32 Brahmo Samāj

G. Vedaparayana

Introduction

Indian Renaissance is the product of the reaction and response of India to the Western impact religiously, socially and culturally. The process of Renaissance was not the abandonment of one tradition and the return to another tradition but the recovery and continuity of the Hindu tradition in renewed strength. The impulse to this renewal was provided by the impact the Western tradition. Renaissance in India signifies not only the revival and restoration of the past but a new awakening of the genius of her tradition and culture in a new context. It was not the rejection of her values but a creative restatement of assimilating all that was acceptable in the civilization of the west. Even its most radical expressions Renaissance was essentially continuous with the past. It did not mark a break in the history of India’ s culture but sought to organically relate it with the present in a creative manner to build a new future for India. An analysis of contemporary socio-political thought reveals that the basic ideas of the Renaissance sprung from the ancient Indian philosophy of the Vedas and Upanishads.

The contemporary Indian thinkers thoroughly studied the ancient Indian scriptures, accepted their philosophical bases, endorsed the world view and the concept of human nature contained in them. They strongly condemned social evils like casteism, communalism, regionalism, colonialism and economic exploitation and suggested remedies. They examined the problems of our country from a nationalist and patriotic point of view and propounded the ideals of spiritual nationalism as well as the message of internationalism and humanism. They were conscious of the crisis being faced not only by India but by humanity itself and hence suggested a cure not only for the ills of Indian society and politics but also for the establishment of a world of universal brotherhood. In their search for modernity the contemporary thinkers did not cut themselves off from the mainsprings of Indian tradition. Instead, they laid great emphasis to build the foundations of change on the ancient Indian wisdom and values. As great humanists contemporary Indian thinkers showed a deep concern for the eradication of the problems of human life and strived to shape the destiny of India and the world as whole. Their humanistic ideas consist in their struggle against foreign domination, economic exploitation, and social evils like caste system, untouchability sati, child marriage, etc. Indian renaissance represents not only the nationalist mainstream of the pre- independence period but also reflects the totality of the Indian spirit and civilization personified by a large number of national leaders from Ram Mohan Roy to Vinoba Bhave. Thus the Indian renaissance and the contemporary Indian thought did not lose touch with the Indian tradition but it synthesized the ancient Indian values and modern western science in a creative and productive way

2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the father of Indian Renaissance, was born in a small village called Radhanagar in Bengal in the year 1772. He belonged to a family of Brāhmins. He was basically a linguist who had mastered Sanskrit, English, Hindi, Persian, Hebrew, Greek and Latin. He made use of his knowledge to study the religious books in each of these languages and thereby he became quite knowledgeable on the subject of religion. He was the first religious reformer of the 19th century and his efforts left a deep impression upon the social, political and religious thinking of his days. He canvassed to include scientific education along with oriental studies in India. As a social reformer, Ram Mohan focused mainly on the deplorable condition of women in Hindu society. He is well-known for his long and successful campaign for the abolition of sati, the self-immolation of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands, and he fought incessantly against child marriage and for female education. He was also against the practice of priestly hypocrisy, idol worship, ritual and sacrifice which were the common practices followed in India. He held the cause of liberty and freedom very dear and was a staunch champion of the freedom of press and expression. Roy truly inaugurated the modern age in India by trying to liberate his countrymen from the shackles of orthodoxy, dead tradition and blind practice with which the Indian social, political and cultural life was rigidly bound. He was torch bearer of the civilizing and enlightening forces of the west and the preserver of the best creative traditions of India. His attempts at humanizing religion, his rational interpretation of the past and the extension of reason to the understanding and solution of social and political problems were to be the beginning of a continuous movement of modernization in India. He laid firm foundations for religious, social and political liberalism in India. More than anything religious reform in India was his prime concern This awakening initiated by Roy resulted in several reform movements. He published in both Bengali and English an Abstract of the Vedanta Sutras and a couple of pamphlets in defense of Hindu theism. His position was that the Upanishads taught pure theism uncontaminated by idolatry and ritualism. He established an organization called Brahmo Samaj to put his ideas and ideals into practice.

3. Brahmo Samaj

To begin with Roy established a society called the Ātmīya Sabha or Friendly Association in1815. Meetings were held weekly, at which texts from the Hindu scriptures were recited and hymns were sung, but the society ceased to meet in 1819. Later on he started a bigger organization called Brahmo Samaj in 1828. The society met every Saturday evening seven to nine for studying the scriptures and for prayers also. The service was in four parts, the chanting of selections from Upanişads in Sānskrit, the translation of these passages into Bengali, a sermon in Bengali, and the singing of theistic hymns in Sānskrit and Bengali composed by Roy and his friends. The Samaj was not an official organization and it had no membership or creed. It was merely meant for weekly meeting open to anyone who cared to attend. The principles of this society avoided all rigidity and discrimination or exclusion. It stressed the importance of universal brotherhood and equality of all and the existence of a single God. It tried to give a new vision of religion to people. The religious outlook of the Samaj was shaped by the comparative study of various religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, on the one hand, and a creative perception of the scientific achievements of the West, on the other. Besides religious reform, the Samaj aimed to bring about social, political and cultural reforms also. The Samaj was the First Temple of Universal Worship of the one God without the second. The first meeting of the Samaj was attended by more than five hundred people of all castes.

4. Religious Reforms

Brahmo Samaj aimed at bringing about a radical transformation of Hinduism in order to retain its life and strength. It appealed Indians to return the pure religion of their fore-fathers. It also summoned them to be familiar with the essentials of the Hindu literature, law and religion. He had a deep study of the Vedas and Upanişads. In his fervor for religious transformation ,Roy studied other major religions like Islam, Christianity and Buddhism He was impressed by the Islamic Mutaziliate school of thought that strongly advocated rationalism and free thinking among the Muslims in the 19th century but he was not satisfied with Islam. He went to Tibet to obtain information about the doctrine of Buddhism but that also did not satisfy him. Christianity played an important role in molding his religious outlook. He described the Christ as the greatest humanist and as the epoch making guide of man. Roy also got acquainted with Jainism and other minor religions of the world. Thus the whole effort of the Samaj was to create a ‘new’ religion on the basis of rational interpretation of the scriptures and combine their sacred sense to suit the demands and the exigencies of the modern times. So, the Samaj laid a grate stress on the comparative study of the various religions.

The Samaj recognized the principle of monotheism or monism as the foundation of a true religion. In 1804, the Samaj brought out a work entitled Tuhfat- ul- Muwahidin (A Gift to the Monotheists) which taught a rational approach and outlook to religion. The main thesis of the book is that God is one though different religions worship Him in different forms. Belief in the One God is not only natural but also common to people of all creeds. The Samaj insisted on testing every religious dogma with reason and experience. Taking all that is best in all religions and accepting that every religion contains certain amount of Truth which the same as God, the Samaj came to visualize the necessity of a Universal Religion and cosmopolitan outlook. The Samaj felt that only a Universal religion would destroy the differences and dislikes among people. Such a religion alone would be conducive to the peace and union of humankind. The Samaj functioned on idea that basically all religions preach a common message and that their followers are all brothers and sisters. It also held the original scriptures of all religions are revelations of the one Universal religion. In its essence no religion is an arbitrary products of priest-craft or dogma.

Brahmo Samaj began to champion the ideal of religious liberalism. It worked for rationalizing and humanizing religion. It attacked the then existing state of affairs in the sphere of religion such as ignorance, dogmatism, hypocrisy and ritualism. It taught that corrupted religion produced a degraded society. False religion perpetuated inhuman and soul killing customs and practices. As a Hindu reformist organization, the Samaj tried to bring Hindus back to the purity of ancient Hinduism. It strived for enlightening them by making them familiar with the sublime truths of the Vedas and the Upani şads. It repudiated idol worship and preached religious toleration and catholicity. It stood for the regeneration of old values to revive self confidence among the Hindu people who had lost their cultural roots of the profound tradition. Thus, faced with the superstitions and immoralities of popular Hinduism, on the one hand, and seeing the truth contained in other religions like Islam and Christianity on the other hand, the Samaj found out a solution to the various problems confronted by the Hindu society. It harmonized the theistic elements common mainly to the three faiths, namely, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. It also declared them to be at once the original truths of Hinduism as contained in the Upanishads. The Samaj was convinced that the worship of One God must be in spirit consistent with the true dictates of Hindu śāstras .It held the belief in that God is in accordance with the purest principles of morality. The Samaj was sure that it was restoring the Hindu faith to its original purity. The core of Hinduism alone formed the basis of a universal religion on which all people could unite and peacefully co -exist. Thus, Brahmo Samāj came to be known as the first modern religious reform movement which established the universality of Hinduism by interpreting its religious texts and tradition in a creative way. All this is entirely due to the single handed efforts of the founder of the Samaj, Ram Mohan Roy. It was who he studied the scriptures and conceived the new religion of humanity based on the universal truth.

5.Social Reforms

Brahmo Samāj was known not only for its religious reform but also for socio-cultural and political transformation of India. It aimed at bringing about an all round change in the Indian society. It wanted to base India on new structure in all its dimensions. Socially, politicaIlly and culturally it inaugurated a new era for the Indian people. It proclaimed the principles of individual freedom, national unity, solidarity and collectivism. It worked for the democratization of all social institutions and human relations. It also recognized the inevitable need for a radical reform of the Hindu social structure.. So it launched a movement against the socio-cultural evils such as sati, polygamy, unnatural division of caste and widow remarriage. This movement was comprehensive in its scope and remarkable in its influence for it began to effect a considerable change in the thinking and living of the people of India. The Samaj advocated the emancipation of women from all sorts of social inequality and preached against early marriage and enforced widowhood . It also championed the right of Hindu females to inherit property. It described the custom of sati as a barbarous and inhuman practice and as cruel murder. It opposed the heinous custom with the support of the principal parts of Hindu scriptures. It stood for its abolition on grounds of equality, justice and humanity. It maintained that no śāstras have ever sanctioned sati. The Samaj saw to it that sati was abolished by the government. It was because its sustained efforts and Roy’s indefatigable fight that sati was abolished by Lord William Bentinck in 1829.But Roy very well knew that mere legislation would not be adequate in eradicating the age old custom. He held that progress of education was necessary to accelerate the process of social change.

So the Samaj took up the cause of education for women. It even espoused the idea of giving women western education in India in place of old system of education, which was mostly confined to religious scriptures. It advocated the western system of education and sought to impart English education to Indians as a whole. It believed that English education was essential for intellectual and cultural re-awakening of the people of India. It stressed the importance of a more liberal and enlightened system of instruction consisting of mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, anatomy and other useful sciences. The Samaj firmly believed that a proper education was essential to bring self awareness in the people and restore justice and equality in society. As a consequence Ram Mohan Roy established the famous Hindu college in 1817 with help and guidance of David Hare. The Samaj also strived to end the system of polygamy and carried on a relentless crusade against it. Basing on the authority of Yā jňavalkya and Manu, the Samaj maintained that polygamy was directly against the teachings of ancient law givers. It also worked for the removal of untouchability and the vagaries of the caste system and vehemently opposed its rigidities. It believed that the caste system was doubly evil as it created inequality, divided people and deprived them of patriotic feeling. It thought that weeding out corrupt elements from Hindu society was possible only by preaching the Vedāntic message of worship of one God. The Samaj thus tried to laying the foundation for the unity of Indian society which was divided into divergent groups of mutual exclusion and discrimination.

Politically also Brahmo Samaj stood for liberalism. It believed that British rule could lead to the amelioration of the Indian masses. It frankly appreciated the benefits of British rule in India. It appreciated the wisdom and the liberality of British government and considered it necessary for the gradual improvement of the social-political conditions of the people. The society r give rise to national consciousness among the people of India. Since Roy was a staunch champion of the freedom of the press, the Samaj stood for eradication of any restriction on the freedom of press and expression. It proclaimed that constraints on freedom of expression would result in putting a complete stop to the diffusion of knowledge and the improvement of mind. The Samaj brought out journals in Bengali, Persian, Hindi and English to spread scientific, literary and political knowledge among the people It worked for educating public on topics of current interest and elicit public opinion and represent popular demands and grievances before the government. It also initiated public agitations on political questions in the country and raised the demands for the Indianization of the superior services. It also raised the issues of separation of the executive and judiciary and judicial equality between Indians and Europeans in all respects. In all this Roy alone was the torch-bearer. He was preserver of the civilizing and enlightening forces of the west as well as the best creative traditions of India. His broad outlook and education enabled him to establish a unique Soceity which combined the knowledge of the east and the west. According to Brahmo Samāj, modernism should strive to eradicate the barriers of division among people and lead the entire humanity to salvation. This humanistic message that Brahmo and Dharma are not different was in fact derived from the old Vedānta insight. The Samaj stood for the unity not only of Indians but entire human race. Its attempt at humanizing religion, the rational interpretation of the past and the extension of reason in understanding and solving the religious, social and political problems marked the beginning of a continuous movement of modernization in India. Again the entire credit of all this goes only to its founder, Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

6. Adi Brahmo Samaj of Devendranath Tagore

After the death of Ram Mohan Roy in Bristol after a brief illness on 27th November 1833, great figures like Devendranath Tagore, Keshub Chandra Sen and others took the responsibility of propagating the ideals of the Samaj. However, Devedrath along with his friends and relatives, established a new Society called Tattva Bodhini Sabha or Truth-teaching Association in1839 It used to meet weekly for religious discussions and once a month for prayers. The Sabha started with only ten members but the number soon rose to five hundred. It attracted some of the leading personalities of the period. In 1842, Devendrath and his young friends of the Sabha joined Brahmo Samaj. The two Soceities worked together in tandem with common objectives. Devendranath was soon recognized as leader and he become the Ācārya or Master of the Samāj. He started a monthly journal titled Tattvabodhini Patrika and established a Vedic school,named,Tattvabodhini Pāţasāla. Following Ram Mohan Roy Devendranath espoused the belief that original Hinduism was a pure spiritual theism, but he did not share Roy’s deep reverence for Christ. He believed India had no need of Christianity. After some time, Devendra nath felt that the Samāj needed an organization. He therefore drew up what is known as the Brahmo Covenant, a list of solemn vows to be taken by everyone on becoming a member of the Society. The members of the Tattvabodhini Sabha were the first to take the vows. The new organization came to be known as Ā di Brahmo Samāj formed in 1843. He also introduced a brief form of prayer and adoration for the Almighty called Brahmopāsana or worship of Brahmon. The main teachings of Ādi Brahmo Samāj can be summed up as follows:-

• In the beginning, there was naught. The One supreme alone existed. He created the whole universe.
• He alone is the God of Truth, Infinite wisdom, Goodness and Power, Eternal and All-pervading, the One without a second
• In His worship lies our salvation in this world and in the next.
• Loving Him and doing that which He loveth constitute His worship.’
• God has never become incarnate,
• God hears and answers prayers.
• Nature and intuition are the sources of knowledge of God.
• No book is authoritative

Important point of Devendranath’ s teachings is the direct communion of human soul with the supreme spirit without any role of the intermediary. Due to vigorous preaching of Devendranath and several young missionaries in and around Calcutta, the Samāj once again took a prominent place in the life of Bengal. The Samaj continued to attack the fundamental inequities and abuses of society. Intemperance, polygamy and child marriage were denounced; widow remarriage and female education were strongly advocated by the Adi Brahmo Samāj of Devendranath. He propogated his ideas through his famous journal ‘Patrika.’ His fellow citizens were greatly impressed by his great and noble character and his lofty spiritual nature. He was called the Maharshi or the great Rishi or seer. A little tired with constant rationalistic debates with some members, Devendranath retired to the Himalayas for a couple of years (1856-58) and he resided there absorbed in studies and meditation. When he returned from Himalayas, he was rejoiced to find a new recruit to Samāj, Keshub Chandra Sen, the grandson of Dewan Ramakamal Sen, the first Indian Secretary to the Asiatic society of Bengal. Keshub Chandra Sen joined Brahmo Samāj in 1857 and he was destined to prove the third prominent figure in leading the Samaj.

7. Brahmo Samāj of Keshub Chandra Sen

Keshub Chandra Sen was a very enthusiastic worker in the cause of the Samaj. He was born in 1838 in a well known Vaişņavaite family of Vaidya caste in Bengal. In 1859, he along with Devendranath became the Joint Secretary of the Samāj. They took over the printing press, the library and other properties of the Tattva Bodhini Sabha which was dying a natural death. In September 1859, they undertook a voyage to Ceylon and on their return Keshub developed a youth movement meant for delivering addresses and publishing journals such as ‘Young Bengal’, ‘This is for You’, etc which attracted a large number of young men and college students to the Samāj. Keshub felt that the spirit of social service and social reform were the bounden duty of every serious theist. Thus social service and reform became an integral part of the work of the Samāj. In 1861, Keshub started an influential journal called ‘Indian Mirror,’ with the financial backing of Devendranath Tagore. In 1862, Keshub delivered his memorable address ‘The Destiny of Human Life’.’ In the same year, he was elevated by Devendranath to the post of Ācārya or Minister of the Brahmo Samāj. At the end of 1866, surprisingly Keshub started a new society, called, the Brahmo Samāj of India and invited all Brahmons throughout the country to join it. Hence forth the original Samāj was called the Ādi Brahmo Samāj and number of steady old members remained there. But nearly the whole of younger and more enthusiastic members followed Keshub. The separation from Devendranath depressed Keshub and threw him back on God. He considered God as a creative force and used the word “God-force”. According to him, the design and harmony witnessed in nature is the sufficient proof for the reality of the creator of the universe. So he held that man’s primary duty is to obey the Divine will.

In the social field, Keshub Chandra Sen advocated five types of activities- Female uplift, spread of education, study and circulation of literature, observation of temperance and finally charity. Like Roy, he advocated political freedom and also opined that the British rule in India was a blessing in disguise. He was a champion of liberty, both of individual and of nation. He was a cosmopolitan and a humanist. He was against all sectarianism, mutual hatred and exclusiveness. According to him, the true spirit of religion required the cementing of the bond of international fellowship. His approach to problems was a catholic, comprehensive and synthetic. Explaining his synthetic approach to religion he said that every religion is true and renders a service to humanity. Thus Keshub Chandra Sen believed in world fellowship though he was an ardent nationalist. He was a libertarian to the core. He avocated radical social and cultural reforms. He performed several inter-caste and widow re-marriages. He opened the membership of the Sabha to all people irrespective caste and gender. Its scriptures included the sacred texts of all religions. Unfortunately, during 1871-72, some of his junior contemporaries become impatient owing to the lack of a rational and constitutional procedure in the Samāj. As a result of this and many other controversies, the radical group formed another Soceity called the Sādhāran Brahmo Samāj in 1878. The new Sabha gradually reverted to the teachings of the Upanishads and carried on the work of social reforms. Keshud Chandra Sen died in 1884 when he was only 46 years old. Under the influence of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Keshub had already changed his views on idolatry. He had proclaimed that Hindu idolatry is not to be rejected since it represents millions of fragments of one God .Collect them together and you will see the indivisible Divinity.

In conclusion, it may be said that the Brahmo Samāj attempted to radically reform the Hindu society. There was not a single evil which it did not attack. It led a crusade against the practice of sati, polygamy, marriages of minor girls, caste system, untouchability, etc. It envisaged inter-caste marriages, education of women, and remarriages of widows, etc., as practical measures for removing the social evils. Thus, the Brahmo Samāj adopted all possible means to propagate its religious and social reforms and succeeded in creating momentum against the social and religious evils in India. It really paved way for the age of enlightenment in India.

Summary

Indeed, Brahmo Samāj gave a ‘new life’ to Indian society in all its spheres. On the basis of the Vedas and the Upanişads, it taught that God is one and every religion possesses truth; idol-worship and ritualism are useless and social evils which have no connection with religion. It also succeeded in checking many other social evils and bringing the Indian society to the threshold of modern age. The Samāj glorified the ancient culture of India, developed confidence among Indians towards their own religion and thus, participated indirectly in the resurgence of Indian nationalism. Great thinkers like Geremy Bentham, the Utlitarian philosopher, admired the efforts of Ram Mohan Roy in changing the Indian society. The father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, too applauded the Samaj’s contribution to the socio-cultural transformation of India

Web links

• www.brahmosamaj.in
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmo_Samaj
• www.britanica.com/topic/Brahmo-Samaj
• www.ccba.org.in/brahmosamaj/html
• www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopeida/hindu/ascetic/brahmo.html
• https://en.wikisource.org/Brahmosamaj.org

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