Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (May 21, 1921-October 21, 1990) was an Indian philosopher, social revolutionary, poet and linguist. Above all this, however, he is usually remembered for his role as one of the foremost spiritual teachers of Tantra and Yoga of the twentieth century; the founding figure behind Ananda Marga, he is often known by his spiritual name, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti and was affectionately referred to as Baba by his disciples. May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... now. ... It has been suggested that Urban yoga be merged into this article or section. ... Ananda Marga is a social and spiritual organization founded in Jamalpur, state of Bihar, India in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990), known by his spiritual name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. ... Baba can mean: Look up baba in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Early life

P. R. Sarkar was born on a full moon day, likely on 21 May 1921, in the small town of Jamalpur, Bihar, India to a family belonging to the intellectual caste of Brahmins. Although known as a bright child in his youth, he showed few signs of the mystical and largely controversial life that lay ahead of him, aside from the fact that even at a very young age, many of his family members recall seeing him perform long meditations in the middle of the night. 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jamalpur is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ...

In 1939 Sarkar left Jamalpur for Calcutta to attend Vidyasagar College of the University of Calcutta. It was here that Sarkar initiated his first disciple onto the path of (right-handed) Tantra Yoga, a criminal by the name of Kalicharan who reformed his life on the spiritual path and became known later as Kalikananda. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... Vidyasagar College, named after Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, is a government-sponsored day and evening college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta in Kolkata, India. ... Formally established on the 24 January 1857, the University of Calcutta (also known as Calcutta University), located in the city of Kolkata (previously Calcutta), India, is the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... now. ... It has been suggested that Urban yoga be merged into this article or section. ...

For the next sixteen years of his life, Sarkar continued to lead a normal family life, working as an accountant for the railways in his hometown of Jamalpur, while secretly teaching many the spiritual practices of Tantra Yoga.

Ananda Marga

In 1955, at the behest of his followers, Sarkar founded Ananda Marga ("The Path of Bliss" in Sanskrit), a socio-spiritual organization with a two-part mission that Sarkar stated as “self-realization and service to all.” Sarkar's ideas are steeped in the ancient spiritual tradition of India, combining traditional Hindu spirituality, Tantra, the quadri-divisional concepts of the Varna (Vipra, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra), possibly building on the earlier cyclical historical ideas of Sri Aurobindo. In addition to yogic practices and purity of thought and deed, Sarkar attached great importance to 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 spiritual way of life. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ananda Marga is a social and spiritual organization founded in Jamalpur, state of Bihar, India in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990), known by his spiritual name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. ... Hindu idealism is a precursor of western idealism and the philosophical opposite of materialism. ... Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 351,552 (as at January 10, 2006). ... Kshatriya (Hindi: , from Sanskrit: , ) is the title of the princely military order in the Vedic society. ... In the Hindu caste system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit वैश्य vaiÅ›ya) is a member of the third of the four major castes of the varna system of traditional Indian society. ... Shudra or Sudra is the fourth Varna in the traditional four-section division in historic Indian society. ... Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ, Sri Ôrobindo Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द SrÄ« Aravinda) (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, Hindu mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. ... A social worker is a person employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. ... Look up Liberation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Sarkar soon trained many monks and nuns to go out across India and later the world to impart his teachings. Even as his organization grew, Sarkar refused to leave his job in Jamalpur until 1966, when he finally retired and moved to Ananda Nagar in West Bengal to dedicate all his time to being the President of Ananda Marga. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... West Bengal   (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Pōshchimbäŋgō) is a state in eastern India. ...

Controversy

From Ananda Marga’s inception, the movement and Sarkar himself became the target of much criticism, particularly from the orthodox Hindu community. Sarkar demanded that all practitioners of Ananda Marga meditation renounce the caste system, and this caused a large backlash in the Hindu community. This, however, was only the beginning of Sarkar’s problems. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ...

In 1959, Sarkar propounded the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), a socio-economic theory that stood directly against the Communist Party (Marxist), a political party that held sway in West Bengal at the time. Ideologically speaking, it is difficult to say which is more diametrically opposed to PROUT: Communism or Capitalism. However, the Communist Party, which sought support among the same poor communities that Sarkar targeted, were more threatened. Because of this, much of Sarkar’s life was plagued by persecution and controversy. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prout can also refer to a Saint and a Catholic School in Wakefeild, Rhode Island. ... The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a political party in India. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are mostly privately owned, and capital is invested in the production, distribution and other trade of goods and services, for profit in a competitive free market. ...

In 1971, many of Ananda Marga's monks and nuns were attacked or killed, possibly by Marxist mobs, but Sarkar was charged with responsibility for their deaths. He was arrested and thrown in jail on charges of abetment to 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; for his stand against the corruption in the Indian government. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

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. Complaining of ill health that day, a doctor was brought in and administered Sarkar the poison on the pretense that it was medicine. For the next three days Sarkar suffered the poisoning, dropping in and out of consciousness; when he finally awoke, Sarkar was nearly blind and extremely physically weak. Sarkar remained physically incapacitated from the poisoning for several more years, and suffered ill health stemming from the event for the remainder of his life. February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Sarkar demanded a proper judicial inquiry into the incident but was refused. Seeing no alternative, Sarkar started a long protest fast. Subsisting on only half a cup of buttermilk twice a day, Sarkar fasted from April 1, 1973 for the next five and a half years until his ultimate release from prison in 1978. April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

On July 4, 1975, Ananda Marga and Proutist Universal, along with many other opposition organizations to Indira Gandhi’s government, were banned in India. Many monks, nuns, and members of Ananda Marga were thrown in jail, many claiming to have been tortured. During this Emergency Period, Sarkar was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Hindi: , pronunciation: ) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and again from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October 31, 1984. ... The Indian Emergency of (1975 - 77) is a 18-month period between 1975 and 1977, when President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, upon advice by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution of India, effectively bestowing her the power to rule by decree, suspending...

In 1977, the Emergency Period ended and Indira Gandhi lost the elections. The Congress Party having lost power, Sarkar was granted a re-trial, this time found innocent on all counts. It was only until he was released on August 3, 1978, that Sarkar broke his fast, drinking some orange juice given to him by his elder sister. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party) is the largest subscription-based organisation in the world. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Post-Imprisonment

Subsequent to his release from prison, Sarkar was in poor health, but remained active in promoting His mission. He began writing on a range of topics and composing inspirational songs, and built a worldwide organization to spread the ideas of Ananda Marga.

On October 21, 1990, Sarkar died at his residence in Calcutta after a series of heart attacks. October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ...

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 and the study of languages, including but not limited to Shabda Cayanika ("A Collection of Words" in Bengali), an unfinished, twenty-six volume dictated encyclopedia on the Bengali language. Beyond this he wrote books on sociology, agriculture, history, literature, medicine, cosmology, and philosophy, also notably inventing the philosophy of Neo-Humanism in 1982 and the scientific theory of Microvita in 1986. Prout can also refer to a Saint and a Catholic School in Wakefeild, Rhode Island. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. ... Social interactions of people and their consequences are the subject of sociology studies. ... For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, treatment and possible prevention of disease and injury. ... // Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) order + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanitys place in it. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microvitum is a philosophy of life being promoted by Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

But perhaps more than all this, his most dramatic achievement was his Prabhat Sangeet (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 death only eight years later.

Disciples

One of his 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. Other disciples include the nuns and monks of Ananda Marga that propagate his teaching. Ravi Batra is a U.S. economist and professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. ... Prout can also refer to a Saint and a Catholic School in Wakefeild, Rhode Island. ...

See also

• Ananda Marga
• The Progressive Utilization Theory: PROUT
• Neo-Humanism
• The Theory of Microvita: Microvitum
• Ananda Marga Gurukula: AMGK

Ananda Marga is a social and spiritual organization founded in Jamalpur, state of Bihar, India in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (1921-1990), known by his spiritual name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. ... Prout can also refer to a Saint and a Catholic School in Wakefeild, Rhode Island. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Microvitum is a philosophy of life being promoted by Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. ... AMGK (Ánanda Márga Gurukula) is an international organization that was formed by Shrii P.R. Sarkar (1921-1990) in 1955 to train missionaries to spread his teachings of self-realization and service to humanity all over India, and later throughout the world. ...

External links

• Information on Prabhat Samgiit, P. R. Sarkar's original songs: http://www.prabhatasamgiita.net/
• Shrii P. R. Sarkar's Contributions to the Humanity

References

• 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)