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Original sources from the Founder of PROUT

Discourses on PROUT

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar gave a series of lectures to the first conference of Proutists, from 17 October to 22 October of 1959. It was first published in 1959 under the name "A Discussion".

Chapter 1 Summary

• The universe is the psychic and internal projection of Cosmic Consciousness. Human beings can't create original matter, they can only transform it, hence ownership lies only with the Cosmic Consciousness.
• The Dáyabhága is a law treatise written by Jiimútaváhana which primarily focuses on inheritance procedure. The entire universe is a joint family and Cosmic Consciousness is the Supreme Father of all. Through analogy with the Dáyabhága, Sarkar concludes that the universe is the common patrimony of all living beings, however no one owns anything.
• People should live with the policy "Live and let others live".
• The universe is a psychic projection of the Cosmic Mind and it is a creation of relativity. If a perfect order is to be built, it should depend on something absolute. No governmental order or law of inheritance can be treated as perfect because they are embedded in relativity. For a perfect socio-political order, there should be a happy blending of relativity and absolute.
• If the rational principles of Cosmic inheritance are accepted, the question of foreign and native lands does not arise. The whole universe is the paternal property of all, and everyone is a members of the Cosmic society.
• Human mental longings are infinite and trifarious (physical, mental and spiritual). Infinite physical thirst can't be quenched as the physical resources of the world are limited. Therefore it is necessary to divert this physical thirst towards psychic and spiritual pursuits. Mental and spiritual thirsts can be quenched as the mental and spiritual worlds are infinite.
• Proutists are responsible of enforcing law and order.
• The per capita limit of acquisition should be fixed according to the collective resources of the universal society.
• There should be rational acquisition and rational distribution of mundane property, otherwise the peace and tranquillity of society will be disturbed. While doing that, the first approach should be spiritual, followed by psychic. Only when the psychic approach fails, there should be application of force. Application of force or struggle is the essence of life, the spirit of life.
• As a matter of principle the system of compensation cannot be accepted. For example, zamindars (landlords) should not be given any compensation for the socialization of land. If the owner of the land is a minor, a senior citizen, a widow or a small zamindar having no other resources, they should be given stipends and unemployed youth should be provided with jobs.
• The mind requires a psychic shelter and the feelings are nothing but the mind's shelter and physico-psychic projections. Sustained spiritual effort (meditation) increases the boundaries of projected objects.
• Casteism, provincialism, communalism and nationalism are all mental diseases, the panacea of all being universalism.

Chapter 2 Summary

• Ism thrives on the angle of group interest. Among many other factors, ism is a major factor in war. War is not an ideological clash. Those who are eager to establish peace should shake off nationalism and other allied isms. Universalism does not depend upon any relative factor, hence it is free from the vices of ism.
• To shake off these isms, a universal body has to be organized and its power should go on strengthening. This will be the first phase in establishing a world government. In the initial stage it will be a legislative bicameral body, while the local governments having the executive power. While representatives to the higher house will be sent country-wise, representatives to the lower house will be sent according to the population of the countries.
• In the world government, that one day might extend to an entire planetary system, a universal language is necessary for the exchange of ideas among different linguistic groups. Today English, has all the qualities to be the universal language, however this is subject to change with time.
• In the future, whatever be the universal language of that time, a highly scientific script is necessay. Today Latin script is the most scientific script.
• There should not be any prescribed national or international dress. Selection of dress depends upon the climatic conditions of a particular place. There should be complete freedom in the choice of dress.
• Culture is an ambiguous term. It is a collective expression of social life and is of composite structure. There are certain prima facie local variations, but there is no difference in the subterranean cultural flow of the human society. The difference is external and not internal. Common factors for the entire humanity (that is, culture in the true sense of the term) should always be encouraged, but prima facie differences should never be encouraged.
• Nationalism is being rapidly replaced by internationalism. A day is sure to come when this international colour will be changed into universalism.
• While fighting corruption a constructive ideal is a must and there should be a ceaseless and pactless struggle against all anti-human and antisocial factors. Capitalism has to be fought, not the capitalists themselves. The capitalists are suffering from a sort of mental ailment, and it is the foremost duty of moralists to radically cure them by diverting their physical thirst towards psychic and spiritual pursuits.

Chapter 3 Summary

• If a particular country or district is highly industrialized, that will not help in uplifting or changing the economic standard of other parts of the world or country. Hence industry should be decentralized, but key industries should be centralized.
• Small businesses should be left to individuals, big industries should be owned by the immediate government and the industries in between the big and small industries should be run on a cooperative basis.
• Capitalists start industries only where the following factors are available: (1) capital; (2) labour; (3) favourable [economic] climate; and (4) a ready market for sales. They always try to lessen the cost of production, hence they will never support the principle of decentralization. Industrial decentralization is only possible in a collective economic structure. No profit motive will remain in such a structure, here industry is for consumption.
• It's an age of science and there should be rationalization of industry. Science should be utilized for service and blessedness. Rationalization is not the cause of unemployment, rather capitalistic framework where industry is for profit, is. Reducing the working hours, instead of reducing number of employees is the solution and those workers' remaining hours can be used for mental and spiritual pursuits.
• Industry labourers should be provided with incentives such as piece work and the bonus system of work, they should also be provided with the right of management in the factory. Thus they will feel that the more the factory gets profit, the more profit they will share.
• Cooperatives need exemption for sales tax, duties etc. as they can't stand in open competition with individual enterprise. This exemption should be limited to essential commodities only and individual enterprise should be limited to those commodities which are not essential for life.
• Prostitution has a socio-economic cause. When women will enjoy economic independence and equal status in society, this practice will cease to exist.
• The dowry system is based on two factors: the economic predominance of either men or women in the society and the disproportionate number of females or males. These social injustices can be removed by allowing economic independence to women, and by encouraging inter-caste and international marriages.
• There are two kinds of peace; sentient (sáttvik) peace and static (támasik) peace. In case of any invasion, if the leaders of the invaded country accept the invasion and let their people be exploited by the invading country, this will be called static peace. Fight is the essence of life, and sentient peace can be restored only after fight. The leaders of the invaded country should fight against the imperialistic motive of the invading country.
• Today capitalists are trying to check the growth of the population by propagating the practice of birth control, because increases in the population will be detrimental to capitalism. In a collective economic structure one need not support birth control. Rather, the growth of the population will be helpful in the production of essential commodities.

Chapter 4 Summary

• In all walks of present-day life, the dark shadows of immorality are fast taking definite shape and hampering human progress. A very strong moral force is required to wipe out this filth of immorality. One cannot expect this moral force from the government power functioning within a democratic structure.
• Middle-class people, with their developed intellect excited by pecuniary troubles, take the leading part in a mass upheaval against immoral activities from the side of the government and finally a change in the sceptre is effected by this politically conscious sector of society. Under the democratic set-up, the middle-class people who function as a part of the government find it very difficult to raise a voice of active protest. They are the silent sufferers, getting no recognition for their sufferings. This is the greatest drawback of the democratic system of government.
• The downfall of a particular government becomes inevitable if it goes against the collective interests of the middle-class people. In an educationally backward country, where the mass is not politically conscious, the talk and practice of adult franchise corrupts the governmental machinery. The government proves hostile to the interests of the middle-class people because hypocritical leaders cannot purchase their votes or befool them with high-sounding assurances. The corrupt leaders apply all their cunningness to purchase votes from the backward people. The more cunning the candidates are, the more successful they become. Hence the formation of a politically-conscious group, or better still a politically-educated group, is essential in every country to check the corruption prevalent among political leaders.
• Youths form an important part of the so-called politically-educated group and the student community is a distinguished section of it. Deficiencies in the political structure cause deterioration in the educational system and thus adversely affect the future of these students. Governments, being the economic force behind the universities, compel the universities to play the pitiable role of “Your most obedient servant”. The sole purpose of forming Proutist organizations is to put a moral check on the immoral practices in our individual and collective lives.
• The present-day politicians misguide students for their own selfish ends. Proutists should work as a non-political group strictly adhering to the principles of morality (Yama and Niyama).
• It is the duty of conscious people to snatch away the physical power and the intellectual leadership from the hands of political hypocrites. Politicians are of no use to society because they are engaged in the business of mudslinging and nothing else. If sadvipras (spiritual moral revolutionaries) get active mass support, revolution is bound to come. In case a government adopts the ideals of Prout, the rule of sadvipras will prevail.
• There should be a world military whose numerical strength is to be gradually reduced. Even after the formation of the world government, intra-unit and inter-unit conflicts will not cease to exist. Therefore the military requirement will remain forever.

Chapter 5 Summary

• For a good and healthy society there should be good, healthy and well-educated citizens. In democratic countries the party in power tries to propagate their party ideals through the educational system. They prescribe only those text books which coincide with their party ideals. The universities are forced to surrender before the government because of their financial dependency.
• The Proutist movement will have to make the universities and educational institutions free from dirty party politics. The duty of the government is to finance the universities and not to interfere in their internal affairs. The media too, should be free from government control.
• There are several forms of governmental structure and among them the democratic structure is highly appreciated. Democracy has been defined as “government of the people, by the people and for the people" by Theodore Parker and Abraham Lincoln. But in fact it is the rule of the majority. Hence democracy means “mobocracy” because the government in a democratic structure is guided by mob psychology. The majority of the society are fools; wise people are always in a minority. Thus, finally democracy is nothing but “foolocracy”.
• In the democratic framework of society the government may be very keen to pass laws to check corruption, but the government is not equally keen to enforce those laws, because the leaders have to depend upon the votes collected through the media of influential antisocial elements.
• The best form of government is the benevolent dictatorship of the sadvipras. The sadvipras will elect a dictatorial board, and that board will elect ministers and a chairperson. The chairperson will be the constitutional head. If the chairperson cannot carry out his or her duties efficiently, the board will replace him or her by electing another chairperson. As a principle, individual dictatorship cannot be accepted.
• A socio-economic ideal can be established by either of the following two methods: (1) intellectual revolution; (2) physical revolution. Intellectual revolution stands for the propagation of ideals, but to materialize these ideals takes a pretty long time. Suffering humanity is not going to wait for this. Intellectual revolution is possible in theory only.
• The locus standi of a nation depends on the following factors: (1) common history; (2) common tradition; (3) common territory; (4) common race; (5) common faith; (6) common language; (7) common sentiments; and (8) common ideals. Among these factors items one to seven are relative factors and as such are of a transitory nature only. Within the scope of item eight there can be a blending of absolute with relativity.
• The absolute factor is the ideal of Cosmic ownership. This has to be accepted within the scope of relativities. Not only will the common spiritual factor unify the inhabitants of multilingual or multi-regional countries; the entire universal society will come under the banner of this common spiritual ideal and become one.

Chapter 6 Summary

• The universe is just like a joint family. Peace and tranquillity depend upon a well-knit socio-economic structure. The moulding of the socio-economic structure depends upon ideological outlook. First there should be a constructive ideal. The ideal should be not only the culminating point but also the starting point, which will always be supplying with vital juice.
• The universal society has only one culture. It has humanitarian value at its very fundament. Human society throughout the universe has only one human sentiment, and that sentiment makes people laugh in happiness and shed tears in sorrow. They try to help others, form society, live peacefully and die peacefully. This is what is called human culture. This fundamental culture should be encouraged. It is a connecting link between one person and another, between so-called nation and nation.
• For the sake of the solidarity of the Cosmic society, an economic structure based on common human factors and common necessities has to be started:
  1. The minimum necessities of human society should be guaranteed. We are not only to recognize these requirements, but also to guarantee the availability of the requirements, which includes our social responsibility of supplying individuals with purchasing power.
  2. A common philosophy of life. People unite on a common ideology.Among the different schools of philosophy, the cruder the philosophy, the weaker the social cohesion. When people unite for a subtle motive, the philosophy becomes subtler and subtler, and the social ties become stronger. When this subtlety reaches absoluteness, it becomes permanent. The absolute philosophy is the philosophy dealing with intuitional science (Brahmavidyá).
  3. Universality in constitutional structure.
  4. Common penal code. The penal code should also be prepared on the basis of a constitutional structure. The constitution should serve as the fundament for developing a penal code.
• The minimum necessities/requirements of people today are, food, clothes, housing accommodation, proper education and medicine. These should be provided to all. Intellectuals, scientists and people performing special services require certain amenities. There should be a never-ending process to minimize the gap between these two, but as a result of minimization it will never come to zero.
• The per capita income of the universe will never be uniform. The gap will remain unbridged forever. Diversity is the law of nature. If the diversity ceases to exist, the universe will also cease to exist.
• Every living creature should have liberty in certain spheres of life freedom in certain spheres of life. But that liberty must not be allowed to surmount the common cause, particularly in the physical sphere. We have no right to go against the collective interest. Liberty should be drastically and mercilessly curtailed in the physical sphere, but there should be freedom in the psychic and spiritual strata, such as freedom of thought and speech and freedom in spiritual practice.