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Untitled Article
tfie principal chapters of the Veds , designed still further to show tftat idol worship \ vas not countenanced by pure Hinduism . , These efforts at reformation drew on him the hatred and persecution of those who were interested in maintaining things as they were , for those who make gain of superstition are alike in all countries and ages . Imputations were cast upon his character
aricl motives . He waxiDpposed ™ by ~ every-m © Even his mother was persuaded to be against him for a season , though afterwards she expressed great sorrow for what had passed , and declared her firm conviction of the unity of God , and the futility of Hindu superstition . In addition to his other efforts for the enlightenment of his countrymen , he essentially contributed to the establishment and maintenance of public schools . He also directed his efforts , with great success ,, towards the extinction of the practice of burning widows .
As early as the year 1817 , he directed his attention to the Christian religion . In a letter to a friend ^ written about this period , he says :. — 6 The consequence of my long and uninterrupted researches into religious truth has been ,, that I have found-the doctrines of Christ more conducive to moral principles , and better adapted for the use of rational beings , than any other which have come to my- knowledge -y and have also found Hindus in general more superstitious and miserable , both in the performance of " their " religious rites , and in their domestic concerns , than the rest of the known nations of the earth . ' .
He was . , however , greatly perplexed by the various creeds which he found strenuously supported as essential to Christianity by different persons , both in books and conversation . This , however , so far from acting on his strong mind as a repellent , stimulated him to inquiry . He resolved to study the scriptures , for himself , in their original languages ; for which purpose he made himself critically . acquainted with Hebrew and Greek . Che result of his i n qu iry was a deep conviction of the excellence and importance of the Christian system of morality , &c . In 1830 , he published
in English , Sanscrit , and Bengalee , chiefly from the gospels of Matthew , Mark , and Luke , a work which he entitled , * The Precepts of Jesus , the Guide to Peace and Happiness . ' He omitted such parts of the evangelical history as have been made the foundation of peculiar dogmas , and also narratives of miracles , except where they were closely interwoven with ouFX ^ dVcfisSl ^ rses ";' believing such parts less calculated than the preceptive portions to make a favourable , deep , and permanent impression upon his countrymen .
r lhe excellency of his motives did not secure him from the usual fate of those who depart from the beaten track . Because he had used his best judgment with regard , to the manner in which
Untitled Article
324 .. RAJAH RAMMOHUN ROY >
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 1, 1833, page 324, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2625/page/4/
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