The Brahmo Samaj of India
K.C. Sen adopted a programme of social reforms such as abolition of child marriage and polygamy, widow remarriage and inter-caste marriage. Finally, the Native Marriage Act (Act III) was passed in 1872. This Act legalized the unorthodox inter-cast marriages. It banned polygamy. It fixed the minimum marriageable age of girls at 14 and of boys at 18.

But K. C. Sen himself violated this Act in case of his eldest daughter’s marriage. He married her to the Maharaja of Coach Bihar when she was less than 14 years. Consequently, some Brahmos broke away from the Brahmo Samaj of India in protest. These people formed Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in 1878.

Towards the mid-eighties of he 19th century, Brahmoism ceased to be a force for want of zeal, leadership and organization, and financial resources.

After Ram Mohan Roy’s death the Brahmo Samaj languished for some tome for want of dynamic leadership. Maharshi Dwarkanath Tagore and Pandit Ram Chandra Vidyavagish managed it for about ten years.

Then a true leader was found in Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905), Dwarkanath’s eldest son. Before joining the Brahmo Samaj, to investigate the religious truth Debendranath Tagore organized the Tattvaran Sabha in Calcutta. Later, it came to be known as Tattvabodhini Sabha.

The weekly meetings were arranged and papers on different subjects were read and discussed in the Sabha, once a month. In 1840, the Tattvabodhini School was found. No other organization in first half of the 19th century, exercised influence on the society, as did the Tattvabodhini Shala. It published a monthly journal called Tattvabodhini Patrika to propagate its social welfare programmes.

Debendranath along with 20 of his association formally joined the Brahmo Samaj on December 1843. He continued the religious mission of Ram Mohan Roy and at the same time stood against the ultra radical trend of mission attacks on Indian culture.
He compiled a religious text called ‘Brahman Dharma’.

Keshab Chandra Sen and Sangat Sabha

Keshab Chandra Sen joined the Brahmo Samaj in 1857. Under the combination of influences of both Debendranath and Keshab Chandra Sen, the Brahmo Samaj entered into a phase of unusual activity.

Young Keshab Chandra drew around him young and enthusiastic men. In 1859, he established a small society known as Sangat Sabha (‘Friendly Association’). The Sangat Sabha had its predecessor in the Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Atmiya Sabha. Debendranath remodeled the ceremonies and introduced Brahmo rites. These Brahmo rites are mentioned in the ‘Anushthana Paddhati’.

In 1861, a fortnightly journal named the Indian Mirror was started with Keshab Chandra Sen as editor. Later, it became a forceful organ of the Brahmo Samaj. Keshab Chandra Sen tried to make the Bramho Samaj an all-India movement He extensively toured in various parts of the country. As a result of his mission Ved Samaj in Madras and Prarthana Samaj in Maharashtra were founded.

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The First Schism

The radical reforms led to the first schism in the Brahmo Samaj in 1866. Debendranath’s group called itself Adi Brahmo Samaj. They separated from Keshab Chandra’s group, which assumed the name of Brahmo Samaj of India or the Nav Vidhana.

While the slogan of Adi Brahmo Samaj was ‘Brahmoism is Hinduism’, the slogan of Nav Vidhana was ‘Brahmoism is Catholic and Universal’.
In 1870, Keshab Chandra visited England and returned with doubled enthusiasm.

Second Schism

Keshab Chandra, however, failed the organization in the end. In his daughter’s marriage, both the bride and bridegroom were under-age. The marriage was conducted in accordance with Hindu rites and in violation of the Brahmo Marriage Act of 1872.

Infuriated at this development, many in the Nav Vidhana separated themselves from the Nav Vidhana. Membership of their new organization, the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, was open only to those followed Brahmo rites in each and every domestic ceremony.

The second split dealt a fatal blow to the new Brahmo movement. After Keshab Chandra’s death in 1884, no leader of his grand stature arose.

Saharan Brahmo Samaj

The constitution of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, written by Anand Mohan Bose, was based on democratic principles. It gave equal rights to all members in the management of the Samaj. By this time, the members were politically conscious. Important members of the Samaj like Anand Mohan Bose, Bipin Chandra Pal, Dwarka Nath Ganguly and Sir Surendra Nath Bannerjee, were in the forefront of the movement. They contributed immensely to the growth of the spirit of nationalism in India.

The primary functions of the new Samaj were - female education, organizing famine relief funds, establishment of orphanages, starting schools for deaf and dumb and other charitable institutions. It started many new journals such as Tattva-Kaumudi Brahmo Public Opinion, Indian Messenger, and so on. These journalistic activities enriched the Bengali language and its literature.

Ved Samaj

Keshab Chandra Sen during his visit to Madras in 1864 persuaded the people to establish the Ved Samaj. The founder of the organization was K. Sridharalu Naidu. He visited Calcutta to study the Brahmo Samaj movement.

On his return to Madras, he changed the Ved Samaj into the Brahmo Samaj of Southern India in 1871. He translated the books of Brahmo Dharma into Tamil and Telugu.

Naidu’s untimely death in 1874 in an accident was followed by dissensions within the Samaj. Some members remained true to his faith but the majority formed a society of their own on the lines of the Saharan Brahmo Samaj.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy strove to create a consciousness in his countrymen and that was achieved through the Brahmo movement. The important contribution of the Brahmo Samaj was in its negative approach. It aimed at building a new social order devoid of all evils. The efforts of the Samaj for the regeneration of Indian women are of no less value.