A Western Answer to a Western Question: PROUT and Post-Capitalism through an Alternative Hindu Lens

Contemporary debates over post-capitalism remain largely trapped between two Western frameworks: capitalism and Marxism. This paper examines Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT), the political economy developed by Bengali philosopher P.R. Sarkar, as an alternative rooted in the, often-marginalized, Hindu tradition of Tantra. By tracing PROUT’s philosophical foundations through Sarkar’s conception of Cosmic Consciousness, I argue that its economic principles cannot be understood separately from its spiritual framework. In particular, PROUT derives its guarantees of minimum necessities, restrictions on excessive wealth accumulation, and redefinition of economic progress from the belief that material resources ultimately belong to a shared cosmic inheritance and should serve human development. Using interpretive textual analysis and comparative conceptual analysis, the paper situates PROUT within existing scholarship and further considers contemporary attempts to move beyond GDP-centered measures of progress, particularly New Zealand’s Wellbeing Budget. Ultimately, rather than presenting PROUT as a ready-made economic system, I argue that its significance lies in challenging the Western assumptions underlying what an economy is meant to achieve. “Human society is one and indivisible. Don’t try to divide it. Each and every individual should be looked upon as the manifestation of the Cosmic Entity.” - Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar