The Significance of Ram Mohan Roy's Reinterpretation of Hindu Thought

This essay delves into the profound influence of Ram Mohan Roy on Indian society and his reinterpretation of Hindu religious thought. It examines his early influences, including Sufi and Greco-Islamic ideologies, which shaped his perspective. The essay highlights Roy's opposition to the practice of 'sati' and his efforts to reform Hindu society by reinterpreting its core tenets. It discusses his strategic approach to eliminating societal evils through religious reform, emphasizing his role in advocating for change and influencing the British administration to abolish 'sati'. The essay concludes by underscoring the importance of reinterpreting religious traditions to address and eliminate harmful practices. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools and past papers for students.

Running head: RAM MOHAN ROY
Ram Mohan Roy
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1RAM MOHAN ROY
Ram Mohan Roy is one of the most influential figures of Indian history. He is known as
the father of Indian Renaissance because of his attempts to reform the Indian society. He brought
about several important changes in the minds of the Indian people with his thoughts and
preaching (Hay and De Bary, 1988). The main purpose of the essay is to analyze Ram Mohan
Roy’s strategic reinterpretation of Hindu religious thought on the basis on his readings.
From a very early age, Ram Mohan Roy was influenced by a host of ideas such as that of
Sufi ideas, Persian and Arabic ideologies. The logic propounded by Aristotle and the spirit of
inquiry that was advocated by the Greco-Islamic followers (Hay and De Bary, 1988). Hinduism,
at that time was extremely conservative in nature. It believed in the social evil of ‘sati’ where a
married female was made to burn alive on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. They did not
have the liberty to decide for themselves and those who tried to escape were captured and thrown
in to the fire. Ram Mohan Roy was strictly against this ideology of Hinduism. He tried to
reinterpret the Hindu thoughts for the sake of reforming the society (Dev, 2016). He was against
this idea of ‘sati’ and sought the help of the British administration to abolish it to which end he
was successful.
In conclusion it is observed that there exist certain evils in every tradition which are a
result of yearlong practice. The need is to eliminate them through strategic reinterpretation of the
religion.

2RAM MOHAN ROY
References:
Dev, M.K., 2016. Rammohun Roy: A Study of His Religious Views. Philosophy and Progress,
pp.97-110.
Hay, S.N. and De Bary, W.T., 1988. Sources of Indian Tradition. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe.