184:
In the short
English-language introduction to his book, Harachandra displays a near-agnostic attitude, declaring that it impossible to prove a claimed revelation as true or false: the founder of a religion claims to have received the word of the god, the first believers trust him because they revere
228:
Thus, though a bastard, even the priests extolled him, and thinking 'I am a righteous-souled one,' he began to preach religion. Trusting his words, having scarcely considered anything, dull-witted people became his ardent servants. As the priests attributed miraculous activity in order to conceal
396:(1841) criticized the text as a "silly book full of falsehood and bitter invectives", and declared that the job of Christian missionaries would be very easy if Hindu pandits were only as competent as Harachandra. Within a few months, Muir responded to Harachandra with a rebuttal in the
241:
Harachandra derides the
Christian missionaries, and insults Muir as "Hinduism's great foe", "blind", and "prejudiced". According to him, the Hindus who converted to Christianity did so because they desired the beautiful daughters of the Christian priests, liquor, meat, and profits.
372:
In the concluding verse of his work, Harachandra vows to convert to
Christianity if his objections were answered satisfactorily. He offered to engage in further dialogues with Muir only if Muir was willing to remunerate him and bear the printing costs.
427:(English title: "Truth Defended, Error Exposed"). Banerjea accused Harachandra of not adhering to "the rules of common courtesy", and criticized his assertions as "glaringly incorrect, absurd, utterly subversive of all religion".
257:), stating that they proved the Christian priests wrong. The works of these freethinkers may be Harachandra's sources for criticism of Christianity. He points out several problems with Christianity, such as
229:
their offense, so did they, too, become bereft of sense, deluded by their own magic. In the book, they made the fantastic proclamation that, 'This is God.' Thus was this religion propagated over the earth.
368:) is eternally existing (as opposed to being the god's creation) is correct. If the god created the souls (as Christians believe), why does one soul experience pleasure and another suffers pain?
215:- Harachandra's work was quite hostile towards Christianity, and lacked the persuasive power and the "finesse in interreligious dialogue". For example, he crudely scandalizes the story of the
325:
are meant for virtuous people who commit bad deeds accidentally. (Muir criticizes the belief that bathing in the Ganges cleanses one's sins, stating that it is "a cheap and easy form of
423:
to officially respond to
Harachandra's work. Banerjea, a Hindu convert to Christianity and a clergyman at the Christ Church, published a Bengali-language retort in 1841, titled
162:
consists of 137 verses in 18 pages, including a 2-page
English-language preface. The Sanskrit text is divided into three untitled chapters. The text was printed in
200:). Based on this belief, he argues that "only that religion is true which has prevailed on earth since the time of creation, and not one that arose subsequently."
192:
In the
Sanskrit text, Harachandra resorts to orthodox Hindu presuppositions. For example, according to him, the Bible is a relatively recent book, while the Hindu
289:
Various Hindu sects praise their own deities and criticize other deities in order to glorify their faith, but this is "not the highest form of activity."
189:
claimed to be a prophet of god, he thinks that
Muhammad was either "an imposter or insane", and a Muslim similarly doubts the Christian or Hindu faith.
146:
from
Calcutta. The text suggests that he was not a scholar, but knew a little about the Bible, the history of the Christian church, the Western
411:
An unidentified
British "gentleman" admonished Harachandra in three sermons delivered at the Christ Church in Cornwallis Square, Calcutta.
348:
revered the god as a husband, so he fulfilled their desires in form of
Krishna, but the god does not advise men to imitate such behavior.
755:
185:
him, and each succeeding group of believers subscribe to the faith more blindly. As an example, he states that while he agrees that
780:
332:
The god exists for the devotee in the form that the devotee worships him, which explains the seemingly objectionable behavior (
205:
770:
775:
735:
714:
258:
211:
760:
318:, and control their senses. Brahmins devoid of such conduct are not respected in the scriptures or the world.
223:, resulting in her pregnancy, and these priests described the birth as a miracle to conceal their crime:
55:
706:
Resistant Hinduism: Sanskrit Sources on Anti-Christian Apologetics in Early Nineteenth-century India
381:
Conservative Hindus endorsed Harachandra as a defender of their faith. The work was translated into
280:, but Brahman is difficult to attain, so "fools" worship him in form of various deities and attain
420:
416:
265:
opposed to each other. He attributes the spread of Christianity to royal decrees since days of
262:
125:
725:
326:
266:
220:
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170:
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8:
765:
364:
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749:
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250:
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An Answer to a Sketch of the Argument for Christianity and against Hinduism
402:
On the Arguments by which the Alleged Eternity of the Vedas May be Refuted
147:
404:". He also included some of these arguments in the 1840 edition of the
246:
334:
254:
186:
113:
105:
45:
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exist, because the sages wrote them to explain the meaning of the
261:, unfulfilled prophecies, doubtful miracles, and the existence of
457:
455:
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277:
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619:
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497:
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Rituals such as purification of sins through bathing in the
272:
Some of Harachandra's arguments in defense of Hinduism are:
467:
344:
109:
385:, and appeared in serial form in the Calcutta newspaper
203:
Compared to the other Hindu responses to Muir's work -
389:, with recommendations from leading Hindu citizens.
308:because the Brahmins adhere to righteous conduct (
747:
702:
685:
673:
661:
649:
637:
625:
613:
601:
589:
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553:
541:
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491:
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166:, which limited its circulation outside Bengal.
276:Hindu scriptures recommend only the worship of
169:The title of the text means "An Answer to the
108:-language text by Harachandra Tarkapanchanan (
33:
727:A History of Christianity in India: 1707-1858
723:
476:
245:He refers to Western freethinkers (such as
219:, stating that many priests had sex with
748:
177:) in Sanskrit. It bears the subtitle
359:, which are difficult to understand.
13:
112:: Hara-candra Tarka-pañcānana) of
14:
792:
124:response to the Christian writer
756:19th-century Sanskrit literature
362:The Hindu belief that the soul (
695:
142:The author, Harachandra, was a
781:Books critical of Christianity
730:. Cambridge University Press.
709:. De Nobili Research Library.
425:Satyā Sthāpana o Mithyā Nāśana
1:
430:
304:is regarded as superior to a
296:because of their past deeds (
292:People are born into various
196:are "eternally preexistent" (
137:
25:Hara-chandra Tarakapanchanana
376:
150:, and contemporary science.
7:
394:Calcutta Christian Observer
338:) of Hindu deities such as
153:
10:
797:
703:Richard Fox Young (1981).
771:19th-century Indian books
83:
73:
65:
56:Criticism of Christianity
51:
41:
29:
21:
776:Indian non-fiction books
259:Biblical inconsistencies
398:Christian Intelligencer
392:On the other hand, the
212:Śāstra-tattva-vinirṇaya
761:Hindu apologetic works
724:Stephen Neill (2002).
417:Archdeacon of Calcutta
231:
34:
686:Richard F. Young 1981
674:Richard F. Young 1981
662:Richard F. Young 1981
650:Richard F. Young 1981
638:Richard F. Young 1981
626:Richard F. Young 1981
614:Richard F. Young 1981
602:Richard F. Young 1981
590:Richard F. Young 1981
578:Richard F. Young 1981
566:Richard F. Young 1981
554:Richard F. Young 1981
542:Richard F. Young 1981
530:Richard F. Young 1981
515:Richard F. Young 1981
492:Richard F. Young 1981
462:Richard F. Young 1981
447:Richard F. Young 1981
400:of Calcutta, titled "
226:
217:virgin birth of Jesus
175:Mata-parīkṣā-uttara
30:Original title
18:
477:Stephen Neill 2002
314:), endure painful
206:Mata-parīkṣā-śikṣā
16:
102:Mataparīkṣottaram
93:
92:
84:Publication place
60:Hindu apologetics
17:Mataparīkṣottara
788:
741:
720:
689:
683:
677:
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629:
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605:
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383:Bengali language
353:Hindu scriptures
237:
235:Mataparīkṣottara
160:Mataparīkṣottara
97:Mataparīkṣottara
75:Publication date
37:
35:मतपरीक्षोत्तरम्
19:
15:
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286:only gradually.
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144:Bengali Brahmin
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122:Hindu apologist
76:
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5:
794:
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481:
479:, p. 469.
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421:K. M. Banerjea
413:Thomas Dealtry
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164:Bengali script
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100:, also called
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737:9780521893329
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716:9783900271091
712:
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696:Bibliography
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419:, selected
406:Mataparīkṣā
316:austerities
267:Constantine
171:Mataparīkṣā
148:freethought
131:Mataparīkṣā
69:non-fiction
766:1840 books
750:Categories
431:References
387:Prabhakara
247:David Hume
138:Authorship
120:. It is a
377:Reception
351:Multiple
335:rasa lila
126:John Muir
255:Voltaire
198:sanātana
187:Muhammad
154:Contents
114:Calcutta
106:Sanskrit
46:Sanskrit
42:Language
340:Krishna
302:Brahmin
278:Brahman
52:Subject
734:
713:
342:. The
323:Ganges
311:dharma
306:Shudra
294:varnas
283:moksha
253:, and
22:Author
365:atman
357:Vedas
345:gopis
327:grace
300:). A
298:karma
194:Vedas
66:Genre
732:ISBN
711:ISBN
221:Mary
209:and
158:The
110:IAST
79:1840
329:".)
173:" (
128:'s
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181:.
134:.
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58:,
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719:.
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