Ananda Marga

Ānanda Mārga (lit. 'The Path of Bliss',

Tantra yoga, as interpreted by Sarkar, serves as the foundation of Ananda Marga. According to his teachings, Tantra means liberation from darkness through the expansion of mind. Meditation is the main spiritual practice of this tantric tradition, which assists the practitioner to overcome weaknesses and imperfections. The path to liberation in Ananda Marga is free of religious dogmas, superstitions, artificial social barriers and ritualism. Ananda Marga recognizes spirituality and liberation as the birth right of every individual irrespective of one's race, caste, creed, nationality, gender, socio-economic status or belief system.

The basis of Ananda Marga practice is covered by a set of rules called the 'Sixteen Points' that guide the practitioner on both spiritual and social aspects. It consist of yoga

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, known as Sri Sri Anandamurti, founded the Ananda Marga on 1 January 1955 in the state of Bihar, India.^[3][4][5] Its stated aims are "liberation of self and service to humanity".^[6].^[4]

Disciplines, teachings and practice

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar developed a discipline of Tantra yoga and meditation.^[4] Tantra yoga, as interpreted by him, is the practical philosophy which serves as foundation of Ananda Marga.^[3] According to Sarkar's teachings Tantra means liberation from darkness. Meditation is the main spiritual practice of this tradition, and through it the practitioner struggles to overcome weaknesses and imperfections. The basis of Ananda Marga practice is covered by a set of rules called the 'Sixteen Points' that guide the practitioner on both spiritual and social aspects.^[3] Sarkar expounded these principles in his 1961 Ānanda Sūtram, in Sanskrit.

Meditation, Lalita Marmika dance and kirtan

In the Tantric tradition of Ananda Marga, the spiritual aspirant or

According to the Ananda Marga system, the Lalita Marmika dance is performed particularly during the collective meditation. It was supposedly invented by Parvati, the wife of the god Shiva. This yogic dance with swaying movements, combined with a kirtan (the chanting of the universal mantra), is regarded as useful in freeing the mind and preparing it for meditation. Ananda Marga members are recommended to practice collective meditation at least once a week. These meetings, Dharma Chakras (held weekly in the Dhyan Mandir), are preceded by the singing of Prabhat Samgiita ("Songs of the New Dawn" composed by Sarkar) followed by the spiritual dance of Lalita Marmika. Before meditation the Samgacchadvam^ⓘ mantra is chanted. At the end of meditation the Nityam Shuddham^ⓘ and the Guru Puja^ⓘ mantras are recited. Baba Nam Kevalam is a universal kirtan mantra given by Sarkar.^[7]

Vegetarian diet, yogic asanas, physical exercises and yogic treatments

The basic practices of Ananda Marga are yoga

• Diet and fasting: Lacto-vegetarian diet avoids meat, fish, eggs and some substances which are said to have a negative effect on the mind, particularly if "mucus-producing". On specific monthly dates called Ekadashi (Sanskrit: একাদশী, ekādaśī, the eleventh day after the full moon),^{[note 1]} the regular practice of Upavasa (yoga fasting) is recommended to improve health and strengthen the mind.
• bandhas are included.^{[note 3]}
• Yogic treatments: in 1957 Sarkar published in Bengali Yaogika Cikitsa o Dravyaguna, translated into English and published in 1983, with revisions under the title Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies. In this handbook, he described yogic treatments using asanas and mudras with claims about natural and traditional remedies for about forty diseases.[note 4]
• Kaoshikii: the 'dance for mental expansion', was defined by Sarkar a 'physico-psycho-spiritual dance,' performed by all, and consists of 18 mudras aligning with 6 physical postures, each associated with a specific idea^{[note 5]} while strengthening body and mind and making them flexible.
• Tandava or Tāṇḍava: is a vigorous dance.^{[note 6]} This dance is only performed by male followers. The dance is performed to imbue the practitioner's mind with courage and honour, dispelling all sorts of complexes and fear, even fear of death itself.^{[note 7][8]}

Spiritual and social philosophy

The philosophy of Ananda Marga is a synthetic outlook, recognizing a theistic singularity or 'Supreme Consciousness',^[9] which is claimed to be both transcendental and manifested in all. To this end Ananda Marga suggests what it claims is a practical, rational, and systematic way of life for the balanced development of all human potentialities: physical, psychic and spiritual. This incorporate practices from hygiene, diet, and yoga postures, to a technique of meditation based on moral rules directed to 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 all".

Spiritual philosophy

The spiritual philosophy of Ananda Marga recognizes that the universe is the creation of the mental thought waves of the 'Supreme consciousness'. The following is a brief list of the essential elements of Ananda Marga spiritual philosophy:

• Atma or
  Paramatma or the Cosmic Consciousness: the Consciousness (Purusa) is reflected in the unit objects forming the "unit consciousness" or atma. Particularly the reflection of the soul on the mind is called jiivatma and in that case the "reflector-soul" is called Paramatma (Supreme Soul).^{[note 8]}

• Realms of the Mind: according to Ananda Marga philosophy the human mind is composed of five layers called Kosas:^{[note 9]} 1)Kamamaya Kosa ("desire layer") or "Crude Mind": is the crudest layer, purified through adherence to the yogic code of morality, Yama-Niyama.^{[note 10]} 2)Manomaya Kosa ("layer of thinking") or "Subtle Mind": is the layer of thought and memory.^{[note 11]} 3)Atimanasa Kosa or "Supramental Mind": is the intuitive layer.^{[note 12]} 4)Vijinanamaya Kosa ("layer of the special knowledge") or "Subliminal Mind": is the layer of conscience or discrimination (viveka) and vaeragya (non-attachment).^{[note 13]} 5)Hiranyamaya Kosa ("golden level") or "Subtle Causal Mind": is the subtlest layer. Here the awareness of mind is very close to the direct experience of "Supreme Consciousness".^{[note 14]}
• Microvita theory: Microvita means "micro-life". The concept was introduced in 1986 through a series of lectures by Sarkar. According to this notion, microvita are entities which come within the realms both of physicality and of psychic expression. They are imagined as smaller and subtler than physical atoms and subatomic particles. So far as physicality is concerned, the position of these microvita is just between ectoplasm and electron, but they are neither ectoplasm nor electron.^[10]
  The author predicted that they would be recognized by conventional science when it is developed much further.

The social outlook of Ananda Marga asserts that human beings are an expression of the Supreme Being, the welfare of the individual is linked with the welfare of the collective,[4] each relying on the other for its existence and dynamism. According to this philosophy everyone has the right to equal opportunities of life and development and as such there should be no discrimination on the basis of superficial barriers such as race, nationality and religion. Ananda Marga advocates a state if live,^[4] a world of justice, security and peace for all.^[11] The social philosophy covers neohumanism, education, culture, and the organisation's own Progressive utilization theory (PROUT).^[3][4] The philosophy reinterprets the general concept of culture by inserting it into a new universalistic outlook. As described by Antonello Maggipinto, "Sarkar offers a new point of view, with a large universalistic explanation: 'the culture of the whole human race is one, but marked by different local manifestations ... it is the same, but varying in expression.'"^[12][13] In 1968, Sarkar founded the organization "Proutist Block of India" to further the ideals of his theory through political and social action.^[14]

Tantra in Ananda Marga

Sarkar weaves continuity with the ancient philosophy of Tantra, infusing new insights in human psychology, social theory and in each individuals' roles as spiritual and "socio-economic-cultural-political" beings. Ananda Marga Tantra is claimed to have a broad metaphysical base which allows for ways of knowing, feeling and processing which go beyond intellectuality or limited rationality. Priorities are given to the spiritual development, as Sarkar notes, "spiritual life controls all other arenas of human life."^[16] Ananda Marga Tantra is claimed to be a principle which if practiced will lead to the desired objective. The essence of Tantra is to awaken the latent spiritual force in the human personality and unify oneself with the Cosmic Consciousness.^[17]

Guru and disciple

According to tantric tradition a proper preceptor and a proper disciple are both essential for success on the path of Tantra. P.R. Sarkar clearly explains^[18] that, disciples are of three categories: 1) disciples that acquire spiritual knowledge when they are in close contact with the preceptor, but as soon as they are apart from him they forget all his/her teachings, 2) disciples that learn many things from the preceptor with great hardship, but do not take proper care to preserve those instructions. They lose their hard-earned knowledge out of negligence, 3) disciples that carefully preserve deep in their minds and hearts whatever they have learned from their preceptor by wisely putting those teachings into practice. This is the best category of disciples.

Confrontations

During the 1960s, the organisation expanded rapidly in India, sending

In 1971, Sarkar was imprisoned in India for the alleged murder of five former Ananda Marga members, on what were later proved false charges.[4] The Ananda Marga organisation was banned and a number its leaders arrested.^[4] In February 1973, Sarkar was poisoned in prison, allegedly by the jail doctor on orders from the higher echelons of government. On 1 April, after recovering his health, Sarkar began fasting in support of a demand for an investigation into his poisoning. That demand was never met. So he continued his fast for the next five years, four months, and two days, until 2 August 1978 when he was released from jail after having been proved innocent of all charges.^[20]

Bijon Setu massacre

The Bijon Setu massacre (Bengali: বিজন সেতু হত্যাকাণ্ড) was the killing and burning of 16 sadhus and a sadhvi of Ananda Marga, at Bijon Setu, West Bengal, India, on 30 April 1982. Although the attacks were carried out in broad daylight, no arrests were ever made. After repeated calls for a formal judicial investigation, a single-member judicial commission was set up in 2012 to investigate the killings.

See also

• Ananda Nagar, Purulia
• Jamalpur, Bihar
• List of new religious movements

References

Footnotes

Citations

1. ^ "Ananda Marga". Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
2. ^ "Ananda Marga - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Jones & Ryan 2007a, pp. 30–31.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Jones & Ryan 2007b, pp. 34–35.
5. ^ Inayatullah 2002.
6. ^ Dharmavedananda 1999, p. 13 to 23.
7. better source needed
   ]
8. ^ "Religion and Law Consortium: A Research Forum for Legal Developments on International Law and Religion or Belief Topics". Religlaw.org. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
9. ^ See: Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, 1954, pp. 15, 68.
10. ^ Dalal 2011, p. 325.
11. ^ "Ananda Marga Social Philosophy". Archived from the original on 13 August 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
12. ^ Maggipinto 2000.
13. ISBN 0-415-16916-X
    .
14. ^ Fukui 1985, p. 357.
15. ^ Anandamurti 1959.
16. ^ "Bussey, Marcus. Homo Tantricus: Tantra as an Episteme for Future Generations". Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
17. ^ Coyle, G. 1985 ^{[page needed]}
18. ^ See: Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, 1982 and 1994.
19. ^ Lewis 2011, p. 254.
20. ^ "My interpretation of violence can co-exist with Ahimsa: Anandmurti". India Today. 26 February 2015 [August 15, 1978]. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2020.

Secondary sources

• Dalal, Roshen (2011), The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths, Delhi:
  ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6
• Fukui, Haruhiro (1985), Political Parties of Asia and the Pacific, Greenwood Press, p. 357,
  ISBN 0-313-21350-X
• Inayatullah, Sohail
  (1999), "Karma Samnyasa: Sarkar’s reconceptualization of Indian ascetism", in K. Ishwaran, ed., Ascetic culture: renunciation and worldly engagement. Leiden, Brill, Vol. 73, International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology. pp. 139–152.
• ISBN 9004121935. Archived
  from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
• Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007a). "Ananda Marga Yoga Society". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of World Religions.
  ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link
  )
• Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007b). "Sri Anandamurti". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of World Religions.
  ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link
  )
• ISBN 978-0-19-973563-1
• Maggipinto, Antonello (2000), "Multilanguage Acquisition, New Technologies, Education and Global Citizenship", in American Association for Italian Studies (ed.), Academic journal article from Italian Culture, vol. 18–2, New York: AAIS, p. 147, archived from the original on 3 October 2013, retrieved 24 August 2017

Primary sources

• Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (1959). Tantra and its Effect on Society. Bhagalpur: Ananda Marga Pubs.
• Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (1988). Ananda Marga ideology and way of life in a nutshell Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Calcutta: Ānanda Mārga Pracāraka Saṁgha.
• Dharmavedananda, Ác. (1999). Travel with the Mystic Master. Singapore: Ananda Marga Publications.
  ISBN 981-04-0864-1
  .
• Nandita & Devadatta (1971). Path of bliss: Ananda Marga yoga Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Wichita, Kansas: Ananda Marga Publishers.
• Tarak (1990). Ananda Marga, social and spiritual practices Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Calcutta: Ananda Marga Publications.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ananda Marga.

• Ananda Marga.org
• What is Ananda Marga? - Definition from Yogapedia