Socio Religious Reforms Movement in the 19th Century

• Socio Religious reform movement in the 19th Century

PRESENTED BY:- VIVEK KUMAR

b.a,ll.b(h)

2nd sem

INTRODUCTION

19TH CENTURY WITNESSED NEW VISION – ALSO CALLED RENAISSANCE. IMPACT OF BRITISH RULE, RELIGIOUS SUPERSTITIONS, CASTE FACTOR RAISING OF NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY LED TO REFORMS. INDIA HAS PRODUCED NUMEROUS SOCIAL REFORMERS WHO HAVE PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MAKING INDIA A MORE PROGRESSIVE AND FORWARD LOOKING COUNTRY. THESE SOCIAL REFORMERS HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST SEVERAL SOCIAL EVILS SUCH AS SATI, CHILD MARRIAGE, CASTEISM, HERE IS A BRIEF PROFILE OF FAMOUS INDIAN SOCIAL REFOEMERS.

SOME SOCIAL REFORMERS OF INDIA

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY DEBENDRANATH TAGORE ISHWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR GOPAL HARI DESHMUKH SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI BAL GANGADHAR TILAK RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY

RAM MOHAN ROY (1772-1833) WAS THE FIRST MODERN REFORMER, AND HAS BEEN CALLED ‘THE FATHER OF MODERN INDIA’ FOR GOOD REASON.

HE WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE BRAHMO SAMAJ, ONE OF THE FIRST INDIAN SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENTS.

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY WAS A GREAT SCHOLAR AND AN INDEPENDENT THINKER.

IN THE RELIGIOUS SPHERE RAM MOHAN’S MAIN TARGET OF ATTACK WAS THE HINDU SYSTEM OF IDOLIZATION, ITS MYTHOLOGY AND CULT.

HE IS RIGHTLY FAMOUS 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.

THE SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENTS AIMED AT CHECKING THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. THE MISSIONARIES WISHED TO CONVERT INDIANS TO CHRISTIANITY AND TO CLEANSE HINDU SOCIETY OF EVILS SUCH AS SATI AND INFANTICIDE.

DEBENDRANATH TAGORE AFTER THE DEATH OF RAM MOHAN

ROY, DEBENDRANATH TAGORE (1817-1905) TOOK OVER ITS LEADERSHIP AND GAVE IT A NEW DIRECTION.

HE DREW UP A DECLARATION OF FAITH, ESTABLISHED A THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, SENT OUT THE FIRST BRAHMO MISSIONARIES, AND CREATED A NEW LITURGY, THE ‘BRAHMO RITES’.

HE HIMSELF WAS INCLINED TOWARDS THE CONTEMPLATIVE AND THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT OF HINDUISM, AND AVERSE TO RAM MOHAN’S RATIONALISM.

WITH A STRESS ON DEVOTION, ETHICAL DUTIES, AND THE NEAR-VEDIC BUT NON-IDOLATROUS BRAHMA RITES, THE SAMAJ MOVED CLOSER TO THE MAINSTREAM OF HINDUISM, AS IT GREW QUICKLY IN NUMBERS.

ISHWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR

DURING THIS TIME BENGAL ALSO PRODUCED THE SCHOLAR ISHWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR (1820-1891) WHO PIONEERED THE WIDOW REMARRIAGE MOVEMENT, THE FIRST SOCIAL REFORM CAUSE THAT GAINED IMPORTANCE NATIONALLY, AND SAW IT TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION

THE REFORM HE ADVOCATED AND SAW BECOME LAW THAT A HIGH-CASTE WIDOW COULD LEGALLY REMARRY, ALTHOUGH ITS SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION IN SOCIETY WAS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. NEVERTHELESS, THE WIDOW REMARRIAGE MOVEMENT WAS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT BECAME THE INSPIRATION OF OTHER REFORM MOVEMENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

GOPAL HARI DESHMUKH

IN THE STAGE, OF THE GROWING RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL REFORM AWARENESS STARTED IN MAHARASHTRA FROM 1840. GOPAL HARI DESHMUKH (1823-1892), KNOWN AS LOKAHITA-WADI, DENOUNCED THE ABSOLUTE INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL DOMINANCE OF BRAHMINS OVER HINDU LIFE.

HIS FRIEND AND COLLABORATOR JOTIBA GOVIND PHULE (1827-1890), OF LAW CASTE, TOOK UP THIS FIGHT AGAINST BRAHMIN OPPRESSION IN HIS VOLUMINOUS PROSE AND POETIC WORKS, AND FORMED AN ORGANIZATION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE LOW CASTES, THE SATYASODHAK SAMAJ.

SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI

DAYANAND SARASWATI WAS ONE OF THE MOST RADICAL SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORMERS IN THE HISTORY OF INDIA.

SWAMI DAYANAND SARSAWATI IN 1875 PUBLISHED HIS MAJOR WORK THE SATYARTHA PRAKASH AND FOUNDED HIS REFORM SOCIETY, THE ARYA SAMAJ.

HE ALSO PROPAGATED EGALITARIAN APPROACH OF THE VEDAS AT A TIME WHEN WIDESPREAD CASTEISM WAS PREVALENT IN THE SOCIETYPOINTS.

BAL GANGADHAR TILAK

BAL GANGADHAR TILAK (1857-1920) TOOK INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE HINDUISM AS THE ONLY BASIS OF THIS NEW SPIRIT. HE ADVOCATED THE SEVERANCE OF SOCIAL REFORM AND POLITICAL AGITATION.

THE BRITISH COLONIAL AUTHORITIES CALLED HIM “FATHER OF THE INDIAN UNREST”.

HE ALSO INAUGURATED NEW HINDU FESTIVALS, THE GANESH CHATURTI AND IN 1895, TILAK FOUNDED THE SHRI SHIVAJI FUND COMMITTEE FOR CELEBRATION OF “SHIV JAYANTI”, THE BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF CHHATRAPATI SHIVJI, THUS REACHING THE POPULACE WITH HIS IDEAS OF HINDU NATIONALISTIC ACTIVISM.

THE EVENTS LIKE THE GANAPATI FESTIVAL AND SHIV JAYANTI WERE USED BY TILAK TO BUILD A NATIONAL SPIRIT BEYOND THE CIRCLE OF EDUCATED ELITE IN OPPOSITION TO COLONIAL RULE.

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA WAS ONE OF THE FOREMOST HINDU SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF THE COUNTRY. HIS TEACHINGS ARE STILL DEEPLY REVERED BY THE PEOPLE. HE ALSO PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE SOCIAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN BENGAL IN 19TH CENTURY.

HIS SPIRITUAL MOVEMENT INDIRECTLY AIDED NATIONALISM, AS IT REJECTED CASTE DISTINCTIONS AND RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES. HIS TEACHING, “JIVE DAYA NOY, SHIV GYANE JIV SEBA” IS CONSIDERED AS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE PHILANTHROPIC WORK CARRIED OUT BY HIS CHIEF DISCIPLE VIVEKANANDA.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY.

HE WAS THE CHIEF DISCIPLE OF RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA AND WAS THE FOUNDER OF RAMAKRISHNA MATH AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION.

SWAMI VIVEKANANSDA WAS THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF SACRIFICE AND DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO THE COUNTRY AND YEARNED FOR THE PROGRESS OF THE POOR, THE HELPLESS AND THE DOWNTRODDEN.

THANK YOU