Seva Sadan, Dev Samaj, Dharma Sabha, Bharat Dharma Mahamandala and Radhaswami Movement

At a Glance

• Seva Sadan Malabari and Dayaram Gidumal, 1908; care for exploited women
• Dev Samaj Shiv Narayan Agnihotri, Lahore, 1887
• Orthodox bodies Dharma Sabha (1830), Bharat Dharma Mahamandala (1902)
• Radhaswami Tulsi Ram (Shiv Dayal Saheb), Agra, 1861
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders

Where Does It Fit?

This is the tenth topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered the Arya Samaj. This topic covers five smaller societies, both reformist and orthodox. The next topic covers the movements of the depressed classes in the south. Previous topic: Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj.

What Was the Seva Sadan?

A Parsi social reformer, Behramji M. Malabari (1853-1912), founded the Seva Sadan in 1908 along with a friend, Diwan Dayaram Gidumal. Malabari spoke vigorously against child marriage and for widow remarriage among Hindus, and his efforts led to the Age of Consent Act regulating the age of consent for females, as told in Reform Movements and the Position of Women. The Seva Sadan specialised in taking care of women who were exploited and then discarded by society. It catered to all castes and gave destitute women education, medical and welfare services. Malabari also acquired and edited the Indian Spectator.

What Was the Dev Samaj?

The Dev Samaj was founded in 1887 at Lahore by Shiv Narayan Agnihotri (1850-1927), earlier a Brahmo follower. It was a religious and social reform society. It emphasised the eternity of the soul, the supremacy of the guru and the need for good action. It called for ideal social behaviour: not accepting bribes, avoiding intoxicants and non-vegetarian food, and keeping away from violent actions. Its teachings were compiled in a text called Deva Shastra. Agnihotri spoke against child marriage.

What Was the Dharma Sabha?

Radhakant Deb founded the Dharma Sabha in 1830. An orthodox society, it stood for the preservation of the status quo in socio-religious matters, opposing even the abolition of sati. It nevertheless favoured the promotion of Western education, even for girls. Radhakant Deb is the orthodox leader who opposed the Brahmo Samaj, as told in Raja Rammohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj.

What Was the Bharat Dharma Mahamandala?

The Bharat Dharma Mahamandala was an all-India organisation of orthodox educated Hindus. It stood for a defence of orthodox Hinduism against the teachings of the Arya Samajists, the Theosophists and the Ramakrishna Mission. Other bodies created to defend orthodox Hinduism were the Sanatana Dharma Sabha (1895), the Dharma Maha Parishad in South India and the Dharma Mahamandali in Bengal. These organisations combined in 1902 into the single Bharat Dharma Mahamandala, with headquarters at Varanasi. It sought to introduce proper management of Hindu religious institutions and to open Hindu educational institutions. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya was a prominent figure in the movement. The bodies it opposed are described in Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Movement and Swami Vivekananda and The Theosophical Movement.

What Was the Radhaswami Movement?

Tulsi Ram, a banker from Agra, also known as Shiv Dayal Saheb, founded the Radhaswami Movement in 1861. The Radhaswamis believe in one supreme being, the supremacy of the guru, a company of pious people (satsang) and a simple social life. They hold that spiritual attainment does not call for renunciation of worldly life, and they consider all religions true. The sect has no belief in temples, shrines and sacred places, and considers works of faith and charity, service and prayer as necessary duties.

As an analytical point, the five bodies show that the nineteenth-century response to colonial change was not one-sided. Reformers such as Malabari and Agnihotri pushed for change, orthodox organisations organised to resist it, and sects like the Radhaswamis offered a spiritual path without much concern for either. The two-stream framework in Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement Revivalist…">Two Streams of Reform: Reformist and Revivalist does not cover orthodoxy, which is why these bodies are listed separately.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Match the following Founder and year pairs are commonly asked
• Orthodox response The Dharma Sabha and Mahamandala show the reaction against reform
• Completeness These movements fill out the picture of religious change

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the SNDP Movement, the Vokkaliga Sangha, the Justice Movement and the Self-Respect Movement. Next topic: SNDP Movement, Vokkaliga Sangha, Justice Movement and Self-Respect Movement.

Key People and Terms

• Seva Sadan Malabari’s 1908 home for exploited women
• Deva Shastra The text of the Dev Samaj teachings
• Dharma Sabha Radhakant Deb’s orthodox body
• Sanatana Dharma Sabha A body of 1895 defending orthodox Hinduism
• Satsang A company of pious people
• Radhaswami The sect founded by Tulsi Ram in 1861

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about orthodox and minor movements. These points add depth.

• Orthodox reaction Organised defence of the status quo
• Women’s welfare Seva Sadan’s work for discarded women
• Sect without renunciation The Radhaswamis