With regard to Brahmo Samaj, answer the following questions.

(a) Who founded the Brahmo Samaj? Why?

(b) What were the ideals of Brahmo Samaj?

(a) The Brahmo Samaj was established in 1828 by Raja Rammohan Roy with the object of saving Hinduism from the evils of caste system and superstition.

(b) Following were the ideals of Brahmo Samaj:

1. Monotheism or worship of one God — He wrote Gift to Monotheists in 1809 in Persian in which he put forward arguments for the worship of a single God.
2. Emphasis on human dignity — The Brahmo Samaj preached equality and brotherhood of mankind. It criticised social evils such as the practice of sati.
3. Opposition to meaningless rituals — Rammohan Roy condemned the priestly class for encouraging practices such as the worship of idols and the rigidity of caste as well as the prevalence of meaningless religious rituals.
4. Equality of women — He strived for upliftment of women by advocating proper education for them and by giving them a better social status. He was against Sati Pratha.
5. Philosophy of Vedanta — The Brahmo Samaj was based on the philosophy of Vedanta which is supported by — the Vedas and the Upanishads.
6. Education — Raja Rammohan Roy was a pioneer of Western education in India. He helped in laying the foundation of many educational institutions such as the Hindu College, the English School and Vedanta College in Calcutta.