Brahmo Samaj may be understood as a Hindu reform movement that arose in Bengal as a response to both inherited religious forms and emerging rational, ethical concerns. Founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in Calcutta in 1828, it sought to reorient religious life around a single, formless, eternal God, rejecting idolatry, polytheism, and elaborate ritualism. Its leaders turned to the Upanishads and the Vedas as sources of a more interior, spiritual monotheism, emphasizing meditation, prayer, and moral discipline over priestly authority and external ceremony. In this way, it attempted to preserve what it regarded as the deepest insights of the Hindu tradition while subjecting inherited practices to the test of reason and conscience.

At the heart of Brahmo Samaj lay a strong commitment to social reform as a natural expression of authentic spirituality. Its members opposed sati, child marriage, and caste discrimination, while supporting widow remarriage, women’s education, and broader social equality. Religious life was organized not around temple ritual but around congregational gatherings for prayer, readings, and sermons, reflecting a desire for a more direct, interior relationship with the Divine. This monotheistic and rational orientation was accompanied by a universalist spirit, affirming that the various religions of the world share a common core of spiritual truth and can coexist in mutual respect.

Over time, Brahmo Samaj became a significant force in the wider intellectual and spiritual awakening often associated with the Bengali Renaissance. Figures such as Debendranath Tagore and Keshub Chunder Sen carried its work forward, even as internal disagreements led to different branches within the movement. Despite such divisions, its enduring legacy lies in the attempt to hold together devotion to one formless God, reverence for Hindu philosophical sources, openness to universal religious truth, and a deep concern for ethical and social transformation.