Brahmo Dharma Beej

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This article is about the 1850 seed ("beej") principles possibly settled by Debendranath Tagore for Brahmo religionists and followers of Brahmo Samaj and meaning thereof.. For Brahmoism, see Brahmo.

This article is connected to Brahmoism, Brahmo Samaj and Brahmo and needs expansion. (Stub)

[edit] Controversy

These are possibly the seed beej principles of Brahmo Dharma propounded by Maharishi Debendranath Tagore (father of Rabindranath Tagore) and founder of the Brahmo religion in 1850[1]. However, the circumstance of actual publication of these seed principles attributed by Sivanath Sastri to Debendranath is dubious, ".. Accordingly, he proceeded to make a compilation of judiciously selected passages from Upanishads inculcating the truth of monotheism. These were published in the form of a book called Brahma Dharma (11 - First published in 1850) .. He also laid down certain principles of Natural Theism called Brahma Dharma Bija, or Seed Principles of of Brahmoism, for the acceptance of members of the Samaj."[2]. Other sources[3] impute that the Brahma Dharma book was a compilation of Debendranath's philosophy of 1848 published as articles in the organ Tattwabodhini Patrika from 1850 and first published in book form in 1862 with the 2nd. part of Brahma Dharma - the "Moral Code". The original Brahma Dharma book does not contain these seed principles appended to Sastri's History, which Seed Principles, however, are claimed to have been published at the head of the Tattwobodhini Patrika from 1857 onwards.

[edit] Seed Principles of Brahmoism

  1. The Supreme Being alone was in the beginning, nothing else existed, He created all this universe.
  2. He is eternal, infinite, all wise, all merciful, independent, formless, one without a second, all pervading, ruling over all, all-containing, all knowing, all powerful, the permanent, the perfect, the one beyond any comparison.
  3. In His worship alone lies our welfare in this world and in the world to come.
  4. To love Him and to do the works He loves is His worship.

These Brahmo seed principles reflected Brahmo repudiation of Hindu Vedas and a shift away from Ram Mohan Roy's Vedantic Unitary God per Adi Shankara Advaita school.

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Appendix-D at page 560 in History of Brahmo Samaj by Sivanath Sastri, 1911/1912, August 1993 reprint of 2nd. edition published by Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
  2. ^ page 68 in History of Brahmo Samaj by Sivanath Sastri, 1911/1912, August 1993 reprint of 2nd. edition published by Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
  3. ^ dubious Christian sources like Farquahar and Manilal C. Parekh