Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Dayanand Saraswati
Ram Mohan Roy (Brahmo Samaj, 1828) fought sati, Vidyasagar won widow remarriage (1856), and Dayanand Saraswati (Arya Samaj, 1875) called people back to the Vedas.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- A Brahmin from Bengal who mastered many languages. Besides the Hindu scriptures, he studied the Quran and the Bible deeply.
- His brother's widow was forced to commit sati. This moved him to make ending sati his life's mission.
- He quoted the scriptures to show that sati had no religious sanction, and he built public opinion. Lord Bentinck made sati illegal and punishable in 1829.
- He founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828. He believed in one God (monotheism) and the unity of all religions, and opposed idol worship and empty rituals.
- He supported widow remarriage and condemned child marriage.
- For modern education he paid for an English school in Calcutta himself. He also opened a Vedanta College (1825) and helped found the Hindu College in Calcutta.
- He is seen as a bridge between Eastern and Western thought.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
- A great Sanskrit scholar of Bengal, open to the best of western thought.
- His tireless campaign led to the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.
- He spoke out against child marriage and polygamy.
- He believed women could rise only through education, and helped open about 35 girls' schools in Bengal.
- He brought western thought into the Sanskrit College and opened it to non-Brahmin students.
- He promoted both Sanskrit and Bengali literature.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj
- He founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 to reform Hinduism, mainly in north India.
- He held the Vedas to be infallible and the source of all knowledge, and rejected ideas that went against them.
- He taught that every person may approach God directly, without a priest.
- His main book was Satyarth Prakash. He wrote and preached in Hindi, which carried his ideas to ordinary people in the north.
- The Arya Samaj fought untouchability and caste rigidity, and worked to improve the lives of women.
- It ran the Shuddhi movement to bring back into Hinduism those who had converted to Islam or Christianity.
- His followers set up D.A.V. (Dayanand Anglo-Vedic) schools and colleges, which combined English and modern science with Sanskrit and Vedic studies.
- It built self-respect and self-reliance, which later fed the national movement.
Three reformers at a glance
| Reformer | Organisation | Main cause | Education work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raja Ram Mohan Roy | Brahmo Samaj, 1828 | End of sati (1829) | English school in Calcutta, Vedanta College (1825), Hindu College |
| Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar | No society of his own; worked through campaigns | Widow remarriage (1856) | About 35 girls' schools; Sanskrit College opened to non-Brahmins |
| Swami Dayanand Saraswati | Arya Samaj, 1875 | Vedic religion; against caste rigidity and untouchability | D.A.V. schools and colleges, set up by his followers |
Roy and Dayanand: same goal, different roads
Both opposed idol worship and caste rigidity, and both worked for women. If a question asks which reformer did not stand for a blend of Eastern and Western thought, the answer is Dayanand Saraswati.
A widow in India today can remarry freely, a right first won by law in 1856. Kolkata's Vidyasagar Setu, the great bridge over the Hooghly, is named after the reformer who won that right.
2 marks: “Why is Raja Ram Mohan Roy remembered as a pioneer of social reform? Give two reasons.” (1) His campaign led to the ban on sati in 1829. (2) He founded the Brahmo Samaj (1828), which taught one God and opposed idol worship and child marriage.
2 marks: “Write two contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.” (1) His efforts led to the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act of 1856. (2) He helped open about 35 girls' schools in Bengal and opened the Sanskrit College to non-Brahmins.
3 marks: “Describe the work of the Arya Samaj.” Founded by Dayanand Saraswati in 1875; held the Vedas infallible; fought untouchability and caste rigidity and helped women; ran the Shuddhi movement; spread its ideas in Hindi; its followers set up D.A.V. schools teaching English and science with the Vedas.
28, 29: Roy founds the Brahmo Samaj, then sati falls. 56: Vidyasagar's widows may remarry. 75: Dayanand's Arya Samaj.