Give four facts about ram mohen Roy
- Founded the brahmo samaj in 1828, aimed to redefine Hinduism as rational and ethical. 2. Came from a Brahmin Bengali background and was highly educated. 3. Studied Buddhism, hindu scriptures and Hebrew. 4. Retired in 1814 after working for the east India company and devoted his life to social and religious reform.
Give four of Roy’s views
- Saw British rule as beneficial to India. 2. Wanted to make Hinduism acceptable to the west. 3. Impressed by Christianity and monotheism. 4. Was a Unitarian who valued freedom of conscience.
What four things did Roy aim to do?
- Create a hindu philosophy which was monist and included other beliefs. 2. Reject all scriptures except for the vedas. 3. Reject murtis, caste and sati. 4. Establish modern scientific education to create a society which was a mix of eastern spiritualism and western rationalism.
Give four aims of the brahmo samaj
- Remove caste and sati. 2. Encourage women’s education and widow remarriage. 3. Ban child marriage. 4. Reject murtis and reassert samsara and karma.
What was brahmo samaj worship like?
Congregational worship based on Christianity, no rites or murtis, hymns were sung and the vedas read out.
Why did Roy oppose caste?
Believed in equality, saw caste as divisive..
Why did Roy oppose sati?
In 1811, his sister in law had taken sati. It was not mentioned in the vedas and he saw it as cruel, he campaigned and it was outlawed in 1829.
Why did the movement dislike child marriage?
Girls were seen as burdens and were married off to much older men if a suitable match from their caste could not be found of their own age, Roy saw it as cruel.
What did brahmo samaj campaign for for widows?
Remarriage, it was legalized in 1856, but taboos remained. BS campaigned against this prejudice and many members made the point of marrying widows.
How else did BS support women’s rights?
Campaigned for education, allowed women to pray with men and appointed their first female preacher in 1881.
Why did bs reject murtis?
They were impure, Roy rejected the worship of idols as gods as this was false conscience.
Give three positives of the legacy of BS
- Influential in its day, stopped many concerting to Christianity. 2. Attracted the middle class, made them proud to be Hindu. 3. First neo Vedanta movement, painted Hinduism as rational and ethical.
Give two negatives of the legacy of BS
- Little influence today, very small. 2. Underestimated importance of murtis and traditional practices. The movement opposed traditional Brahmin ideas, so never had any lasting impact upon India.
Who led the movement after Roy’s death?
Tagore and Chandra sen.
What did Tagore and Chandra sen disagree on?
Tagore wanted to reject all scriptures that didn’t harmonize with reason. Sen wanted to include Christian practices like baptism and the lord’s supper and get rid of the sacred thread ceremony. Their disagreements weakened the movement.
