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Indian Freedom Struggle (1707–1947 A.D.)

Notes The Brahmo Samaj has played a notable role in the Indian Renaissance. H.C.E. Zacharias writes:
“Rammohan Roy and his Brahmo Samaj form the starting point for all the various Reform
Movements—whether in Hindu religion, society or politics—which have agitated Modern India”.
The intellectual mind which had been cut off its moorings by the Christian propaganda found a
way out in the Brahmo Samaj. In the field of religious reform the main significance of Brahmo
Samaj lay not in what it retained of traditional Hinduism but what it discarded of the old beliefs
of Hinduism. It’s overall contribution may be summed up thus: (i) it discarded faith in divine
Avatars; (ii) it denied that any scripture could enjoy the status of ultimate authority transcending
human reason and conscience; (iii) it denounced polytheism and idol-worship; (iv) it criticised the
caste system; (v) it took no definite stand on the doctrine of Karma and transmigration of soul and
left it to individual Brahmos to believe either way.
In matters of social reform. Brahmo Samaj has influenced Hindu society. It attacked many dogmas
and superstitions. It condemned the prevailing Hindu prejudice against going abroad. It worked
for a respectable status for woman in society—condemned sati, worked for abolition of purdah
system, discouraged child marriages and polygamy, crusaded for window remarriage, provision
of educational facilities etc. It also attacked casteism and untouchability though in these matters it
attained limited success.

Under Keshab’s influence the Samaj began to cut itself from Hindu moorings; henceforth
religious scriptures of every sect and every people including the Christians, Muslims,
Parsis began to be read in the Brahmo Samaj meetings.

The Brahmo Ideas in Maharashtra or the prarthana Samaj

The Brahmo ideas spread in Maharashtra where the Paramahansa Sabha was founded in 1849.
In 1867, under the guidance of Keshab the Prarthana Samaj (Prayer Congregation) was established
in Bombay. In Bombay the followers of Prarthana Samaj never “looked upon themselves as
adherents of a new religion or of a new sect, outside and alongside of the general Hindu body, but
simply as a movement within it”. Apart from the worship of one God, in Western India the main
emphasis has been on social reform, upon ‘works’ rather than ‘faith’. They believed that the true
love of God lay in the service of God’s children. Their approach was not confrontation with Hindu
orthodoxy, but they relied on education and persuasion.
In the field of social reform the focus was on four objects: (i) Disapproval of caste system, (ii)
Raising the age of marriage of both meals and females, (iii) Window remarriage, (iv) Women
education.
The prominent leaders of the Samaj were Justice Mahadev Govinda Ranade (1842-1901), R.G.
Bhandarker (1837-1925) and N.G. Chandavarkar (1855-1923). The Depressed Classes mission, the
Social Service League and the Deccan Education Society have done creditable work in the field of
social and educational reforms.
A number of Brahmo Samaj centres were opened in the Madras State. In the Punjab the Dayal
Singh Trust sought to implant Brahmo ideas by the opening of Dayal Singh College at Lahore in
1910.
3.2 The Arya Samaj

The Arya Samaj movement was an outcome of reaction to Western influences. It was revivalist in
form though not in content. The founder, Swami Dayanand, rejected Western ideas and sought to
revive the ancient religion of the Aryans.
Mulshanker (1824-83) popularly known as Dayanand was born in a Brahmin family living in the
old Morvi state in Gujarat. His father, a great Vedic scholar, also assumed the role of the teacher

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