RAJA RAM MOHdffdsadwsadadadawdAN ROY.pptx1.pptx

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833)
1. Often referred to as the father of Modern India
2. Born in Radhanagar in the District of Hooghly in Bengal.
3.

•Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was one of
the makers of modem India. He is generally
hailed as "the father of Modern India". Though
Roy was modernist in his approach, he always
tried to link modernity with tradition. He
attempted the creative combination of
secularism and spirituality, of Western and
Eastern philosophy. His attitude towards religion
was eclectic. He wanted to present the concept
of universal , religion by combining the best
features of all leading religions of the world.

•A review and revaluation of religion was Roy's
primary concern. He was of the opinion that
rationality and modernity needed to be
introduced in the field of religion and that
"irrational religion" was at the root of many
social evils. The socio- political progress of this
country, according to him, depended mainly on
the

• successful revolution in the religious thought and behaviour. He was
interested not only in reforming the Hindu religion, but also tried to
remove the discrepancies among the various religions of the world.
He undertook a serious study of comparative religions and realised in
due course that true Hinduism, true Islam and true Christianity are
not fundamentally different from each other. He hoped that the
universal religion for mankind could be established by combining the
best elements of all religions. This concept of universal religion meant
not merely religious tolerance, but also transcending all the sectarian
barriers of separate religion. Roy, thus attempted a spiritual synthesis,
stressing the unity of all religious experience. Ht became a confirmed
monotheist. In 1828 he established the Brahmo Samaj. The Samaj
acted as a forum for religious and philosophical contemplation and
discussion. Roy's criticism of religious antagonised the priestly classes
of all organised religions. Time has, however, proved beyond doubt
the relevance or Roy's thoughts and deeds.

•Besides Bengali and Sanskrit, Roy had mastered
Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and 17
other leading languages spoken in the world.
Roy's familiarity with such diverse languages,
exposed him to a va'riety of cultural,
philosophical and religious experiences. He
studied Islam thoroughly. The rationality and the
logical consistency of Arabic literature in general
and the mutajjil in particular impressed Roy
greatly. The Sufi poets like Saddi and Haafiz
made a deep impact on Roy's mind. The
Quaranic concept of Tauhid or Unity of God

•Thus, in this context, when Roy examined the Hindu
religious texts and practices, he was greatly disturbed.
He found polytheism, idolatory and irrational
superstitions absolutely intolerable. He decided to
fight against these age-old evils. A Sanskrit scholar,
Ram Mohan had studied the Hindu scriptures in depth
and thus he got the inspiration to free the orthodox
Hinduism from its obscurantist elements. Roy also had
.studied the teachings of the Buddha Dhamma. It is
said that in the course of his travels he reached Tibet.
There he was pained to see how the principles of
Buddhism were blatantly violated and how idol-
worship, which had no place in the Dhamma of Lord
Buddha, had come to be accepted. He strongly

•As a Dewan in the revenue department, when the
Raja was required to go to Rangpur, he got an
opportunity to study the Tantrik literature as well as
the Jaina's Kalpasutras and other scriptures. He also
mastered the English language and acquainted
himself with political developments and ideas like
rationalism and liberation in England and Europe. The
knowledge of English not only facilitated Roy's
contacts with Englishmen but also opened up a whole
new world to him. In Roy's own words, he now gave
up his initial prejudices against the British and realized
that it was better to seek help from these enlightened
rulers in ameliorating the condition of the ignorant
and superstitious masses. He became a strong

• Roy admired the Bible as much as he did the Vedanta and
the Quran. Many of his critics thought that two major
features of Roy's Brahmo Samaj, namely, the opposition to
idol-worship, and the practice of collective prayer were
borrowed from Christianity. Roy was charged of
Christianising Hindustan in a surreptitious manner. It is true
that Roy advised Indians to imbibe Christ's ethical teachings.
Roy himself admitted, "I found the doctrine of Christ more
conductive to moral principles and better adopted for the
use of rational beings than any other which have come to my
knowledge." He also compiled "The Precepts of Jesus" with a
view to proving how the teachings of Christ could be better
adapted to rational man's use. At the same time it has to be
noted that he was no blind admirer of the Christian faith. He
rejected the doctrine of Christ's divinity (arguing that if Christ

•From what has been said above, it should
be clear that it is unfair to charge Roy with
seeking to Christianise 'Hinduism. Rather it
was Roy's ardent desire to revive Hinduism
in its pristine, pure and universal form. He
pleaded for an Advaita philosophy which
rejected caste, idolatory and superstitous
rites and rituals. Thus, Roy was someone
who had gone beyond narrow divisions of
religious faiths. He embraced all that was
the most valuable and the most inspiring in

Reinterpreting Hinduism
• Roy devoted all his energies to fighting sectarianism and
other medieval tendencies prevailing in the Hindu society,
such as polytheism, idolatory and superstitions. He was a
firm believer of the Advaita philosophy which left no scope
for such tendencies. Roy was quite sure that unless the
Hindu society underwent a religious and social
transformation, it would not become fit for political progress.
According to him, the then prevailing religious system of the
Hindus was ill-suited for the , promotion of their political
interests. The multitude of religious rites and ceremonies
and the unnatural distinctions of caste and laws of
purification, Roy argued, had deprived the Hindus of any kind
of common political feeling. Hindus must accept some
changes in their religion at least for the sake of their political

•Reinterpretation of Hinduism, to Roy, was thus
the starting point for the programme of socio-
political reform. Roy sought to combine the deep
experiences of spiritual life with the basic
principle of social democracy. He denounced all
superstitions and the evil practices based on
them because he was convinced that these
longstanding customary practices really did not
form the core of their religious faith. They, in
fact, had no place or support in the religious
texts of the Hindus. Roy wanted to draw the
attention of his countrymen to the ancient purity

• In order to prove that blind faith and superstitious beliefs
and practices had no basis in the pure Hindu religion, Roy
undertook the difficult task of translating the Upanishads
into English and Bengali. He gave elaborate notes and
comments with these translations and distributed them free
of cost amongst the people. - At the age of 16, Roy wrote a
book challenging the validity of the practice of idol- worship,
which according to him was the root cause of many other
social evils. It led to the multiplication of deities and aiso a
multitude of modes of worship. This, in turn, had resulted in
dividing the society into innumerable castes and groups,
each worshiping an idol different from others. The process of
division and subdivision was unending. Roy considered
idolatory to be opposed to reason and common sense.
Besides, it had no sanction in the ancient religious texts. Roy
preached monotheism and a collective prayer from the

•Roy fought against the superstitions which had
resulted in evolving many inhuman and cruel
customs and traditions in Hindu society. He
tried. to convince the people that the
superstitions had nothing to do with the
teachings of original Hinduism. Roy not only
preached but also practised what he preached.
Travelling across the ocean was considered to be
a sin by the orthodox Hindus. Roy was the first
Hindu to break this superstition. He himself
undertook overseas travel. This courage of
conviction on his part made Roy's efforts more

•Roy devoted all his energies to fighting
sectarianism and other medieval tendencies
prevailing in the Hindu society,such as
polytheism,idolatory and superstitions.He
was a firm believer of the Advaita
philosophy which left no scope for such
•tendencies.Roy was quite sure that unless
the Hindu society underwent a religious
•and social transformation,it would not
become fit for political progress.

•According to him,the then prevailing
religious system of the Hindus was ill-suited
for the
•promotion of their political interests.The
multitude of religious rites and ceremonies
and the unnatural distinctions of caste and
laws of purification,Roy argued,had
•deprived the Hindus of any kind of common
political feeling.Hindus must accept
•some changes in their religion at least for
the sake of their political advantage and

•Reinterpretation of Hinduism,to Roy,was thus the
starting point for the programme of socio-political
reform.Roy sought to combine the deep
•experiences of spiritual life with the basic principle of
social democracy.He
•denounced all superstitions and the evil practices
based on them because he was
•convinced that these longstanding customary practices
really did not form the core of their religious
faith.They,in fact,had no place or support in the
religious texts of
•the Hindus.Roy wanted to draw the attention of his
countrymen to the ancient
•purity of their religion.To him,this purity was well

•In order to prove that blind faith and
superstitious beliefs and practices had no
basis
•in the pure Hindu religion,Roy
undertook the difficult task of translating
the
•Upanishads into English and Bengali.He
gave elaborate notes and comments with
these translations and distributed
them free of cost amongst the people.

•At the age of 16,Roy wrote a book challenging the
validity of the practice of idol-
•worship,which according to him was the root cause of
many other social evils.It led to the multiplication of
deities and also a multitude of modes of
worship.This,in
•turn,had resulted in dividing the society into
innumerable castes and groups,each
•worshiping an idol different from others.The process
of division and subdivision was unending.Roy
considered idolatory to be opposed to reason and
common sense.
•Besides,it had no sanction in the ancient religious
texts.Roy preached monotheism and a collective

•Next to religious backwardness,according to Roy,the
factor responsible for the
•political deterioration of India was her social
decadence.He had no doubts that here the social
reform was an essential precondition of political
liberation.He did
•pioneering work in the field of social reform.
•Roy started his public life in 1815 with the
establishment of the Atmiya Sabha.This sabha
vehemently protested against the prevalent practice of
selling young girls to
•prospective husbands due to some pecuniary
interests,in the name of the Kuleen
•tradition.It also opposed polygamy and worked for

•Roy believed in the progressive role of the British rule in
India and sought
•government help in the matter of social reforms,especially in
the form of socially progressive legislations.For
instance,Roy was convinced that without the active
•support of the government it would be almost impossible to
eradicate the inhuman practices of sati.
•Roy's aim was the creation of a new society based on the
principles of tolerance,
•sympathy and reason,where the principles of
liberty,equality,and fraternity would be accepted by
all,and where man would be free from the traditional
shackles which
•had enslaved him for ages.He yearned for a new society
which would be cosmopolitan and modern.

•Roy's methods of social reform were multifaceted.He
combined all possible means, including even those which
were commonly believed to be incompatible.He appealed to
the rational faculty of his compatriots,and often quoted from
the scriptures,lines and verses in support of the proposed
reforms.
•The great scholar of Sanskrit that he was,Roy could easily
counter the objections of the advocates of status quo by
quoting elaborately from the original Sanskrit texts.
•For instance,while condemning polygamy,Roy cited
Yagnavalkya who permited a second wife only on 8
specific grounds viz.if she had the habit of drinking,suifered
from incurable disease,barrenness etc.

•Nevertheless,he maintained that no book was a work of God and
hence infallible.He wrote scholarly essays on topics of social
•reform and also translated and reinterpreted the important religious
texis.He sent
•memoranda and appeals to the rulers inviting their attention to the
social evils.From the platforms of the organized forums,he presented
before the people the models of exemplary behaviour in religious
and social matters.He took keen interest in and
•supported each and every movement aimed at human liberation
anywhere in the
•world.He even had the courage of conviction to declare that he
would renounce his connection with English,if a particular reform
bill pending before the Parliament in England was not passed by
it.He established or helped in several ways the social
•organizations catering to the needs of destitute widows and penniless
students.

Principle of Liberty
• He always supported liberty.
• 1. When the Spanish colonies in South America were liberated in
• 1823 he organised a party to celebrate the occasion at the town
• hall in Calcutta.
• 2. He supported the Greeks to fight against the Turks.
• 3. He demanded freedom to Ireland.
• 4. He supported the reform act (1832) of the British parliament.

• He congratulated the people of Naples on successfully revolting
• against the Bourbon King. Roy supported freedom movements all
over
• the world but never demanded freedom for India. He never
• participated in the freedom movement of India. He never initiated
that
• kind of a movement because he was very well aware of the ground
• realities in India. He was of the opinion that Indians don’t have the
• vibrant nationalist qualities. He feared that there will be anarchy and
• chaos if the British left India immediately. He firmly believed that the
• British will make India a free country when Indians will meet all the
• conditions of eligibility. But he was aware of the fact that this will take
• a long time. Indians will take a long time to develop.

• He favoured the freedom of expression and particularly the
• freedom of press. According to Roy if the press highlights the
• limitations of the government the government must
positively respond
• to the criticism in press by making the required corrections in
the
• system. In any case the freedom of press must not be stifled.
• He favoured the right to life and property of every individual
but he
• was not an individualist in the western sense. He also
favoured the
• interference of the government in social, economic and
political

Why India lost freedom?
• According to Roy India lost freedom because of the following reasons:-
• 1. Conflicts between different princely states
• 2. Incompetence of local rulers
• 3. Lack of knowledge of advanced combat methods and strategic
• techniques.
• 4. lack of scientific development
• 5. absence of feeling of nationalism among the people
• 6. Excesses of religion
• 7. Caste system - The Hindu society is divided into castes. People
• belonging to various castes are deeply engrossed in rites and
• rituals. They are not aware about their political rights and
• economic development. It is very difficult to pull them out of
• their situation and make them aware of the modern world and its
• challenges.

His perception about the British Raj
• He believed that the British Crown is a just authority. It will
• always act for the benefit of the Indians. But their administrators in
• India are corrupt and narrow minded. Therefore the ultimate control
• should rest in the hands of the British parliament and the crown.
• Roy was often criticised for supporting the British government. But he
• never favoured the British government blindly. He always supported
• the policies of the British government on a practical basis and always
• criticised the British government for draining India economically. He
• had made a suggestion that the Europeans shall be compelled to stay
• in India. This will help in securing our wealth. He favoured the British
• government because:

•They established the rule of law in India for the
first time
•2. They also established equality before law.
•3. they provided certain freedoms to Indians
(though with a very
•limited scope)
•4. They provided them access to newspapers.
•5. They provided access to the western
philosophy.
•6. They provided civil rights to the citizens

• Roy suggests that the British government should concentrate on
• the development of the Indian people otherwise the credit they have
• gained by providing all the above mentioned facilities will be lost
• because of the backwardness of the society. He never favoured
• revolution as a way towards freedom. He criticised the Christian
missionaries for forcibly converting poor
• Hindus to Christianity with the help of the British government. He was
• not against professing religion. Every body is free to profess any
• religion. If somebody wishfully accepts a particular religion based on
• the suggestions of another person then Roy had no objection to that
• process.

His ideas about law and judiciary
• Administrators promoted to higher posts always have prejudices
• and misconceptions about the society. These prejudices are the result
• of their work at the lower levels of administration. When they are
• promoted to higher posts and have greater authority they carry their
• prejudices about the society with them. They can’t think beyond
those
• limitations. Those limitations reflect in the laws and rules they make
• and also in their governance. Therefore Roy said that the law making
• authority should rest in the hands of the British crown and the
• Parliament and not in the hands of the administrators. Law should
• always be based on Reason and not on passion.

• He has discussed the issue of law at a great length. He was in
• favour of codification of law – i.e. a written constitution. He was of
the
• opinion that the law of the land should not neglect the customs and
• traditions of that particular society. In a bid to make the law universal
• the importance of customs and traditions of a society and the cultural
• background of the society should not be neglected. On the contrary
• the law should reflect the culture of the society.
• The Jury act passed by the British Parliament in 1826 had a
• provision that a Hindu or a Muslim person will not be a jury in a case
• against a Christian person. Roy opposed to this act claiming that this
• amounts to discrimination based on religion.

• He has also dealt with the issue of corruption and other
problems
• in the judicial process. He suggested that cases should be
conducted
• in the native language. The jury must include the local
people.
• Education
• He welcomed English education. He was in favour of
providing
• knowledge about science and technology being developed in
the West.
• He was against imparting religious training in educational
institutions.
• In 1816 he established an English School.

Ideal form of government
• Direct democracy, Unlimited Monarchy and Aristocracy all
three
• systems have their own limitations. In direct democracy
there is a
• possibility of ignorant masses ruling senselessly. Unlimited
powers in
• the hands of a monarch means dictatorship and in
aristocracy there is
• always a fear of a small minority ruling the whole society
arbitrarily.
• Therefore he preferred constitutional monarchy, a limited
monarchy

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