https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Prarthana_SamajPrarthana Samaj - Revision history2026-08-18T03:14:15ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prarthana_Samaj&diff=144064&oldid=previmported>Salona ykwia: Cleaned up format2021-07-30T07:02:25Z<p>Cleaned up format</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Movement for religious and social reform in Bombay, India}}<br />
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[[File:Prarthana Samaj Mandir, 1874 & 1922.jpg|thumb|Prarthana Samaj Mandir, 1874 & 1922|alt=]]<br />
[[File:Old Members of Prarthana Samaj.jpg|thumb|Old Members of Prarthana Samaj]]<br />
'''Prarthana Samaj''' or "Prayer Society" in Sanskrit, was a movement for religious and social reform in [[Bombay]], [[India]], based on earlier [[reform movement]]s. Prarthana Samaj was founded by the [[Dadoba Pandurang]] and his brother [[Atmaram Pandurang]] in 1863 when [[Keshub Chandra Sen]] visited Maharashtra, with an aim to make people believe in one God and worship only one God. It became popular after [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]] joined. The main reformers were the intellectuals who advocated reforms of the social system of the Hindus. It was spread to southern India by noted Telugu reformer and writer, [[Kandukuri Veeresalingam]].<br />
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The movement was started as a movement for religious and social reform in Maharashtra and can be seen much more alike [[Brahmo Samaj]]{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}. The precursor of the Prarthana Samaj in Mumbai was the [[Paramahansa Mandali|Paramahamsa Sabha]], a secret society for the furtherance of liberal ideas by Ram Balkrishna Jaykar and others in Mumbai. It was secret in order to avoid the wrath of the powerful and orthodox elements.<br />
{{Hinduism}}<br />
By comparison with the parallel [[Brahmo Samaj]] of [[Bengal]], and the ideals of [[rationalism|rational]] or [[theism|theistic]] belief and [[social reform]], the Prarthana Samaj(ists) were followers of the great religious tradition of the [[Marathi people|Marathi]] [[Sant Mat]] like [[Namdev]] and [[Tukaram]]. The Brahmo Samaj founders examined many world religions, including ancient [[Vedas|Vedic]] texts, which subsequently were not accepted to be infallible or divine. Although the adherents of Prarthana Samaj were devoted [[theists]], they also did not regard the Vedas as divine or infallible. They drew their nourishment from the Hindu scriptures and used the hymns of the old Marathi [[Sant Mat|"poet-saints"]] in their prayers.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121022220550/http://www.ibiblio.org/jainism/database/ARTICLE/rajendra.doc B. N. Luniya, "Rajendra Suri: A Reformer and Revivalist".]</ref> Their ideas trace back to the devotional poems of the [[Vitthala]]s<ref>[http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/hindu/devot/vitt.html Vitthalas (Varkari Panth), PHILTAR, St. Martin's College.]</ref> as part of the [[Vaishnava]] [[bhakti]] [[devotional movements]] of the thirteenth century in southern Maharashtra.<ref>[http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/hindu/devot/prarth.html "Prarthana Samaj", PHILTAR, St. Martin's College.]</ref> The Marathi poets had inspired a movement of resistance to the [[Mughals]]. But, beyond religious concerns, the primary focus of the Prarthana Samaj was on social and cultural reform.<br />
== Social reforms ==<br />
Prarthana Samaj critically examined the relations between contemporary social and cultural systems and religious beliefs and gave priority to social reform as compared with the political changes already initiated by the British government. Their comprehensive reform movement has led many impressive projects of [[culture theory|cultural change]] and [[History of Maharashtra#Social reform movement|social reform in Western India]], such as the improvement of the lot of women and depressed classes, an end to the [[caste system]], abolition of child marriages and infanticide, educational opportunities for women, and remarriage of widows. Its success was guided by [[R. G. Bhandarkar]], a noted Sanskrit scholar, Atmaram Pandurang, [[Narayan Chandavarkar]], and [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]]. Ranade emphasized that "the reformer must attempt to deal with the whole man and not to carry out reform on one side only".{{cn|date=January 2021}}<br />
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== See also ==<br />
* [[Bengali Renaissance]]<br />
* [[Ayyathan Gopalan]]<br />
* [[Hindu reform movements]]<br />
* [[History of Maharashtra#Social Reform]]<br />
* [[Marathi literature]]<br />
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== Literature ==<br />
* Suresh K. Sharma and Usha Sharma, ''Cultural and Religious Heritage of India,'' vol. VIII: ''Cultural and Religious Reform Movements,'' New Delhi, Mittal, (2004) {{ISBN|81-7099-955-3}}.<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
{{Commons category|Prarthana Samaj}}<br />
{{Hindu reform movements}}<br />
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[[Category:Prarthana Samaj| ]]<br />
[[Category:Defunct Hindu organizations]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu movements]]<br />
[[Category:History of social movements]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu new religious movements]]<br />
[[Category:Religious organisations based in India]]<br />
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1867]]<br />
[[Category:Anti-caste movements]]<br />
[[Category:1867 establishments in India]]</div>imported>Salona ykwia