ii. Classification of Reform Movements
- Educated Indians were particularly drawn to the combination of rationalism and humanism. They began scrutinizing all religious and social practices based on the principles of reason, discarding anything that did not withstand the test of modern knowledge. Practices such as pollution and purity, image worship, pilgrimages, and elaborate rituals were found to be obsolete, while the knowledge in the Geeta and the Vedanta remained relevant.
This scrutiny led to the emergence of several socio-religious reform movements, often classified into two groups:
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Reformist Movements |
Movements like the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and the Aligarh Movement aimed at changing the fundamental systems and structures of society through gradual reforms within the existing framework. |
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Revivalist Movements |
Movements like the Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, and the Deoband Movement sought to revert to the societal systems of the past, considered superior to the present degenerate form. |