Ananda Marga Universal Forum: 11/26/25

Baba

Prout is God-centered

Namaskar,

As Ananda Margiis, we are all teachers and guides for others seeking to come on the path as well as for those wishing to know more. So we should best know how to handle this role. Here Baba outlines one of the key tenets.

AM conduct rule states: “One should not give any false answer and should consult with one’s seniors for the correct answer.” (1)

Some people are confused about Prout being God-centered or matter-centered. In this posting, this issue has been discussed in the light of Prout teachings.
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All religions are matter + dogma centered

Religions: one day for god -- the other six are my days

In every religion, there are specific holy days. For example, in Christianity, Sunday is considered as god’s day. Other days, on the other hand, are one’s own. In Hinduism, those who worship the monkey god Hanuman consider Tuesday as holy. Those who worship Shani in Hinduism consider Saturday as the holy day. Muslims consider Friday as their holy day. At different times of the year also there are holy periods like Rama Navami in Hinduism and Ramadan in Islam. So, in the various religions, there are some days that are dedicated to god while other days are for oneself. But the goal is matter-- to get material things from god. They don’t want god. The various religions adopt a matter and dogma centered philosophy.

Ananda Marga’s God-centered approach

In Ananda Marga, the meaning of being God-centered is to make Parama Purusa the goal of one’s life. Even all the mundane acts like eating, sleeping, exercising, or going to the office are for Parama Purusa. From birth to death, from waking up to sleeping, every breath is for Parama’tma’. In Ananda Marga, every second, every minute, every hour, and every day of life is imbued by God. The Ananda Marga system is completely different from the religions in this way. In Ananda Marga, it is said “Tasmáddharmah sadákáryah”, i.e. dharma should be followed always.
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An Ananda Margii, every single day of life, wakes up with Guru saka’sh followed by paincajanya, kiirtana, and after morning duties one practices their lessons of sa’dhana’ and a’sanas. Every day, one breathes twenty to twenty-five thousand times, and an Ananda Margii practices half iishvara pranidha’n in which one’s Ista mantra is chanted with every breath taken when one is not practicing full sa’dhana’. Even during every interaction, an Ananda Margii takes Cosmic ideation and considers others as a manifestation of Brahma. Even while taking meals, an Ananda Margii considers food as Brahma, the act of eating as Brahma, and oneself as Brahma. This is a God-centered life where every breath and every moment is lived for Brahma-- be it as mundane as chopping vegetables or be it spiritual sa’dhana’.

Common confusion

At present, many on this earth are confused and think that in order to adjust with worldly life (food shopping, cleaning, cooking etc) then one has to follow a matter-centered approach - at least during the time of one’s mundane dealings. But this is completely wrong.

Let us remember that in a matter-centered approach, the material is considered everything. Capitalism is an example. For matter-centered people, sensory pleasure is given the utmost importance in life. Matter-centered people spend their lives and energies only in pursuits like earning wealth, fame, land, and so on. For them, accumulating materialistic possessions and making the most of sensory pleasures are the benchmarks of success in life. There is no importance of God, as material acquisition / indulgence is the only truth in the matter-centered approach.
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Perils of matter-centered approach

There cannot be two goals and if one makes matter the center of one’s life then it is natural that the mind will become crudified. As one thinks so one becomes. So, if one takes a matter-centered approach and ideates on matter then the mind degenerates and becomes like crude matter. It is a terrible misfortune that something as developed as a human mind gets degraded into static matter. People follow matter-centered philosophy due to lack of proper knowledge. There is no reason in a matter-centered philosophy for not betraying others, even one’s own family members, for material benefits and sensory pleasures-- all of which leads people to become selfish.

Today, the rise in selfish people is the outcome of the matter-centered philosophy. Sadly, they live an individualistic life devoid of family values. They view their relationship with the opposite gender for sensory pleasure alone, often resulting in children outside of marriage without any stable home or family. Such matter-centered people are essentially unhappy due to the innate loneliness of their lives resulting from selfish individualism. In many extreme cases, such people either commit suicide or turn into maniacs going ona shooting rampage. Some consume narcotic drugs or alcohol for sensory pleasures, slowly degenerating the vitality of their once human existence. Such a dangerous matter-centered philosophy has been around for about 150 - 200 years. This dangerous and massive experiment of materialism has only led to pervasive disastrous consequences in human society.
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Advent of Mahasambhuti

Due to the lack of spiritual teachings, the whole of humanity has been pushed by materialism towards destruction. This is why the advent of Mahasambhuti Baba occurred: to imbue humanity with spiritual teachings. Today, the influence of materialism is still present, but because of the sublime teachings of Mahasambhuti, we also see the dawn of spirituality.

Same act but different approach

Some acts can be performed by both a matter-centered and a God-centered person. For example, both will eat food, earn livelihood, build a house etc. This may cause some people to get confused in thinking that the God-centered persons are also involved in materialistic pursuits. However, this is not true. The difference lies in their outlook.

A matter-centered person builds a house for prestige while a God-centered person will do so only for satisfying the need for a protective place for living. A matter-centered person earns wealth considering it as the goal of life. This is the reason we find some people building huge mansions for only two or three people.

The goal of a God-centered life is Parama Purusa. So human life is for sa’dhana’ and for that the body needs to be maintained. And one needs some type of income to meet the basic needs. Money and material wealth have no greater utility than that.
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Hence, there is a significant difference between the approaches of a matter-centered and a God-centered life. Those followers look upon the world in completely different ways.

Analogy of going to work

Consider an example in which a person needs to commute to the workplace for their livelihood. On the way to the workplace, there may be many obstacles such as incessant rain or stray dogs barking around. The person, therefore, has to arrange an umbrella for the rain and a stick to scare the dogs away. In this example, the goal is to reach the workplace safely. It would be useless to spend too much time on selecting the most colorful umbrella or the most fashionable stick. An umbrella that protects them from the rain is enough. Once the umbrella is arranged one should not waste any further time and head to the workplace. Let us suppose, as a crude analogy, that reaching the workplace is comparable to reaching God. All the mundane needs like building a house and earning a livelihood are like that umbrella and stick. One should not forget the true goal of life in the details of the mundane.

The main teaching is having a subjective approach with objective adjustment. For sadhakas, the goal is Parama Purusa. Any other mundane thing should be used as a tool to achieve that spiritual goal. If one’s stomach is aching then practicing sa’dhana’ is not possible and that is why one should take medicine. This is our approach in life-- this is what AM philosophy teaches.
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Conclusion

In a matter-centered approach, material possessions are everything. In the God-centered approach, God is the be-all and end-all. Prout philosophy teaches us to fix the problems of the mundane world so people have enough time to do sadhana and reach Parama Purusa. Prout is not matter-centered; rather, Prout is a God-centered philosophy. God is the goal; everything we disciples do is for the goal of realizing Him. Prout is not a matter-centered approach, but a God-centered philosophy.

In Him
Bhakti

Nothing accomplished

Those who think that this visible material world is everything and spend their whole lives accumulating wealth and fame wrongly thinking them to be the ultimate are destined to hit their grave completely dissatisfied. People are fooled into such matter-centered thinking by avidya ma’ya’. People who allow themselves to be befooled by the veil of ma’ya’ do not get anything in their old age but remorse that nothing was accomplished in life. Verily, they are prone to depression.
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References
1. 37 Workers Rules, Point #32

== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==

No more wallowing in old memories

“Áji, nútaneri álo eseche, kálo kuyáshá shuńye mishe geche…” (Prabhat Samgiita #1166)

Purport:

Today, the Spiritual Refulgence of evernew has come. Due to Its arrival, the black fog, which was enveloping everything, just disappeared and vanished into thin air. By Your grace, a brand-new era of neo-humanism has come. Now there is boundless happiness in life, overflowing across the entire universe. This exquisite brilliance has ushered in a phase of tremendous speed.

From this very moment on my spiritual journey, I will no longer cow down or be afraid of any kinds of obstacles. I will never stop this movement, be scared of anyone’s threats or ominous gestures, or surrender to those dark forces. By Your propulsion, I will courageously move forward. Today, new tidal waves of spirituality and cosmic unity have inundated this whole creation. Everything has been transformed. By Your grace, those suffocating days of old are bygone.

By Your krpa, today I understand that marching forward is the sign of vitality and life, whereas looking back into the past means inviting my death and demise. By Your mercy, I realise this supreme truth. There will be no more wallowing in my memories of defeats or miseries. Now, my eyes have been blessed with a spiritual awakening. By Your sweet will, I view the world in a whole new light. Someone has come, broken my slumber, and given me Your grand assurance that this life will be successful...

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Why to use Deva title

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Casteism is a burden on the Hindu society. All the year round they preach casteism but on the polling days they decry it. This is wholly undesirable. It is better to avoid all titles. Titles signify the caste. If casteism is to be wiped out, it is incumbent to discard the titles. It is commendable if everyone adopts uniformity on title – Deva. Persons using a particular word more often will influence their minds with the meaning of that word. People are reluctant to use the word dása because this word signifies slavery. Whenever the so-called low caste people catch an opportunity, they declare themselves as belonging to the so-called elevated caste, etc. It is an ideal to become deva and for this reason Deva title should be adopted.”

“Titles of the present society have undergone considerable changes during the past fifty years, the cause being that everyone aspires to pertain to an elevated caste. The so-called Shúdras also use the sacred thread. This is only an effort towards the concealment of one’s identity. By this means, they conceal only their disregarded status. This is to be regretted. It is consequent on social debility that they harbour the desire for changes in their situations. It is out and out purposeless to convene All-India Conferences or particular castes. All of them desire to assert and establish their rights. This is simply misuses of energy and money.” (1)

Reference

1. Táttvika Diipiká (Paiṋcama Parva)

== Section 3: Links ==

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