Three Folds of Ananda Marga
PROUT: 'A vision for all living beings'
Capitalism makes man a beggar.
Communism makes man a beast.
Prout makes man human.
The words of Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, the founder of PROUT.
PROUT is a social economic theory whose aim is to establish a society that enables every created being to live a dignified life, fulfilling all their basic needs and allowing them to grow in all three spheres - physical, mental and spiritual.
'Despite its advent onto this earth many thousands of years ago, humanity is not yet capable of building a well-integrated and universal society. This is in no way indicative of the glory of human intellect and erudition.'
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
We only have to look around us to see that a well functioning society does not yet exist, not in the East nor in the West. According to P.R. Sarkar, first and foremost for people to live happily, at least on a physical level, five basic necessities must be guaranteed to all and they are food, shelter, clothing, education and medicine. Only once these are available to all can the society move forward in a united manner towards their common goal. What is the goal?
'To ensure an exploitation free society, ethical leadership and the implementation of economic democracy for the welfare and happiness of all.'
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
How can society reach collective happiness?
Though some might say that, as the majority of people are already guaranteed the five basic necessities of life, happiness has been achieved in society, looking around us can we say that this is true? People are plagued with worries over daily life, riddled with fears and insecurities, one could say that on a psychic level they are wrecks. This is why PROUT emphasises the need for humans to develop on all three levels - physical, mental and spiritual. If any of these spheres are ignored then human suffering is bound to ensue.
Neo-Humanism
'Neo-humanism is the philosophy which will make people understand that they are not merely ordinary creatures. This philosophy will liberate them from all inferiority feelings and defects and make them aware of their own importance; it will inspire them to build a new world.'
What is our reason for being on this earth? If we are to believe the insinuations of the society in which we live we should say that our reason for living is to satisfy all our material needs whether this be at the cost of others or not. Although on a physical level people may declare this way of thinking to be right, on a subtler level they know it is not. Each and every one of us knows that our time on earth is limited and that some day we will have to abandon our physical bodies and all the beloved goodies that we've accumulated and no amount of material acquisition can avoid this fact.
Our deepest inner self is fully aware that its' precious existence in a human form is being ruthlessly wasted on material pursuits, on such temporary things when our potentials on this earth are endless and go way beyond our physical death. Life is a great gift and life in a human body is the greatest gift of all. Neo-Humanism allows people to give worth to their lives and to those around them, be they animals or humans.
'Human beings as the most thoughtful and intelligent beings in this created universe will have to accept that the great responsibility of taking care of the universe rests on them.’
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Self Realisation
That which ultimately helps us to get closer to our Supreme Nucleus is that which liberates us. Not even today's society can impede the human mind in its natural quest for expansion even though education encourages the mind to channelise this thirst for expansion into material pursuits. This is why the people are left banging their heads against the wall, wondering why the everlasting happiness they were supposed to get when they received this much money or that much knowledge has slipped away again. And so they throw themselves into the search for more finite happiness - more money, more knowledge - more chains, never knowing that their real Desideratum is not to be found in the external world, that the real wealth goes way beyond the limitations of the physical world.
The above three spheres make up ANANDA MARGA PRACARAKA SAMGHA, a social-spiritual organisation founded by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the very same Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, founder of PROUT and Guru of Ananda Marga, known to His followers as ‘Baba’.