Renaissance in Hinduism
People and Organizations That Made a Difference in 18th to 20th Century

In the 18th century Hinduism suffered a major set back by the introduction of English in India. Many people became skeptics and started questioning religious teachings. However, English has also helped Hinduism because several prominet Europeans translated major works of Hinduism into English thus giving it a much needed exposure outside India. Persons such as Sir William Jones, Sir Charles Wilkins, Colebrooke, Monier-Williams and Max Muller revealed the treasures of the ancient Indian wisdom. Their work was later supplemented by art lovers and art critics, who revealed the secrets of sacred and secular art-forms and concepts.

As an outcome of these influences and counter-influences, there arose a series of movements which have been rightly described as a renaissance of Hindu life and thought. Raja Ramamohun Roy was the most outstanding pioneer of these movements. He struck a note of universalism in tune with the spirit of the Upanisads. In 1803 he published a book entitled Tuhfat-ul- Muwahhidin. It carried a protest against idolatry and sought to establish a universal religion based on the idea of the unity of Godhead.

Rammohun Roy repeatedly declared that he had no intention of breaking away from the ancestral religion, and wished to see it restored to its original purity. In order to carry out his ideas he founded the Brahmo Samaj on the basis of theism. The Trust Deed of the Samaj laid down that "no graven image, statue or sculpture carving, painting, picture, portrait or the likeness of anything shall be admitted within the building."

Debendranath Tagore, the next great leader of the Samaj, formulated the Brahmopadesa, comprising tenets from the Upanisads and Tantras. His successor, Keshub Chandra Sen, sought to incorporate Christian ideals into the Brahmo Samaj movement. He began the compilation of a scripture including passages from the Holy Books of many religions - Hindu, Buddhist, Hebrew, Christian, Muslim etc. Then he went to England in 1870, he was welcomed by many Christian organizations.

As the result of secessions in the Brahmo Samaj, three institutions arose: The Adi Brahmo Samaj; the New Dispensation of Keshub Chandra Sen; and the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj founded by dissenters from the Keshub Church. 

The Sadharan Samaj gave a rational, monistic interpretation of the Upanisads, admitting the essential unity of the universal self and the individual self. The following doctrines, as noted in Renaissance of Hinduism are common to all these varieties and offshoots of the Brahmo Samaj:

1. They have no faith in any scripture as an authority.
2. They have no faith in Avatars.
3. They denounce polytheism and idol-worship.
4. They are against caste restrictions.
5. They make faith in the doctrines of Karma and Rebirth optional. 

Another offshoot of the Brahmo Samaj, the Prarthana Samaj was founded by Justice Ranade in Bombay. Its program included disapproval of caste, recognition of widow marriage, and the encouragement of women's education.

As a reaction against the influences typified by Raja Ramamohun Roy and Justice Ranade, the Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. It attacked the Brahmo Samaj for its pro-European and pro-Christian attitude. 

A great Sanskrit scholar and a believer in the doctrines of Karma and Rebirth, Swami Dayanand sought to revive the Vedic ideals and laid stress on Brahmacarya and Sannyasa. He believed implicitly in the ancient scriptures, disavowing Puranic Hinduism in favor of Vedic Hinduism. The Puranic texts, he said, had no Vedic sanction. Holding the Vedas alone as authoritative, he stated that God and the human soul are two distinct entities, different in nature and attributes, though they are inseparable from each other as the pervader and the pervaded. 

The doctrine of Karma and Samsara is of course accepted by the Arya Samaj. One of its main activities is Suddhi, a purification ceremony, by which non-Hindus are converted to Hinduism. The depressed classes and Harijans are entitled to be invested with the sacred thread and are given equal status with other Hindus.

Principles Of Arya Samaj

1. God Is the primary source of all true knowledge and all that is known by its means.
2. God is Existent. Conscious. All-beautitude. Formless. Almighty. Just. Merciful. Unbegotten. Infinite. Unchangeable. Beginningless. Incomparable. the support of all. the Lord of all. All-pervading. Omnicient and Controller of all from within. Evermature. Imperishable. Fearless. Eternal. Pure. and Creator of the Universe. To Him alone is worship due.
3. The Vedas are the books of all true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to read them. to teach them to others. listen to them. and recite them to others.
4. All persons should always be ready to accept truth and renounce untruth.
5. All acts ought to be performed in conformity to Dharma. i.e.. after due consideration of right and wrong.
6. The prime object of Arya Samaj is to do good to the world. i.e.. to promote physical. spiritual and social progress of all humans.
7. All should be treated with love. justice. righteousness. and due regard to their merits.
8. Ignorance should be dispelled and knowledge disseminated.
9. No one should remain content with one's own well-being. but one should regard one's well-being lying In the well-being of others.
10. In matters affecting the well-being of the society (all others). the individual should subordinate one's personal likings. in matters affecting the Individual alone. one is to enjoy the freedom of action. 

The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 by Col. Olcott and Madame Blavatsky. Dr. Annie Besant became the head of the Theosophical Society in 1891. Claiming that she had been a Hindu in her former birth, Annie Besant worked throughout her life for the regeneration and activization of Hindu thought and Hindu life. She published a translation of the Bhagavad-Gita along with Dr. Bhagvan Das and popularized Hindu ideals in her numerous publications and marvelously eloquent speeches. A defender of many orthodox ideals, she turned later to social reform, which included the partial modification of the caste system. 

One of the main principles of Theosophical Society is the belief in a brotherhood of great teachers of the past who are supposed to be living still, watching over and guiding the evolution of humanity. The Theosophical Society under Dr. Besant's guidance spread the fundamental principles of the Hindu religion - Karma, Reincarnation, Yoga and spiritual evolution.