From the very beginning of the creation of man a struggle has been continuing between the so-called spiritualism and materialism with no definite result. In ancient times when this country of Bharat was blessed with great rśis, Charvaka school of thought also came into existence.

In the present world materialism has become strong. The result of the struggle between materialism and spiritualism will bring about mass annihilation. If both of them were weak, there would have been little chance of mass destruction. There are defects in both the philosophies. Inaction is the result of the so-called spiritualism and inaction means death. If the so-called spiritualism proves victorious over materialism, civilization will die out. If materialism prevails over spiritualism, immorality will creep in, and destruction is inevitable.

There should be a happy blend of spiritualism and materialism. Matter is nothing but the crude manifestation of spirit. Spirit is the essence of matter. When the struggle between the so-called spiritualism and materialism will reach its climax, it will pave the path for “Ananda Marga”. Thus Ananda Marga is a historical necessity.

The struggle is going on in every sphere of human life. The special feature of the so-called spiritualism is that absolute truth is its goal. Consciously or unconsciously they (the so- called spiritualistic philosophies) direct human society towards the Supreme-self, whereas only speed characterizes materialism. Ananda Marga directs the society to proceed towards, spiritual ideal (the cosmic self) both in unit as well as collective spheres with materialistic speed. It says “Do not neglect the material world and never forget the goal.” While materializing the ideal, we must see whether we are moulding the unit and re- moulding collective life or not.

If an individual gets spiritual enlightenment with the help of sádhaná; but ignores the society, he will run away to the Himalayas for self-realisation. An individual who observes the ideal of the Marga for his own spiritual uplift, but ignores the society, does not prove to be an asset to humanity. The ácáryas will help in moulding unit life, and the Tattvikas in remoulding the collective life. Both the individual and social uplift should go hand in hand. If there is no harmony between individual, and social progress, the individual will lose his existence. We should pay particular attention to several branches of social reform. Only paying attention will not do.

The tattvikas will have to be highly active and energetic. Their task will be two-fold; practical and intellectual.

Practical task consists of the following items: – 1. Relief work; 2. Women’s welfare; 3. Socio-economic reform. There should be harmony between words and activities.

ÁPANI ÁCARI DHARME
JIIVE SHIKHÁIVE

–Chaitanya

By “practical task” it is meant that táttvikas will themselves work and inspire others to work. Intellectual task enjoins upon them to follow the preachings of the Marga and inspire others to follow them.

(A) Relief work includes: – Nursing of the patients, corpse cremation, water supply and road building. Individuals themselves will do the work and tattvikas will give them inspiration. This is also a kind of sádhaná in the view of Ananda Marga.

(B) Women’s Welfare: – The position of the women is most wretched and pitiable in the society. The duty of the Tattvikas is to preach the philosophy of the Marga among the women folk, to wipe off superstitions, to remove illiteracy, to arrange dharmacakra and to raise their standard of living. It is seen that after the death of their husbands, widows have to face economic crisis. Therefore, they should be given chances to earn their own livelihood.

(3) Socio-economic reform: – The wealth of the world is a common property, so it should be properly utilized. There should be proper adjustment between centralized and decentralized economy for proper utilization of our common property. Táttvikas should encourage the mass much more than the unit.

Intellectual side: – Social reform is the principal item in intellectual sphere. Behind the social lapses there are two main factors, one is superstition and the other is unbalanced economy.

Superstition is not the only reason behind the dowry system but it has also the economic background. Neither speeches nor removal of superstition will solve this knotty problem, so long as the economic reason exists. The importance of the boy is higher than that of the girl, because the former is an asset highly assessed by the society and the latter is the liability. The dowry system can be removed only when the girls are given opportunities to earn their own livelihood.

Caste System – Superstition is the major factor behind the caste system and the economic reason is the minor one. The society has accepted the widow-marriage in black and white, but it is not in practice. When it is difficult to negotiate the marriage of Kumárii Kanyá [unmarried girl], it is much more difficult to arrange widow-marriage. Widow-marriage can be possible in a particular caste where the number of the males is larger than that of the females. Every caste has manufactured a false Kuul Shástra of its own. This Shástra holds the belief that the Brahmans originated from Brahma’s mouth, Kśatriyas from His arms, the Vaeshyas from His person and the Shúdras from His feet. In order to reform the society superstitions are to be wiped off through speeches and economic crisis by means of constructive works.

(i) Social reform

(ii) Spread of education.

Scientific approach is indispensable for the spread of education and social reform. What are our problems? How can they be solved? To make the mass conscious we require a harmonious literature and art for service and blessedness. Literature should be such as appeals to the mass. Literature should be written in the languages of the common folk. The art which establishes a link between the crude and the subtle is called Jan Kalá. Higher literature and ornamental style are meaningless to the common man. Táttvikas should encourage Jan Kalá. The duty of the táttvikas is to build a good and ideal society. The táttvikas must not neglect their duties. There is a need for a Central Board consisting of qualified táttvikas whose work will be to hold a preliminary test of the deserving candidates for the táttvika lessons, to arrange for examinations and issue certificates to the qualified candidates, to check and approve Marga’s literatures – both official and non-official and to help the ácáryas and táttvikas with necessary instructions. The board will consist of táttvikas who are dharmamitrams and who can express their ideas in three different languages.