Sarkar was born on 21 May 1921 to Lakshmi Narayan Sarkar, a homeopathic doctor of considerable renown. His family hailed from Bamunpara (Brahmanpara), in West Bengal. Sarkar was known as an exceptionally bright child in his youth, practicing meditation by himself at an early age and displaying great knowledge of various languages and various topics; knowledge which was reportedly not gained in school, reading books, nor listening to teachers or any other outer source.
In 1939, Sarkar left Jamalpur for Kolkata to attend Vidyasagar College of the University of Calcutta. Sarkar had to quit his studies in order to support his family after the death of his father, and from 1944 until the early 1950s, Sarkar worked as an accountant at the Indian railways headquarters in Jamalpur, Bihar. He taught the techniques of ancient Tantra meditation to a select number of his colleagues and gradually more and more people were drawn to the spiritual practices he taught.
In 1955, Sarkar founded Ananda Marga (the Path of Bliss), a socio-spiritual movement with a two-part mission that Sarkar stated as “self-realization and service to all”. His system of spiritual practice has been described as a practical synthesis of Vedic and Tantric philosophies. Sarkar’s ideas are collected in the series of books called “Subhaita Samgraha”, which form part of the philosophical scriptures of Ananda Marga ideology. Sarkar’s ideas are steeped in the ancient spiritual tradition of humanity, considerably developed in India, yet revitalized by him with new meaning and universal approach. Ananda Marga opened regional offices in various countries, including the USA in 1969, and by 1973 had established approximately 100 local centres teaching yogic and social philosophies, with several thousand members, some living communally in the ashrams.
In 1971, Sarkar was imprisoned in India for the alleged murder of Ananda Marga sect members. In February 1973, Sarkar was poisoned in prison, allegedly by the jail doctor on orders from the higher echelons of government. On April 1, after recovering his health, Sarkar began fasting in support of a demand for an inquest into his poisoning. That demand was never met. So he continued his fast for the next five years, four months, and two days, until August 2, 1978 when he was released from jail after having been acquitted of all charges.
Just before he died on 21 October 1990, he founded Ananda Marga Gurukula on 7 September 1990, an educational network to preserve and develop his legacy through research, teaching and service.
Vocabulary
Alleged—not proved
Preserve—protect
