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Eternal India
encyclopedia
FREEDOM MOVEMENT
THE BRAHMO SAMAJ (1828)
Raja Rammohan Roy
(1774-1833)
Raja Rammohan Roy (1774-1833) laid
the foundation of the Brahmo Samaj (1828)
“the first intellectual and cultural expres-
sion of a renascent India under the impact of
Europe.” He “brought home to the Indians
the necessity of modernising themselves,
.... and discovered for modern India the
treasures of Indian thought through the
Unitarian Theosophy of the Upanishads.”
He has been described as the father of
the Indian Renaissance and the Prophet of
Indian Nationalism. The Brahmo Samaj was
the outcome of two strong forces : “The Re-
volt of the mind against the tyranny and tradi-
tional authorities, customs and beliefs” and
“The rationalising effect of English educa-
tion.”
Raja Rammohan Roy challenged the
religious beliefs and social practices of the
Hindus. “The standard of revolt he thus
raised.... created what may be called Modem
India, and makes him worthy to rank by the
side of “Bacon and Luther.” He looked upon
idolatry as a degeneration from the pure mono-
theistic doctrine of the Upanishads, and de-
voted his time, energy and literary ability to
the propagation of the monotheistic doctrine
of the Hindu scriptures. His church, opened
on 23rd Jan 1830, was a meeting ground for
all those who discarded idolatry and wor-
shipped one true god. His campaign was a
major factor in the banning of the in human
practice of
sati
by William Bentinck in 1829.
After the death of Rammohan Roy in
1833, Devendra Nath Tagore infused new
life into it. Assisted by other likeminded
persons, he advocated female education,
supported
widow-marriages
and
de-
nounced polygamy. Later Kesab Chandra
Sen and his followers carried the message
of the Brahmo Samaj all over India.
ARYA SAMAJ (1875)
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(1824-1888)
- It was founded by Swami Dayananda
Saraswati in 1875. The founder being dis-
satisfied with the orthodox Brahmin family
took to ascetic life. His mission to spread
the gospel of the Arya Samaj was successful
in Punjab, U.P, Rajputana and Gujarat.
Dayananda vehemently believed that
truthful reform of Hindu society could only be
effected by reviving Vedic rituals and institu-
tions. He ridiculed Brahmin superiority, con-
demned the caste system and undertook mas-
sive social reform programme. The constitu-
tion of Arya Samaj (1877) laid down that “the
Vedas are the books of true knowledge which
the members should study.” The supreme and
unfailing authority for the Arya Samajists was
the Vedas as interpreted by Dayananda in his
‘
Satyartha-Prakash. ’
One significant aspect
of his thought was that, it differs fundamen-
tally, from that of modem and old commentar-
ies. It was this variety that attracted B.C. Pal
who admirably explained its psychology and
object and also his scheme of building India
based on the Vedas, “It was really the begin-
ning of the religious and social revival among
the Hindus to which we owe so largely the
birth of our present national consciousness...
his urge to establish Hindu Nationalism found
concrete expression in the “
suddhi
” move-
ment - this means the reconversion of those
Hindus... who had once been forcibly con-
verted to other religions like Islam or Christi-
anity... It was strongly resented by the Mus-
lims and was a source of almost chronic feud
between the two... two distinctive features of
the Samaj are social services like famine-
relief, and the spread of English education...
The Dayananda Anglo-Vedic College at
Lahore had great achievements to its credit...
it became the foremost agency for planting a
sturdy independent nationalism in Punjab.”
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (1875)
The Theosophical Society upheld “the
modern Hinduism in its orthodox form” and
gave a rational expression to its crudities
and absurdities... The society also gave an
impetus to the development of Indian Na-
tionalism.
Mrs. Annie Besant, an Irish citizen,
was closely associated with the Theo-
sophical Society. She joined it in 1889 and
became its President in 1907. Her first con-
centration was towards social and educa-
tional upliftment of Indians and later she
found the need of raising the political
status of India. Her entry into Indian poli-
tics began with the publication of
“The Com-
monwear
(1914). “The paper adopted as its
cardinal programme, religious liberty, national
education, social reform and political reform
aiming at self-government for India within
the British Commonwealth.” She bought a
daily paper in Madras, renamed it
New India,
and published it on July 14,1915. She made
a speech at Bombay pleading India’s case for
Home rule or self government, “I mean by
self-government the country shall have a gov-
ernment by councils, elected by all the people,
with the power of the purse... ” She effectively
utilised the network of the Theosophical Soci-
ety, set up Home rule organisations all over In-
dia and her short period of political activity
(less than 5 years) was marked by an “indomi-
table will, concentrated purposefulness, un-
daunted courage, and indefatigable zeal.” She
“stirred the country by the spoken as well as
the written word as scarcely anyone else could
do. ” Thus the Theosophical Society was “an
active force behind Indian Nationalism,” “but
the greatest contribution was in its new and
strange gospel of Ancient Indian wisdom and
its announcement of a great world purpose
and world mission which India yet had for the
races of the modem world.”
(B.C.P)
(for more details refer Sec. Z-6 & 7.)