Debendranath

Tagore Biography
Debendranath Tagore was an Indian religious reformer and
Hindu philosopher. This biography of Debendranath Tagore
provides detailed information about his childhood, life,
achievements, works & timeline.
Quick Facts
Also
Known As

Famous
as

Philosopher

Nationality Indian
Religion

Hinduism

Born on

15 May 1817 AD

Zodiac
Sign

Taurus

Born in

Kolkata

Died on

19 January 1905 AD

Place of
death

Kolkata

Father

Dwarkanath Tagore

Spouse:

Sarada Devi

Quick Facts
Rabindranath Tagore, Satyendranath Tagore,
Children

Dwijendranath Tagore, Swarnakumari Devi,

Hemendranath Tagore, Jyotirindranath Tagore,
Bhudendranath Tagore, Punyendranath Tagore

Im age Source : http://tinyurl.com/kjn2sh9

Debendranath Tagore was an Indian religious reformer and
Hindu philosopher. He was one of the founders of the Brahmo
religion. Born into a wealthy landowning family, he began his
formal education at the age of nine and was taught Sanskrit,
Persian, English, and Western philosophy. Deeply affected by
the death of his grandmother to whom he was greatly attached,
he was drawn to religion and began contemplating the meaning
and nature of life. He commenced a deep study of religious
literature, particularly the Upanishads and soon became
uninterested in worldly affairs and began his search for the
almighty. Debendranath Tagore was a deeply devout man who
spread his religious understanding by forming the Tattvabodhini
Sabha which he later merged with the Brahmo Sabha. His role
in the Bengal renaissance and the rejuvenation of Hinduism is
of considerable significance. A philanthropist and social activist,
he believed in democracy and his efforts helped to influence a
generation of Indians. Often addressed as Maharshi, he was
undoubtedly one of the greatest religious intellectuals born in
India.

Childhood & Early Life

Debendranath Tagore was born on May 15, 1817, at
Calcutta,

Bengal,

Bengal

Presidency,

to

Prince

Dwarkanath Tagore, a wealthy landowner and successful

entrepreneur, and his wife, Digambari Devi.
After receiving his early education at home, he was
enrolled at the Anglo-Hindu College in 1827. After
attending the college for a brief period, he began
supervising his familys property and also showed interest
in philosophy and religion.
In 1838, his grandmother passed away and he
experienced a psychological change in himself. He
became deeply involved in religion and began reading the
Mahabharata, Upanishads, and books on many other
religious as well as philosophical subjects.
Care e r
In 1839, under the guidance of Pandit Ram Chandra
Vidyabageesh, Debendranath Tagore established the
Tattwabodhini Sabha to share his experiences and
knowledge.

Four

years

later,

he

introduced

the

Tattwabodhini Patrika as a means to connect with the

followers of the community.
While serving as the secretary of the Tattwabodhini
Sabha, he stopped Hindu puja ceremonies and introduced
'Magh festival', 'Nababarsa', 'Diksa Din' and similar
festivals.
In 1843, he revived the Brahmo Sabha, which had
diminished since the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in
1833. Later, the Brahmo Sabha was formally merged with
the Tattwabodhini Sabha and was renamed as Calcutta
Brahma Samaj.
In 1848, he was instrumental in codifying the Adi Dharma
Doctrine as Brahmo Dharma Beej.
In 1850, he published a book titled Brahmo Dharma
which

emphasized

the

fundamental

principles

of

monotheism and rationality while rejecting the necessity of

mediation between man and God, caste distinctions and
idolatry.
In 1851, he was appointed as the Secretary of the British
Indian Association which aimed to represent Indian
interests to the British government. As the Secretary, he
campaigned for Indias political autonomy and to reduce
the tax burden on the poor.
He also campaigned to promote universal primary
education in India and established a Brahmo school. In
1863, he founded Shantiniketan, a retreat in rural Bengal,
which was later transformed into an international
university under the supervision of his youngest son,
Rabindranath Tagore.
Major Works
Debendranath Tagore founded the 'Tattwabodhini Sabha'
to facilitate discussions on different philosophies and later
integrated the Brahmo Sabha with it. He also introduced
the different forms of Brahmo worship which were later
used by the community.
As the influence of Brahmoism spread throughout India
under his leadership, he established himself as a person
of particular spiritual accomplishment and came to be
known as Maharshi.
He also got involved in active politics and was selected as
the Secretary of the British Indian Association. While
serving at the post, he made relentless efforts to terminate
the chowkidari tax for the poor villagers and also
demanded political independence for India from the British
parliament.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
He married Sarada Devi and the couple was blessed with
several children of whom 13 survived. All of their children
went on to make a significant mark for themselves in their
respective fields.

His eldest son, Dwijendranath, grew up to be a talented

scholar, poet and music composer while his second son,
Satyendranath became the first Indian to join the Indian
Civil Services.
His third son, Hemendranath, was a scientist and
organizer of the family while another son, Jyotirindranath,
went on to achieve success as an accomplished scholar,
artist, music composer and theatre personality.
His other sons were Birendranath, Somendranath, and
Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali polymath who reshaped
Bengali literature and music, and won a Nobel Prize in
Literature.
His daughters were Soudamini, Sukumari, Saratkumari,
Swarnakumari, and Barnakumari.
Debendranath Tagore died on January 19, 1905, in
Calcutta, India, at the age of 87.