkar's theory of progressive exploitation sought to stimulate self-sufficiency in the poor, and he stressed the responsibility of leaders and the successful to society as a whole. The PROUT theory also advocates a limitation of personal wealth and emphasized a need for democratic control of the economy ( i.e. the opposite of a central administration economy). Among other things, these points led to opposition to both capitalism and communism, not only in India but also overseas.

Neo-humanism

Neo-humanism is a theory based on "spirituality, mental expansion, ecology and social change". Sarkar introduced the theory in his book Liberation of Intellect - Neohumanism . It is a theory about human nature and a way for individuals and society to fully develop their own potential. It is a holistic philosophy that deals with the meaning of life, the function of society, and many other aspects of being human.

The basis of neohumanism, as Sarkar explained, is universal love. From this point of view, the love that emanates from the human heart should embrace everything, including all living beings as well as inanimate nature. Neo-humanism advocates a vision of humanity that is very familiar with the fabric of the universe. Sarkar placed great emphasis on the need for people to respect and protect their living and non-living environment. The essential rights of animals, species protection and vegetarianism are seen as important components of a sensitive lifestyle.

Neo-humanism speaks of two principles by which people are primarily determined: "Principle of self-oriented pleasure" and "Principle of social equality". Respecting social equality leads to the practice of goodwill towards others as a principle of life, and also to accepting that all life is interconnected and that human beings play a responsible role in the structure of the universe. In contrast, the principle of self-oriented pleasure is such that everyone puts their own pleasure and success first, regardless of whether their own actions harm other beings. Philosophy encourages what it calls "true human culture" which advocates social equality as opposed to "pseudoculture", especially when it is related to consumerism .

Philosophy calls for the intellect to be freed from dogmatic viewpoints and those that limit it through “awakened awareness”, which is defined as a mental process of applying rational thinking and studying under the principle of social equality. Areas of rational knowledge, as is distinguished, are those worth pursuing and those that should be avoided. This distinction is made by comparison with one's own conscience , which decides whether an area that one studies is "for the benevolent good of all" or not.

Principles

From the beginning, the Ananda Marga movement stood for universalism, it was against irrational (unreasonable, AD) things like z. B. the caste system. As a result, Ananda Marga faced opposition from both conservative Hindu circles and the communist movement in West Bengal.

Sarkar's PROUT theory, although first published in 1959, became known to a wider audience in the mid-1960s. When this happened, PROUT was a new spiritual and social theory in the face of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) , a political party that was then in power in West Bengal.

In 1971, some Ananda Marga members were killed, presumably by Marxist mobs, but Sarkar was charged with their death. He was arrested and charged with complicity in murder. Sarkar insisted on being innocent the whole time. His followers said the truth was that he was in prison for his spiritual and social teachings.

From the start of his imprisonment, Sarkar complained that some of his monks had allegedly been tortured. On February 12, 1973, however, Sarkar himself was the target of an attempted murder: he survived a massive poisoning brought on him by the prison doctor.

Sarkar requested a proper investigation into the incident, but was denied it. Seeing no other option, Sarkar went on a long hunger strike. Sarkar fasted for five and a half years from April 1, 1973; he consumed only one glass of buttermilk a day until he was finally released from prison in 1978 after the new government guaranteed him a new trial. Sarkar was found to be innocent on all charges. He broke the fast only on the day of his release, August 3, 1978.

Next life

During Sarkar's imprisonment, the illegality of which was later revealed by the lifting of his conviction, his organization (Ananda Marga, AD) spread across the world and spread Sarkar's message of self-realization and service.

(Service, service - among other things to the neighbor - the latter shows certain common ground with the values ​​of Christianity, AdÜ.)

After Sarkar was released from prison, he was in poor health from a five and a half year hunger strike. But he actively stayed to move on with his mission; he has lectured on a wide range of subjects including spiritual and social philology, agriculture, neo-humanism, microvita theory. He composed 5018 songs and called this a new school of music called Prabhata Samgiita. In late 1978 and 1979 he traveled all over the world to meet students in different countries, among others. a. Switzerland, Germany, France, Scandinavia, Middle East, Thailand, Taiwan, Jamaica and Venezuela. - In the US, the State Department denied him entry due to his problems with the government of India. Instead, he met his American supporters in Jamaica in 1979.

Works

Although Sarkar had only worked full-time for his organizations for seventeen years of his life, he left a great legacy including more than 250 books on a variety of subjects.

He is best known as the founder and spiritual teacher of Ananda Marga, but Sarkar wrote over 1500 pages on his PROUT economic theory, several thousand pages on linguistics and the study of languages, including but not limited to Shabda Cayanika ("A Collection of Words "), an unfinished, dictated lexicon, 26 volumes were planned, about the language Sanskrit (SanskrIta). He also wrote books on sociology, agriculture, history, literature, education, medicine, cosmology, and philosophy, and developed the philosophy of neo-humanism in 1982 and the microvita theory in 1986.

But perhaps his most dramatic success was his Prabhat Sangeet (Songs of the New Dawn). Started in 1982, it was finishing the last of 5018 songs in different languages ​​when he died. That was just eight years later.

student

The yogi Kalikananda was Sarkar's first disciple. As a young man he was a criminal. After he met Sarkar in a remote area with the intention of robbing him, he was instead drawn by Sarkar to the path of bliss (Sanskrit: Ananda Marga , English Path of Bliss).

One of Sarkar's best-known students is Ravi Batra , an internationally recognized economist and best-selling author based in Dallas, Texas. In his works, Batra makes extensive reference to Sarkar's theory of social cycles and to the PROUT theory, a theory of sustainable and fair economic activity.

Another well-known student is the futurist Sohail Inayatullah . He became one of the most important among the people interpreting Sarkar's work. Other students include the many Ananda Marga nuns and monks who carry his teachings on all over the world.

literature

• Sohail Inayatullah: Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar: Agency, Structure, and Transcendence. In: Johan Galtung, Sohail Inayatullah, (Ed.): Macrohistory and Macrohistorians. Perspectives on Individual, Social, and Civilizational Change. Praeger Westport, Connectitut London, 1997, ISBN 0-275-95755-1 , pp. 132ff.
• PR Sarkar: Human Society. 2 volumes, Ananda Marga Publications, Calcutta, India 1984.
• Sri Aurobindo: The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, War and Self-Determination. Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, 1970, ISBN 81-7058-281-4 (hardcover), ISBN 81-7058-014-5 (paperback).

Web links

Commons : Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Thoughts of PR Sarkar - Quotes from PR Sarkar's Philosophy
• Prout College
• Prout Institute of Australia
• World Prout Assembly
• Information on Prabhat Samgiit, PR Sarkar's original songs
• Shrii PR Sarkar's Contributions to Humanity ( Memento from October 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• www.proutist.fi

Individual evidence

1. ↑ George D. Chryssides: Exploring New Religions . Continuum International Publishing Group, 1999, ISBN 0-8264-5959-5 , pp. 370 .
2. ↑ Our Spiritual Treatise, Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell. 1970, Ranchi.
3. ^ Franklin Ng: The Asian American Encyclopedia . Marshall Cavendish, 1995, ISBN 1-85435-677-1 , pp. 669 .
4. ↑ Timothy Miller: The 60's Communes: Hippies and Beyond . Syracuse University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8156-0601-X , pp. 108 .
5. ↑ Karigoudar Ishwaran: Ascetic Culture: Renunciation and Worldly Engagement . BRILL, 1999, ISBN 90-04-11412-2 , pp. 9 .
6. ^ Shaman Hatley, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Sohail Inayatullah, Queensland University of Technology: Karma Samnyasa: Sarkar's Reconceptualization of Indian Asceticism . In: Journal of Asian and African Studies . 34, No. 1, 1999, pp. 139-151.
7. ^ A Second Great Depression. A story on Sarkars' ideas in the works of his disciple, Dr. Ravi Batra ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Dhanjoo N. Ghista: Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific . World Scientific, 2004, ISBN 981-238-509-6 , pp. 9 .
9. ↑ Haruhiro Fukui: Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific . Greenwood Press, 1985, ISBN 0-313-21350-X , pp. 357 .
10. ^ Curtis Daniel MacDougall: Superstition and the Press . Prometheus Books, 1983, ISBN 0-87975-211-4 , pp. 446 .
11. ↑ The story of Kalicharan . Retrieved on March 24, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.