Brahmo Samaj ( ) is the societal component of

Brahmoism Brahmoism is a Hindu religious movement which originated from the mid-19th century Bengali Renaissance, the nascent Indian independence movement. Adherents, known as '' Brahmos'' (singular Brahmo), are mainly of Indian or Bangladeshi origin o ...

, which began as a

monotheist Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...

ic reformist movement during the

Bengal Renaissance The Bengal Renaissance (), also known as the Bengali Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of the British Raj, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Histo ...

. It was one of the most influential religious movements in India and made a significant contribution to the making of modern India. It was started at

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 20 August 1828 by Raja

Ram Mohan Roy Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was an Indian reformer and writer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinen ...

and

Dwarkanath Tagore Dwarkanath Tagore (also spelled Dwarakanath Thakur; 1794–1846), popularly known as Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, was one of the first Indian industrialists to partner with the British. He was the son of Rammoni Tagore, and was given in adoption to ...

as reformation of the prevailing customs of the time (specifically Kulin practices) and began the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century pioneering all religious, social and educational advance of the Bengali community in the 19th century. Its Trust Deed was made in 1830 formalising its inception and it was duly and publicly inaugurated in January 1830 by the consecration of the first house of prayer, now known as the Adi Brahmo Samaj. From the ''Brahmo Samaj'' springs Brahmoism, the most recent of legally recognised religions in India and Bangladesh, reflecting its foundation on reformed spiritual Hinduism with vital elements of Judeo-Islamic faith and practice.

Etymology

The Brahmo Samaj literally denotes community () of men who have knowledge of

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

, the ultimate reality. In reality Brahmo Samaj does not discriminate between caste, creed or religion and is an assembly of all sorts and descriptions of people without distinction, meeting publicly for the sober, orderly, religious and devout adoration of "''The Nameless, Eternal, Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe''."

Doctrine

The following doctrines, as noted in Renaissance of Hinduism, are common to all varieties and offshoots of the ''Brahmo Samaj'': * Brahmo Samajists denied that any scripture could enjoy the status of ultimate authority transcending human reason and conscience. * Brahmo Samajists have no faith in

Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

s (incarnations) * Brahmo Samajists denounce polytheism and idol-worship. * Brahmo Samajists are against caste system. * Brahmo Samajists took no definite stand on the doctrine of

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

and transmigration of soul and left it to individual Brahmos to believe either way. *

Divisions of Brahmo Samaj

Adi Brahmo Samaj Adi Dharm refers to the religion of Adi Brahmo Samaj (, romanized: ''Adi Brahmô Shômaj'') the first development of Brahmoism and includes people of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj who were reintegrated into Brahmoism after the second schism of 18 ...

Sadharan Brahmo Samaj The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj or Universal Brahmo Samaj is a division of Brahmoism formed as a result of schisms in the Brahmo Samaj first in 1866 and then another in 1878. Due to ideological differences, Keshab Chandra Sen, one of Brahmo Samaj ...

Anusthanic versus Ananusthanic (Non-Anusthanic) Brahmos

Anusthanic Brahmos comprise Adi Brahmos, Adi Dharmaites and many Sadharan Brahmos. Anusthanic Brahmos are exclusively adherents of the Brahmo religion and have no other faith. The concept of the soul is anathema to Anusthanic Brahmos, which they consider to have been ruled out by the "1861 Anusthan" and they instead refer to the soul as "being". Every "being", which they consider immortal, is a part of God, who they see as the singularity, author and preserver of existence. "Beings" are sent out by God for a mission, "Kriya" on completion of which the "being" reintegrates (re-absorbs) into God. For Anusthanic Brahmos the next step after death is this reintegration, re-absorption and renewal with God. This corresponds to the 2nd "Adi" Prime Principle:

Being is created from Singularity. Being is renewed to Singularity. Being exists to be one again with Loving Singularity.

Ananusthanic (Non-Anusthanic Brahmos) believe in the concept of immortal souls eternally progressing towards God. This implies a karmic and fatalistic belief, which is different to Kriayic Brahmoism.

History and timeline

Brahmo Sabha

On 20 August 1828 the first assembly of the ''Brahmo Sabha'' was held at the North Calcutta house of Firingi Kamal Bose. This day was celebrated by

Brahmo Bengali Brahmos are those who adhere to Brahmoism, the philosophy of Brahmo Samaj which was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy. A recent publication describes the disproportionate influence of Brahmos on India's development post-19th Century as un ...

s as ''Bhadrotsab'' (ভাদ্রোৎসব ''Bhadrotshôb''; "

Bhadro Bhadro ( ''Bhadrô'') is the fifth month in the Bengali calendar. Bhadro marks the beginning of autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn m ...

celebration"). These meetings were open to all people irrespective of religion, caste, creed, gender. The format of worship was defined by

Raja Ram Mohan Roy Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was an Indian reformer and writer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in the Indian subcontinent ...

- which included reading of the Vedas by two Telegu Brahmins, followed by an explanation of Vedanta and

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

by Utsavananda Bidyabagish, followed by Brahmasangeet composed by Rammohun or his friends. The songs were performed by top classical musical exponents Krishnaprasad and Bishnu Chakraborty and percussion was played by the country's top maestro Golam Abbas. On 8 January 1830 influential progressive members of the closely related

Kulin Brahmin Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along wi ...

clan scurrilously described as

Pirali Brahmin Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along wi ...

(''i.e.'' ostracised for service in the Mughal ''Nizaamat'' of Bengal) of Tagore (''Thakur'') and Roy ''Zameendar'' family, mutually executed the

Trust Deed of Brahmo Sabha The modern religious philosophy of Brahmoism is based in part on the foundations of reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy's humanitarian philosophy, as exemplified by the Trust Deed of Brahmo Sabha, known to Brahmos as the ''1830 Brahmo Trust Deed''. Bri ...

for the first

(place of worship) on Chitpore Road (now Rabindra Sarani),

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, India with

Ram Chandra Vidyabagish Ramchandra Vidyabagish (; 1786 – 2 March 1845) was an Indian lexicographer and Sanskrit scholar. His ''Bangabhashabhidhan'', the first monolingual Bengali dictionary, was published in 1817. He taught at the Vedanta College established by Raja ...

as first resident superintendent. On 23 January 1830 or 11th ''Magh'', the ''Adi Brahmo'' premises were publicly inaugurated (with about 500 Brahmins and 1 Englishman present). This day is celebrated by Brahmos as ''Maghotsab'' (মাঘোৎসব ''Maghotshôb'' " Magh celebration"). In November 1830 Rammohun Roy left for England.

Akbar II Akbar II (; 22 April 1760 – 28 September 1837), also known as Akbar Shah II, was the nineteenth Mughal emperor from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of Shah Alam II and the father of Bahadur Shah II, who would eventually succeed him an ...

had conferred the title of 'Raja' to Rammohun Roy.

Brief eclipse of Brahmo Sabha

By the time of Rammohun's death in 1833 near Bristol (UK), attendance at the ''Samaj'' dwindled.

provided the funds for the upkeep of the Samaj and Ram Chandra Vidyabagish kept up the flame burning, and arrived each week to perform the divine service as laid out by Rammohun.

Tattwabodhini period

On 6 October 1839,

Debendranath Tagore Debendranath Tagore (15 May 1817 – 19 January 1905; birth name: Debendronath Thakur) was an Indian philosopher and religious reformer, active in the Brahmo Samaj (earlier called Bhramho Sabha) ("Society of Brahma", also translated as ''Socie ...

, son of Dwarkanath Tagore, established ''Tattvaranjini Sabha'' which was shortly thereafter renamed the Tattwabodhini ("Truth-seekers") Sabha. Initially confined to immediate members of the Tagore family, in two years it mustered over 500 members. In 1840, Debendranath published a Bangla translation of ''

Katha Upanishad The ''Katha Upanishad'' (, ), is an ancient Hindu text and one of the '' mukhya'' (primary) Upanishads, embedded in the last eight short sections of the ' school of the Krishna Yajurveda.Paul Deussen. ''Sixty Upanishads of the Veda''. Volume 1 ...

''. A modern researcher describes the Sabha's philosophy as ''modern middle-class (bourgeois) Vedanta.''. Among its first members were the "two giants of Hindu reformation and Bengal Renaissance",

Akshay Kumar Datta Akshay Kumar Datta (also spelt Akshay Kumar Dutta) () (15 July 1820 – 18 May 1886) was a Bengali writer from India. He was one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. Early life He was born as the son of Pitamber Dutta in Chupi villag ...

, who in 1839 emerged from the life of an "anonymous squalor-beset individual", and

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), popularly known as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (), was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century. His efforts to simplify and modernise Bengali language, Ben ...

, the "indigenous modernizer".

First Covenant and merger with the Tattwabodhini Sabha

On 7th Pous 1765 Shaka (1843) Debendranath Tagore and twenty other Tattwabodhini stalwarts were formally invited by Pt. Vidyabagish into the Trust of Brahmo Sabha. The Pous Mela at Santiniketan starts on this day. From this day forth, the Tattwabodhini Sabha dedicated itself to promoting Ram Mohan Roy's creed. The other Brahmins who swore the First Covenant of Brahmoism are: * Shridhar Bhattacharya * Shyamacharan Bhattacharya * Brajendranath Tagore * Girindranath Tagore, brother of

and father of Ganendranath Tagore * Anandachandra Bhattacharya * Taraknath Bhattacharya * Haradev Chattopadhyaya, the future father-in-law to Mahacharya

Hemendranath Tagore Hemendranath Tagore (1844–1884), Debendranath Tagore's third son, is notable for being the first Brahmo as the first child born in 1844 to any of the original 21 Brahmos who swore the First Brahmo Covenant on 21 December 1843 at Calcutta ...

* Shyamacharan Mukhopadhyaya * Ramnarayan Chattopadhyaya * Sashibhushan Mukhopadhyaya

Foundation of the Brahmo Samaj

In 1861 the Brahmo Samaj was founded at

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

by Nobin Roy. It included many Bengalis from the Lahore Bar Association. Many branches were opened in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, at

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

etc.

First secession

Disagreement with the Debendranath Tagore and

Keshub Chandra Sen Keshub Chandra Sen (; also spelled Keshab Chunder Sen; 19 November 1838 – 8 January 1884) was an Indian philosopher and social reformer who attempted to incorporate Christian theology within the framework of Hindu thought. Born a Hindu i ...

came to a head publicly between the period of 1 August 1865 till November 1866 and the followers of Keshub created the "Brahmo Samaj of India". This period is also referred to in the histories of the secessionists as the "First Schism".

Brahmo Samaj and Swami Narendranath Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...

was influenced by the Brahmo Samaj of India, and visited the

in his youth.

Current status and number of adherents

While the various Calcutta sponsored movements declined after 1920 and faded into obscurity after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, the

Adi Dharm Adi Dharm refers to the religion of Adi Brahmo Samaj (, romanized: ''Adi Brahmô Shômaj'') the first development of Brahmoism and includes people of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj who were reintegrated into Brahmoism after the second schism of 1 ...

creed has expanded and is now the 9th largest of India's enumerated religions with 7.83 million adherents, heavily concentrated between the states of

and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. In the Indian census of 2001 only 177 persons declared themselves a "Brahmo", but the number of subscriber members to Brahmo Samaj is somewhat larger at around 20,000 members.

Social and religious reform

In matters of social reform the Brahmo Samaj attacked many dogmas and superstitions. It condemned the prevailing Hindu prejudice against sailing across sea and going abroad (Kala Pani). The Samaj condemned practice of Sati (burning of widows), discouraged child marriage and polygamy, and crusaded for widow remarriage. The Samaj attacked casteism and untouchability. After the controversy of underage marriage of

Keshub Chunder Sen Keshub Chandra Sen (; also spelled Keshab Chunder Sen; 19 November 1838 – 8 January 1884) was an Indian philosopher and social reformer who attempted to incorporate Christian theology within the framework of Hindu thought. Born a Hindu i ...

's daughter, the ''Special Marriages Act of 1872'' was enacted to set the minimum age of 14 years for marriage of girls. All Brahmo marriages were thereafter solemnised under this law. Many Indians resented the requirement of the affirmation "I am not Hindu, nor a Mussalman, nor a Christian" for solemnising a marriage under this Act. The requirement of this declaration was imposed by

Henry James Sumner Maine Sir Henry James Sumner Maine, (15 August 1822 – 3 February 1888), was a British Whig comparative jurist and historian. He is famous for the thesis outlined in his book '' Ancient Law'' that law and society developed "from status to contract ...

, legal member of Governor General's Council appointed by Britain. The 1872 Act was repealed by the

Special Marriage Act, 1954 The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is an act of the Parliament of India with provision for secular civil marriage (or "registered marriage") for people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrelevant of the religion or faith fo ...

under which any person of any religion could marry. The

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 The Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) is an act of the Parliament of India enacted in 1955. Three other important acts were also enacted as part of the Hindu Code Bills during this time: the Hindu Succession Act (1956), the Hindu Minority and Guardia ...

applies to all Hindus (including "followers" of the Brahmo Samaj) but not to the adherents of the Brahmo religion.

Second secession

Differences arose between Keshub Chandra Sen and the band of young people who called themselves "Samadarshi". The difference arose due to the autocratic handling of the works of the Brahmo Samaj by Keshub Chandra Sen. The differences came to a head with the Coochbehar marriage. A meeting was called in Town Hall of Calutta on 15 May 1878 and the

came into existence History of the Brahmo Samaj - Sivanath Sastri (1911) pp. 290 - 292. with Anandamohan Bose as president, Shib Chandra Deb,

Sivanath Sastri Sivanath Shastri or Sibanath Sastri (31 January 1848 – 30 September 1919) was a Bengali social reformer, writer, translator, scholar, editor philoshoper and historian.সুবোধচন্দ্র সেনগুপ্ত ও অঞ্� ...

, Umesh Chandra Dutta, Gurucharan Mahalanobish serving as office bearers.

References and notes

External links

The Brahmo Samaj

The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

Brahmo Samaj.net

Brahmo Samaj
in the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

''
Biography of Raja Rammohan Roy
{{Portal bar, Hinduism, India Brahmoism Hindu new religious movements Religion in West Bengal Hinduism in West Bengal Hinduism in Kolkata Religion in Kolkata Neo-Vedanta Bengal Renaissance 1828 establishments in India