_BRAHMANISM._
THE BRAHMANS.
In the “Book of Sir Marco Polo” occurs a quaint description of the
_Abraiaman_ or Brahmans, which, though inaccurate in some of its details,
seems worth quotation here:--
You must know, he says, that these Abraiaman are the best merchants in the
world [an obvious misconception!] and the most truthful, for they would
not tell a lie for anything on earth. If a foreign merchant who does not
know the ways of the country apply to them, and place his goods in their
hands, they will take charge of them most loyally, selling them to the
best advantage, seeking jealously the profit of the foreigner, and asking
no commission except what he pleases to bestow. They eat no flesh, drink
no wine, and live a life of great chastity; nor would they on any account
take what belongs to another, for so their law commands. And they are all
distinguished by wearing a thread of cotton over one shoulder and tied
under the other arm, so that it crosses the breast and the back.
They have a rich and powerful king, who is eager to purchase precious
stones and large pearls; and he sends these Abraiaman merchants into the
kingdom of Maabar called Soli, which is the best and noblest Province of
India, and where the best pearls are found, to fetch him as many of these
as they can get, and he pays them double the cost price for all. So in
this way he has a vast treasure of such valuables.
These Abraiaman are idolaters; and they give greater heed to signs and
omens than any people that exist. I will mention one of their customs as
an example. To every day of the week they assign a special augury. Suppose
some purchase is on foot; he who proposes to become the buyer takes note,
when he rises in the morning, of his shadow in the sun, which ought, he
says, on that day to be of such and such a length; and should his shadow
be of the proper length for that day he completes his purchase; if it be
not, he will on no account do so, but waits till his shadow reaches the
prescribed measurement. For there is a certain length fixed for every day
in the week; and the merchant will not complete any business unless he
finds his shadow of the length set down for that particular day. Also to
each day in the week they assign one hour as unlucky, which they term
_Choiach_. For example, on Monday the hour of Half-tierce (7 to 8 a.m.),
on Tuesday that of Tierce, (9 to 10 a.m.), on Wednesday Nones (12 to 1
p.m.), and so on.
Again, if one of them be in the house, and, while meditating a purchase,
should see a tarantula (such as is very common in that country) on the
wall, provided that it advance from a quarter which he deems lucky, he
will complete his purchase at once; but if it come from a quarter which he
considers unlucky, he will not do so on any inducement. Moreover, if, on
going forth, he hear any one sneeze, he will proceed if he consider it a
good omen; but, if the reverse, he will straightway sit down in his place
for as long as he thinks it well to tarry. Or if, in travelling along the
road, he see a swallow fly past, should its direction be lucky he will
proceed, but, if not, he will turn back again: in fact, they are worse, in
these vagaries, than so many Patarins! (i.e. heretics.)
These Abraiaman are very long-lived, owing to their extreme abstinence in
eating. And they never allow themselves to let blood in any part of the
body. They have capital teeth, which is due to a certain herb they chew;
it greatly improves their appearance, and is also very good for the
health.
There is another class of people called _Chugi_ [Jogi], who are indeed
properly Abraiaman, but they form a religious order devoted to the Idols.
They are extremely long-lived, every man of them living to 150 or 200
years. They eat very little, but what they do eat is good; rice and milk
chiefly. And these people make use of a very strange beverage; for they
brew a potion of mixed sulphur and quicksilver, and drink it twice every
month. This, they say, gives them long life; and they are used to take it
from their childhood.
Certain members of this Order lead the most ascetic life imaginable, going
completely naked; they worship the Ox. Most of them wear a small image of
an ox, in brass, pewter, or gold, tied over the forehead. Moreover, they
take cow-dung, and burn it, and make a powder of it; and then they make it
into an ointment, with which they daub themselves as devoutly as
Christians use holy water. Further, if they meet any person who treats
them well, they daub a little of this powder on the middle of his
forehead.
They do not eat from bowls or trenchers, but place their food on leaves of
the Apple of Paradise and other large leaves; these, however, they use
dry, never green. For they say the green leaves have a soul in them, and
so it would be a sin. And they would rather die than do what their Law
pronounces to be sin. If any one ask how it comes that they are not
ashamed to go about in their nudity, they say:--“We go naked because naked
we came into the world, and we desire to have nothing about us that is of
this world. Moreover, we have no sin of the flesh to be conscious of, and
therefore we are not ashamed of our nakedness, any more than you are to
show your hand or your face. You who are conscious of the sins of the
flesh do well to be ashamed, and to cover your nakedness.”
On no account would they kill an animal, not even a fly, or a flea, or a
louse, or anything in fact that has life; for they say all these have
souls, and it would be sinful to do so. They eat no vegetables in a green
state, only when they are dry. And they sleep on the ground, naked,
without a rag of clothing over them or under them; so that it is a marvel
they do not all die, instead of living so long as I have told you. They
fast every day in the year, and drink nothing but water. And when a novice
has to be received among them they keep him awhile in their convent, and
make him follow their rule of life.
They are such cruel and perfidious idolaters that it is very devilry! They
say that they burn the bodies of the dead, because if they were not burnt,
worms would generate and consume them; and when no more food remained for
them, they would die, and the souls belonging to those bodies would bear
the sin and the punishment of their death.
* * * * *
In another part of his immortal work, Marco Polo speaks of the
fish-charmers of Ceylon as Brahmans (or _Abraiaman_.) The pearl-fishers,
he says, pay one twentieth part of all that they take to these men, who
charm the great fishes, and prevent them from injuring the divers whilst
engaged in seeking pearls under water. Their charm holds good only for the
day; at night they dissolve it, so that the fishes can work mischief at
their will. These Abraiaman, he adds, know also how to charm beasts and
birds and every living thing.
Commenting on this statement, Colonel Yule observes that the modern
snake-charmers do not seem entitled to the distinctive appellation of
Abraiaman, or Brahmans, though they may have been so in former days. At
the diamond-mines of the Northern Circars Brahmans are employed in the
similar task of propitiating the tutelary genii. The snake-charmers are
called in Tamul _Kadal-kalti_, “Sea-binders,” and in Hindustani,
_Haibanda_, or “Shark-binders.” At Aripo they belong to one family,
supposed to enjoy monopoly of the charm. The chief operator is (or was,
not many years ago) paid by Government, and he also received two oysters
from each boat daily during the fishery. Turnoub, on his visit, found the
incumbent of the office to be a Roman Catholic Christian, but that did not
seem to affect the exercise or the validity of his practices. It is
remarkable that when Turnoub wrote, not more than one authenticated
accident from sharks had taken place, during the whole period of the
British occupation.
* * * * *
Among the shepherds, or hillmen, in the neighbourhood of Rampore (or “City
of Rama,”)--the Paharis, as they are called,--a curious custom lingers,
which resembles the strange old Highland ceremony of the sunwise turn, or
Deisul, round any particular object, partly for luck, partly as a survival
of the sun-worship of the men of old. Sometimes the villagers gather their
flocks into one great herd, and, walking at the head, lead them slowly
round the village, following the solar course. Gradually they quicken
their pace to a run, and in this fashion perambulate the village thrice or
even oftener.
This sunwise turn is practised in other cases, as in sickness or accident.
Sheep and goats are solemnly paraded round the sufferer; after which they
lose their heads. If the sufferer be wealthy, the number so sacrificed to
the demons is often considerable. But the Paharis very firmly hold that
though the lesser spirits may be thus propitiated, no sacrifice is
acceptable to the Supreme Deity; that all He claims is devout worship.
They believe in the existence of three and thirty millions of good and
evil spirits, but their special adoration seems to be reserved for the
spirit which watches over their particular village, and in their temples
they reserve for him a kind of ark or shrine, wherein his veiled image is
carefully preserved. Every day this ark is slung upon long poles, and
taken out for an airing; and once a year it is borne through the country
side in solemn procession, and the people assemble and dance before it, as
the Israelites of old danced before the tabernacle. The said ark is gaily
decorated with bright-coloured hangings, and upon it is set a brazen head,
with four or more faces, overshadowed by yaks’ tails, like huge plumes of
dark or scarlet wool. Sometimes the whole structure is adorned with faces
of polished metal, which gleam and reflect like mirrors in the sun.
Moreover, it is usually draped all around with a deep fringe of silky
white yaks’ tails, depending almost to the ground, and concealing the
bodies of the bearers, so that the tabernacle seems to crawl along upon
its own feet.
To the service of the temple certain people are set apart in every
village. In the morning they sound an alarm in honour of the god with
bell, and conch, and cymbal, and again in the evening with a similar din
they announce the close of day. Ablutions are ignored by the villagers in
their own case, but they will have their goddess washed and dressed
daily. They burn incense before her, and serve her with offerings of
leaves of wild mint.
Occasionally, all the tribes assemble at a religious festival, and each
village sends forth its ark, with the men and women attired in their
brightest colours, and glittering with all their jewels. The various
processions, with dance and song and gambol, proceed towards the appointed
rendezvous; one of their little temples, of rudely carved cedar-wood,
situated in the calm shade of a group of forest-trees. Near this temple is
usually prepared a neatly-levelled space, covered with green turf, or,
perhaps, paved; and here the Khudas, or arks, are solemnly deposited. For
three days the festivities are kept up, and the sound of singing and
dancing seems continuous. Every now and then each village-company raises
its Khuda from the ground, and carries it in a little circle, sunwise,
while the nodding plumes seem to keep time to the rude chant of the simple
worshippers, and an outer ring of men, joining hands, follow the rhythm in
fantastic dance. Then the idol is set down; the people prepare their
homage; the dance goes on; and the women, in a long undulating chain,
sunwise revolve around the mystic Khuda.
Each woman, throwing one arm around her neighbour’s waist, keeps the other
free, and waves a plume-like chowni or yak’s tail, as she bows to the
Khuda. They do not all wave simultaneously, but in swift succession, so as
to produce the effect of a continuous graceful motion. If one of the women
retire, from fatigue, another slips into her place: sometimes the men form
the circle, then both men and women join, always carrying on the same
evolutions, the same circular motion. At nightfall the huge fires are
kindled, and the lurid gleams of pine-wood torches flicker athwart the
darkness, while the echoes ring incessantly with the monotonous clang of
great trumpet-shells and tomtoms.
When they have expended all their energies the revellers bring the
festival to a close, and each village-company bears back its
patron-goddess to her own little sanctuary.
Whether, as some surmise, this ceremony is associated with any tradition
of Noah’s Ark, we cannot pretend to determine. But it is certain that some
legends of the Flood still linger among the hillmen. There is a popular
myth which tells of a mighty ship built by Manu and the Seven Sages, in
which they stored the seed of all kinds of life, and of its being rescued
by Brahma when the Deluge overwhelmed the primitive earth. Brahma, it
says, drew the great vessel for many days until he reached a high peak of
the Himalayas, where he moored it securely. In memory whereof, the peak
has ever since borne the name of _Naubandhana_.
Mr. W. Simpson, who has seen much of India and the Indians, describes an
Ark-festival which he witnessed in a Himalayan valley. After indulging in
the usual ceremonial ablutions, the people of the district assembled at
the village of Coatee to do honour to its patron-goddess. The Khuda was
brought out, and with dance and music, conducted in noisy procession
through the deep shades of the forest and its lonesome glens, until they
reached a certain grove, in which a small temple was situated. The Khuda
was then deposited on the paved space in front; and an aged priest washed
all the brazen faces with mint leaves and water previous to offering up
incense, flowers, fruit, and bread.
A number of playful young kids were next brought forward. The priest
sprinkled them with water. On the ground lay a large flat brazen dish, and
one of the villagers stood beside it with a sacred hatchet, rudely
ornamented. At a single blow he struck off the head of a kid. The priest’s
assistant raised the head, and muttering certain words, presented it to
the Khuda. Dipping his finger into the blood, he flicked some drops upon
the carven image, and placed the head with the other offerings. Meanwhile,
the kid’s body had been so disposed that all its blood dripped into the
brazen vessel; and when two or three animals had been sacrificed and the
dish was full, one of the men lifted it up, and, first presenting it to
the Khuda, turned round, and swang the body against the whitewashed wall
of the temple, so as to empty it of blood. This ceremony was thrice
repeated.
The festival is known as the _Akrot-ka-pooja_, or Walnut Festival, from
the pastime that follows the sacrificial scene. The priest, with a few
companions, takes his place in the balcony of the temple, and all the
young men present pelt them liberally with walnuts and green pine-cones,
which the group in the balcony rapidly collect and return in plentiful
volleys. For about half-an-hour this severe encounter lasts, when the
assailed descend, and once more mingle with the crowd.
By this time the sacrificial kids have been cooked, and the people seating
themselves on the paved space in front of the Khuda, cakes and flesh are
served out among them. In opposition to the usual Eastern custom, the
women are helped before the men. It is now time for the homeward journey,
but the mysterious oscillation of the Khuda is understood to signify its
desire to visit the neighbouring village of Cheenee; and thither the
multitude at once proceed, dancing, singing, shouting, while the forest
glades resound with the trumpets and the tomtoms, and a few of the
nimbler-footed speed ahead to give notice to the authorities at Cheenee of
the honour in store for them. When near the latter village, the procession
is met by the goddess of Cheenee, with her retinue, and an exchange of
courtesies takes place. Next morning, the goddess of Kothi, or Coatee,
returns to her own charge.
SHAMANISM: DEVIL-DANCING.
In many parts of Central and Southern India the rite of Devil-Dancing is
practised, and Bishop Caldwell gives a striking description of it as it
exists among the Shawars of Tinnevelly:[24]
“When the preparations are completed and the devil-dance is about to
commence, the music is at first comparatively slow; the dancer seems
impassive and sullen, and he either stands still or moves about in gloomy
silence. Gradually, as the music becomes quicker and louder, his
excitement begins to rise. Sometimes, to help him to work himself up into
a frenzy, he uses medicated draughts, cuts and lacerates himself till the
blood flows, lashes himself with a huge whip, presses a burning torch to
his breast, drinks the blood which flows from his own wounds, or drains
the blood of the sacrifice, putting the throat of the decapitated goat to
his mouth. Then, as if he had acquired new life, he begins to brandish his
staff of bells, and to dance with a quick but wild unsteady step.
Suddenly the afflatus descends; there is no mistaking that glare, or those
frantic leaps. He snorts, he swears, he gyrates. The demon has now taken
bodily possession of him, and though he retains the power of utterance and
motion, both are under the demon’s control, and his separate consciousness
is in abeyance. The bystanders signalize the event by raising a long
shout, attended with a peculiar vibratory noise, caused by the motion of
the hand and tongue, or the tongue alone. The devil-dancer is now
worshipped as a present deity, and every bystander consults him respecting
his diseases, his wants, the welfare of his absent relatives, the
offerings to be made for the accomplishment of his wishes, and, in short,
everything for which superhuman knowledge is supposed to be available.”
* * * * *
Before we quit this subject, it may be for the interest and convenience of
the reader, if we offer a brief account of the doctrines and rites of
Brahmism. This movement against the old Hindu faith, initiated by Rammohun
Roy, and developed by Babu Keshub Chunda Sen, owes its origin, however
unconsciously, to the influence of Christianity, which the Hindu mind, on
awaking from its long sleep of centuries, found, as it were, by its side,
and the pure and elevated character of which it could not but recognise.
Rammohun Roy was born in the district of Moorshadabad in 1772, and was
upwards of forty years of age when he undertook the part of a religious
reformer. A man of considerable natural powers, he had cultivated them
carefully, acquired a thorough knowledge of Sanskrit and Arabic, and
accompanied his meditations on the Sastras, or Hindu religious books, with
a close study of the English Scriptures. Removing to Calcutta in 1814, he
endeavoured to engage his friends in the same pursuits, and as this effort
led him naturally to new inquiries, he soon came to abandon his belief in
traditional Hinduism. A cry of ‘infidel!’ was immediately raised against
him; he became the subject of an incessant hostility; was on one occasion
mobbed in the streets of Calcutta; and owed his life to the protection of
the British Government. Persecution, however, could not quench his thirst
after knowledge. He applied himself to the study of Greek and Hebrew,
that by reading the Bible in its original languages, he might penetrate
more thoroughly into the spirit of Hebrew and Christian devotion.
Having dismissed the authority of the Puranas, he rested his faith on the
Vedas, the oldest of the Hindu sacred books, in the conviction (an
erroneous one) that the old creed of Hinduism was monotheistic, and the
belief (a justifiable one) that the Puranas represented the degeneracy of
a later age. Strange to say, he did not detect the Pantheism that
overflows the Vedas: in the Upanishads or treatises attached to them, he
fancied that he saw a pure Deism, and to diffuse this among his
countrymen, he published numerous translations and organised a society of
believers, who recited texts from the Vedas, and chanted Christian hymns.
In 1830 he went further; founding a prayer-meeting, which proved the seed
of what is now known as the Brahma Samáj. The building erected for the
purpose of holding the meetings was, according to the trust deed, to be
open to people of all sorts and conditions, “who shall behave and conduct
themselves in an orderly, sober, religious, and devout manner, for the
worship and adoration of the Eternal, Unsearchable, and Immutable Being,
who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe, but not under and by any
other name, designation, or title, peculiarly used for and applied to any
particular Being or Beings by any man or set of men whatsoever.” It
provided also, in direct opposition to the practices of Hinduism, that no
graven image, sculpture, carving, picture, painting, portrait, or likeness
of anything, should “be admitted within the walls of this building;” that
no animal sacrifices should take place there; that no eating or drinking,
feasting or rioting, should be permitted; that evil speaking against the
beliefs of men should be prohibited; and that no prayer, or sermon, or
teaching should be allowed, unless it had “a tendency to the contemplation
of the Author and Preserver of the Universe, or to the promotion of
charity, morality, piety, benevolence, virtue, and the strengthening of
the bonds of union between men of all religious persuasions and creeds.”
Here we have a distinct advance on Brahmanism and even on Buddhism, but
the religious system indicated in the closing sentence is nevertheless as
vague as it is cold; and lacks that vital element which Christianity
derives from its recognition of GOD the FATHER and CHRIST the SAVIOUR.
However, Rammohun Roy, in his fashion, was a sincere “seeker after GOD;”
and in his vague endeavour to grasp the truth he persevered in the face of
an intolerant opposition. He still continued to give a foremost place to
the Vedas as channels of religious instruction, but he introduced the
Psalms of David; and as time wore on, he separated himself more and more
completely from the traditions of orthodox Hinduism. Even his faith in the
Vedas came to be much shaken; and finding himself at last in that state of
isolation which is the suffering and martyrdom of the man in advance of
his age, he quitted India and went to live in England. At Bristol he
resided, much esteemed, until his death in 1833.
For awhile the torch which he had lighted flickered ominously near to
extinction, until, in 1841, it passed into the hands of Babu Debendronath
Tagore. By him it was again lighted up; and as much had happened since
Rammohun Roy’s departure, as education had gradually weakened the old
traditional prejudices, it became the rallying-point of a crowd of earnest
inquirers. Debendronath Tagore devoted himself with eager unselfishness,
giving unsparingly of his time, his money, and his talents. His work
derived no inconsiderable moral support from his unblemished personal
character. He provided the Samáj with a printing-press, expended much
money in fitting up their place of worship, and collected a valuable
library of the Hindu sacred books, besides providing for the support of
poor but promising students, sent to Benares to prosecute their studies.
A remarkable change, however, soon came over the faith and teaching of the
Samáj. Hitherto, as we have seen, they had been based upon the Vedas, as
the authorized rule of Hindu theology; but inquiry and criticism had
gradually disclosed their Pantheistic character, and their consequent
incompatibility with the creed of the Samáj. Thus it came to pass that
about 1850 the Vedas had to go; and the members of the Samáj no longer
called themselves Vedantists but Brahmoists, or Brahmists (from _Brahm_,
or Brahma, the Supreme Being.) In other words, they openly became
Theists.
A religious sect, brought together by a common monotheism and accepting a
common covenant, was naturally impelled towards an expansion of their
creed. But this expansion in the case of the Brahma Samáj, was probably
hastened by the number of branch Samájes that sprang up in the
neighbourhood of the metropolis and in some of the larger towns of the
Bengal presidency. These branches, constantly increasing in number through
the accessions of educated young men from the colleges and zillah schools,
naturally looked to the parent Samáj to define and establish their creed;
and what must be regarded as an authoritative exposition of it was
published in 1868. The following is a summary of it:--
“1. The book of Nature and Intuition form the basis of the Brahmaic faith.
“2. Although the Brahmas do not consider any book written by man the basis
of their religion, yet do they accept with pleasure and respect any
_truth_ contained in any book.
“3. The Brahmas believe that the religious condition of man is
progressive, like the other facts of his condition in this world.
“4. They believe that the fundamental doctrines of their religion are at
the basis of every religion followed by man.
“5. They believe in the existence of One Supreme GOD--a GOD endowed with a
distinct personality, and attributes equal to His nature, and intelligence
befitting the Governor of the Universe; and worship Him--Him alone. They
do not believe in His incarnation.
“6. They believe in the immortality and progressive state of the soul, and
declare that there is a state of conscious existence succeeding life in
this world, and supplementary to it as respects the action of the
universal moral government.
“7. They believe that atonement is the only way to salvation. They do not
recognise any other mode of reconcilement to the offended but loving
Father.
“8. They pray for _spiritual_ welfare, and believe in the _efficacy_ of
real prayers.
“9. They believe in the Providential care of the Divine Father.
“10. They avow that love towards Him, and performing the works He loveth,
constitute His worship.
“11. They recognise the necessity of public worship, but do not believe
that they cannot hold communion with the Great Father without resorting to
any fixed place at any fixed time. They maintain that we can adore Him at
any time and at any place, provided that time and that place are
calculated to compose and direct the mind towards Him.
“12. They do not believe in pilgrimages, but declare that holiness can be
attained only by elevating and purifying the mind.
“13. They do not perform any rites and ceremonies, or believe in penances,
as instrumental in obtaining the grace of GOD. They declare that moral
righteousness, the gaining of wisdom, Divine contemplation, charity, and
the cultivation of devotional feelings, are their rites and ceremonies.
They further say, Govern and regulate your feelings, discharge your duties
to GOD and to man, and you will gain everlasting blessedness; purify your
hearts, cultivate devotional feelings, and you will see Him who is Unseen.
“14. Theoretically, there is no distinction of caste among the Brahmas.
They declare that we are all the children of GOD, and, therefore, must
consider ourselves as brothers and sisters.”
Briefly speaking, the religious system herein set forth may be described
as Christianity without CHRIST; and yet it was unwilling to acknowledge
its obligations to Christianity. Its apostles sought to persuade
themselves and others that they derived everything from the Vedas and
nothing from the Bible; and when they were compelled to abandon the Vedas,
they fell back upon Nature as a Divine Revelation. But, as an Anglo-Indian
authority contends, it is certain that but for the new life which at this
time flowed in with the tide of Western thought, and the study of a
literature “saturated at every pore” with Christian sentiment and the high
Gospel morality; and but for the strong and ceaseless opposition
maintained by Christianity in the person of its missionaries against the
Atheism, which was the first, though a short-lived result of the sudden
intellectual quickening the young men of Calcutta experienced when Western
science was substituted for Oriental myths, neither would the study of the
Vedas have been revived, nor would the great lessons of nature have
appeared so intelligible as they then became.[25]
We have seen that Brahmanism made one advance under Rammohun Roy; it was
led still further forward by Debendronath Tagore; and then he too suddenly
halted, as his predecessor had done. The leadership next devolved upon a
man of higher courage, not less fitted to lead a great movement by his
enthusiasm than by his ability, Babu Keshub Chunda Sen. Keshub was
determined that the challenge should be thrown down to orthodox Hinduism:
and persuaded Debendronath Tagore, when his daughter was married, to
celebrate the occasion without the usual idolatrous ceremony. After this,
he purified of their idolatrous element the rites observed at birth and
death. Still, Debendronath Tagore supported him; but, at last, when an
attempt was made to eliminate not only what was purely idolatrous, but
also everything offensive to enlightened feeling and a purer taste,
Debendronath and the conservative party opposed, and a schism was the
result.
“The time had arrived,” says the writer already quoted, “when Brahmism, if
it was a power and not mere talk, must do battle with the system of caste
distinctions. The first step in this direction taken by Keshub Chunda Sen,
was the celebration of a marriage between persons belonging to different
castes. That was an innovation such as might well startle the venerable
pundits of Nuddea and Benares. There could henceforward be no doubt as to
the more than heretical tendency of the theistic doctrine. An electric
shock ran through society: all Hindudom was roused from its slumber, and
began suspiciously to ponder what Brahmism meant by such daring. But the
real test of principle was yet to come. It was comparatively safe to make
a few modifications in domestic religious rites: the marriage of people of
different castes compromised the principals chiefly: it was necessary that
the entire Brahma community should by some act be universally committed to
war against the evils and iniquities of caste. Keshub and his party
accepted this necessity, threw off the sacred thread that distinguished
them as Brahmans, and insisted that all who desired membership with their
Samáj should consent to renounce caste. There could be no greater triumph
than this, of principle over traditionalism: it stamped Brahmism as a
power in the land, and not an idle theological speculation.”
Thenceforward, Keshub Chunda Sen became the recognised leader of “the
Brahma Samáj of India,” and the new sect adopted an active proselytism.
Branch Samájes have been established all over the country; missionaries
have been sent as far as Madras and Bombay and the Punjab. Tracts and
lectures have been freely circulated. In Calcutta a so-called “church” has
been built, and is well attended every Sunday evening, not only by men,
but by women, for whom special accommodation is provided. The services are
conducted in the vernacular, so as to be intelligible to all worshippers.
Brahmist hymns are sung to the accompaniment of the harmonium, and the
solemn _mridong_ (a kind of drum): passages are read from a book of
selections in which the extracts from the Bible greatly outnumber those
from any other source; extemporaneous prayers are offered with an
intensity of spiritual feeling that could do no disgrace to a Christian
congregation; and discourses are delivered which breathe a pure and noble
tone of sentiment and feeling. Two weekly periodicals, one Bengali and the
other English, the “Dharma Tattwa” and the “Indian Mirror,” are the
recognised exponents of the views and teaching of the Samáj.