AGNIHOTRI, SHIV NARAYAN

born 1850, near Kanpur, India died 1923, Lahore [now in Pakistan] Hindu founder of an atheistic society called Deva Samaj (Society of God). At the age of 16 Agnihotri entered the government-sponsored Thompson Engineering College in Roorkee and in 1873 took a position as a drawing master in the Government School of Lahore. He and his wife became active members of the Brahmo Samaj (literally, Society of Brahma, also translated as Society of God), a Hindu reform movement founded in Bengal. In 1882 Agnihotri resigned his teaching position to work full-time for the Brahmo Samaj. Agnihotri's imperious nature and arrogance, however, irritated other members, and he finally resigned to form a new society, the Deva Samaj, which he ruled as deva guru (divine teacher). The Deva Samaj was at first a theistic society; but later it reemerged as an atheistic society, emphasizing ethical conduct and confession of sins but denying the existence of gods. Agnihotri believed that a man must rise to the higher life and that, when he reaches a determined level, he is placed beyond spiritual danger. He himself was recognized by his followers as on the highest plane possible and was accorded many of the honours commonly paid to a deity.