The Brahmo Samaj is the social order (Samaj = "community") of the Brahmo religion. Though few may commit to the purity, metaphysical rigour and intellectual discipline of the Brahmo Religion, the number following its principles (ie. the Samaj) are legion.

Brahmo Samaj: First convened in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in Calcutta the Brahmo Samaj central belief is in one God who is omnipresent and omniscient. The Brahmo religion is now in many parts of the world. The Brahmo Samaj has played a significant role in the renaissance of India and the roots of much of the modern thinking in India can be traced back to the Brahmo Samaj movement. Hemendranath Tagore codified the Brahmo Samaj doctrine finally in 1881.

Ram Mohan Roy

Dwarkanath Tagore

Debendranth Tagore

Trust Principles of 1830

In addition to being a legal document, the (Banian) Trust Deed of 1830 settles some basic principles for Brahmo Samajes -

as a place of public meeting of all sorts and descriptions of people without distinction as shall behave and conduct themselves in an orderly sober religious and devout manner for

the worship and adoration of the Eternal Unsearchable and Immutable Being who is the Author and Preserver of the Universe, but not under or by any other name designation or title peculiarly used for and applied, to any particular being or beings by any man or set of men whatsoever, and

that no graven image statue or sculpture, carving, painting, picture, portrait or the likeness of anything shall be admitted within the said messages building, land, tenements, hereditaments and premise, and

that no sacrifice, offering, oblation of any kind or thing shall ever be permitted therein, and that no animal or living creature shall within or on the said message building, land, tenements, hereditaments and premises be deprived of life either for religious purposes or for food, and

that no eating or drinking (except such as shall be necessary by any accident for the preservation of life) feasting or rioting be permitted therein, or thereon, and

that in conducting the said worship and adoration, no object, animate or inanimate, that has been, or is, or shall hereafter become or be recognized as an object of worship by any man or set of men shall be reviled or slightingly or contemptuously spoken of or alluded to, either in preaching, prayer or in the hymns or other mode of worship that may be delivered or used in the said message or building, and

that no sermon, preaching, discourse, prayer or hymn be delivered, made or used in such worship but such as have a tendency to the promotion of the contemplation of the Author and Preserver of the Universe, to the promotion of charity, morality, piety, benevolence, virtue and the strengthening the bonds of union between men of all religious persuasions and creeds, and

also that a person of good repute and well known for his knowledge, piety and morality be employed by the said Trustees or the survivors or survivors of them or the heirs of such survivor or their or his assigns as a resident superintendent and for the purpose of superintending the worship so to be performed as in hereinbefore stated and expressed, and

that such worship be performed daily or least as often as once in seven days.