Neohinduism

Neohinduism is the collective term for religious, social and political reformers and reform movements that arose in India in the 19th and 20th centuries. The term neo-Hinduism is misleading insofar as there was no classical Hinduism before. The term Hinduism was only used in the context of colonialism around 1830 by the British colonial rulers as a collective term for various religions and religious and spiritual forms in India. Neo-Hinduism tries to define its own Indian traditions in the context of a western concept of religion and finally takes over the concept of Hinduism as a self-designation. In this way an attempt is made to create a unified religious system based on the model of Christianity and Islam and to unify the many different religious traditions in India. For example, monotheism and a binding text canon are propagated. Some neo-Hindu movements want to adapt Hinduism to the modern world, others try to defend themselves against Europeanization in the course of globalization and to return Hinduism and Indian society to their origins (their foundations; cf. fundamentalism ). Neohinduism found its spread predominantly in the English-speaking and educated middle class. The best-known representative of Neohinduism is MK Gandhi .

Development factors

Three factors brought about the neo-Hindu renewal movements: 1. British colonial rule , 2. Christian missionaries and 3. the work of European orientalists. First, the British brought the English language and the English school system to India, as well as European modernization , primarily with science, technology, industry and the expansion of the rail network. Second, the Christian missionaries tried to convert Indians to the Christian faith, but they hardly succeeded. This and, above all, the accusation against Hinduism of being to blame for many of India's social problems (widow burnings, caste system, child marriage), however, led the Indians to grapple with their own religious roots. Third, the translation activity of European Oriental Studies made it possible for Indians who had attended English schools and universities to access Sanskrit- language texts in English translation.

Content identification

In the course of the desired standardization of Indian traditions, a text canon is created in which the Bhagavad Gita is particularly emphasized. In addition, the caste system is reinterpreted or rejected entirely and tolerance is propagated as a basic characteristic of Hinduism. In addition, Hinduism experiences a universal orientation in the context of which an inclusive appropriation of other religions is carried out. The Dharma term is also universalized and used as an ethical term.

An overview of the neo-Hindu movements

The Brahmo Samaj (German Brahma - or God's Association) was founded in 1828 by Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833) in Calcutta . Roy postulated an image-free monotheism , as he knew it from Christianity and Islam : he found monotheistic approaches in the Upanishads . He saw the original religion of India in the worship of Brahma as the only god. The worship-style meetings were open to everyone except women and shudras . Since the middle of the 19th century , numerous churches have sprung up in India, whose concern was the reform of Hinduism. The abolition of the caste system , the worship of images and child marriage was called for .

There have been several spin-offs over time:

1. the rather conservative Adi Brahmo Samaj under Debendranath Tagore , son of Dvarkanath and father of Rabindranath Tagore .
2. the originally more progressive Brahmo Samaj of India of Keshab Chandra Sen (since 1866 ) and the mystical movement New Revelation (a kind of amalgamation of Hinduism , Islam and Christianity ) that emerged from it through his initiative
3. since May 1878 the more democratic Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

The Arya Samaj ("Association of Aryans ") was founded on April 10, 1875 in Bombay by Dayananda Saraswati (1824-1883). Dayananda tried to establish Hindu content and radically resisted any Christian or Islamic influence. Anyone could become a member of the Arya Samaj; Caste membership did not matter. The aim was, among other things, the conversion back from the Indians who had joined Christianity. This was the first time that Hinduism was interpreted as a religion that one can (re) enter. The Arya Samaj was the most successful reform movement in India in the 19th century.

Following the example of the Christian mission, Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) founded the Ramakrishna mission with friends on May 1, 1897 with the aim of spreading the message of Ramakrishna (1836–1886). Europeans also found access to the Ramakrishna mission for the first time. In addition, Vivekananda appeared at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 and openly campaigned for Hinduism. He made Hinduism compatible with the modern world by promoting a correspondence between science and Hinduism. Vivekananda described Advaita Vedanta as the philosophy on which Hinduism is based. He presented his own interpretation of the Advaita Vedanta, which is essentially different from its original meaning as the exclusive way of salvation of the Brahmanic ascetics. According to Vivekananda, Advaita Vedanta is open to all people.

The poet and first Nobel Prize winner of India Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948), who was called by Tagore “Mahatma” (“great soul”), Sri Aurobindo (1872– 1950), as well as the philosopher, diplomat and politician S. Radhakrishnan (1888–1975).

Influence on the west

Since Neo-Induism there has been a mutual influence between India and Europe / USA. This was expressed in the founding of the Theosophical Society by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky , which found supporters in England, France and Germany. Her student, the Buddhist Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, spread the teaching in the USA . It is a mixture of the philosophy of Buddhism, the mysticism of Hinduism and American spiritism .

Social aspirations

Closely related to religious views are social endeavors, especially in Brahmo Samaj . A key point was the question of women .

Question of women

The Hindu movement successfully implemented some improvements in the position of women. Initially, calls were made for compulsory civil marriage , the abolition of child marriage , the introduction and dissemination of instruction also for girls (especially in their own girls' schools), permitting the remarriage of Hindu widows and the improvement of the extremely poor social position of these widows.

On 22. March 1872 , a law on optional civil marriage has actually adopted the Native Marriage Act , which all before the registrar ( "registrar") explains completed marriages valid, regardless of subsequent religious ceremonies; this also applies to members of different religions and castes. The minimum age of the groom was 18 and that of the bride 14 years. However, it then requires the parents' written consent to the marriage. Bigamy was banned, as was the marriage of blood relatives of certain degrees. The law also allowed widows to remarry.

Despite this law, Hindus continued to adhere to their custom of marrying girls off when they were 8-10 years old.

National Neo-Hinduism

In addition to the religious reform efforts, which endeavored to renew the various religious Hindu traditions, other positions arose which can be described as “political” or “national neo-Hinduism”. “National Neo-Hinduism” saw Hinduism as a cultural asset that the Indian population should unite in order to be able to free themselves from political independence. The goal of political emancipation is characteristic of “national neo-Hinduism”. The actors who apply to this political aspect of neo-Hinduism, however, were mostly also those who pursued a religious reinterpretation of Hinduism. Swami Vivekananda saw in Hinduism a “unifying force of religion” which is able to relieve the ethnic, linguistic and social tensions within the Indian population.

The National Congress

After Great Britain took India out of the hands of the British East India Company in 1858 , the Indian National Congress was formed from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Parsi and others. At the time, his goals were primarily in the political field:

1. Admission of Indians to higher positions in the state administration
2. full social and political equality of the Indians with the British
3. Creation of a National Indian Parliament

At the time, the Indians regarded the national congress as its forerunner, for which 500 to 1000 delegates had gathered annually for three to four days since 1885 and met in one of the country's larger cities. British MPs also occasionally took part.

The subjects of the discussions included:

• Admission of locals to the council (the council that assisted the governors in the various presidencies)
• greater influence of the council in setting the budget
• Regulation of Indian bonds , duties and taxes
• Regulation and separation of the administrative and judicial service
• Introduction and expansion of jury courts
• Improvement of the police force
• Promotion of public education

These goals were also promoted by Indians living in the UK in the National Indian Association in London .

The Indian Congress Party emerged from the National Congress .

Already at the end of the 19th century it was foreseeable that a unified Indian state (today's India , Pakistan and Bangladesh ) would not survive on its own, as Hindus and Muslims were too harsh against each other. This also became clear with all important questions in the deliberations of the Indian National Congress.

literature

• John Nicol Farquhar: Modern religious Movements in India . The Macmillan Company, New York NY 1915, ( The Hartford-Lamson Lectures on the religions of the world ), (Also reprinted: Low Price Publ., New Delhi 1999, ISBN 81-7536-165-4 ).
• Helmuth von Glasenapp : Religious reform movements in India today . Hinrichs, Leipzig 1928, ( Morgenland 17).
• Hans-Joachim Klimkeit : Political Hinduism. Indian thinkers between religious reform and political awakening . Verlag Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1981, ISBN 3-447-02214-0 , ( Harrassowitz Collection ).
• Richard King: Orientalism and Religion. Postcolonial Theory, India and 'The Mystic East' . Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-20258-2 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Harald Fischer-Tiné: Hinduism in the 19th and 20th centuries . In: Hans Dieter Betz, u. a. (Ed.): RGG4 . tape 3 . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2000, p. 1761-1762 .
2. ^ ^{A b} Hans Harder: Neohinduismus . In: Hans Dieter Betz, u. a. (Ed.): RGG4 . tape 6 . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2003, p. 184 .
3. ↑ Malinar, Angelika: Hinduismus, Göttingen, 2009.
4. ^ Vivekananda, Swami: The Future of India, in: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati Memorial Edition, Calcutta, 1991, p. 287.