The Prarthana Samaj | Maharashtra State PSC (MPSC): Preparation - MPSC (Maharastra) PDF Download

 Page 1


  
 
5    
THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ 
Unit Structure 
5.0 Objectives 
5.1  Introduction 
5.2  The Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.1  Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.2  Functions of the Prarthana Samaj  
5.2.3  Members of Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.4  M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
5.2.5  Decline of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.6  Significance of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.3  Summary 
5.4  Questions 
5.5 Additional Reading  
5.0 OBJECTIVES: 
After the study of this unit, the student will be able to: 
1. Know the contribution of Dadoba Pandurang and the Paramahansa 
sabha 
         
             
  
       
 INTRODUCTION 
The Western Learning, propaganda of the Christian missionaries and 
rationalism had made the educated Indians look at their religion and 
society as others see it especially in comparison with ideas of the Western 
people on religion and social structure in India. Like their Bengali 
counterparts and English educated people of Maharashtra began to express 
dissent against idolatry and protest against caste- system. They started a 
movement of reform based on monotheism and humanism. 
Page 2


  
 
5    
THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ 
Unit Structure 
5.0 Objectives 
5.1  Introduction 
5.2  The Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.1  Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.2  Functions of the Prarthana Samaj  
5.2.3  Members of Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.4  M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
5.2.5  Decline of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.6  Significance of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.3  Summary 
5.4  Questions 
5.5 Additional Reading  
5.0 OBJECTIVES: 
After the study of this unit, the student will be able to: 
1. Know the contribution of Dadoba Pandurang and the Paramahansa 
sabha 
         
             
  
       
 INTRODUCTION 
The Western Learning, propaganda of the Christian missionaries and 
rationalism had made the educated Indians look at their religion and 
society as others see it especially in comparison with ideas of the Western 
people on religion and social structure in India. Like their Bengali 
counterparts and English educated people of Maharashtra began to express 
dissent against idolatry and protest against caste- system. They started a 
movement of reform based on monotheism and humanism. 
  
 
                           
 
 
 THE PARAMAHANSA SABHA 
The educated men who advocated change were afraid to call themselves 
‘reformers’. That word meant a person who broke the caste regulations, 
drank liquor, ate meat and live a free life. Dadoba Pandurang and his friends 
therefore had to work with caution and in secrecy. 
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his Brahmo Samaj had done pioneering work 
in   the social reform movements in India. The object of the Brahmo Samaj 
was          to liberate individual from the shackles of irrational religious practices 
and outdated social customs. The evil practices in the name of religion 
such as “sati” and untouchability had ridiculed by foreigners. The Theory 
of “karma” and polytheism had strangulated initiative of the individual and 
created confusion in the mind of the common Hindu. The followers of 
Brahmo-Samaj       wanted for reaching social reforms. They criticised caste-
system but concentrated more on the status of women in the Hindu Society. 
Abolition of  the practice of “Sati” was vigorously advocated by those 
reformers. They believed in constitutional measure to bring about change 
in the Hindu Society. 
However after the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1833 the Brahmo- 
Samaj split into factions. The younger members of the Sabha reorganised 
themselves under the, leadership of Keshav Chandra Sen and advocated 
not only far reaching social reform but also application of the test of 
reason  to the fundamental articles of religious beliefs. Influenced by the 
Western and Christian thought, Keshav Chandra Sen and his followers 
mounted attacks on the caste system and all the evils arising out of it. 
They worked tirelessly for the complete reform of the Hindu family 
emphasizing that this reform was vital for the moral and religious 
regeneration of India. The activities of Sen and his friends received 
enthusiastic response in Bengal though their progressive views estranged 
them from Devendra Tagore, a prominent leader of the Samaj. 
Nevertheless, their missionary zeal and devotion to the gospel of reform 
was appreciated by the educated circles not  only in Bengal but also in 
Bombay and Madras Presidencies. Consequently, the Brahmo Samaj 
movement gradually spread outside Bengal though it failed to take roots 
anywhere except in Maharashtra. 
K. C. Sen visited Bombay in 1864, but he attracted little attention. 
According    to Christine Dobbin “... it was not until his second visit in 1867 
that he received a really enthusiastic reception”. Members of the earlier 
(now  defunct) Paramahansa Sabha such as R.G. Bhandarkar, were greatly 
impressed by K. C. Sen’s socio-religious views. Reformers in Bombay, 
until  Sen’s visit, were of the view that social reform was impossible 
without religious reform; after his visit, they came under the influence of 
his thought.  Likewise, Mary Carpenter, an English social reformer, who 
was also visiting Bombay at the time, influenced their thinking. The 
outcome was the founding of the Prarthana samaj in 1867. 
Mathew Lederle and James Masselos point out that the catalyst in the 
establishment of the Prarthana Samaj was not K. C. Sen but Dr. Atmaram 
Page 3


  
 
5    
THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ 
Unit Structure 
5.0 Objectives 
5.1  Introduction 
5.2  The Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.1  Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.2  Functions of the Prarthana Samaj  
5.2.3  Members of Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.4  M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
5.2.5  Decline of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.6  Significance of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.3  Summary 
5.4  Questions 
5.5 Additional Reading  
5.0 OBJECTIVES: 
After the study of this unit, the student will be able to: 
1. Know the contribution of Dadoba Pandurang and the Paramahansa 
sabha 
         
             
  
       
 INTRODUCTION 
The Western Learning, propaganda of the Christian missionaries and 
rationalism had made the educated Indians look at their religion and 
society as others see it especially in comparison with ideas of the Western 
people on religion and social structure in India. Like their Bengali 
counterparts and English educated people of Maharashtra began to express 
dissent against idolatry and protest against caste- system. They started a 
movement of reform based on monotheism and humanism. 
  
 
                           
 
 
 THE PARAMAHANSA SABHA 
The educated men who advocated change were afraid to call themselves 
‘reformers’. That word meant a person who broke the caste regulations, 
drank liquor, ate meat and live a free life. Dadoba Pandurang and his friends 
therefore had to work with caution and in secrecy. 
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his Brahmo Samaj had done pioneering work 
in   the social reform movements in India. The object of the Brahmo Samaj 
was          to liberate individual from the shackles of irrational religious practices 
and outdated social customs. The evil practices in the name of religion 
such as “sati” and untouchability had ridiculed by foreigners. The Theory 
of “karma” and polytheism had strangulated initiative of the individual and 
created confusion in the mind of the common Hindu. The followers of 
Brahmo-Samaj       wanted for reaching social reforms. They criticised caste-
system but concentrated more on the status of women in the Hindu Society. 
Abolition of  the practice of “Sati” was vigorously advocated by those 
reformers. They believed in constitutional measure to bring about change 
in the Hindu Society. 
However after the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1833 the Brahmo- 
Samaj split into factions. The younger members of the Sabha reorganised 
themselves under the, leadership of Keshav Chandra Sen and advocated 
not only far reaching social reform but also application of the test of 
reason  to the fundamental articles of religious beliefs. Influenced by the 
Western and Christian thought, Keshav Chandra Sen and his followers 
mounted attacks on the caste system and all the evils arising out of it. 
They worked tirelessly for the complete reform of the Hindu family 
emphasizing that this reform was vital for the moral and religious 
regeneration of India. The activities of Sen and his friends received 
enthusiastic response in Bengal though their progressive views estranged 
them from Devendra Tagore, a prominent leader of the Samaj. 
Nevertheless, their missionary zeal and devotion to the gospel of reform 
was appreciated by the educated circles not  only in Bengal but also in 
Bombay and Madras Presidencies. Consequently, the Brahmo Samaj 
movement gradually spread outside Bengal though it failed to take roots 
anywhere except in Maharashtra. 
K. C. Sen visited Bombay in 1864, but he attracted little attention. 
According    to Christine Dobbin “... it was not until his second visit in 1867 
that he received a really enthusiastic reception”. Members of the earlier 
(now  defunct) Paramahansa Sabha such as R.G. Bhandarkar, were greatly 
impressed by K. C. Sen’s socio-religious views. Reformers in Bombay, 
until  Sen’s visit, were of the view that social reform was impossible 
without religious reform; after his visit, they came under the influence of 
his thought.  Likewise, Mary Carpenter, an English social reformer, who 
was also visiting Bombay at the time, influenced their thinking. The 
outcome was the founding of the Prarthana samaj in 1867. 
Mathew Lederle and James Masselos point out that the catalyst in the 
establishment of the Prarthana Samaj was not K. C. Sen but Dr. Atmaram 
 
 
  
 
 
Pandurang a brother of Dadoba Pandurang, and Mary Carpenter. According  
to Masselos, through Sen the ideas of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and of the 
Brahmo samaj had gained a great currency in Western India, but his 
programme was viewed with suspicion as a smoke-screen under which the      
foreign religion might be spread. 
The intellectuals favoured a form of Deism, shorn of the accretions of 
orthodox Hinduism and encompassing the Code of moral inherent in 
Christianity. It was felt that this could not be achieved through the Brahmo 
Samaj. To do so involved alienation from the mainstream of Hinduism, 
and     meant discrimination, antagonism and the loss of any possible 
influence upon the people of the Presidency. In fact, as Lederle writers, it 
was the Monotheistic Association of Dr. Atmaram Pandurang which 
became known       as the Prarthana Samaj or Prayer Society. This religious 
minded medical practitioner and his association longed for a form of 
religion which would satisfy their hearts and minds, yet would not require 
their breaking away from the Hindu religion, remarks Lederle. 
The Prarthana Samaj was founded by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 in 
Mumbai. The Prarthana Samaj means prayer                 society, naturally, the people 
of Maharashtra never wanted to establish a branch of the Brahmo Samaj 
because it had the influence of Christian religion. They wanted to 
concentrate their attention on the reforms of their social life. 
 Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj : 
The Prarthana Samaj believed that God is one and without any form, one 
has to worship him with spirituality. The Prarthana Samaj accepted and 
abided by the following principles: 
1. I shall daily meditate on God. 
2. I shall make efforts to do good and avoid evil. 
3. I shall pray to God that I may repeat if through the fault of my 
disposition I have committed a bad deed. 
4. God, give me strength deserve these promises. 
The Prarthana Samajists did not upset the intense feelings of people 
towards gods like Vithoba who was the representation of the true God 
Vishnu. This signified the flexibility in the principles of Prarthana Samaj. 
It was a practical Samaj which declared all customs and traditions 
meaning less but continued with the rational and undamagings tradition to 
avoid any discontent of people. 
 Functions of the Prarthana Samaj : 
As a matter of fact the Prarthana Samaj involved in the social work as 
foundation of night schools for imparting instructions to young and needy 
people, establishing organizations for social work and social reforms and 
creating social awareness. Among such organizations depressed class 
Page 4


  
 
5    
THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ 
Unit Structure 
5.0 Objectives 
5.1  Introduction 
5.2  The Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.1  Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.2  Functions of the Prarthana Samaj  
5.2.3  Members of Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.4  M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
5.2.5  Decline of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.6  Significance of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.3  Summary 
5.4  Questions 
5.5 Additional Reading  
5.0 OBJECTIVES: 
After the study of this unit, the student will be able to: 
1. Know the contribution of Dadoba Pandurang and the Paramahansa 
sabha 
         
             
  
       
 INTRODUCTION 
The Western Learning, propaganda of the Christian missionaries and 
rationalism had made the educated Indians look at their religion and 
society as others see it especially in comparison with ideas of the Western 
people on religion and social structure in India. Like their Bengali 
counterparts and English educated people of Maharashtra began to express 
dissent against idolatry and protest against caste- system. They started a 
movement of reform based on monotheism and humanism. 
  
 
                           
 
 
 THE PARAMAHANSA SABHA 
The educated men who advocated change were afraid to call themselves 
‘reformers’. That word meant a person who broke the caste regulations, 
drank liquor, ate meat and live a free life. Dadoba Pandurang and his friends 
therefore had to work with caution and in secrecy. 
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his Brahmo Samaj had done pioneering work 
in   the social reform movements in India. The object of the Brahmo Samaj 
was          to liberate individual from the shackles of irrational religious practices 
and outdated social customs. The evil practices in the name of religion 
such as “sati” and untouchability had ridiculed by foreigners. The Theory 
of “karma” and polytheism had strangulated initiative of the individual and 
created confusion in the mind of the common Hindu. The followers of 
Brahmo-Samaj       wanted for reaching social reforms. They criticised caste-
system but concentrated more on the status of women in the Hindu Society. 
Abolition of  the practice of “Sati” was vigorously advocated by those 
reformers. They believed in constitutional measure to bring about change 
in the Hindu Society. 
However after the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1833 the Brahmo- 
Samaj split into factions. The younger members of the Sabha reorganised 
themselves under the, leadership of Keshav Chandra Sen and advocated 
not only far reaching social reform but also application of the test of 
reason  to the fundamental articles of religious beliefs. Influenced by the 
Western and Christian thought, Keshav Chandra Sen and his followers 
mounted attacks on the caste system and all the evils arising out of it. 
They worked tirelessly for the complete reform of the Hindu family 
emphasizing that this reform was vital for the moral and religious 
regeneration of India. The activities of Sen and his friends received 
enthusiastic response in Bengal though their progressive views estranged 
them from Devendra Tagore, a prominent leader of the Samaj. 
Nevertheless, their missionary zeal and devotion to the gospel of reform 
was appreciated by the educated circles not  only in Bengal but also in 
Bombay and Madras Presidencies. Consequently, the Brahmo Samaj 
movement gradually spread outside Bengal though it failed to take roots 
anywhere except in Maharashtra. 
K. C. Sen visited Bombay in 1864, but he attracted little attention. 
According    to Christine Dobbin “... it was not until his second visit in 1867 
that he received a really enthusiastic reception”. Members of the earlier 
(now  defunct) Paramahansa Sabha such as R.G. Bhandarkar, were greatly 
impressed by K. C. Sen’s socio-religious views. Reformers in Bombay, 
until  Sen’s visit, were of the view that social reform was impossible 
without religious reform; after his visit, they came under the influence of 
his thought.  Likewise, Mary Carpenter, an English social reformer, who 
was also visiting Bombay at the time, influenced their thinking. The 
outcome was the founding of the Prarthana samaj in 1867. 
Mathew Lederle and James Masselos point out that the catalyst in the 
establishment of the Prarthana Samaj was not K. C. Sen but Dr. Atmaram 
 
 
  
 
 
Pandurang a brother of Dadoba Pandurang, and Mary Carpenter. According  
to Masselos, through Sen the ideas of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and of the 
Brahmo samaj had gained a great currency in Western India, but his 
programme was viewed with suspicion as a smoke-screen under which the      
foreign religion might be spread. 
The intellectuals favoured a form of Deism, shorn of the accretions of 
orthodox Hinduism and encompassing the Code of moral inherent in 
Christianity. It was felt that this could not be achieved through the Brahmo 
Samaj. To do so involved alienation from the mainstream of Hinduism, 
and     meant discrimination, antagonism and the loss of any possible 
influence upon the people of the Presidency. In fact, as Lederle writers, it 
was the Monotheistic Association of Dr. Atmaram Pandurang which 
became known       as the Prarthana Samaj or Prayer Society. This religious 
minded medical practitioner and his association longed for a form of 
religion which would satisfy their hearts and minds, yet would not require 
their breaking away from the Hindu religion, remarks Lederle. 
The Prarthana Samaj was founded by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 in 
Mumbai. The Prarthana Samaj means prayer                 society, naturally, the people 
of Maharashtra never wanted to establish a branch of the Brahmo Samaj 
because it had the influence of Christian religion. They wanted to 
concentrate their attention on the reforms of their social life. 
 Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj : 
The Prarthana Samaj believed that God is one and without any form, one 
has to worship him with spirituality. The Prarthana Samaj accepted and 
abided by the following principles: 
1. I shall daily meditate on God. 
2. I shall make efforts to do good and avoid evil. 
3. I shall pray to God that I may repeat if through the fault of my 
disposition I have committed a bad deed. 
4. God, give me strength deserve these promises. 
The Prarthana Samajists did not upset the intense feelings of people 
towards gods like Vithoba who was the representation of the true God 
Vishnu. This signified the flexibility in the principles of Prarthana Samaj. 
It was a practical Samaj which declared all customs and traditions 
meaning less but continued with the rational and undamagings tradition to 
avoid any discontent of people. 
 Functions of the Prarthana Samaj : 
As a matter of fact the Prarthana Samaj involved in the social work as 
foundation of night schools for imparting instructions to young and needy 
people, establishing organizations for social work and social reforms and 
creating social awareness. Among such organizations depressed class 
  
 
                           
 
 
mission was very important organisation which worked towards the 
removal of untouchability. The Prarthana Samaj worked hard and tried to 
solve the problem of orphan children, who were wandering in the cities 
like Mumbai and Pune by founding Asylumes and Orphanages at holy or 
religious centres like Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi. This Samaj fought for 
solving problems of women by discouraging the people for committing 
child marriage and islolating women from the mainstream in society. It 
supported for widow re-marriage and female education by instituting 
several institutions at various cities. The Prarthana Samaj wanted to 
concentrate on the religious reforms it thought that it would initiate the 
social reforms and improve the life of women and untouchables in society. 
It undertook religious activities like the Sunday services, Sunday schools, 
foundation of the young Thiests union and the postal mission that sent the 
Subodh Patrika, the mouth piece of the samaj to people through post. 
 Members of Prarthana Samaj : 
There were several educated people, who became leaders of this samaj. 
Among them, M. G. Ranade, R. G. Bhandarkar, G. K. Gokhale, Talang and 
N. G. Chandavarkar were prominent members of this samaj. They were 
directly or indirectly involved in the activities the samaj. As the Mumbai 
paper, ‘Hindu Reformer’ claimed that the religion of Prarthana Samaj was 
destined to be the religion of the whole world due to the hand work and 
functions of the members of this samaj. In 1869, M. M. Kunte claimed that 
the three divisions of the Marathi society as English educated, Sanskrit 
educated and uneducated masses had attracted toward this society. 
Among them justice Ranade, although was a government employee, wrote 
extensively to create awakening and renaissance in society. M. G. Ranade 
was born in 1842 of Nifad of Nashik District, became a professor at the 
Elphinstone College, Mumbai, worked as translator to the Mumbai 
Government initially and then was appointed as a High Court Judge at 
Mumbai. He was a nationalist, educationist economist and a social 
reformer which led him to establish a Social Conference and discuss all 
problems related to women. In order to prepare a group of educated 
people to be yoked in the social reforms he associated with G. K. Gokhale 
who established the Deccan Education Society. It founded a school in the 
city of Pune, which grew naturally in Fergusson college, one of the 
leading educational institutions, the then. He also helped found another 
organization, which came to be known as the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha in 
1870, which prepared a report on the economic conditions in 
Maharashtra, when a parliamentary committee was formed to enquire 
about the economic problems in India in 1871. 
In addition to this, the Prarthana Samaj leaders like R. G. Bhandarkar 
dedicated to spread a right view on religion, reforms and right conduct. It 
appointed various committees to pay attention towards the education of 
workers. The leaders of the Prarthana Samaj were English educated and 
quite practical to give us religious foundation to the social reforms to 
attract the common people to the cause of social reforms. About the 
leaders of Prarthana Samaj, P. C. Mazoomdar says that the people of 
Maharashtra ware not like Bengalis who ware easily brought under any 
Page 5


  
 
5    
THE PRARTHANA SAMAJ 
Unit Structure 
5.0 Objectives 
5.1  Introduction 
5.2  The Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.1  Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.2  Functions of the Prarthana Samaj  
5.2.3  Members of Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.4  M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
5.2.5  Decline of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.2.6  Significance of the Prarthana Samaj 
5.3  Summary 
5.4  Questions 
5.5 Additional Reading  
5.0 OBJECTIVES: 
After the study of this unit, the student will be able to: 
1. Know the contribution of Dadoba Pandurang and the Paramahansa 
sabha 
         
             
  
       
 INTRODUCTION 
The Western Learning, propaganda of the Christian missionaries and 
rationalism had made the educated Indians look at their religion and 
society as others see it especially in comparison with ideas of the Western 
people on religion and social structure in India. Like their Bengali 
counterparts and English educated people of Maharashtra began to express 
dissent against idolatry and protest against caste- system. They started a 
movement of reform based on monotheism and humanism. 
  
 
                           
 
 
 THE PARAMAHANSA SABHA 
The educated men who advocated change were afraid to call themselves 
‘reformers’. That word meant a person who broke the caste regulations, 
drank liquor, ate meat and live a free life. Dadoba Pandurang and his friends 
therefore had to work with caution and in secrecy. 
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his Brahmo Samaj had done pioneering work 
in   the social reform movements in India. The object of the Brahmo Samaj 
was          to liberate individual from the shackles of irrational religious practices 
and outdated social customs. The evil practices in the name of religion 
such as “sati” and untouchability had ridiculed by foreigners. The Theory 
of “karma” and polytheism had strangulated initiative of the individual and 
created confusion in the mind of the common Hindu. The followers of 
Brahmo-Samaj       wanted for reaching social reforms. They criticised caste-
system but concentrated more on the status of women in the Hindu Society. 
Abolition of  the practice of “Sati” was vigorously advocated by those 
reformers. They believed in constitutional measure to bring about change 
in the Hindu Society. 
However after the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1833 the Brahmo- 
Samaj split into factions. The younger members of the Sabha reorganised 
themselves under the, leadership of Keshav Chandra Sen and advocated 
not only far reaching social reform but also application of the test of 
reason  to the fundamental articles of religious beliefs. Influenced by the 
Western and Christian thought, Keshav Chandra Sen and his followers 
mounted attacks on the caste system and all the evils arising out of it. 
They worked tirelessly for the complete reform of the Hindu family 
emphasizing that this reform was vital for the moral and religious 
regeneration of India. The activities of Sen and his friends received 
enthusiastic response in Bengal though their progressive views estranged 
them from Devendra Tagore, a prominent leader of the Samaj. 
Nevertheless, their missionary zeal and devotion to the gospel of reform 
was appreciated by the educated circles not  only in Bengal but also in 
Bombay and Madras Presidencies. Consequently, the Brahmo Samaj 
movement gradually spread outside Bengal though it failed to take roots 
anywhere except in Maharashtra. 
K. C. Sen visited Bombay in 1864, but he attracted little attention. 
According    to Christine Dobbin “... it was not until his second visit in 1867 
that he received a really enthusiastic reception”. Members of the earlier 
(now  defunct) Paramahansa Sabha such as R.G. Bhandarkar, were greatly 
impressed by K. C. Sen’s socio-religious views. Reformers in Bombay, 
until  Sen’s visit, were of the view that social reform was impossible 
without religious reform; after his visit, they came under the influence of 
his thought.  Likewise, Mary Carpenter, an English social reformer, who 
was also visiting Bombay at the time, influenced their thinking. The 
outcome was the founding of the Prarthana samaj in 1867. 
Mathew Lederle and James Masselos point out that the catalyst in the 
establishment of the Prarthana Samaj was not K. C. Sen but Dr. Atmaram 
 
 
  
 
 
Pandurang a brother of Dadoba Pandurang, and Mary Carpenter. According  
to Masselos, through Sen the ideas of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and of the 
Brahmo samaj had gained a great currency in Western India, but his 
programme was viewed with suspicion as a smoke-screen under which the      
foreign religion might be spread. 
The intellectuals favoured a form of Deism, shorn of the accretions of 
orthodox Hinduism and encompassing the Code of moral inherent in 
Christianity. It was felt that this could not be achieved through the Brahmo 
Samaj. To do so involved alienation from the mainstream of Hinduism, 
and     meant discrimination, antagonism and the loss of any possible 
influence upon the people of the Presidency. In fact, as Lederle writers, it 
was the Monotheistic Association of Dr. Atmaram Pandurang which 
became known       as the Prarthana Samaj or Prayer Society. This religious 
minded medical practitioner and his association longed for a form of 
religion which would satisfy their hearts and minds, yet would not require 
their breaking away from the Hindu religion, remarks Lederle. 
The Prarthana Samaj was founded by Dr. Atmaram Pandurang in 1867 in 
Mumbai. The Prarthana Samaj means prayer                 society, naturally, the people 
of Maharashtra never wanted to establish a branch of the Brahmo Samaj 
because it had the influence of Christian religion. They wanted to 
concentrate their attention on the reforms of their social life. 
 Aims and objectives of the Prarthana Samaj : 
The Prarthana Samaj believed that God is one and without any form, one 
has to worship him with spirituality. The Prarthana Samaj accepted and 
abided by the following principles: 
1. I shall daily meditate on God. 
2. I shall make efforts to do good and avoid evil. 
3. I shall pray to God that I may repeat if through the fault of my 
disposition I have committed a bad deed. 
4. God, give me strength deserve these promises. 
The Prarthana Samajists did not upset the intense feelings of people 
towards gods like Vithoba who was the representation of the true God 
Vishnu. This signified the flexibility in the principles of Prarthana Samaj. 
It was a practical Samaj which declared all customs and traditions 
meaning less but continued with the rational and undamagings tradition to 
avoid any discontent of people. 
 Functions of the Prarthana Samaj : 
As a matter of fact the Prarthana Samaj involved in the social work as 
foundation of night schools for imparting instructions to young and needy 
people, establishing organizations for social work and social reforms and 
creating social awareness. Among such organizations depressed class 
  
 
                           
 
 
mission was very important organisation which worked towards the 
removal of untouchability. The Prarthana Samaj worked hard and tried to 
solve the problem of orphan children, who were wandering in the cities 
like Mumbai and Pune by founding Asylumes and Orphanages at holy or 
religious centres like Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi. This Samaj fought for 
solving problems of women by discouraging the people for committing 
child marriage and islolating women from the mainstream in society. It 
supported for widow re-marriage and female education by instituting 
several institutions at various cities. The Prarthana Samaj wanted to 
concentrate on the religious reforms it thought that it would initiate the 
social reforms and improve the life of women and untouchables in society. 
It undertook religious activities like the Sunday services, Sunday schools, 
foundation of the young Thiests union and the postal mission that sent the 
Subodh Patrika, the mouth piece of the samaj to people through post. 
 Members of Prarthana Samaj : 
There were several educated people, who became leaders of this samaj. 
Among them, M. G. Ranade, R. G. Bhandarkar, G. K. Gokhale, Talang and 
N. G. Chandavarkar were prominent members of this samaj. They were 
directly or indirectly involved in the activities the samaj. As the Mumbai 
paper, ‘Hindu Reformer’ claimed that the religion of Prarthana Samaj was 
destined to be the religion of the whole world due to the hand work and 
functions of the members of this samaj. In 1869, M. M. Kunte claimed that 
the three divisions of the Marathi society as English educated, Sanskrit 
educated and uneducated masses had attracted toward this society. 
Among them justice Ranade, although was a government employee, wrote 
extensively to create awakening and renaissance in society. M. G. Ranade 
was born in 1842 of Nifad of Nashik District, became a professor at the 
Elphinstone College, Mumbai, worked as translator to the Mumbai 
Government initially and then was appointed as a High Court Judge at 
Mumbai. He was a nationalist, educationist economist and a social 
reformer which led him to establish a Social Conference and discuss all 
problems related to women. In order to prepare a group of educated 
people to be yoked in the social reforms he associated with G. K. Gokhale 
who established the Deccan Education Society. It founded a school in the 
city of Pune, which grew naturally in Fergusson college, one of the 
leading educational institutions, the then. He also helped found another 
organization, which came to be known as the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha in 
1870, which prepared a report on the economic conditions in 
Maharashtra, when a parliamentary committee was formed to enquire 
about the economic problems in India in 1871. 
In addition to this, the Prarthana Samaj leaders like R. G. Bhandarkar 
dedicated to spread a right view on religion, reforms and right conduct. It 
appointed various committees to pay attention towards the education of 
workers. The leaders of the Prarthana Samaj were English educated and 
quite practical to give us religious foundation to the social reforms to 
attract the common people to the cause of social reforms. About the 
leaders of Prarthana Samaj, P. C. Mazoomdar says that the people of 
Maharashtra ware not like Bengalis who ware easily brought under any 
 
 
  
 
 
influence but if the Maharastrains came under it any how they ware extra 
ordinarily great and sustained their enthusiasm for a long time. It meant 
the leaders of the Prarthana Samaj did a commendable work for the 
society. G. K. Bhandarkar says that this samaj began its meetings with 
prayer and readings from the Theodore Parkar and such other rational 
writers. It generated the most important literature of the samaj and it also 
became the philosophy of the samaj, which was published in the Subodha                      
Patrika, the weekly periodical of the samaj.  
 M.G. Ranade (1842-1901) and R. G. Bhandarkar (1837-1925) 
Mahadev Govind Ranade and Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar were the 
moving spirit behind the activities of the Prarthana Samaj. They 
elaborated  on the philosophical basis of the Samaj and clarified its 
religious beliefs. Ranade, in his essay, “A Thiest’s Confession of Faith”, 
attempted to give the   Samaj something more than a theology. He, 
alongwith Bhandarkar, based the Samaj’s philosophy upon the teachings 
of the Bhakti saints of Maharashtra such as Tukaram : 
At the same time, he gave a great message which was in the form of a 
severe but timely warning to the excessive zeal of some Indian reformers. 
According to him, what India required was a comprehensive reform, not 
a mere revival or a revolutionary change but a thorough remolding of the 
entire  life of the nation. He was convinced that the old moulds had 
outlived their usefulness and therefore needed replacement. However, he 
spoke of changes not as an innovation but as “a return to and restoration of 
the days      of our past history”. Ranade stressed that a reformer should not 
sever his connections with society and sit on a high pedestal, but attempt 
at comprehensive change, comprising all aspects of an individual’s 
activities. 
It is interesting to note that members of the Prarthana Samaj, though 
English-educated and high-caste individuals, conducted their meetings and          
services in Marathi and not in English or Sanskrit. To quote Dobbin : 
‘‘.... it was natural of Marathi-speakers to turn to the great Marathi saints, 
particularly Tukaram, whose verses often best expressed the type of 
personal devotion sought by Samaj members”. Ranade later explained that 
this devotion to the Bhakti saints was a means of showing to the people of 
Western India that the Prarthana Samai was not merely a movement of the  
English-educated in the urban areas, but deep-rooted in the country’s’ past, 
and unconnected to any particular religious or caste group. 
N.G.Chandavarkar, a later day President of the samaj, found in the 
monotheism of the Samaj and their stress on the brotherhood of man, the 
fundamental principle of one God and one humanity as the foundation of 
all  modem progress. He wrote in 1909 - 
‘‘Those who founded this institution (Prarthana Samaj) felt that until we 
realised the oneness of men, until we expanded our ideas of Brotherhood 
so as to feel that we are all creatures of the same God. India must be what 
she has been, low in the scale of nations, divided against. herself, and 
without the ability to hold her own. with the more enlightened races of the 
world ”.