BRAMHO SAMAJ
Topics - Modern Indian history
religious movement mains paper GS 1
It is a societal component of Brahmoism, which began as monotheistic ( believe in one ) reformist movement of the Hindu religion. It was founded by the Ram Mohan Roy on 28 August 1828 Culcutta British India. It is practised today mainly as the Adi Dharma.
Ram Mohan Ray
Ram Mohan Ray was the first awakened great Indian leader and social thinker dedicated his life for his people and country and worked hard to change the society, religious illness, and for intellectual development and political upliftment of people. He was deeply pained by the caste system of the society and corrupt priests.
He was scholar who possessed great skill in languages he knew dozens of languages like Sanskrit Persian, Arabic English, French,Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He has studied Hindu philosophy and Quran etc.
Raja ram Mohan Ray possessed great love and respect for the traditional philosophic system of the East.
He was supporter of rational and scientific approach and the principles of human dignity and social equality of all men and women wanted his country men to accept these and introduction of capitalism and industry in India.
In 1809, he wrote his famous work Gift to monotheism in which he given strong and weighty arguments against belief in many gods and advocated for the worship of single God.
Monotheism means believe in one God only.
He started Atmiya Sabha in Calcutta with strong support of young people and started struggle against social and religious evils in Bengal. He appoosed the idolatry (worship of idol ) , religious rituals , condemned priestly class for their sacrificial social interests and rigidity of caste and to prove his arguments against the monotheism he published in Vedas in Bengali languages and five upanishads.
He believed both western and Eastern culture.
In 1820, he published his Precepts of Jesus. He wanted to incorporate highest moral of Christianity in Hinduism.
He founded the idea of new India based on the reason and to acquire the best practices of west and east countries to renovate the Indian cultural society. Thus stood for reform of Hinduism.
He had friendly attitude towards all religion whose massage were common for brotherhood.
He was the propagator of modern education and supported English education also.
He laid down the foundation of unity of Indian society and vision of independent India by opposing castes rigidity and preaching monotheism.
He was pioneer of journalism published in many languages.
he apposed the oppressive practices of zamindars in Bengal and against the tax imposed on tax free lands also demanded abolition of Company's right to trade, judicial equality between Indians an Europeans and removal of heavy duties on Indian goods.
In 1825, he established a vedanta college to to offer learning of Indian and western social and physical science.
In 1828, he founded a new religious society, The Brahma Sabha, later called Brahmo Samaj to purify the Hinduism and to preach monotheism believe in one God.
- Brahmo Samaj criticize practice of sati ( self immolation of widow on pye of her husband)
- He organised social movement against sati and persuade people to favour the Bentinck's banning of sati.
- given emphasis on human dignity
- apposed idolatry
- He appoosed the idea that women were inferior to men in moral and intellect sense and given equality and demanded rights of inheritance and property
- He apposed polygamy
Features of the Bramho Samaj:
- it does not discriminate between caste, creed, and religion.
- Brahmo Samajists have no faith in any religious scripture as an authority.
- it denied the need for priestly class for interesting the religious texts.
- it did never accept and popularise the doctrine that the Vedas are infallible.
- it apposed idolatry ( idol worship) and superstitious practices and rituals of entire Brahmanical system.
- They worship one God without help of priest.
- Bramho samajists denounce polytheism ( worship of multiple Gods).
- it believes in the doctrine of Karma.
- they have no faith in Avatars (incarnations).
- They apposed caste system.
- it is casteless and adhered to the Brahmoism only.
- it is an assembly of all sorts and discrimination of people.
- They support widow remarriage and upliftment of women
- Promoted women and men modern education and given equality.
- Opposed child marriage
- Every one had right and capacity to decide what is wrong and what is right in a religious book or principle with the help of his own intellect.
- On 20 August, 1828, the first meeting of the Brahmo Samaj was held in Culcutta.
- In November 1830, Ram Mohan Roy left for England. Akbar second had conferred the title "RAJA" to Ram Mohan Roy. And in 1833 in the United kingdom left the body. He was for the efforts to remove the traditional sacrifice called "Sati pratha" and child marriage.
- On 6th October, 1839, Debendra nath tagore son of dwarka nath Togore, stablished "Tatvaranjini Sabha" and renamed as "Tatvabodhini sabha" ( TRUTH -SEEKERS).
- Debendra Nath Tagore (father of Ravindra Nath Togore) founded Tatvabodhini Sabha and published "Tatvabodhini Patrika" to propagate the ideas of Rajaram Mohan Ray in Bengali language after 1943. .
- He worked hard to promote women's education;
- Abolition of polygamy;
- Widows remarriage and for
- Improvement of Ryots conditions
- Kesub Chandra Sen: he also promoted Raja Ram Mohan Roy thought further.
- Katha upnishad belong to the Brahmo Samaj.
- Bramho Samaj was founded by Pandit Nobin Chandra in 1861 at Lahore.
Comments