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Pranay Shome
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The teachings of Brahmo Samaj is a key source of inspiration in the turbulent world of today, its teachings need to be revived
The Brahmo Samaj, also known as the Brahmo Sabha was a socio-cultural organization established by Raja Rammohan Roy.
The organization was the third that Rammohan Roy had established after two other organizations that he found, the first being the Atmiya Sabha in 1814, the Calcutta Unitarian Association in 1815 and this in August 1828.
In those pre-Independence era days, especially in the 18th century, religion in general was plagued with all sorts of outdated customs, traditions, dogmas and superstitions, this was true in case of Hinduism as well.
Being the nerve centre of Indian society at that time, it mattered to the rest of India what happened in Bengal.
Therefore, it took a person as controversial, yet so erudite as Raja Rammohan Roy to rid the superstition ridden Hindu mind with a touch of rationality.
The Brahmo Samaj believed strongly in Monotheism.
It preached a formless and a non-anthropomorphic idea of God i.e. Nirguna Brahman. Teaching of Vedas and Upanishads was the foundational pillar of this organization.
Since Rammohan Roy was a paragon of western education in India (that per se is a controversial point), he emphasised on the incorporation of western philosophical and ideational values in Indian society.
This vision was propagated through the institutional route of the Samaj.
The Samaj rejected the caste system, idol worship (itself a very very controversial plank of thought), belief in avatars (again a debatable point).
It, however, was silent on the issue of karma and the transmigration of the soul and left it to the individual Brahmos to interpret them.
The death of Rammohan Roy and the splits in the Samaj prove to be a setback to the Samaj.
Notwithstanding the Samaj’s emphasis on rejecting idol worship and belief in various avatars of the Supreme Ultimate, idol worship has a strong presence in Hinduism.
The Samaj’s outlook on this wrong, it was factually erraneous, the Samaj notwithstanding its reformist outlook forgot that idol worship in Hinduism traces its history to the Pashupati Shiva seal unearthed in the Harappan civilization.
Also, for the general masses, who do not possess the mental capacity for comprehending a formless shape of God, do require a physical manifestation, the idol worship serves exactly that purpose.
Also, reincarnation is not beyond the scope of human reasoning and can be found very well in the Bhagvad Gita and in Buddhist scriptures.
Hence, the teachings of Brahmo Samaj is a key source of inspiration in the turbulent world of today.
The post The Teachings of Brahmo Samaj appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...
The Brahmo Samaj, also known as the Brahmo Sabha was a socio-cultural organization established by Raja Rammohan Roy.
The organization was the third that Rammohan Roy had established after two other organizations that he found, the first being the Atmiya Sabha in 1814, the Calcutta Unitarian Association in 1815 and this in August 1828.
In those pre-Independence era days, especially in the 18th century, religion in general was plagued with all sorts of outdated customs, traditions, dogmas and superstitions, this was true in case of Hinduism as well.
Being the nerve centre of Indian society at that time, it mattered to the rest of India what happened in Bengal.
Therefore, it took a person as controversial, yet so erudite as Raja Rammohan Roy to rid the superstition ridden Hindu mind with a touch of rationality.
Teachings of the Samaj
The Brahmo Samaj believed strongly in Monotheism.
It preached a formless and a non-anthropomorphic idea of God i.e. Nirguna Brahman. Teaching of Vedas and Upanishads was the foundational pillar of this organization.
Since Rammohan Roy was a paragon of western education in India (that per se is a controversial point), he emphasised on the incorporation of western philosophical and ideational values in Indian society.
This vision was propagated through the institutional route of the Samaj.
The Samaj rejected the caste system, idol worship (itself a very very controversial plank of thought), belief in avatars (again a debatable point).
It, however, was silent on the issue of karma and the transmigration of the soul and left it to the individual Brahmos to interpret them.
The death of Rammohan Roy and the splits in the Samaj prove to be a setback to the Samaj.
Idol-Worship and Belief in Avatars
Notwithstanding the Samaj’s emphasis on rejecting idol worship and belief in various avatars of the Supreme Ultimate, idol worship has a strong presence in Hinduism.
The Samaj’s outlook on this wrong, it was factually erraneous, the Samaj notwithstanding its reformist outlook forgot that idol worship in Hinduism traces its history to the Pashupati Shiva seal unearthed in the Harappan civilization.
Also, for the general masses, who do not possess the mental capacity for comprehending a formless shape of God, do require a physical manifestation, the idol worship serves exactly that purpose.
Also, reincarnation is not beyond the scope of human reasoning and can be found very well in the Bhagvad Gita and in Buddhist scriptures.
Hence, the teachings of Brahmo Samaj is a key source of inspiration in the turbulent world of today.
The post The Teachings of Brahmo Samaj appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...