द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

28 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE
quite different from the old. They were no longer Indians
in their equipment but English.
Faced with the menace of being swallowed up by a new
religion and a new culture, the soul of the people revolted.
The first visible embodiment of this revolt was Raja Ram
Mohon Roy and the movement of which he was the father
was the Brahmo Samaj movement. Ram Mohon Roy stood
out as the apostle of a religious revival. He urged a return to
the original principles of Vedantism and for a total rejection
of all the religions and social impurities that had crept into
Hinduism in later times. He also advocated an all-round
regeneration of the social and national life and the acceptance
of all that is useful and beneficial in the modern life of Europe.
Raja Ram Mohon Roy therefore stands out against the dawn
of the new awakening in India as the prophet of the new age.
The Raja was succeeded by Devendranath Tagore, father of
the poet, Rabindranath Tagore, as the head of the Brahmo
Samaj. In appreciation of the pure life that he lived, which
reminded one of the Rishis or saints of old, Devendranath
Tagore was given the title of Maharshi (a great saint) by the
people. His successor was Keshav Chandra Sen, one of the
most prominent Indian personalities in the latter half of the
nineteenth century. During the earlier portion of his life,
Keshav Chandra Sen seemed to be inspired more by the
sayings and teachings of Christ and in his public life he laid
great emphasis on social reform. So vigorous was his per-
sonality and so enthusiastic was he in giving effect to his
ideas that a split took place in the Brahmo Samaj. The older
generation who were less radical, called themselves the Adi
or original Brahmo Samaj. Among the rest of the members
a further split took place. The followers of Keshav Chandra
Sen called themselves the Naba Bidhan, or the New Dis-
pensation, while the rest called themselves the Sadharan (or
general body) Brahmo Samaj. All branches of the Brahmo
Samaj had however some principles in common. They all
took their stand on the original doctrines of the Vedanta
philosophy. They all condemned the use of images in religious
worship and they all advocated the abolition of caste in society.
The Brahmo Samaj movement spread all over India and in