Law of Social Cycle The concept of
Varna describes four main socio-psychological types, whereby human
psychological and physical endowment and social
motivations are expressed: the
Vipra (
intellectual),
Kshatriya (
warrior),
Vaishya (acquisitor) and
Shudra (
labourer).
Varna, in Sarkar's perspective, however is more than just a psychological trait but rather an
archetype, approximately to
Michel Foucault's notion of
epistemes, which are broader frameworks of
knowledge defining what is true and
real. Sarkar clarified that
Varna is not the same as Hindu idea of "caste". He was an ardent advocate of building a casteless society, in which everyone gets equal opportunities to fulfil their highest human potential based on their physical, psychological and spiritual strengths. To materialize this, Sarkar propounded Prout. Sarkar's "Law of Social Cycle" applies these traits in a
theory of historical
evolution, where
ages rise and fall in terms of ruling elites representing one of the above-mentioned traits. This "law" possibly connects to the earlier cyclical historical
ideas of
Sri Aurobindo, with a focus on the psychology of
human development, as well as
Ibn Khaldun, among other
macrohistorians ideas about cycles. However, along with a cyclical dimension—the rise and fall of ages—Sarkar's theory exhibits a correspondent linear
dimension, in that economic and
technological "
progress" are considered critical in terms of meeting the changing material conditions of life. Ultimately, for Sarkar, true progress has to prioritise development in the spiritual dimension. Sarkar criticised Marx's ideas on historical evolution, viewing it as having a narrow conceptual basis. Spirituality for Sarkar is defined as the individual realising the "true self". In addition to
yogic meditational practices and purity of thought and deed, Sarkar attached great importance to selfless
social service as a means of
liberation. Sarkar considered it necessary for the social arrangements to support the inner development of human beings and rejected both capitalism and communism as appropriate social structures for humanity to move forward to the golden age of a balanced way of life sustaining all-round progress. A serious problem with capitalism was according to Sarkar the concentration of wealth in a few hands and stoppages in the rolling of money which he considered root causes of
recessions, even
depressions. A spiritual way of life, however, would in no way be divorced from creating structures that help meet the basic, though ever changing, needs—food, housing, clothing, health and education. Sarkar developed both
Ánanda Márga and the
Progressive Utilization Theory as practical means to encourage harmony and
co-operation to help society escape this proposed cycle. Sarkar argues that once the social cycle is understood and
sadvipras evolved, then the periods of exploitation can be largely reduced, if not eliminated. With leadership that is representative of all aspects of the
varnas—that is, the leader engaged in service, who is courageous, who uses the intellect for the benefits of others, and who has innovative/entrepreneurial skills—the cycle can become an upward spiral. Sarkar's
concept of
karma samnyasa refers to the principle that a
yogi becomes a person with all-round development and a balanced mind, that he called a
sadvipra; and that this is accomplished by someone who remains fixed on the "supreme"
consciousness through transformative personal practices and engaging in the politics of social
liberation as a form of
service work.
PROUT: Progressive Utilisation Theory By 1959, Sarkar had developed the
socio-economic Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout). In 1961, the theory was formally outlined in his book
Ananda Sutram, published under his spiritual name
Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. In 1968, Sarkar founded the organisation "Proutist Block of India" (PBI), to further the ideals of his theory through political and social action. The PBI was soon superseded by "Proutist Universal" (PU), which primarily consists of five federations (students, intellectuals, farmers, labour, and youth). A Prout economy is
cooperative and
decentralised. Its focus is
collective welfare rather than to
profit, without neglecting
individuals and their
merits. "Progressive utilization" refers to the
optimising the use of
natural, industrial and
human resources on a
sustainable basis for the entire
ecosystem. The theory claims to overcome the limitations of both capitalism and communism. It is inline with Sarkar's social theory of the Law of Social Cycle. The theory aims to encompass the whole of individual and collective
existence for all beings, including physical, educational, social, political, mental, cultural and
spiritual.
Culture In his series of discourses
Talks on Prout, given in
Ranchi in July 1961, Sarkar makes a distinction between the terms "culture" and "customs". According to Sarkar "culture... is the collective name for different expressions of life..." but "...all of society has the same culture. There are local variations in the mode or state of cultural expression, but the expression is universal... These local variations are called customs... Thus local modes of expression bearing local or group specialities are customs, but the expression itself is culture. Therefore it is a mistake to readjust boundaries on the basis of language and culture. Indian culture and the culture of the world are one and the same." The philosophy of Sarkar reinterprets the general concept of culture by inserting it into a new universalistic outlook. As described by Antonello Maggipinto: ==Works==