Debendranath Tagore, born in 1817 to a wealthy family in Calcutta, favored spiritual learning and dedication above the luxury to which his childhood made him accustomed. Tagore founded a religious society called the Tattwaranjini Sabha in 1839 that was interested in purifying Hinduism through teaching the Upanishads, the texts holding sacred truths of the religion. Tagore furthered his ideology by printing and distributing a journal called the Tattwabodhini Patrika, gaining followers and eventually renaming the society the Brahmo Samaj in 1843. The Brahmo Samaj, a spiritual fraternity, describes itself as worshiping one true God and rejecting division between “caste, creed, race, sex or religion” amongst many other core principles.
Having founded the Brahmo Samaj, Tagore published a book of his principles titled Brahmo Dharma which aided him in spreading Brahmoism across India. Tagore traveled the country regularly to visit holy sites throughout his life and had many influential children, including nobel-prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Maharshi Debendranath Tagore appears in Sen’s life story when she visits Tagore, whom she refers to with the reverent name of “Maharshi,” with her husband. Sen recalls that she has “had no experience comparable to our prayer the next morning” (Sen 185) led by Tagore. She is also pleasantly surprised that, after Tagore blesses her son, he no longer has a fever.
Sources
“Brahmo Dharma - It’s beliefs and principles.” www.thebrahmosamaj.net, https://www.thebrahmosamaj.net/index.html. Accessed 22 May 2024.
“Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905); father of Rabindranath.” The Scottish Centre of Tagore Studies, https://scotstagore.org/debendranath-tagore-1817-1905-father-of-rabindranath-by-christine-kupfer/. Accessed 22 May 2024.
Mark, Joshua J. “Upanishads.” World History Encyclopedia, 10 June 2020, https://www.worldhistory.org/Upanishads/. Accessed 22 May 2024.
“Rabindranath Tagore: Poet and Painter.” Victoria and Albert Museum, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/rabindranath-tagore-poet-and-painter. Accessed 22 May 2024.
Image source
https://www.santiniketan.com/the-tagore-family/debendranath-tagore/