The 19th Century was a period of Renaissance in India because many political, economic, religious, social, cultural and literary changes took place during this period. There was an unprecedented awakening and progress in religious, social, literary, cultural and scientific fields. Several reformist movements were started during this period. On account of ignorance of the people many evil, unsocial cruel inhuman customs and traditions were prevalent in the society. Sati system, child marriage polygamy, child infanticide, caste system, untouchability, prohibition of travelling overseas, purda system etc., were some of the social and religious evils which were prevalent in the society. The impact of western civilisation roused them and forced the people to revise their orthodox ideas and to make a revolution of their old values.
The Brahmo Samaj
The pioneer of religious movements and social reform in the nineteenth Century was Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833). The Brahmo Samaj established by him in 1828 was the first of such reformist movement. Raja Ram Mohan Roy dedicated his life for the service of the people. He felt that there was need of reforming Hindu religion.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a brilliant product of the impact of western education upon Indian culture. He was in fact the first modern man in India. A true humanist and a reformer, he wanted to raise the Hindu society from the slough of superstition and despondency. The Brahmo Samaj was unwilling to desert Hinduism but was willing to become liberal and respond the impact of western faiths.
Brahmo Samaj advocated re-marriage of widows and condemned child marriages. Raja Ram Mohan Roy launched a movement against untouchability and caste system. He persuaded Lord Bentinck to pass law against the custom of Sati.
Contribution of Devendra Nath Tagore and Keshav Chandra Sen: On account of premature death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1833 the Brahmo Samaj received a great set back. But it started making rapid progress under the guidance of Mahrishi Devendra Nath Tagore who joined the Samaj in 1843. He introduced a regular form of church service. Brahmo Samaj spread in other provinces also. In 1862 another great man named Keshav Chandra Sen joined the Brahmo Samaj. He was made the Dharama Charya. He was a man of liberal views. Under his leadership the Samaj made further progress and many reforms were made. The Brahmo Samaj made significant contribution in changing the outlook of the Hindus towards Western ideas.
The Prarthna Samaj
It was in Maharashtra that the influence of the Brahmo Samaj movement made its abiding impression. In 1867 Keshav Chandra Sen founded the Prarthna Samaj in Bombay and it counted among its members distinguished persons like justice Mahadev Ranade. Govind Ranade, and Sir R.G. Bhandarkar. In Maharashtra as in Bengal the movement was a rational unitarianism but the Prarthna Samaj laid greater stress upon social reform than upon theological speculation. Justice Ranade was scholar with a keen intellect and under his able guidance the Prarthna Samaj became the active centre of a new social reformation in Western India. He was one of the founders of the Widow Marriage Association and was an ardent promoter of the famous Deccan Education Society.
Arya Samaj
The Arya Samaj occupies the most important place in the history of social and religious reforms in India. It was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati whose real name was Moolshanker. Brahmo Samaj and Prarthana Samaj were inspired by Western rationalism whereas Arya Samaj distinctly reestablished Hinduism on the pristine purity of the Vedic Age. Dayanand was the apostle of Vedic revival. Arya Samaj was founded in 1875. Back to the Vedas was the call of Swami Dayanand.
Swamiji was a great reformer. He was of the firm conviction that Vedic religion civilisation and culture were the greatest in the world and the welfare of India was possible only by their revival.
Teaching of Arya Samaj
(i) Revival of Vedic religion along can remove all evils.
(ii) He condemned caste system and believed in the equality of all men.
(iii) He emphasized the worship of one Supreme Being and strongly condemned all types of superstitions, idol worship, polygamy, child marriages, worship of many gods and goddesses, the theory of incarnation etc.
(iv) He started the system of purification according to which the persons of other religions could also be admitted to Hinduism by making them go through the process of purification.
The Rama Krishna Mission
Quite different in spirit was the movement which derived its inspiration from Ram Krishna Paramhansa (1834-1886) the saint of Dakshineshwar near Calcutta. He started life as a poor priest without any formal education but soon developed into a divinity inspired teacher of Supreme Spiritual truths. Of him Max Muller has said, “Illiterate Rama Krishna in comparison with whom the brightest intellects of Europe are mere gropers in the dark.” The Rama Krishna Mission founded by his great disciple Vivekananda, is the living embodiment of his message and teaching.
Ram Krishna aimed at the universal synthesis of all religions. He described the diverse modes of Sadhna or spiritual discipline prescribed by different religions. Rama Krishna’s spiritual cosmopolitanism inspired in a new vision of the spiritual unity of mankind. It has been aptly remarked, “If Ram Mohan Roy was the mind, Dayanand the physical arm, Ram Krishna was the soul of free India.”
Dynamic influence of Swami Vivekanand
The great task of continuing Ram Krishna’s spiritual heritage fell upon his devoted disciple Swami Vivekananda. He was a dynamic personality with irrepressible energy and boundless conviction. In 1888 he travelled all over India and dedicated himself to the task of regenerating India through religion. In 1893 he attended the Parliament of Religions at Chicago where he propounded the true meaning of Hinduism. He proclaimed the Vedanta as the grand universal religion of the world. While interpreting Hinduism to the outside world Vivekananda struck a happy balance between the East and West the metaphysical and physical, the spiritual and the material.
He raised Hinduism to its pristine glory. One of the most remarkable contributions of Vivekananda was to bring spirituality to the mind and heart of the common people. The message of spiritual hope which he gave India acted as a potent force in the course of Indian nationalism. His attitude towards religion was free from dogmatism and other narrowness. He was a true follower of his master in advocating universal Religion. To Vivekananda religion was not a dogma, it was all persuasive in its scope. He laid special emphasis on the social regeneration and uplift of the masses. He organised the disciples of Rama Krishna Mission in 1897. In 1899 he established the Belur Math at Calcutta which became the Centre of Mission activities.
In 1899 Vivekananda visited the United States. He also attended the Congress of History of Religions in Paris in 1900. He died in 1902 at the age of 39. Though the span of his life was short yet he left an endearing mask on the succeeding generations. Vivekananda was the voice of the soul. It went into the heart of the Nation and restored it finally on its feet. His disciples are divided into two groups : first the Ascetics who do not marry and dedicate their lives to God and the service of man. The followers of the second group live in the world and earn their livelihood but they regulate their lives according to the teachings of Rama Krishna. They are not social reformers in the liberal sense of the word but they are helping in the reconstruction of society in several ways.
A large number of school orphanages and dispensaries have been set up by the Rama Krishna Mission. Vivekananda established the Centres of the Mission in the foreign countries also. He also wrote several books on Raja Yoga. He participated in the religious conference of Paris. The propagation of religion made by Vivekanand proved to be very beneficial for India. Indian became conscious of their great culture and religion. This increased their self confidence and their sense of self prestige. This paved the way for national awakening among the Indians.
Theosophical Society
In the last quarter of the nineteenth century India saw another religious movement known as the theosophical movement. It was in the United States of America that Madame H.P. Blavatsy, a Russian lady and Colonel H. S. Olcott a former Army Officer of England laid the foundation of Theosophical Society in 1857. Its objects was to promote the study of esoteric religious philosophers of the East. In 1879 Madame Blavatsky and Olcott came to India and established a Society at Adyar near Madras in 1886. But the success of the Theosophical Movement in India was due to Mrs. Annie Besant who joined the society in 1889 and settled in India four years later.
The Theosophical Movement aimed at the quest of the Hindu spiritual wisdom. It pointed out the value of Hindu teachings; it held up the Vedas and the Upnishads as the glory of India and proclaimed the value of Indian thought. The society also promoted the education of all section of the people. It established the Central Hindu School at Benaras in 1898 which later developed into a College and ultimately in to the Hindu University in 1915.
Aligarh Movement
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) was the first who brought about a change in the outlook of the Muslims who had so far referred to reconcile themselves with the changes that had taken place by the advent of the English in India. He asked the Muslims to change their political, religious, educational and social ideas. He asked the Muslims that they could achieve progress by studying modern education and science. He himself went to England and on his return asked the Muslims that there was no harm in adopting the good things of the Western Civilization. He advocated imparting education to women. He also encouraged women to discard purda system. In the beginning he was severely criticised for his liberal policy but later on he achieve success and was able to change the social religious and political outlook of the Muslims. He founded the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College which later on grew into the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.
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