296

No. XIX.

RAJAH RAMMOHUN ROY.

Or this amiable, extraordinary, and celebrated man, the following brief and simple autobiographical sketch (in the shape of a letter to a friend, written in the autumn of 1832) was published the week after his death, in "The Literary Gazette," and "The Athenæum:"

"MY DEAR FRIEND, - In conformity with the wish you have frequently expressed, that I should give you an outline of my life, I have now the pleasure to send you the following very brief sketch:

66

ment.

My ancestors were Brahmins of a high order; and, from time immemorial, were devoted to the religious duties of their race, down to my fifth progenitor; who, about 140 years ago gave up spiritual exercises for worldly pursuits and aggrandiseHis descendants ever since have followed his example, and, according to the usual fate of courtiers, with various success, sometimes rising to honour, and sometimes falling; sometimes rich and sometimes poor; sometimes excelling in success, sometimes miserable through disappointment. But my maternal ancestors, being of the sacerdotal order by profession as well as by birth, and of a family than which none holds a higher rank in that profession, have, up to the present day, uniformly adhered to a life of religious observances and devotion, preferring peace and tranquillity of mind to the excitements of ambition and all the allurements of worldly grandeur.

"In conformity with the usage of my paternal race, and the wish of my father, I studied the Persian and Arabic languages, these being accomplishments indispensable to those who attached themselves to the courts of the Mohametan princes; and, agreeably to the usage of my maternal

relations, I devoted myself to the study of the Sanscrit and the theological works written in it, which contain the body of Hindoo literature, law, and religion.

"When about the age of sixteen, I composed a manuscript calling in question the validity of the idolatrous system of the Hindoos. This, together with my known sentiments on that subject, having produced a coolness between me and my immediate kindred, I proceeded on my travels, and passed through different countries, chiefly within, but some beyond, the bounds of Hindoostan, with a feeling of great aversion to the establishment of the British power in India. When I had reached the age of twenty, my father recalled me, and restored me to his favour; after which I first saw and began to associate with Europeans, and soon after made myself tolerably acquainted with their laws and form of government. Finding them generally more intelligent, more steady and moderate in their conduct, I gave up my prejudice against them, and became inclined in their favour, feeling persuaded that their rule, though a foreign yoke, would lead more speedily and surely to the amelioration of the native inhabitants; and I enjoyed the confidence of several of them even in their public capacity. My continued controversies with the Brahmins, on the subject of their idolatry and superstition, and my interference with their custom of burning widows, and other pernicious practices, revived and increased their animosity against me; and, through their influence with my family, my father was again obliged to withdraw his countenance openly, though his limited pecuniary support was still continued to me.

"After my father's death, I opposed the advocates of idolatry with still greater boldness. Availing myself of the art of printing now established in India, I published various works and pamphlets against their errors, in the native and foreign languages. This raised such a feeling against me, that I was at last deserted by every person except two or three Scotch friends, to whom, and the nation to which they belong, I always feel grateful.

"The ground which I took in all my controversies was, not that of opposition to Brahminism, but to a perversion of it; and I endeavoured to show that the idolatry of the Brahmins was contrary to the practice of their ancestors, and the principles of the ancient books and authorities which they profess to revere and obey. Notwithstanding the violence of the opposition and resistance to my opinions, several highly respectable persons, both among my own relations and others, began to adopt the same sentiments.

"I now felt a strong wish to visit Europe, and obtain, by personal observation, a more thorough insight into its manners, customs, religion, and political institutions. I refrained, however, from carrying this intention into effect until the friends who coincided in my sentiments should be increased in number and strength. My expectations having been at length realised, in November, 1830, I embarked for England, as the discussion of the East India Company's charter was expected to come on,-by which the treatment of the natives of India and its future government would be determined for many years to come, and an appeal to the King in Council against the abolition of the practice of burning widows was to be heard before the Privy Council; and his Majesty the Emperor of Delhi had likewise commissioned me to bring before the authorities in England certain enroachments on his rights by the East India Company. I accordingly arrived in England in April, 1831.

"I hope you will excuse the brevity of this sketch, as I have no leisure at present to enter into particulars; and I remain, &c.

With the exception of two or three slight corrections, and a few illustrative paragraphs, from "The Asiatic Journal," the following details have been derived from a memoir in "A Review of the Labours, Opinions, and Character of Rajah Rammohun Roy;" by Lant Carpenter, LL.D.

Rammohun Roy was the son of Ram Kanth Roy. His

grandfather resided at Moorshedabad, and filled some important offices under the Moguls; but, being ill-treated by them towards the end of his life, the son took up his abode in the district of Bordouan, where he had landed property. There Rammohun Roy was born, most probably about 1774.* Under his father's roof he received the elements of native education, and also acquired the Persian language. He was afterwards sent to Patna to learn Arabic; and, lastly, to Benares, to obtain a knowledge of the Sanscrit, the sacred language of the Hindoos. His masters at Patna set him to study Arabic translations of some of the writings of Aristotle and Euclid; and it is probable that the training thus given his mind in acuteness and close reasoning, and the knowledge which he acquired of the Mahometan religion from Mussulmans whom he esteemed, contributed to cause that searching examination of the faith in which he was educated, which led him eventually to the important efforts he made to restore it to its early simplicity.

His family was Brahminical, of high respectability; and, of course, he was a Brahmin by birth. After his death the thread of his caste was seen round him, passing over his left shoulder and under his right. His father trained him in the doctrine of his sect; but he very early observed the diversities of opinion existing even among the idolaters; and that, while some exalted Brahma, the Creator, others gave the ascendancy to Vishnu, the Preserver; and others, 'again, to Siva, the Destroyer. It is scarcely possible, too, but that his mind must have been struck by the simplicity of the Mahometan faith and worship; and, at any rate, it early revolted from the frivolous or disgusting rites and ceremonies of Hindoo idolatry. Without disputing the authority of his father, he often sought from him information as to the reasons

This is Dr. Carpenter's statement. The "Asiatic Journal" says, that he was born about the year 1780.

"The poita is a cord which is suspended from the left shoulder, and falls under the right arm. It consists of six or more threads of cotton, and is a distinctive badge of a Brahmin.” — Appeal to liberal Christians, p. 22.

of his faith he obtained no satifaction; and he at last determined, at the early age of fifteen, to leave the paternal home, and sojourn for a time in Thibet, that he might see another form of religious faith. He spent two or three years in that country, and often excited the anger of the worshippers of the Lama by his rejection of their doctrine, that this pretended deity a living man was the creator and preserver of the world. In these circumstances he experienced the soothing kindness of the female part of the family; and his gentle, feeling heart lately dwelt, with deep interest, at the distance of more than forty years, on the recollections of that period, which, he said, had made him always feel respect and gratitude towards the female sex, and which, doubtless, contributed to that unvarying and refined courtesy which marked his intercourse with them in this country. When he returned to Hindoostan, he was met by a deputation from his father, and. received by him with great consideration. He appears, from that time, to have devoted himself to the study of Sanscrit and other languages, and of the ancient books of the Hindoos. He had frequent discussions with his father: through awe of him, however, he never avowed the scepticism which he entertained as to the present forms of their religion; but, from some indirect reproaches he received, he imagined that he had fallen under his father's suspicions.

His father had given him, for that country, a very superior education; but, having been brought up himself in the midst of the Mussulman Court, he appears to have thought principally of those qualifications which would recommend his son to the ancient conquerors of India; and, till manhood, Rammohun Roy knew very little of the English language, and that little he taught himself. "At the age of twentytwo," says the editor of the English edition of the Abridgment of the Vedant and the Cena Upanishad, "he com

"His own letter," says Dr. Carpenter, "states, that he left home about sixteen, after having composed a manuscript calling in question the validity of the idolatrous system of the Hindoos. The statement made in the preceding sentence I heard from the Rajah himself in London, and again at Stapleton Grove; and therefore leave it to be corrected, if necessary, by others."