Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
Encyclopedia
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (21 May 1921 – 21 October 1990), also known by his spiritual name, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti , was an India
n philosopher, author, social revolutionary, poet, composer and linguist
. Sarkar was the founder of Ananda Marga
(the Path of Bliss), a spiritual and social organization that offers instruction in meditation
, yoga
and other self-development practices on a non-commercial basis, as well as a variety of social programs such as preschools in disadvantaged areas, disaster relief teams, and other activities. Sarkar was affectionately referred to as Baba (meaning 'the dear one') by his disciples. He was a prolific author and produced an extensive body of work that includes theories aimed at increasing human welfare such as the Law of Social Cycle
, the Progressive utilization theory, the Theory of Microvitum as well as the philosophy of Neohumanism. His organization, Ananda Marga, began in India in 1955 and by the mid 1970s had become a worldwide operation that continued after his death in 1990 and is still active today.
of the Indian month
of Vaeshakh
(Buddha Purnima), on 21 May 1921, in the small town of Jamalpur
, Bihar
, India
. He was known as an exceptionally bright child in his youth, practicing meditation by himself at an early age and displaying great knowledge of various languages and various topics; knowledge which was reportedly not gained in school, through reading books, listening to teachers or any other outer source.
In 1939 Sarkar left Jamalpur for Kolkata
to attend Vidyasagar College
of the University of Kolkata. It was here that in the dark of night Sarkar initiated into spiritual practices a notorious criminal by the name of Kalicharan and helped to reform his life. He had to quit studies in order to support his family after the death of his father and took up the work as an accountant at the Railways headquarters in his hometown of Jamalpur for the next twentyfive years of his life while continuing to teach many the spiritual practices of Tantra
Yoga
.
("The Path of Bliss" in Sanskrit), a socio-spiritual movement with a two-part mission that Sarkar stated as "self-realization and service to all." Sarkar's ideas are collected in the series of books called “Subháśita Samgraha”, which form part of the philosophical scriptures of Ánanda Márga ideology. The books expound in simple, lucid and rational ways, many important aspects of the Divine Nature of human beings, or Bhágavata Dharma in Sanskrit. While interpreting the various spiritual ideas, he has discussed and quoted relevant portions from other scriptures such as the Rámáyańa, the Mahábhárata, the Bhagavad Giita, the Quran, Tantric, Yogic, and Vedantic literature, etc. to illustrate various aspects of Dharma
and philosophy. Sarkar's ideas are steeped in the ancient spiritual tradition of humanity, considerably developed in India, yet revitalized by him with new meaning and universal approach.
Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (meaning "Bliss personified") as he was called by his early disciples oversaw the formation of an order of monks and nuns who came forward to dedicate their lives to the practice of meditation and service and who were able to teach the same to others across India and abroad. Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti continued his job in Jamalpur to support his family as the main breadwinner after his father's demise until 1966, when he finally assumed the role of president of Ananda Marga's organizations full time. During the latter part of his life his main residence was in Lake Gardens in Kolkata
, West Bengal
. He also spent much time, especially early on, in the all-round development community he founded based on his PROUT
socio-economic theory at Ananda Nagar, in rural West Bengal.
Ánanda Márga opened regional offices in various countries, including the USA in 1969, and by 1973 had established approximately 100 local centers teaching yogic and social philosophies, with several thousand members, some living communally in the ashrams.
India due to the former's rejection of superstitions, dogmas and irrational beliefs. His system of spiritual practice has been innovative but also described as a practical synthesis of Vedic
and Tantric
philosophies. Sarkar's concept of "karma samnyasa" refers to the principle that a yogi becomes a person with all-round development and a balanced mind, that he called a sadvipra; and that this is accomplished by someone who remains fixed on the "supreme" consciousness through transformative personal practices and engaging in the politics of social liberation as a form of service work.
Shrii Sarkar gave the name, microvita, to the first expressions of life. However, his science of microvita, still in its infancy, conceives of various types of microvita, both positive and negative, at varying degrees of evolutionary existence.
describes four main socio-psychological types, whereby human psychological and physical endowment and social motivations are expressed: the Vipra
(intellectual), Kshatriya
(warrior), Vaishya
(acquisitor) and Shudra
(laborer). Varna, in Sarkar's perspective, however is more than just a psychological trait but rather an archetype, approximately to Michel Foucault
's notion of epistemes, which are broader frameworks of knowledge defining what is true and real.
Sarkar's "Law of Social Cycle
" applies these traits in a theory of historical evolution, where ages rise and fall in terms of ruling elites representing one of the above mentioned traits. This "law" possibly connects to the earlier cyclical historical ideas of Sri Aurobindo
, with a focus on the psychology of human development, as well as Ibn Khaldun
, among other macrohistorians' ideas about cycles. However, along with a cyclical dimension - the rise and fall of ages - Sarkar's theory exhibits a correspondent linear dimension, in that economic and technological "progress" are considered critical in terms of meeting the changing material conditions of life. Ultimately, for Sarkar, true progress has to prioritize development in the spiritual dimension.
Spirituality for Sarkar is defined as the individual realizing the true self. In addition to yogic meditational practices and purity of thought and deed, Sarkar attached great importance to selfless social service as a means of liberation
. Sarkar considered it necessary for the social arrangements to support the inner development of human beings and rejected both capitalism
and communism
as appropriate social structures for humanity to move forward to the golden age of a balanced way of life sustaining all-round progress. A serious problem with capitalism was according to Sarkar the concentration of wealth in a few hands and stoppages in the rolling of money which he considered root causes of recessions, even depressions
. A spiritual way of life, however, would in no way be divorced from creating structures that help meet the basic, though ever changing, needs - food, housing, clothing, health and education.
Sarkar claims to have developed Ánanda Márga and the Progressive Utilization Theory as practical means to encourage harmony and cooperation in order to help society escape this proposed cycle. Sarkar argues that once the social cycle is understood and sadvipras evolved, then the periods of exploitation can be largely reduced, if not eliminated. With leadership that is representative of all aspects of the varnas - that is, the leader engaged in service, who is courageous, who uses the intellect for the benefits of others, and who has innovative/entrepreneurial skills - the cycle can become an upward spiral.
In 1968, Sarkar founded the organization "Proutist Block of India" (PBI), to further the ideals of his theory through political and social action. The PBI was soon superseded by "Proutist Universal" (PU).
Among other things, neohumanism seeks the liberation of human intellect from the constraints of imposed dogma and psychic complexes. Toward this end, neohumanism redefines and systematizes the process of rationality and encourages protopsychospirituality (a process of continually recognizing each object with which we come in contact, externally or internally, as a manifestation of consciousness).
True to its spiritual roots, neohumanism extends the ambit of love found in humanism far beyond the realm of human beings. Neohumanism gives preference to existential value over utility value, and it recognizes that all living beings tend to assign a similar existential value to themselves. In the same spirit, neohumanism promotes the principle of social equality rather than the commonly preferred principle of selfish pleasure.
Neohumanism is both a reactive and a proactive philosophy. It promotes social activism in the form of identifying and exposing harmful influences. And it promotes personal development through appropriate physical, mental, and spiritual discipline.
Sarkar's PROUT theory, although first propounded in 1959, began to popularize in the mid-1960s.
In 1971, some of Ananda Marga's members were attacked and killed, and Sarkar was charged with responsibility for their deaths. He was arrested and put in jail on charges of abetting a murder. Kept in jail for several years under poor conditions, Sarkar maintained his innocence all the while. His followers, meanwhile, claimed that he was only imprisoned for his spiritual and social teachings.
From the beginning of his imprisonment, Sarkar complained of the alleged torture of several of his monks, but on February 12, 1973, Sarkar himself became the target of an assassination attempt, surviving a massive poisoning by the prison doctor.
Sarkar demanded a proper judicial inquiry into the incident but was refused. Seeing no alternative, Sarkar started a long protest fast. Subsisting on a glass of buttermilk a day, Sarkar fasted from April 1, 1973 for the next five and a half years until his ultimate release from prison in 1978 after he was granted a re-trial by the new Government. He was found innocent on all counts. It was only when he was released on August 3, 1978, that Sarkar broke his fast.
Subsequent to his release from prison, Sarkar was in poor health after his fast for 5½ years, but remained active in promoting his mission, giving discourses on a wide range of topics including spiritual and social philosophy, philology, agriculture, Neohumanism, Microvita, etc. He composed 5018 songs he described as a new school of music called Prabhata Samgiita.
In late 1978 and 1979, he travelled on a world tour to meet disciples in various countries around the world, including Switzerland, Germany, France, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Thailand, Taiwan, Jamaica and Venezuela. He was banned from entering the USA by the State Department
, as a result of his problems with the government of India, and instead met his American disciples in Jamaica in 1979.
Just before he died on October 21, 1990, he founded Ananda Marga Gurukulahttp://www.gurukul.edu (September 7, 1990) - an educational network to preserve and develop his legacy through research, teaching and service. Shri P.R.Sarkar laid the foundations of a university at Anandanagar in West Bengal, India and as its founding President he also provided many guidelines for the remoulding of educational systems in the world.
He is primarily known as the spiritual teacher behind Ananda Marga, but Sarkar wrote over 1500 pages on his economic PROUT theory, with several thousand more pages dedicated to linguistics
and the study of languages; Sarkar's writings on linguistics included among other works, Shabda Cayanika ("A Collection of Words"), an unfinished, twenty-six volume dictated encyclopedia on the Bengali language
. Beyond this he wrote books on sociology
, agriculture
, history
, literature
, education
, medicine
, cosmology
, and philosophy
, also notably inventing the philosophy of Neohumanism in 1982 and the Theory of Microvita in 1986.
But perhaps more than all this, his most dramatic achievement was his Prabhat Samgiita (Songs of the New Dawn). Having started composing songs in 1982, Sarkar completed the composition of 5018 songs in multiple languages by the time of his passing only eight years later.
or nationalistic
ends or denying their rights, such as opressing its field of expression in media, education, courts and so. He advocated the rights of Maithili
, Bhojpuri
and some others.
He wrote many books and volumes of etymological
encyclopedias focusing on phonetics, morphology, dialectology
, acoustics
, syntax, etymology, grammar
and semantics
. He mainly deals with the Sanskrit
and Bengali
languages and also discusses English
, French
, Persian
, Hindi
, Urdu
, German
, Portuguese
, Latin
and others. Additionally, he had a strong command of Sanskrit
and coined thousands of Sanskrit-derived words in various Indian languages
, mainly Bengali.
His linguistic works include:
He says:
His definition of language can be to some degree compared to Jerry Fodor
's extreme innatist theory or to to Naom Chomsky's Universal grammar
.
, Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache and Dachsprache, Variety (linguistics)
, A language is a dialect with an army and navy
.
Sarkar, approaching the question of "language or dialect", enunciated eight main criteria for a language to be called a "language", and the rest "dialects". He considered these criteria to be strictly linguistic rather than political or cultural.
"Every language has its own special characteristics. It is these characteristics that set one language apart from another."
According to Sarkar, no language or dialect should be subject to political or cultural exploitation, rather all languages, language varieties and dialects should be given full scope of expression in every arena of life. Their nomenclature (language, dialect, variant etc.) should be a hundred percent scientific, taking into consideration only linguistics, sociology and literature.
In Varna Vijinana, he lays out eight criteria for a language:
by Sarkar. One of Sarkar's best known disciples is Ravi Batra
, an internationally recognised economist and best selling author living and teaching in Dallas, Texas. In his works, Batra has relied heavily on Sarkar's Social Cycle Theory
and PROUT
, a theory of sustainable and equitable economics. Another noted disciple is futurist Sohail Inayatullah
, who has become a major interpreter of Sarkar's work. Other disciples include the many nuns and monks of Ananda Marga who propagate his teaching throughout the world.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n philosopher, author, social revolutionary, poet, composer and linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
. Sarkar was the founder of Ananda Marga
Ananda Marga
Ananda Marga, organizationally known as Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha , meaning the samgha for the propagation of the marga of ananda , is a social and spiritual movement founded in Jamalpur, Bihar, India in 1955 by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar .Ánanda Márga followers describe Ánanda Márga as a...
(the Path of Bliss), a spiritual and social organization that offers instruction in meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and other self-development practices on a non-commercial basis, as well as a variety of social programs such as preschools in disadvantaged areas, disaster relief teams, and other activities. Sarkar was affectionately referred to as Baba (meaning 'the dear one') by his disciples. He was a prolific author and produced an extensive body of work that includes theories aimed at increasing human welfare such as the Law of Social Cycle
Law of Social Cycle
Law of Social Cycle, also known as the Social Cycle Theory, is a theory of human historical motivity based on "the ancient spiritual ideas of the Vedas"...
, the Progressive utilization theory, the Theory of Microvitum as well as the philosophy of Neohumanism. His organization, Ananda Marga, began in India in 1955 and by the mid 1970s had become a worldwide operation that continued after his death in 1990 and is still active today.
Early life
Sarkar was born during the full moonFull moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
of the Indian month
Bengali calendar
The Bengali calendar or Bangla calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used by the Bengali people. It is used in the eastern Indian states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and in Bangladesh...
of Vaeshakh
Boishakh
Boishakh is the first month in the Bangla Calendar used in Bangladesh and parts of India.Baisakh is also the first month in the Nepali calendar which uses the Bikram Sambat. It is the 2nd month in Hindu calendars following Shalivahana Shaka.The name of the month is derived from the position of...
(Buddha Purnima), on 21 May 1921, in the small town of Jamalpur
Jamalpur, Bihar
Jamalpur is a town and a municipality in Munger district in the Indian state of Bihar.Jamalpur, the name literally means beautiful town and that is a literal description of the place...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. He was known as an exceptionally bright child in his youth, practicing meditation by himself at an early age and displaying great knowledge of various languages and various topics; knowledge which was reportedly not gained in school, through reading books, listening to teachers or any other outer source.
In 1939 Sarkar left Jamalpur for Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
to attend Vidyasagar College
Vidyasagar College
Vidyasagar College , named after Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, is a government-sponsored day and evening college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta in Kolkata, India.-Notable alumni:*Jatindra Nath Das*Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar...
of the University of Kolkata. It was here that in the dark of night Sarkar initiated into spiritual practices a notorious criminal by the name of Kalicharan and helped to reform his life. He had to quit studies in order to support his family after the death of his father and took up the work as an accountant at the Railways headquarters in his hometown of Jamalpur for the next twentyfive years of his life while continuing to teach many the spiritual practices of Tantra
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
Ananda Marga
In 1955, at the behest of his followers, Sarkar founded Ánanda MárgaAnanda Marga
Ananda Marga, organizationally known as Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha , meaning the samgha for the propagation of the marga of ananda , is a social and spiritual movement founded in Jamalpur, Bihar, India in 1955 by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar .Ánanda Márga followers describe Ánanda Márga as a...
("The Path of Bliss" in Sanskrit), a socio-spiritual movement with a two-part mission that Sarkar stated as "self-realization and service to all." Sarkar's ideas are collected in the series of books called “Subháśita Samgraha”, which form part of the philosophical scriptures of Ánanda Márga ideology. The books expound in simple, lucid and rational ways, many important aspects of the Divine Nature of human beings, or Bhágavata Dharma in Sanskrit. While interpreting the various spiritual ideas, he has discussed and quoted relevant portions from other scriptures such as the Rámáyańa, the Mahábhárata, the Bhagavad Giita, the Quran, Tantric, Yogic, and Vedantic literature, etc. to illustrate various aspects of Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
and philosophy. Sarkar's ideas are steeped in the ancient spiritual tradition of humanity, considerably developed in India, yet revitalized by him with new meaning and universal approach.
Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (meaning "Bliss personified") as he was called by his early disciples oversaw the formation of an order of monks and nuns who came forward to dedicate their lives to the practice of meditation and service and who were able to teach the same to others across India and abroad. Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti continued his job in Jamalpur to support his family as the main breadwinner after his father's demise until 1966, when he finally assumed the role of president of Ananda Marga's organizations full time. During the latter part of his life his main residence was in Lake Gardens in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. He also spent much time, especially early on, in the all-round development community he founded based on his PROUT
PROUT
Progressive Utilization Theory or PROUT is a socio-economic theory first mentioned in 1959 and fully outlined in 1962 by Indian philosopher and spiritual leader Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar . PROUT is a social system that claims to overcome the limitations of both capitalism and communism...
socio-economic theory at Ananda Nagar, in rural West Bengal.
Ánanda Márga opened regional offices in various countries, including the USA in 1969, and by 1973 had established approximately 100 local centers teaching yogic and social philosophies, with several thousand members, some living communally in the ashrams.
Spiritual Philosophy
Sarkar's teachings on spiritual philosophy have been universal in approach, yet particularly influencing modern ascetic movements in HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
India due to the former's rejection of superstitions, dogmas and irrational beliefs. His system of spiritual practice has been innovative but also described as a practical synthesis of Vedic
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
and Tantric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
philosophies. Sarkar's concept of "karma samnyasa" refers to the principle that a yogi becomes a person with all-round development and a balanced mind, that he called a sadvipra; and that this is accomplished by someone who remains fixed on the "supreme" consciousness through transformative personal practices and engaging in the politics of social liberation as a form of service work.
Cosmology
Shrii Sarkar describes the universe as a result of macropsychic conation - the entire universe exists within the cosmic mind, which itself is the first expression of consciousness coming under the bondage of its own nature. With the evolution of unit beings, individual life, the extroversial projection of the cosmic mind starts the return journey in an always unique and colorful fashion. No two entities of this universe are the same, and yet all have the same goal to merge once more with their source, the infinite cosmic consciousness. As such, the cosmological flow is from limitless consciousness to limited consciousness and back to limitless consciousness.Shrii Sarkar gave the name, microvita, to the first expressions of life. However, his science of microvita, still in its infancy, conceives of various types of microvita, both positive and negative, at varying degrees of evolutionary existence.
Social cycle theory
The concept of VarnaVarnashrama dharma
Varna refers to the categorization of the Hindu society by four castes, hypothesized by the Brahmins and their sacred texts.This quadruple division is not to be confused with Jāti or even the much finer division of the contemporary caste system in India....
describes four main socio-psychological types, whereby human psychological and physical endowment and social motivations are expressed: the Vipra
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
(intellectual), Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
(warrior), Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
(acquisitor) and Shudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
(laborer). Varna, in Sarkar's perspective, however is more than just a psychological trait but rather an archetype, approximately to Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
's notion of epistemes, which are broader frameworks of knowledge defining what is true and real.
Sarkar's "Law of Social Cycle
Law of Social Cycle
Law of Social Cycle, also known as the Social Cycle Theory, is a theory of human historical motivity based on "the ancient spiritual ideas of the Vedas"...
" applies these traits in a theory of historical evolution, where ages rise and fall in terms of ruling elites representing one of the above mentioned traits. This "law" possibly connects to the earlier cyclical historical ideas of Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
, with a focus on the psychology of human development, as well as Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
, among other macrohistorians' ideas about cycles. However, along with a cyclical dimension - the rise and fall of ages - Sarkar's theory exhibits a correspondent linear dimension, in that economic and technological "progress" are considered critical in terms of meeting the changing material conditions of life. Ultimately, for Sarkar, true progress has to prioritize development in the spiritual dimension.
Spirituality for Sarkar is defined as the individual realizing the true self. In addition to yogic meditational practices and purity of thought and deed, Sarkar attached great importance to selfless social service as a means of liberation
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
. Sarkar considered it necessary for the social arrangements to support the inner development of human beings and rejected both capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
as appropriate social structures for humanity to move forward to the golden age of a balanced way of life sustaining all-round progress. A serious problem with capitalism was according to Sarkar the concentration of wealth in a few hands and stoppages in the rolling of money which he considered root causes of recessions, even depressions
Economic collapse
There is no precise definition of an economic collapse. While some might consider a a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment an economic collapse, others would additionally look for a breakdown in normal commerce, such as hyperinfalation, or even a sharp...
. A spiritual way of life, however, would in no way be divorced from creating structures that help meet the basic, though ever changing, needs - food, housing, clothing, health and education.
Sarkar claims to have developed Ánanda Márga and the Progressive Utilization Theory as practical means to encourage harmony and cooperation in order to help society escape this proposed cycle. Sarkar argues that once the social cycle is understood and sadvipras evolved, then the periods of exploitation can be largely reduced, if not eliminated. With leadership that is representative of all aspects of the varnas - that is, the leader engaged in service, who is courageous, who uses the intellect for the benefits of others, and who has innovative/entrepreneurial skills - the cycle can become an upward spiral.
PROUT: Progressive Utilization Theory
In 1959, Sarkar began to propound the Progressive Utilization Theory, a socio-economic theory that seeks the all-round welfare and happiness of everyone. PROUT overcomes the defects and limitations of capitalism and communism, with its comprehensive historical analysis, its clear expression of the social contract, its vision of an ideal society, and its five fundamental principles (all of which is found in the fifth chapter of Ananda Sutram, Shrii Sarkar's authoritative philosophical treatise, first published in 1962).In 1968, Sarkar founded the organization "Proutist Block of India" (PBI), to further the ideals of his theory through political and social action. The PBI was soon superseded by "Proutist Universal" (PU).
Neohumanism
In 1982, Shrii Sarkar extended his already extensive writings on the subject of human society (mainly Human Society Part 1 and Human Society Part 2) with the introduction of his own conception of humanity and humanism. He called it neohumanism (see The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism). According to Shrii Sarkar, these days there is a great disharmony between the inner and outer worlds. This has manifest itself in a tremendous increase in the incidence of mental illness. Existing philosophies, including ordinary humanism, do not bridge the gap between the two worlds, leaving humanity's most precious inner treasure (devotion or love for the Supreme) in jeopardy. According to Shrii Sarkar, explaining humanity and humanism in the light of neohumanism will safeguard devotion and both widen the path of human progress and make that path easier to tread.Among other things, neohumanism seeks the liberation of human intellect from the constraints of imposed dogma and psychic complexes. Toward this end, neohumanism redefines and systematizes the process of rationality and encourages protopsychospirituality (a process of continually recognizing each object with which we come in contact, externally or internally, as a manifestation of consciousness).
True to its spiritual roots, neohumanism extends the ambit of love found in humanism far beyond the realm of human beings. Neohumanism gives preference to existential value over utility value, and it recognizes that all living beings tend to assign a similar existential value to themselves. In the same spirit, neohumanism promotes the principle of social equality rather than the commonly preferred principle of selfish pleasure.
Neohumanism is both a reactive and a proactive philosophy. It promotes social activism in the form of identifying and exposing harmful influences. And it promotes personal development through appropriate physical, mental, and spiritual discipline.
Principled stand
From Ananda Marga’s inception, the movement stood for universalism and opposition to irrational practices such as castism. Ananda Marga had to face opposition from conservative Hindu circles and as well the Communist movement in West Bengal.Sarkar's PROUT theory, although first propounded in 1959, began to popularize in the mid-1960s.
In 1971, some of Ananda Marga's members were attacked and killed, and Sarkar was charged with responsibility for their deaths. He was arrested and put in jail on charges of abetting a murder. Kept in jail for several years under poor conditions, Sarkar maintained his innocence all the while. His followers, meanwhile, claimed that he was only imprisoned for his spiritual and social teachings.
From the beginning of his imprisonment, Sarkar complained of the alleged torture of several of his monks, but on February 12, 1973, Sarkar himself became the target of an assassination attempt, surviving a massive poisoning by the prison doctor.
Sarkar demanded a proper judicial inquiry into the incident but was refused. Seeing no alternative, Sarkar started a long protest fast. Subsisting on a glass of buttermilk a day, Sarkar fasted from April 1, 1973 for the next five and a half years until his ultimate release from prison in 1978 after he was granted a re-trial by the new Government. He was found innocent on all counts. It was only when he was released on August 3, 1978, that Sarkar broke his fast.
Later part of Sarkar's life
During the imprisonment of Sarkar, shown later to be unjust by the courts overturning his conviction, his organisation spread all over the world carrying Sarkar's message of "self-realization and service."Subsequent to his release from prison, Sarkar was in poor health after his fast for 5½ years, but remained active in promoting his mission, giving discourses on a wide range of topics including spiritual and social philosophy, philology, agriculture, Neohumanism, Microvita, etc. He composed 5018 songs he described as a new school of music called Prabhata Samgiita.
In late 1978 and 1979, he travelled on a world tour to meet disciples in various countries around the world, including Switzerland, Germany, France, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Thailand, Taiwan, Jamaica and Venezuela. He was banned from entering the USA by the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, as a result of his problems with the government of India, and instead met his American disciples in Jamaica in 1979.
Just before he died on October 21, 1990, he founded Ananda Marga Gurukulahttp://www.gurukul.edu (September 7, 1990) - an educational network to preserve and develop his legacy through research, teaching and service. Shri P.R.Sarkar laid the foundations of a university at Anandanagar in West Bengal, India and as its founding President he also provided many guidelines for the remoulding of educational systems in the world.
Works
Although Sarkar spent only seventeen years of his life working full-time for his organizations (1966–1971 & 1978–1990), he left behind a vast legacy, including over 250 books written on a wide variety of topics.He is primarily known as the spiritual teacher behind Ananda Marga, but Sarkar wrote over 1500 pages on his economic PROUT theory, with several thousand more pages dedicated to linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and the study of languages; Sarkar's writings on linguistics included among other works, Shabda Cayanika ("A Collection of Words"), an unfinished, twenty-six volume dictated encyclopedia on the Bengali language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. Beyond this he wrote books on sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, also notably inventing the philosophy of Neohumanism in 1982 and the Theory of Microvita in 1986.
But perhaps more than all this, his most dramatic achievement was his Prabhat Samgiita (Songs of the New Dawn). Having started composing songs in 1982, Sarkar completed the composition of 5018 songs in multiple languages by the time of his passing only eight years later.
Linguistic Work
He also advocated against any language discrimination, whether declaring languages as dialects for serving politicalPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
or nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
ends or denying their rights, such as opressing its field of expression in media, education, courts and so. He advocated the rights of Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
, Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
and some others.
He wrote many books and volumes of etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
encyclopedias focusing on phonetics, morphology, dialectology
Dialectology
Dialectology is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their associated features...
, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, syntax, etymology, grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
and semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
. He mainly deals with the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
languages and also discusses English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and others. Additionally, he had a strong command of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and coined thousands of Sanskrit-derived words in various Indian languages
Languages of India
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian languages...
, mainly Bengali.
His linguistic works include:
- Varna Vijinana - Science of Letters
- Sarkar's English Grammar
- Varna Vicitra - Various Uses of Letters (8 volumes)
- Shabda Cayanika - A Collection of Words (26 volumes)
Sarkar's definition of language
According to Sarkar, there are two forms of language: the language of the inner world or voice, which is only one and indivisible; and the outer manifestation of the former, which is diverse. The former being rather a psychological concept, Sarkar focuses mainly on the latter one.He says:
...In that fluidal flow of cognitionCognitionIn science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
, bubbles of ideas are created...when these bubbles touch the `unit I feelingSelf (disambiguation)The self is an individual person as the object of his or her own reflective consciousness.* Self , an album by Quintessence* Self , an American alternative rock band* Self , a Swedish motor vehicle manufacturer...
', then unit ideas are created...When these ideas concern the unit, the unit `I' tries to express them through its own psycho-physical structureHuman bodyThe human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
. It endeavours to express its unit desires and longings according to the capacity of the vocal chordsVocal foldsThe vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
and its hormone secretionsEndocrine systemIn physiology, the endocrine system is a system of glands, each of which secretes a type of hormone directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is in contrast to the exocrine system, which secretes its chemicals using ducts. It derives from the Greek words "endo"...
. These reflections or refractions of ideas are expressed either within or without....These expressions within and without are collectively called languageLanguageLanguage may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
.
His definition of language can be to some degree compared to Jerry Fodor
Jerry Fodor
Jerry Alan Fodor is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He holds the position of State of New Jersey Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University and is the author of many works in the fields of philosophy of mind and cognitive science, in which he has laid the groundwork for the...
's extreme innatist theory or to to Naom Chomsky's Universal grammar
Universal grammar
Universal grammar is a theory in linguistics that suggests that there are properties that all possible natural human languages have.Usually credited to Noam Chomsky, the theory suggests that some rules of grammar are hard-wired into the brain, and manifest themselves without being taught...
.
Sarkar's criteria for distinguishing languages and dialects
There are no universally accepted criteria for distinguishing languages from dialects: cf. Mutual intelligibilityMutual intelligibility
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is recognized as a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related languages can readily understand each other without intentional study or extraordinary effort...
, Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache and Dachsprache, Variety (linguistics)
Variety (linguistics)
In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself...
, A language is a dialect with an army and navy
A language is a dialect with an army and navy
"A language is a dialect with an army and navy" is a description of the distinction between dialect and language. It points out the influence that political conditions can have over a community's perception of the status of a language or dialect...
.
Sarkar, approaching the question of "language or dialect", enunciated eight main criteria for a language to be called a "language", and the rest "dialects". He considered these criteria to be strictly linguistic rather than political or cultural.
"Every language has its own special characteristics. It is these characteristics that set one language apart from another."
According to Sarkar, no language or dialect should be subject to political or cultural exploitation, rather all languages, language varieties and dialects should be given full scope of expression in every arena of life. Their nomenclature (language, dialect, variant etc.) should be a hundred percent scientific, taking into consideration only linguistics, sociology and literature.
In Varna Vijinana, he lays out eight criteria for a language:
- Own verb endings (or own conjugation)
- Own case endings (or own declination)
- Own pronouns
- Own vocabulary
- Own oral or written literature (does not matter whether classical or folk)
- Own style of intonation
- Own acoustic notes ("psycho-acoustic and inferential acoustic")
- Own syntax
Disciples
The yogi Kalikananda was Sarkar's first disciple. As a young man he had taken to criminality. After confronting Sarkar in a remote area with the aim to rob him he was instead attracted to the path of blissAnanda Marga
Ananda Marga, organizationally known as Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha , meaning the samgha for the propagation of the marga of ananda , is a social and spiritual movement founded in Jamalpur, Bihar, India in 1955 by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar .Ánanda Márga followers describe Ánanda Márga as a...
by Sarkar. One of Sarkar's best known disciples is Ravi Batra
Ravi Batra
Raveendra Nath "Ravi" Batra is an Indian-American economist, author, and professor at Southern Methodist University. Batra is the author of six international bestsellers, two of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list...
, an internationally recognised economist and best selling author living and teaching in Dallas, Texas. In his works, Batra has relied heavily on Sarkar's Social Cycle Theory
The Downfall of Capitalism and Communism
The Downfall of Capitalism and Communism is a major work by Ravi Batra in the field of historical evolution, published in 1978. The book's full title is The Downfall of Capitalism and Communism: A New Study of History...
and PROUT
PROUT
Progressive Utilization Theory or PROUT is a socio-economic theory first mentioned in 1959 and fully outlined in 1962 by Indian philosopher and spiritual leader Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar . PROUT is a social system that claims to overcome the limitations of both capitalism and communism...
, a theory of sustainable and equitable economics. Another noted disciple is futurist Sohail Inayatullah
Sohail Inayatullah
Sohail Tahir Inayatullah is a Pakistan-born political scientist and futurist who lives in Australia. He holds a number of academic positions:*Professor, Graduate Institute of Futures Studies, Tamkang University...
, who has become a major interpreter of Sarkar's work. Other disciples include the many nuns and monks of Ananda Marga who propagate his teaching throughout the world.
Further reading
- P.R. Sarkar (1984), Human Society . Vols. I and II. (Ananda Marga Publications, Calcutta, India).
- Sri Aurobindo (1970), The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, War and Self-Determination, (Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust), ISBN 81-7058-281-4 (hardcover), ISBN 81-7058-014-5 (paperback)
- Sohail Inayatullah (2002), Understanding Sarkar: The Indian Episteme, Macrohistory and Transformative Knowledge. Leiden, Brill.
- Sohail Inayatullah (1999), Situating Sarkar, Tantra, Macrohistory and Alternative Futures. Maleny, Australia, Gurukul Publications.
- Sohail Inayatullah and Jennifer Fitzgerald, eds., (1999) Transcending Boundaries: Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar's Theories of Individual and Social Transformation. Maleny, Australia, Gurukul Publications.
- Johan Galtung and Sohail Inayatullah, eds., (1997), Macrohistory and Macrohistorians: Perspectives on Individual, Social and Civilizational Change. Wesport, Ct. Praeger.
- Sohail Inayatullah, Marcus Bussey and Ivana Milojevic, eds., (2006), Neohumanist educational futures: liberating the pedagogical intellect. Tamsui, Tamkang University, 2006.