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Satya Sodhak Samaj

Satya Sodhak Samaj put a ban on discussion of political questions. Any Sudra was free to join the Satya sodhak samaj as member but people belonging to the upper castes were either listed as friends of samaj or admitted as members after sometime only when other members of the Samaj were convinced about their outlook and actions. The sathya sodhak movement attacked the Brahmin priests who insisted on acting as intermediaries between God and devotees. They believed that there was no need for any intermediary in matters of religion and refused to recognize the traditional role of the Brahmins as custodians of Hindu religion or interpreters of scriptures.

They also opposed the stranglehold of the bureaucracy dominated by the Brahmins in their times. Phule often complained that the Brahmin bureaucrats were responsible for misleading the white rulers and hence they should be replaced by non-Brahmins who would be better informed about and more sympathetic to the peasants in rural areas.

They totally rejected the Vedic tradition and the Aryan heritage. He regarded the Aryans as conquerors and destroyers of the indigenous non-Aryan culture. He launched a vigorous attack on the Vedas. He made fun of the puranas and ridiculed those who believed in the absurd stories narrated by their Brahmin authors.

The Satya Sodhak movement continued to emphasize the role of education in facilitating social change. Phule campaigned against the increasing habit of drinking liquor and urged the Poona Municipal Council not to permit the opening of liquor shops. He tried to persuade people to give up drinking and spend their money on buying books. The Satya Shodhak movement in 19th century was essentially a socio-religious reform movement that was transformed by Shahu Chhatrapati into a powerful Non-Brahmin movement, which sought to bring a change into a power structure.

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