• 2 types of movt depends on degree of reliance on tradition or reason are

Reformist - brahmo, Prarthna, Aligarh movt & Revivalist - Arya,

Ramakrishna, Deoband

Features
• Scope of reform – they were socio-religious movt
o Social –
▪ emancipation of women includes sati, child & widow marriage,
infanticides
▪ casteism & untouchability
▪ education for enlightenment
o religious
▪ idol worship
▪ polytheism
▪ superstitious & rituals
▪ exploitation by priest
• Methods of reform
o from within
o through legislation
o through symbol of change
o through social work
• Middle path between, tradition & westernization –
o use tradition of past as instrument of reform for present, but not
idealize past for future vision
• Rationalism
o Support or reject any reform or custom on basis of social utility to
replace faith with rationality
o Instead of only scripture reference, use medical opinion on child
marriage
• Universalism
o Belief that basic truth of all religion is same
Raja Rammohun Roy
• Accept positive values of Sufism, Islam, Christianity & rationalism &
humanism of EU
• Believe that religious reforms will lead to social & pol modernization
• To discover rationalism in India past & to reform traditions in the light of
reason
• Found Amitya Sabha & Brahmo Sabha

Brahmo samaj
• Main principle
o Emphasis on worship of one God, who is omnipresent
o It was not separate religion
o Aim to purify Hinduism
o Advocate Hinduism by reinterpreting the Vedas
o Stress on chanting of Vedic hymns & Upanishads
o Reject idol worship, animal sacrifice, ritualism

• Contribution
o It works to improve women condition – force state for legislation on it
▪ Denounce sati, child marriage, polygamy, dowry sys
▪ favour widow remarriage, inter-caste marriages, women
education, wife share in property

o It focuses on to bring religious reforms in light of reason & real

tradition in Vedas
▪ Reject idol worship & polytheism
▪ Discard faith in divine avatars
▪ Emphasis on direct study of scriptures by indv without persist
▪ Deny any scripture as ultimate authority Transend human
reason
▪ Not insist on belief of karma & transmigration of soul
▪ Reject caste sys, untouchability
▪ Condemn Hindu prejudice against going abroad
o He establishes newspaper & schools all over India
o It prepares ground for further secular, socio, pol reforms

• Later it was weakened by internal division

• Other leaders
o Debendranath tagore
o Goswami
o Keshub sen

Swami Dayanand Saraswati

• Scholar in Vedic studies & Sanskrit language
• One of maker of modern India
Arya samaj
• 10 universal principle
1. God is source of all true knowledge
2. God is omnipotent, formless, unborn, fearless, eternal, creator of universe
3. Vedas are book of true knowledge – need to read, hear, preach
4. One should accept truth & reject false
5. All action should conform dharma

6. Objective is to do good to world

7. Treat all with love & justice
8. Spread knowledge
9. Consider progress of all as one’s own
10. One should obey general rule & free in personal affair

• Not set up new religion, but inspire universal brotherhood through nobility

Contribution
• Blame priest for misled Hindus by discourage reading of Veda’s &
encourage rituals & superstitions
• It opposes idol worship, priesthood, rituals, caste practice, restriction on
foreign travel
• Indv need to go back to the Veda’s to live Vedic life
• Indv need to interpret Vedas rationally
• Social reform for Hindu nation
o Favour equal rights & respect to women, female education
o Hindi as national language for national integration
o Aspire for Gave call for sawraj (self govt), nationalism
• Use swadeshi & harijan word for Dalits & outcasts
• Its teachings recognise universalisms for all, not for particular sect

• It organises schools & collages for both boys & girls

• Stress on Suddhi/reconversion
• It split on issue on English versus Sanskrit bases education

Prarthna samaj by Atmaram Pandurang

• Two assumption
o Religion is for man not vice versa, it should support social reform
o Scriptures may lose relevance with change time
• Not regard Vedas as divine & infallible

• Aim
o It stresses on worship of one God
o Proclaim theistic worship & social reform
o Oppose caste sys
o Focus on female education, widow remarriage, abolish of sati

• Activities includes
o Study grps, a journal, night school for working people, free libraries,
orphanage, female & student association

• It restores Hindu self-respect & bring reforms in practice in western India

Ramakrishnan mission by Swami Vivekananda

• His master Ramakrishna stress on service to man as service to God
• He propagates his teach in present context
Contribution
• Stress on self-help & development of manly strength
• Glorify past & criticise present degradation
• Urge people for liberty, equality & free thinking
• Assert spiritual India is superior to ideas of west
Theosophical society by Annie Besant
• Hindu revivalist movt
Contribution
• Publish & translate scriptures
• Found Hindu collage with study of Hindu religion & western sci
• Favour female education
• Formed home rule league
• Emphasis basic truth of all religion is same & prepare ground for national
integration, religious harmony
Limitation
• But it was limited to small class

Aligarh movt by Syed Ahmed

Contribution
• Encourage rationalism in religion & reject blind obedience to tradition
• Stress on west education especially for upper class
• Stresses on tolerance & oppose fanaticism & narrow mind
• Favour removal of purdah & reject polygamy, easy divorce
• Loyal to British, but suspicious about Hindu majority & congress

• It results in later Muslim separatism

Satya Shodak samaj by Joytiba Phule

• Different from previous Movt which were brahmin dominated, it was effort
of low-class people
• It was open to all caste, sect & religion & successfully attract many brahmin,
Muslims as friend or as a member after other were convinced

• Objectives
o To free shudras from long slavery under brahmins
o To spread education among shudras to make them aware about their
rights & free them from influence of scared books of brahmins
 o Ideology to unite all shudras & Ati shudras masses
o It dreams to establish ideal society on basis of
▪ Equality & freedom
▪ Faith on one God
▪ Rejection of any intermediary btw God & man
▪ Rejection of caste sys, division of society & believe in man’s
supremacy & brotherhood

• Focus 3 aspect to attain objectives

o Expression of opposition
o Expression of identity
o Action for uplift shudras & Ati-shudras

Critique of Hindu society

• Take help from British to uplift low classes, to speed up process of liberation
before coming independence
• Condemn
o Privilege status of priests
o Brahmin domination on basis of religion
o All religious source of inequality
o Orthodox nature of religions
o Rituals which exploit masses
o Idol worship & caste sys
o Astrology
o Reject Vedas as sacrosanct – they have no permanent & universal
validity

• Oppose nationalism as it was ideology of brahmins / INC formed by

brahmins

Contribution
• Insist simple & inexpensive marriage & favour widow remarriage & inter-
caste marriage, oppose child marriage
• Set up schools, collages – so low caste child can rise & have low caste
teachers, staff
• It organises essay, debate competition to break their shyness of speaking in
front of high caste person
• Oppose opening of liquor shop & encourage to prefer books
• It opposes exploitation of peasant masses by moneylender & priest

• It influences the Periyar & Ambedkar