Here is the complete, simplified rewrite of Jogendra Chunder Ghose's introduction of the life and works of Raja Rammohan Roy. It is written in clear, modern English, and I have made sure to keep every single detail, metaphor, and historical fact from the original text.
Introduction
Early Life and Family
Raja Ram Mohun Roy was born in 1772 A.D. into a highly respected, high-caste Brahmin family. He was born in Radhanagore, a village in the Hooghly District of Lower Bengal. At this time, the English had just taken control of Bengal and were trying to set up a stable government. In fact, 1774 was a highly significant year for India, as it was the exact year the first Governor-General of India and his Council were appointed, and the Supreme Court was established.
Ram Mohun Roy’s father, Ram Kant Roy, was a minor landowner (Zemindar) who had previously served under the Nawabs of Murshidabad and had personally witnessed their downfall. His mother, Tarini Devi—who was commonly known as Phool Thakoorani—was a woman of deep religious devotion and remarkable strength of character.
Early Education in Patna
In those days, the only places for education were the Toles (schools run by Hindu Pundits where only Brahmins were taught) and the Muktubs (schools run by Persian Maulvis). Persian was still the official language of the royal court. Therefore, any parent who wanted their sons to achieve worldly honors and political success made sure they were educated in Persian and Arabic. As a result, after young Ram Mohun learned as much Bengali and Persian as he could in his home village, he was sent to Patna at the age of nine. Patna was the main center for Arabic learning in Bengal.
Because of his extraordinary memory and unusual intellectual abilities, young Ram Mohun mastered both the Persian and Arabic languages within just three or four years. During this short time, he not only studied the poets and philosophers of Persia and Arabia—finding the most pleasure in the Sufis, whose mystical philosophy was very similar to the Hindu philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga—but he also read the works of Aristotle and Euclid in Arabic. He became a true Islamic scholar (Maulvi), which was a title people actually used for him later in life.
Sanskrit Studies in Benares
When he was twelve years old, Ram Mohun Roy was sent to Benares to study Sanskrit. Benares was then, and still is, the main center for Sanskrit education, especially for the study of Vedantic philosophy. He stayed there until he was sixteen, diligently studying the literature and philosophy of the ancient Hindus. It was in Benares that he absorbed the monotheistic beliefs (the belief in one God) taught by the Vedanta and the Upanishads. He returned home from Benares as a fierce, determined enemy of idol worship and the religious corruptions of his country.
Wandering and Tibet
Shortly after coming home, it is said that he wrote a book criticizing the idol worship of the Hindus. This caused a massive falling out between him and his father. Even though he was still very young, he left his father's house and wandered from place to place for four years, completely alone and without a single friend.
During this period of wandering, he traveled to Tibet, where he learned the doctrines of Buddhism right at its primary center. However, his strong, vocal defense of monotheistic beliefs there almost cost him his life. He was only saved from danger and hardship by the kindness of the Tibetan women. He never forgot this kindness. Forty years later, he said that their compassion made him always feel the warmest respect and gratitude toward women.
Return Home and Further Conflict
After four years, his heartbroken father called him back home. His father said he felt just like King Dasaratha from the ancient epic when he sent his son Ram away into the wilderness. Until he was twenty-five, Ram Mohun spent his time learning English, studying the sacred Sanskrit texts (Shastras), and debating with the Brahmins about idol worship and the practice of burning widows. However, these debates once again brought the intense anger of Hindu society down upon him, and he was forced to leave his home a second time.
Career as a Government Officer
From 1800 to 1813, Ram Mohun Roy worked as a Sheristadar (a record-keeper). He spent ten years living in the districts of Ramgarh, Bhagalpur, and Rangpur, serving as the Dewan (head officer) for the British Collectors and Judges in those areas. Because of this job, people commonly called him "the Dewanji" until the Emperor of Delhi later gave him the official title of "Raja."
While living in Rangpur, he stayed incredibly busy studying the sacred texts and arguing with the Brahmins. Although none of his own writings from that specific time have survived, there is a book written against him in Rangpur. This opposing book, titled Jnananjan, was later revised and published in Calcutta in 1838 A.D. (1245 B.S.). From it, we know that during his time in Rangpur, Ram Mohun wrote religious tracts in Persian and translated parts of the Vedanta.
Moving to Calcutta
In 1814, Ram Mohun Roy moved from Rangpur to Calcutta. As he described it, he "gave up all worldly avocations, and engaged in religious culture and in the investigation of truth." He finally began the great life's work that he had spent so long preparing for. To truly understand the massive difficulties he had to overcome, and the sheer scale and horror of the evils he had to fight against, we must look at a brief account of the condition of India and Hindu society at that time.
A Period of Revolution
It was a time of massive revolution. When Ram Mohun Roy was born, all the old kingdoms were collapsing, and new ones were being built in their place. In Bengal, the tyrannical ruler Siraj-ud-Daulah had been overthrown, and the rule of a race of foreigners from across the ocean (the British) had been established. There was disorder and confusion across the entire country. The old way of life was dying out, making way for the new, and the only question was whether this change would be for the better or for the worse.
Religious Strife and Corruption
The religious world was also incredibly turbulent. The Shaktas (who worshipped the goddess Shakti) and the Vaishnavas (who were mostly followers of the saint Chaitanya) were both very powerful groups, and they were constantly fighting each other for control of the land. This was also the era when Tantric worship thrived in Bengal. This practice included horrifying midnight rituals and corruptions, but it also inspired a profound—though somewhat dark and gloomy—sense of devotion. This deep devotion was perfectly demonstrated by great men like Ramprasad Sen and Raja Ramkanta, many of whom lived at the same time as Ram Mohun Roy's father.
At the same time, Vaishnavism was definitely not weak. Even though corruptions had tainted the sacred religion of Chaitanya, there was still enough passionate religious energy left for it to keep a strong grip on the people. The conflict between the Vaishnavas and the Shaktas was incredibly bitter, and Ram Mohun Roy grew up right in the middle of it. His own family was one of the most prominent Vaishnava families in Bengal, while his mother's father was the recognized spiritual leader of the Shaktas in that region. There are many stories about the fierce quarrels between his parents' families over their religious differences. Because of this, it is not surprising that religious debate became his favorite activity, both in his youth and throughout the rest of his life. However, regardless of how extreme the bigotry of both groups was, the general immorality and corruption of the time were absolutely disgusting. It was well past time for things to change.
Social Evils: The Tragedy of Suttee
The social condition of the people in Bengal was equally tragic and deplorable. The rigid Indian Caste system ruled with full force, poisoning everything it touched. Horrific rituals like infanticide and Suttee (the burning of widows) were everyday occurrences.
There were certainly many cases of "true" Suttees—widows for whom the death of their husband meant the end of all desire to live or experience pleasure. These women went joyfully into the funeral fire, wearing red vermillion on their foreheads and dressed in their bridal decorations, without casting "one longing, lingering look behind."
However, it must never be forgotten that in a vast majority of cases, the widow was actually a victim. She was often forced into the fire by her greedy relatives, or trapped by rash words she spoke during her initial shock and grief. She was also doomed by the vanity of her family members, who believed that if she backed out of her initial promise to die, it would bring permanent, unforgivable disgrace upon them. Many horrific murders were committed this way. The terrified cries and shrieks of the poor widow were intentionally drowned out by the loud beating of tom-tom drums, and she was physically pressed down into the fire with heavy bamboo poles so she could not struggle or escape.
Ram Mohun Roy's heart was sickened by these horrifying sights, which happened every single day. The sheer scale of this tragedy is clear from the following official government return showing the number of Suttees from 1815 to 1828: —
The Pitiful State of Hindu Society
The Condition of Women
The condition of Hindu women in those days was truly pitiful. Female education was completely unknown. Practices like Kulinism (polygamy practiced by high-caste Brahmins), widespread polygamy in general, and daily oppression made life absolutely unbearable for Hindu women. For a truly authentic account of their suffering, I refer the reader to Ram Mohun Roy's second essay on the burning of widows. Hindu society was rotten to its core, plagued by the caste system, polygamy, Kulinism, Suttee (widow burning), infanticide, and countless other evils. Morality had sunk to an incredibly low point. Men wasted their time in vice, idleness, social conflicts, and petty factional quarrels.
Education and Ignorance
Regarding education, the Muktubs (local schools) could impart very little of value. What tiny amount of learning did exist was restricted to a handful of Brahmins, and it was mostly vain and completely useless. Deep ignorance and blind superstition ruled supreme across the entire length and breadth of the country. A heavy darkness covered the land, and no one knew when—or if—it would ever be dispelled.
Political and Legal Chaos
In the political world, there was massive disorder. The administration of criminal justice was still in the hands of the Kazis (Islamic judges), the civil courts were completely disorganized, and the most basic, elementary rules for inheriting and disposing of property were completely unsettled. The entire state of the law and the administration of justice were in utter confusion. The "Permanent Settlement" (a major land taxation agreement) was also enacted around this time, planting the seeds for the vast social and economic changes that would eventually follow in the wake of that massive measure.
Ram Mohun Roy's Mission
It was during these incredibly turbulent years—the most stirring period of modern Indian history, from 1774 to 1833—that Ram Mohun Roy lived, moved, and worked with all his might. He fought to bring light and dispel the darkness covering the land, to rescue the oppressed and the downtrodden, and to help the country's well-meaning rulers create order out of total chaos.
When Ram Mohun Roy arrived in Calcutta, he did not come to rest. He came fully prepared to wage war against the old superstitions and the many evils that had darkened the face of his country. His fame had already been established by his Rangpur debates and his book Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin (A Gift to the Worshippers of One God), a treatise written in Persian with an Arabic preface. Upon arriving in Calcutta, he quickly gathered a group of learned, earnest, and dedicated men around him. In 1814, they established the Atmiya Sabha (Society of Friends) dedicated to the worship of the One Invisible God, exactly as the Upanishads taught.
Ram Mohun Roy fought his battles using both his voice and his pen, but his true power lay in his writings. He wrote ceaselessly and spent his entire personal fortune publishing his works and distributing them among his countrymen.
Translating the Scriptures to Liberate the Oppressed
As mentioned earlier, Ram Mohun Roy was convinced from his early youth that popular idol worship was both factually wrong and socially destructive. He was also completely convinced that these modern superstitions were not the true religion practiced by the saints and philosophers of ancient India. He believed that making the teachings of the Vedanta and the Upanishads accessible to the general public was the absolute best way to drive these corrupt religions out of the country. With this goal in mind, he began translating these ancient texts into Bengali and English, publishing them alongside introductions that explained the deep philosophy behind these wonderful writings.
His main goal in these explanations was to popularize the idea of monotheism (the belief in one God) and the high moral standards taught in those ancient texts. Anyone who thinks he was trying to spread the popular, pantheistic interpretation of the Vedanta has read his works in vain. What Ram Mohun Roy actually worked so hard to revive and spread was the pure monotheism and deep spirituality of the ancient Rishis (sages). He wanted this knowledge to be available to all classes of people, without any discrimination based on caste or sex.
His mission was not just to restore ancient monotheism; it was also to physically and spiritually liberate the Sudras (the lowest caste) and Hindu women from the slavery that had chained their bodies and souls for thousands of years. He wanted to give them back the life-giving religion and spirituality found in the Upanishads. He conclusively proved that these sacred texts were never meant just for the Brahmins, but were equally intended for women and Sudras.
Opposition and Legacy
Publishing the Vedanta and the Upanishads showed the orthodox community—especially the Brahmins who made their living through priestly exploitation (priest-craft)—that their old superstitions were in serious danger. They immediately banded together to oppose Ram Mohun Roy, resulting in a bitter, fierce controversy. In the resulting controversial writings, Ram Mohun Roy triumphantly defended his position. These writings fully displayed his remarkable character, cementing his legacy in modern times.*
His countrymen insulted and persecuted him while he was alive. He may have had faults—after all, even the sun has its spots. But his character was defined by calm, heroic courage and absolute independence. He possessed a complete sincerity that refused to hide his minor personal failings, and a total self-forgetfulness when it came to fighting for the good of his country. He truly ennobled the race he belonged to. His own countrymen did not honor him, but his religion flourished, his country prospered, and his works lived on to bear fruit. He neither sought nor hoped for any other reward in this world.
(Note: There is a page jump/printing error in the original scan between page IX and XXIV that cuts off a sentence mid-thought, but the narrative bridges his remarkable abilities to his enduring legacy in modern times).
Max Müller's Tribute and Final Resting Place
In his biography of the Raja, the late Professor Max Müller very accurately described Ram Mohun Roy's position among his countrymen with these words:
"The German name for prince is Furst, in English First, he who is always to the fore, he who courts the place of danger, the first place in fight, the last in flight. Such a First was Ram Mohun Roy, a true prince, a real Raja, if Raja also, like Rex, meant originally the steersman, the man at the helm."
Ram Mohun Roy died on September 27, 1833, and was buried on October 18 at Stapleton Grove in Bristol, England. Ten years later, his remains were moved to the Arno's Vale cemetery near Bristol. There, a tomb was built over his grave by his distinguished countryman and devoted friend, Dwarka Nath Tagore. In 1872, the following inscription was engraved on that tomb.
The Tomb Inscription at Arno's Vale
(The text of the inscription on the tomb reads as follows:)
BENEATH THIS STONE
Rest the Remains of Raja Rammohun Roy
Bahadoor, a conscientious and steadfast
Believer in the Unity of the
Godhead;
He consecrated his life with entire devotion
To the worship of the Divine Spirit
Alone.
To great natural Talents he united a thorough
mastery of many languages, and early distinguished
himself as one of the greatest scholars of his day.
His unwearied labours to promote the social, moral
and physical condition of the people of India, his earnest
Endeavours to suppress idolatry and the rite of Suttee,
and his constant zealous advocacy of whatever tended
to advance the glory of God and the welfare of man,
live in the grateful remembrance of his countrymen.
This tablet records the sorrow and pride with which
his memory is cherished by his descendants.
He was born in Radhanagore, in Bengal, in 1774, and
died at Bristol, September 27th, 1833.
About the Present Volume
We have attempted to provide an account of a highly eventful life in a very short space. We believe this brief biography will be sufficient as an introduction to his works. Because his writings were the primary work of his life, we are publishing them to the best of our ability to collect them, hoping that they will be read with the respect and attention they deserve.
Any superficial reader will immediately notice the deep erudition, wisdom, and true insight into the essence of things that are displayed throughout these writings. We have already seen how quickly these qualities were recognized and acknowledged in England and America.
Regarding his English writing style—which was clear, concise, and methodical, perfectly reflecting his own mind—the famous philosopher Jeremy Bentham spoke of it with extremely high praise. In a letter to Ram Mohun Roy, Bentham wrote: "Your works were made known to me by a book in which I read a style that, if it did not have the name of a Hindu attached to it, I certainly would have assumed was written by a highly educated and instructed Englishman." In that exact same letter, while praising the great work of James Mill on the History of India, Bentham told Ram Mohun Roy regarding Mill's style: "Though as to style, I wish I could truthfully and sincerely say it is equal to yours."*
*(Footnote: In this letter, Bentham addresses Ram Mohun Roy as "INTENSELY ADMIRED AND DEARLY BELOVED COLLABORATOR IN THE SERVICE OF MANKIND." See Bowring's Works of Bentham, Vol. X, p. 586).
It is not necessary to say anything more here about the actual content of the writings in this volume. Any necessary information we have regarding them will be found in the footnotes throughout the book. However, a few words are necessary to explain how we compiled and arranged these works for publication.
Editorial Methods and Sources
Raja Ram Mohun Roy's works went through several different editions during his lifetime, both here in India and in England. In 1832, he published a collection of his works in England under the title: "Translation of several principal books, passages, and texts of the Veds, and of some controversial works on Brahmunical Theology." He included an introduction with that collection, which you will find in the first volume of this current publication. We have followed the arrangement he used in that 1832 edition as much as possible. Because these works went through multiple editions while the Raja was alive, we have carefully compared the different editions whenever we could find them, trying our absolute best to make sure this current edition is as correct as possible.
Spelling and Punctuation
In the London editions of his books, Ram Mohun Roy used Dr. Gilchrist's method for spelling Sanskrit words in English. However, in the works he published in Calcutta, he used different methods of spelling. We have not attempted to change the Gilchrist spelling method he used in England. But in some specific cases, for the sake of consistency and to make the words easier to understand, we have changed the spelling. When we did this, we did not invent a new method of our own; we simply adopted the better spelling method that he himself used in his other works. We have also made a few minor changes to punctuation in some places, but we never changed punctuation if doing so would alter the meaning of the sentence in any way.
Footnotes and Explanations
We have occasionally provided footnotes to introduce some of the essays and tracts, explaining the historical circumstances surrounding when they were written. In some places, we have also added notes to explain historical facts mentioned by the author that are mostly forgotten today. We hope these notes will shed additional light on certain passages in this volume and that readers will find them interesting.
Sources of the Texts
With only a few exceptions, the tracts and essays included in these volumes are reprinted directly from the works published by the Raja himself during his lifetime.
- The Prospects of Christianity in India was taken from a pamphlet published in London in 1825, which contained the entire correspondence on that subject between Rev. Dr. Ware, Ram Mohun Roy, and Rev. Mr. Adam.
- The Petition on English Education to Lord Amherst can be found in a pamphlet titled Education of the People of India by Sir Charles Trevelyan, as well as in Babu Raj Narayan Bose's essay on the Hindu College. Ram Mohun Roy originally sent this petition to Bishop Heber so that Heber could physically hand it to Lord Amherst, who then handed it over to the Education Committee. The petition was also published in the Gyananweshun newspaper, and selected portions of it were printed in 1834 in the Asiatic Journal, Vol. XV, p. 136.
- The Petitions Against the Press Regulation are reprinted directly from a copy of the original petition and its attached documents, which were sent to England. We included them here among Raja Ram Mohun Roy's works because they are widely known to be his, because they are written in a style that is undeniably his own, and because the profound patriotism and good sense displayed in them were far beyond what anyone else in India at that time—whether English or Hindu—was capable of producing. Furthermore, we found these petitions included in two different authoritative lists of the Raja's works: one made by his close friend and disciple Chunder Sekhur Deb, and another made by his son, Ramaprasad Roy.
Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works
There are some essays in this volume where the names of other people—such as Prosunno Kumar Tagore, Chunder Sekhur Deb, and others—appear as the authors. However, it is a well-known fact that Ram Mohun Roy was fond of writing under fake names, and he especially enjoyed putting the names of his friends on his own works. There is absolutely no doubt that the tracts of this nature that we have published are actually Ram Mohun Roy's. In some cases, we have the direct authority of Chunder Sekhur Deb confirming this, and most of these tracts are also included in the lists of works mentioned above.
We also have other evidence from the same time period regarding who actually wrote some of these tracts. For example, the tract titled The Answer of a Hindoo &c., which is officially signed by Chunder Sekhur Deb, was actually sent by Mr. W. Adam in a letter (dated Calcutta, January 18th, 1828) to Dr. Tuckerman of Boston, explicitly introducing it as a brand new composition by Ram Mohun Roy. Similarly, the tract Humble Suggestions is included in his son Ramaprasad Roy's list, and Ram Mohun Roy's unique writing style is so obvious in that piece that no one has ever doubted he wrote it.
The Appendix
In the Appendix to the second volume, we have included an address to Lord William Bentinck and a petition to the Privy Council regarding the abolition of Suttee. Based entirely on the writing style and the sentiments expressed in them, we have every reason to believe these were written by Ram Mohun Roy. However, because we lack direct, hard evidence proving he was the author, we have placed them in the Appendix rather than the main text.
Regarding the famous Trust Deed of the Brahmo Somaj (which is also in the Appendix), it was mostly drafted by lawyers. However, there is no doubt that the celebrated passages outlining the main object of the trust—passages that will always be remembered for the incredibly broad, tolerant, and catholic spirit they express—were composed by Ram Mohun Roy himself.
Acknowledgments
These works have been obtained mainly from the Adi Brahmo Somaj and from the personal collection of Dr. Mohendra Lal Sircar, to whom we owe our deep thanks. Some tracts and essays were kindly sent to us all the way from England by Miss Collet, and a few were hunted down in the public libraries of Calcutta.
We must mention here that we are indebted to Miss Collet more than anyone else for the deep interest she took and the immense help she provided during this project. Our thanks are also due to Mr. Anund Mohun Bose for the help and encouragement he gave us while we were producing the first edition.
Finally, it must be mentioned that absolutely no one worked harder or made greater personal sacrifices to save the works of Ram Mohun Roy from being lost and forgotten than Babu Eshan Chunder Bose. He is the one who personally collected these works and hired the current editor to edit them. Even during the editing process, we received considerable help from him. In reality, We must also thank Babu Srikanta Roy, because without him, this project would never have been undertaken.
The lithographic print of the author's profile that we have included in this volume is a direct copy of the frontispiece from the first London edition of The Precepts of Jesus and the Three Appeals, published in 1824.
Reflections on the Delay
We will conclude with the exact same thoughts we wrote at the end of the introduction to the second volume of the first edition.
It was Miss Mary Carpenter who first called upon the countrymen of Ram Mohun Roy to take up the "sacred task" of collecting and publishing his works. More than twenty years have passed since she made that call. We feel deep grief at this moment that her call was not answered much sooner. The friends and admirers of the great reformer—both European and Indian—who would have cherished these volumes with passionate admiration have all passed away.
The enthusiastic author of the book Last Days in England [Miss Mary Carpenter], the Reverend Mr. Adam, and Chunder Sekhur Deb, who was the very last surviving disciple of Ram Mohun Roy—all of these people, who would have rejoiced beyond ordinary joy on this occasion, have passed away.
The same is true for the American missionary, Reverend C. H. A. Dall, who said he was called to travel to this country simply by reading these works. And so has Akhoy Coomar Dutt, whose passionate lament in his final book about the sheer ingratitude of his countrymen toward Ram Mohun Roy will never be forgotten. None of these people lived to see the completion of this task, even though the deepest desire of their hearts was to see these works published for the good of humanity, and their words always served as a motivation for us in our work.
Awakening and Hope
We have indeed been very late. As Miss Mary Carpenter once said, "Long years required to roll by, and many changes to take place in India before his country should be prepared truly to appreciate the great reformer."
Now, more than half a century has passed, and truly massive changes have taken place. The country has finally awakened to a sense of the immense debt of gratitude it owes to Ram Mohun Roy. Now, at last, we hope that his works—which were neglected for so long—will be valued by his countrymen as much as they deserve.
Furthermore, we share Miss Mary Carpenter's hope that, through these writings, "the high and excellent aspirations of Ram Mohun Roy will kindle the hearts of generation after generation of his countrymen, and through them of countless multitudes." We hope that by listening with deep reverence to his voice—which is now speaking to them from the spirit world—his countrymen will be led by him toward a pure and holy religion. This religion will guide them in peace and happiness through this world, and prepare them for another, better world.
And thus, without any distinction of country or climate, countless thousands of people will bless the name of the first Hindu Reformer, the Raja RAMMOHUN ROY.*
JOGENDRA CHUNDER GHOSE.
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