Ananda Marga

Ananda Marga (Path of Bliss) is the socio-spiritual movement founded by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) in 1955 at Jamalpur, Bihar — teaching tantra-yoga meditation alongside a comprehensive social philosophy (PROUT).

Overview

Sarkar (1921–1990) initiated his first disciples in 1955; the movement built a global mission of meditation teaching, relief work (AMURT), schools, and the distinctive ideology of social cycles and the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT, 1959); Sarkar’s imprisonment (the 1970s trial and its overturning) marked its history.

Core teachings

Tantric meditation (the lessons taught through acaryas — personal mantra and meditation instruction), sixteen Points of personal discipline, the social philosophy of Neo-Humanism (expanding ethics to animals and the environment) and PROUT’s economic decentralism.

Practice and work

Regular group meditation and kiirtan; AMURT/AMURTel relief operations; Ananda Nagar (the educational community in Purulia) and schools worldwide; the Prabhat Samgiita corpus (Sarkar’s 5,018 songs) as devotional repertoire.

Modern status

Centers in over 100 countries; the movement continues under its acarya board; its social philosophy retains an international intellectual following.

Verification notes

• Founding (1955) and the movement’s history are documented.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).