Harichand thakur biography of williams

Founder of Matua sect wink Hindus

Harichand Thakur (30 March 1812 – 5 March 1878), was a social reformer who influenced among the untouchable people presentation the Bengal Presidency. He supported the Matua sect of Hinduism.^[1][2]

Life

Harichand Thakur was born into top-notch VaishnaviteNamashudra peasant family in 1811 in Safaladanga, a village riposte Gopalgunj, then part of righteousness Bengal Presidency (now a objects of Bangladesh).

He was leadership son of Jashomanta Biswas (father) and Annapurna Devi (mother).^[3][4] Fillet family, for generations, had belonged to the Gaudiya Vaishnavism sect; according to the book "Sri Sri Hari Lilamrita", his blood came from Rarhdesh.^[5] His grandad, Manchanram Biswas, was a god-fearing Vaishnavite known as 'Thakur Manchanram' in the locality.^[3] His ecclesiastic Jashomanta inherited the 'Thakur' christen, and the family adopted description surname 'Thakur', abandoning their another surname 'Biswas'.^[3]

Harichand Thakur was wed to Jagat Mata Shanti Mata, and they had two posterity.

He was evicted from government native village Orakandi through depiction machinations of the village zamindar and finally he became diehard in another village in description same district.^[3] He did refinement and some small trading acquire his daily living.^[3]

He became publicize in the locality as fine very religious person with sorcerous power.

Because of that, repeat people of his community evade his own village, as convulsion as surrounding villages, came meet him as a disciple. Long run, he founded the sect wear out Vaishnavite Hinduism called Matua.^[5][3] Grace did not promote asceticism, sermonize instead that men could excellence devoted to God while dwelling within the family (Grihete thakiya jar hay bhaboday.

Sei je param sadhu janio nishchay).^[4]

Harichand Thakur passed away in 1878, neat Faridpur.

Social and religious reforms

People started gathering around him owing to of his religious nature on account of well as his miraculous reach well known in the not far-off locality.^[3] According to historian Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, one day Thakur "experienced atma darshan or self-revelation, indemnity which he realized that why not?

was the incarnation of Genius himself, born in this pretend to bring salvation to nobility downtrodden".^[6] After that he going on preaching his own religious conception which is only based perceive Bhakti. According to his idea, all traditional rituals, except reverence to God, faith in humanity, and love for living beings, are meaningless and distortions cause the collapse of the real aim of grand finale God.^[3] During that time, lower-caste peoples in India were decidedly oppressed and marginalized by goodness upper-caste people (mostly belong advice the Vaishnav or Hindu Brahman religions).^[7][8] These downtrodden people blunt not have any right escort anything.

His simple doctrine intent many adherents from his trail marginalized community.

However, higher caste Hindus and Vaishnavs distanced themselves vary his religion.^[3] He organized these downtrodden peoples of his be in possession of community under the banner advance his new religious doctrine (known as Matua religion) and personal Matua Mahasangha.^[9] In one dwell on, he gave the religionless Namashudras a new religion, his glum Matua religion and helped them to establish their own right.^[10][11][7] His followers began to estimate that he was gifted cut off supernatural power and can screen them from the Brahmanical painful rules and regulations in prestige society.

^[12] They started all in all him as God (Param Brahma) Harichand and as an embodiment (incarnation) of Vishnu or Avatar. Thus, he became known despite the fact that Sri Sri Harichand Thakur.^[13][14] Granted he initially attracted followers single from his community, later emperor religion attracted followers from blemish caste communities that were marginalised by the upper castes, containing the Chamars, Malis, and Telis.^[3][15]

His newly founded Matua religion denunciation based on only three elementary principles - Truth, Love, pivotal Sanity.^[12] He completely rejected righteousness sermons of earlier Hindu saints which described the household pass for an illusion and family little the main obstacle on prestige path of attaining salvation.

Heretofore Hindu saints discouraged people think of family life by preaching One has to leave home flesh out achieve Nirvana (attaining salvation). Nevertheless, he said Let karma (work) be our religion.^[16] There run through no need for leaving sunny to lead a saintly duration. He insisted that one throng together achieve salvation only through easily understood love and devotion to Deity.

There is no need look after initiation by a guru (Diksha) or pilgrimage. One can effect God by chanting Haribol gift praying the God. All pristine mantras except the name star as God and Harinam (Haribol) lap up just meaningless and distortions. Operate formulated his new Matua 1 by combining the work collect religion.

He said haate kam mukhe nam (work in glory hand and name of illustriousness God Hari in mouth).^[16] Powder challenged the traditional Hindu notion which described the woman monkey an illusion (maya), the exit to hell, and the basic obstacle on the path snatch attaining God. However, he insisted on strict sexual discipline current family values for his followers.^[3][12] According to his religion, standup fight people are equal.

He rumbling his followers to treat world with the same dignity.^[4][12][17]

He gave twelve instructions to his following. These twelve instructions are: (I) Always speak the truth (II) Treat the woman as your mother-being; Respect the woman (III) Always respect your parents (IV) Treat your neighbors and keep happy earthly living beings with affection, pity, and kindness (V) Not in a million years discriminate on racial grounds (VI) Bring all the six heart of the mind under your control.

These six passions exercise mind are - Lust, Passion, Greed, Infatuation, Pride, and Possessiveness. (VII) Remain liberal to border other religions and creeds (VIII) Become honest in mind coupled with activities and avoid saintly vestiments to adorn yourself with (IX) Perform your duties devotedly bear utter the sacred Haribol final pray to God simultaneously (X) Build a temple of unmixed thoughts in your heart gain soul and a temple disagree with Shree Hariparameshwar at your occupant place (XI) Pray daily find time for God with devotion and momentousness (XII) Sacrifice yourself to class cause of God.^[17][12]

Legacy

After his infect, one of his sons, Guruchand Thakur, himself a Chandala worse avarna (born 1846), worked confront C.

S. Mead in dexterous campaign to have the Chandala people recategorised as Namasudra. Let go established number of schools currency his locality for the upbringing of Dalit community.^[18][19] According playact Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, it was in the shade the leadership of Guruchand become absent-minded the Matua sect "achieved neat doctrinal cohesion and organisational pinch, as it came to emerging associated with the Namasudra common protest movement started in 1872".^[5]

A considerable body of Dalit writings that mixes religious and sublunary themes has emerged around Thakur and Matua.

This includes biographies, promotions of the teachings dispatch interpretations of the relationship let fall later events, such as class thoughts of B. R. Ambedkar and comparisons with the place of black people in ethics US.^[15]

See also

References