By P.R. Sarkar

The words práńa dharma mean the cardinal characteristic of a person which differentiates one person from another. Just as each human being has his or her own traits, similarly an entire race living within a particular geographical, historical and cultural environment will also inhere some traits which distinguish that particular race from other. These traits or specialities are inseparably embedded in the internal behaviour of the entire population, and they help to form a particular bent of mind, expression of external behaviour, attitude towards life and society, and on the whole a different out look.

If we look at the racial stocks of the world, this fact becomes evident – that in their approach of life, different races invariably differ from one another. This variation is less external and more internal. The gradual development of internal discipline springs directly from the mode of living and education. This internal discipline is known as práńa dharma. To be more clear, when the vital expression of a race takes a particular course of manifestation, that course of manifestation is known as práńa dharma.

Take the example of India. The people of India have been inhering their own práńa dharma since time immemorial. They are basically subjective in their approach to life and the world. By nature they are parabhimukhi from the very inception of childhood – that is, they ascribe Godhood to every action, thought and expression. The reason for this is very clear. In ancient India, at the age of five, a boy was sent to the residence of a Guru or enlightened teacher to learn till the age of twenty-five. The child used to learn mainly paravidya or spiritual knowledge and some aparavidya or mundane knowledge from the Guru. After the completion of student life, the youth could return to Garhasta Dharma. In the Garhasta Dharma, he used to cultivate both spiritual knowledge and mundane knowledge. After reaching 50 years of age, he used to leave Garhasta Dharma and entered into Vana Prasta where he used to only cultivate spiritual knowledge. This is the very reason why people developed a subjective approach towards life. This subjective approach to life became the práńa dharma of the people of India. We find that in India, even when a notorious robber goes to commit a crime, he takes the name of Mother Kali. In the educational system of India, the cultivation of spiritual knowledge was primary, and this instilled in the students a high standard of behaviour, reverence and modesty.

Now, the best way of enmity against a person or a race is to deprive the person or the race of the freedom to cultivate their práńa dharma, and to prevent them from channelizing their potentiality accordingly. For example, the best way of enmity against a bird is to put it in a cage so that it will become a biped animal. The long confinement in the cage, which is against the práńa dharma of the bird, will deprive it of the capacity to fly.

Capitalism and communism are both ultravires to the práńa dharma of the people of the world. PROUT wants to maintain the integrity of práńa dharma of each and every race. Capitalism, by its hydra-headed greed for economic exploitation, has made human beings slaves to circumstances beyond their control. In India, capitalism has sucked the vital energy of the people by rendering them poverty stricken. Similarly, communism has gone against the very vital life surge of the people of India. Communists mouth enchanting, hollow slogans, and are trying to push the entire race down the path of animality where cardinal human values are non-existent.

The English colonialists were also cunning enough to discern the práńa dharma of the people of India, and they deprived them of the freedom to express their práńa dharma. The British wanted to bring the entire Indian race under their colonial grip to make the people slaves. They reformed the old educational system of India and bluntly introduced the English system of education. The English education system was contrary to that of India, because it was based on an objective approach and the complete denial of the subjective approach. The British colonial masters educated the subjugated race on the lines of their own education system, and produced a peculiar group of people who were neither Indian nor civilian nor serviceable. These so-called educated people of India were a complete departure from the mass of Indians in their habits, behaviour, thoughts, modesty and personal integrity. That is why a gulf of difference developed between the so-called educated people and the village people of India. By applying these subtle tactics, a group of people in India became European in attitude although they were Indian in colour, and this group were instrumental in perpetuating the British Raj in India.

The British colonialists applied the same tactics in China. The Chinese people, before the Kuomintan regime, were laborious and dexterous as well as religious. But by introducing opium, the British made the entire Chinese race inactive and indolent. Afterwards the communists, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, killed the religion of the Chinese people and deprived them of their práńa dharma. In this way, the British and the communists brought the entire Chinese race under their grip.

PROUT does not want to turn the hands of the clock back. PROUT does not reject the western educational system. But at the same time, the western education system utterly failed to inculcate a sense of morality, reverence and a high standard of behaviour among the students of India during the time of the British Raj. That is why in PROUT’s system of education, we stress the need to start “Ashramic Schools” in every village of India. If this is done, the corrosive tendency introduced by the British can be checked at an early stage. In the post-independence period of India, the leaders and educationists could not deeply understand the prevalent crisis of the Indian education system. This crisis was largely due to the defective British education system which was fundamentally against the práńa dharma of the Indian people. All the attempts to reform the education system proved futile and led the nation towards further degradation. This was because India’s educationists could not reform the education system according to the práńa dharma of the Indian people. Our Ananda Marga school curriculum is based on the práńa dharma of the people of India, and furthermore, it strengthens the people in their práńa dharma.

PROUT is of the opinion that the different races will assimilate PROUT philosophy according to their práńa dharma. There is wide scope for adjustment.

Svadharme nidhanaḿ shreyah paradharma bhayabahah.
“It is better to die while pursuing one’s Dharma
Than to be led to catastrophe by following adharma.”

During the Muslim period in India, social distress increased in the fabric of Indian society. But the Muslims could not deprive the people of India of their práńa dharma. But during the British rule, both in the social and spiritual spheres, the people were deprived of their práńa dharma. Some so-called western educated people even now look down upon villagers for their simplicity and na ivete. These so-called educated people were misguided away from práńa dharma because they were denied any subjective approach in the western education system. This is why such people have failed to become one with the mass.

PROUT equips human beings with their own práńa dharma and thereby reinforces and strengthen their march along the path of progress.

From “Talks on Education – Excerpt B”, PROUT in a Nutshell, Part 18

Copyright Ananda Marga Publication 2012