Abstract
Abstract:
This chapter examines how Raja Rammohan Ray utilized Vedanta philosophy as a strategic response to colonial critiques of Hinduism during the early nineteenth century. Ray emerged as a pivotal figure who navigated between British orientalist discourse and Indian religious reform, employing Advaita Vedanta to counter accusations of idolatry and polytheism leveled against Hindu practices. The analysis demonstrates how Ray's translations of the Upanishads and his promotion of Vedantic monotheism served dual purposes: defending indigenous civilization against missionary attacks while accommodating European notions of rational religion. Ray's approach involved significant textual interventions, including rendering the neuter brahman as masculine "God" in English translations to appeal to Christian audiences, while maintaining philosophical authenticity in Bengali versions. The chapter situates Ray's work within broader orientalist-indigenous collaborations and traces his evolution from Persian-language Islamic monotheism to Sanskrit-based Hindu reform. Ultimately, Ray's modernized Vedanta created discursive space for Indian self-assertion while establishing precedents for comparative theology that would influence both Indian nationalism and Western liberal religious thought. His egalitarian reinterpretation of traditionally elite Vedantic knowledge democratized access to philosophical Hinduism, challenging Brahminical orthodoxy while providing an indigenous alternative to wholesale Christianization of the subcontinent.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Date
2006
Document Type
Book Chapter
Department, Program, or Center
English, Department of
College
College of Liberal Arts
Recommended Citation
Ray, Amit. “Orientalism and Religion in the Romantic Era Rammohan Ray’s Vedanta(s).” Romantic Representations of British India, edited by Michael J. Franklin, Routledge, 2006, pp. 259–77, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203966679.
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Included in
Asian History Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, Indo-European Linguistics and Philology Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Translation Studies Commons
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge/CRC Press in Romantic Representations of British India in 2006, available online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203966679.