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A Visionary Saint
Founder of one of the greatest spiritual movements, his contribution brings universal and social theories to rest. They say ignorance is bliss; his journey was somewhat the same at the beginning since whatever happened next was not planned but went utterly blissful. A life so diverse and work purely selfless, Prabha Ranjan Sarkar was meant to build this path.
A wide smile can brighten life; Image Source: Prout Globe

Died on 21st October 1990

Through meditation and yoga practices, he blended with the world after being inspired by Vedic and Tantric ancient texts. Travelling on a path of self-exploration, he denounced everything and lived in his own alternate reality which is far away from this materialist and capitalist world. His most widespread name is Shrii Shrii Anandamurti or just Baba to the world. As the great philosopher, thinker, social theorist, and spiritual leader he is known by many, his work being followed in as many as 130 countries.

As a Bengali born and raised, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar hails from Burdwan District in West Bengal. His father served as a homeopathic doctor in the area. Prior to embarking upon this journey of self-discovery, he was more like most of us and had completed his education. In spite of this, after learning that his father had died early, Sarkar could not finish his graduation. Despite the adversity of the time, he didn't let it affect his life.

Later as an accountant, Sarkar worked for a long time at Jamalpur Railway Station. The one fact that is seldom acknowledged during all these years remained his curiosity to learn tantric meditations and refine it thoroughly. He would often share the same things with his colleagues and teach them techniques to start meditating in a day-to-day context. People who followed his teachings experienced deep inner peace and bliss as they learned to overcome the negative impulses of the mind. Gradually, the number of people who were interested in his spiritual practices grew.

The aspirations and dedication he displayed towards spirituality were unique, just as the teachings, he put forth on "self-realization and service to humanity" were. In later years, it spread throughout India and then the rest of the world.

It was in 1955 when Sarkar began his spiritual journey, as he founded the movement known as Anandamarga, which literally means "The Path of Bliss". With a mission to advance spirituality in society, he wished to redefine the social structure that serves the community. Moreover, he developed socioeconomic and political theory, which later came to be known as Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), which calls for the rational use of all resources and potentialities, be they focus physical, mental, or spiritual. wellbeing By serving society or elevating oppressed persons, Sarkar further focused his effort on becoming a selfless person and never forgetting to keep his thinking cap on.

His Education, Relief and Welfare Section (ERAWS) works on providing disaster relief to people, and Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) has even received recognition from the United Nations and the Red Cross.

Sarkar's humanistic and socialist philosophy reached the field of ecology and environmental awareness since he brought the concept of Neohumanism, which includes love and respect for animals, plants, and every inanimate object. Additionally, Sarkar wrote numerous books on Bengali and Sanskrit languages highlighting its cultural influence from the past to the present and has even composed over 5000 mystical songs and taught the science of meditation for self-realisation to the masses.

There is simply no area Sarkar has not touched on, by focusing solely on spirituality. In fact, his stated goal was to redefine tantric and Vedic philosophy to meet the needs of modern society while also being relevant to traditional beliefs and his life really appears to have been devoted to this cause, quite successfully.

All Sarkar's ideas have been collected in a series of books called Subhashita Samgrah, which is regarded as philosophical scriptures of the Ananda Marga movement. As a thinker, he regarded himself as "an incorrigible optimist".

Despite doing some great and valuable contributions to society, Sarkar was imprisoned for the alleged murder of one of the Anandamarga members in 1971. An inquiry was instituted by the CBI into the allegations and many contended that the allegations were politically motivated. Despite this, Sarkar said that he would not leave jail until it followed proper legal procedures, even if his supporters managed to obtain his release through violent means. While in prison, Sarkar even complained about two poisoning attempts one him and refused to eat jail food. From the one kg of curd water he received from his organisation members, he survived the rest of the next five years, four months, and two days, until he was released from jail.

The phase soon passed as he carried on his noble work and met his disciples in several countries. From a simple fascination and curiosity, Sarkar was able to create a social revolution whose impact he continued to have until his last breath.

In the weeks leading up to his death on 22nd October, he founded Ananda Marga Gurukul, an educational network that preserves, develops and advances his legacy through teaching, research and service.

The diverse aspects of his life and teachings are preserved in his more than a hundred books that talk about topics ranging from cosmology, sociology, history, education, ecology, ethics, psychology, to literature. However, by virtue of his personal example, sincere philosophy, systematic spiritual practices, and vast service projects, he remains a primary force behind Ananda Marga, the path to bliss.

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Ishita Gupta Author
While I write life stories of others, make sure to get me the perfect 30 words that define me. Otherwise, I will mess it up with my own silly jokes.

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