Violent Bliss

A turbaned monk squatted in a waterless pool in New Delhi, held a match to his gasoline-soaked saffron robes and burned himself to death. The day before, a silent protest march by his fellow believers had turned into a riot. Demonstrators shouted "Death to the police!" and 238 of them were arrested in a flurry of tear gas and lath-is (long sticks).

Such tumult ill fits a religious group that calls itself Ananda Marga (the Path of Bliss). But its desperate devotees believe Indian authorities are conspiring to crush the sect and kill their imprisoned guru, P.R. Sarkar, by poison and mistreatment. The government has Sarkar in jail awaiting trial on the charge of abetting the murder of six defectors from his faith. It also claims that Ananda Marga is really a dangerous political organization.

Shocked. In truth, as practiced by Indian members of Ananda Marga, the path to bliss does seem to lead through byways usually avoided by otherworldly Indian religious sects. Sarkar, 52, a Bengali who is called Anandamurti (Bliss Personified) by his followers, was variously a newspaperman and railway clerk before he began raising disciples in 1955. Shocked by graft and corruption then, he now preaches self-liberation, not only through yoga but also through sweeping social reforms. Among them: absolute morality in government, and a guaranteed standard of living for all.

The sect operates a network of welfare agencies in India and has spread to more than 30 foreign lands, including a vocal U.S. branch based in Wichita, Kans. The sect now has at least 2.5 million converts in India alone, many of them recruited among frustrated youths who are educated but jobless.

The government has described the sect as everything from anarchist to fascist. Certainly Ananda Marga is profoundly political; its political wing ran several unsuccessful candidates in the 1971 elections. But officials refuse to explain the case until Sarkar is tried. Sarkar has languished in prison for 16 months with only a pretrial hearing, and because murder is involved the courts have denied him bail three times. Such court snarls are common in India, but until Sarkar is proved guilty or innocent, both sides are likely to go on thinking--or doing--the worst.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.