Ananda Marga: Difference between revisions

'''Ānanda'''<ref group=note>Initially a qualitative attribute of ''[[Brahmā]]'', it became, especially in ''[[Vedānta]]'', the [[consciousness]] that is free from all entanglements in ''[[samādhi]]''. It is usually found in association with ''sat'' and ''cit'', hence in the fused form, ''[[Satchidānanda]]'', Being, Consciousness, Bliss.. (Bowker, J., 2012 at the word ''Ānanda'')</ref>{{sfn|Monier Williams|2012|p=at the word ''Ānanda'': "m. joy, delight, happiness (also pl.)AV. VS. &c"}} '''Mārga'''<ref group=note>In ''[[Hinduism]]'' and ''[[Buddhism]]'', the way or path to release or enlightenment (Bowker, J., 2012 at the word ''Mārga'').</ref>{{sfn|Monier Williams|2012|p=at the word ''Mārga'': "the right way, proper course MBh. Hariv. (cf. āmārga" or "a way, manner method, custom, usage Up. Yājñ. MBh. &c"}} ([[:wikipedia:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|आनन्द मार्ग}} ''{{IAST|ānanda mārga}}'' "The Path of Bliss", also spelled ''Anand Marg'' and ''Ananda Marg'') or officially '''Ánanda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha''' (''organisation for the propagation of the path of bliss'') is a [[:wikipedia:Social|socio]]-[[:wikipedia:Spirituality|spiritual]] [[:wikipedia:Organization|organisation]] and [[:wikipedia:Social movement|movement]] founded in [[:wikipedia:Jamalpur, Munger|Jamalpur]], [[:wikipedia:Bihar|Bihar]], [[:wikipedia:India|India]] in [[:wikipedia:1955]] by [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar]] aka Shrii Shrii Anandamurti.<ref group=note>Ánandamúrti, as he was called by his early disciples, is a sanscrit word meaning "Bliss personified".</ref> It is also the name of the [[:wikipedia:philosophy|philosophy]] and [[:wikipedia:Lifestyle (sociology)|life-style]] propounded by Sarkar, described as a practical philosophy for [[:wikipedia:personal development|personal development]], [[:wikipedia:Social work|social service]] and the all-around transformation of the society.{{sfn|Ahtrens|1982|p=6}} Its system of spiritual practice has also been explained as a practical synthesis of [[:wikipedia:Vedas|Vedic]] and [[:wikipedia:Tantra|Tantric]] philosophies.{{sfn|Ishwaran|1999|p=9}}

On August 2, 1939 (at 8:30&nbsp;pm, on the [[full moon]] day of ''[[Shraavana|Shravani]]''<ref group=note>''[[Shraavana|Shravan]]'' is the fifth month of the [[Hindu calendar|Hindu year]], beginning in late July and ending in the third week of August. It is the month of festivals and commemorate the precedence of the sacred over all aspects of life. It is the holiest month in the year and it includes celebrating [[Nag Panchami]] on the fifth day of the bright half of the month.</ref> ''[[Purnima (day)|Purnima]]''<ref group=note>''[[Shraavana|Shravani]]'' ''[[Purnima (day)|Purnima]]'' is the [[full moon]] in the sacred month of ''[[Shraavana|Shravan]]''. On ''Shraavana Poornima'' ''[[Raksha Bandhan]]'', the festival of brothers and sisters, is celebrated .</ref>), [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar|P.R. Sarkar]] initiated with ''Tantrikii Diiksa'' or "Tantric initiation" Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay (after aka Kalikananda Avadhuta) into [[meditation]] at ''Kashi Mitra Gh’at'' on the bank of the river [[Bhagirathi]] in [[Kalikata]] ([[Kolkata]] aka Calcutta), [[West Bengal]], India. This was the start of Sarkar's [[Spirituality|spiritual]] teaching at the early age of 18 and many unknown [[Sadhaka]]s ("spiritual aspirants") were initiated from then up to 1955. From 1941 until the early 1950s, Sarkar [[Employment|worked]] as an accountant at the Indian railways headquarters in [[Jamalpur, Munger|Jamalpur]], Bihar, India. He [[Teacher|taught]] the techniques of ancient [[tantra]]<ref group=note>P.R. Sarkar clearly explained in his books the meaning of [[Tantra]]:  "What is ''Tantra''? The process of transforming (latent divinity) into the Supreme Divinity is known as ''Tantra sadhana''... The significance of the term ''tantra'' is 'liberation from bondage (the bondage of dullness or staticity)'. The letter ''ta'' is the seed (sound) of dulness. And the root verb ''trae'' suffixed by ''da'' becomes ''tra'', which means 'that which liberates' - so the spiritual practice which liberates the aspirant from the dullness or animality of the static force and expands the aspirant's (spiritual) self is ''Tantra sadhana''. So there cannot be any spiritual practice without ''Tantra''. {{cite book |title=Discourses on Tantra |volume=2 |author=Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (Ac. Vijayananda Avt. Editor) |city:Kolkata |publisher= AMPS-Ananda Printers |year=1994}} "''Tantra'' in itself is neither a religion nor an 'ism'. Tantra is a fundamental spiritual science. So wherever there is any spiritual practice it should be taken for granted that it stands on the ''Tantric'' cult. Where there is no spiritual practice, where people pray to God for the fulfillment of narrow worldly desires, where people’s only slogan is “Give us this and give us that” – only there do we find that Tantra is discouraged. So only those who do not understand ''Tantra'', or even after understanding ''Tantra'' do not want to do any [[spiritual practice]], oppose the [[cult]] of ''Tantra''." (Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii, 1959).</ref> [[meditation]] to a select number of his colleagues and gradually more and more people were drawn to the [[spiritual practice]]s he taught.