Rammohun Roy versus the Christian missionaries: and the winner is ....

THE BRAHMUNICAL MAGAZINE OR THE MISSIONARY AND THE BRAHMUN BEING A VINDICATION OF THE HINDOO RELIGION AGAINST THE ATTACKS OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. 

CALCUTTA, 

1821. 

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

For a period of upwards of fifty years, this country (Bengal) has been in exclusive possession of the 

English nation; during the first thirty years of which, from their word and deed, it was universally 

believed that they would not interfere with the religion of their subjects, and that they truly wished

every man to act in such matters according to the dictates of his own conscience. Their possessions

 in Hindoostan and their political strength have, through the grace of God gradually increased. But

 during the last twenty years, a body of English gentlemen who are called missionaries, have been 

publicly endeavouring, in several ways, to convert Hindoos and Mussulmans of this country into

 Christianity. The first way is that of publishing and distributing among the natives various books,

 large and small, reviling both religions, and abusing and ridiculing the gods and saints of the former: 

the second way is that of standing in front of the doors of the natives or in the public roads to preach the

 excellency of their own religion and the debasedness of that of others: the third way is that if any 

natives of low origin become Christians from the desire of gain or from any other motives, these

 gentlemen employ and maintain them as a necessary encouragement to others to follow their example. 

It is true that the apostles of Jesus Christ used to preach the superiority of the Christian religion

 to the natives of different countries. But we must recollect that they were not of the rulers of those 

countries where they preached. Were the missionaries likewise to preach the Gospel and distribute 

books in countries not conquered by the English, such as Turkey, Persia, &c., which are such nearer 

England, they would be esteemed a body of men truly zealous in propagating their religion and in

 following the example of the founders of Christianity. In Bengal, where the English are the sole

 rulers, and where the mere name of Englishman is sufficient to frighten people, an encroachment 

upon the rights of her poor timid and humble inhabitants and upon their religion, cannot be viewed 

in the eyes of God or the public as a justifiable act. For wise and good men always feel disinclined 

to hurt those that are of much less strength than themselves, and if such weak creatures be dependent

 on them and subject to their authority, they can never attempt, even in thought, to mortify their feelings. 

....

Now, in the Mission-press of Shreerampore a letter showing the unreasonableness of all the 

Hindoo Shastrus having appeared, I have inserted in the 1st and 2nd number of this magazine all 

the questions in the above letter as well as their answers, and afterwards the replies that may be 

made by both parties shall in like manner be published. 

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

In giving the contents of the following pages to the world in a new edition, I think it necessary to

 prefix a short explanation of the origin of the controversy, and the manner in which it concluded. 

The BRAHMUNICAL MAGAZINE was commenced for the purpose of answering the objections 

against the Hindoo Religion contained in a Bengallee Weekly Newspaper, 

entitled "SUMMACHAR DURPUN," conducted by some of the most eminent of the 

Christian Missionaries, and published at Shreerampore. In that paper of the 14th July, 1821, 

a letter was inserted containing certain doubts regarding the Shastrus, to which the writer invited 

any one to favour him with an answer, through the same channel. I accordingly sent a reply in the

 Bengallee language, to which, however, the conductors of the work calling for it, refused insertion; 

and I therefore formed the resolution of publishing the whole controversy with an English translation 

in a work of my own "the Brahmunical Magazine," now re-printed, which contains all that was written 

on both sides. 

In the first number of the MAGAZINE I replied to the arguments they adduced against the Shastrus, 

or immediate explanations of the Veds, our original Sacred Books; and in the second I answered the 

objections urged against the Poorans and Tantras, or Historical Illustrations of the Hindoo Mythology, 

showing that the doctrines of the former are much more rational than the religion which the Missionaries

 profess, and that those of the latter, if unreasonable, are not more so than their Christian Faith. To this 

the Missionaries made a reply in their work entitled the "FRIEND OF INDIA," No. 38, which was 

immediately answered by me in the 3rd No. of the Magazine; and from the continuation of a regular 

controversy of this kind, I expected that in a very short time, the truth or fallacy of one or other of our 

religious systems would be clearly established; but to my great surprise and disappointment, the 

Christian Missionaries, after having provoked the discussion, suddenly abandoned it; and the 3rd No. 

of my Magazine has remained unanswered for nearly two years. During that long period the Hindoo

 community, (to whom the work was particularly addressed and therefore printed both in Bengallee 

and English), have made up their minds that the arguments of the BRAHMUNICAL MAGAZINE are

 unanswerable; and I now republish, therefore, only the English translation, that the learned among 

Christians, in Europe as well as in Asia, may form their opinion on the subject.

It is well-known to the whole world, that no people on earth are more tolerant than the Hindoos, 

who believe all men to be equally within the reach of Divine beneficence, which embraces the good

 of every religious sect and denomination: therefore it cannot be imagined that my object in publishing 

this Magazine was to oppose Christianity; but I was influenced by the conviction that persons who 

travel to a distant country for the purpose of overturning the opinions of its inhabitants and introducing 

their own, ought to be prepared to demonstrate that the latter are more reasonable than the former.