Swami Dayanand Saraswati
- Context (IE | IE): On February 12, 2025, India celebrates the 201st birth anniversary of Dayanand Saraswati, a prominent social reformer and philosopher who founded the Arya Samaj.
About Swami Dayanand Saraswati
Biography
- Dayanand Saraswati was born on February 12, 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat as Mool Shankar to Karshanji Lalji Tiwari and Yashodabai.
- He was attracted to the spiritual realm after the death of his sister when he was 14 years old.
- At age 22, Moolshakar left home in search of true knowledge, spiritual purity and moksha (liberation).
- He wandered for fifteen years (1845-60) in search of a guru. In 1860, he found his blind guru and mentor Swami Virjanand Saraswati at Mathura.
- Virjanand Saraswati gave him the name Dayanand and as gurudakshina extracted a promise from Dayanand that he would devote his life to the revival of Hinduism.
- In 1875, he founded Arya Samaj, sought to reform Hindu society and reject its rigid orthodox practices, focusing on social reforms based on Vedic teachings.
- Arya Samaj’s mission was to eradicate ignorance, poverty, and injustice, establishing a unified Hindu society based on Vedic principles.
Philosophy and Key Teachings
- Return to Vedic Principles: Dayanand’s seminal work, Satyarth Prakash, emphasized a return to the Vedas, which he believed had been distorted over time.
- Monotheism and Simple Worship: He advocated for worshipping one Supreme God, rejecting idol worship and ritualistic practices.
- Caste System and Untouchability: While not fully opposing caste, he called for reforms, advocating Vedic education for all castes and opposing untouchability.
- Support for Women’s Rights: Dayanand was an early proponent of women’s education, opposing child marriage and promoting widow remarriage.
- Economic and Social Reforms: He was a key figure in promoting cow protection, citing economic reasons for the benefits of living cows for agriculture and milk production.
Preachings
- To him Veda was the rock-bed of Hindu culture and infallible, being the inspired one of God. He gave the clarion call “Go Back to Vedas”.
- His slogan called for a revival of Vedic knowledge and the purity of Vedic religion, not a return to Vedic times.
- He strongly criticized the Hindu belief in maya (illusion) as the overarching theme of all physical existence.
- He profusely quoted the Vedas and other religious texts to insist that salvation was not the only motto of a Hindu or Arya, as was believed.
- To lead a fruitful worldly life, working for a noble cause was important, and he preached that salvation was possible through social service.
- He opposed Islam and Christianity and advocated for Suddhi movement to reconvert the other sects to the Hindu order.
- He advocated that God, the soul, and matter (prakriti) were separate and eternal entities.
- He was against idol worship, caste system, ritualism, fatalism, infanticide, sale of grooms, child marriages, etc. He also stood for the liberation of women and upliftment of the depressed class.
- He advocated the ideal age for a girl to be between 16 and 24, and for men between 25 and 40.
- He was the first leader in the field of theology who welcomed the advances of sciences and technology.
- He believed in the theory of karma and reincarnation.
- He subscribed to the Vedic notion of chaturvarna system in which a person was identified as a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, or Shudra according to the occupation he followed.
Contributions
- Maharshi’s first major authorship was Panchmahayajya Vidhi in 1874 AD.
- He wrote three books namely:
- “Satyartha Prakash”,
- “Veda Bhashya Bhumika” and
- “Veda Bhashya”.
- He founded Arya Samaj in Mumbai in 1875 to promote social service. Later the headquarters of the Samaj were established at Lahore.
- The Paropkarini Sabha located in Ajmer was founded by the Swami himself to publish and preach his works and Vedic texts in 1882.
- He is credited to have first used the term swaraj (self-rule)- “India for Indians” in 1876, which was later picked up by the likes of Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi.
Impact on Social Reform
- Rejection of Social Inequities: Dayanand’s rejection of idolatry and social dogmas was aimed at addressing the inequities within Hindu society.
- Untouchability and Women’s Rights: His efforts were instrumental in inspiring Mahatma Gandhi, who adopted his campaign against untouchability & worked to empower women by promoting education and self-respect.
- Educational Contributions: After his death in 1883, his followers established Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) Schools, which played a crucial role in modern education while maintaining religious & cultural values.
Influence on Nationalism
- Criticism of British Rule: His critique of British colonial rule, particularly in Satyarth Prakash, influenced the Indian nationalist movement.
- Shuddhi Movement: He initiated the ‘Shuddhi’ movement, advocating for the re-conversion of Hindus who had converted to other religions back to their original faith.
Parallels with Gandhi
Abolition of Untouchability
- Both Dayanand Saraswati and Mahatma Gandhi fought against the oppressive practice of untouchability.
- Gandhi, influenced by Dayanand, adopted his campaign against untouchability, emphasizing its abolition for India’s social progress.
Swaraj (Self-Rule)
- Dayanand Saraswati is credited with coining the term ‘swaraj’ (self-rule) in 1875, which was later popularized by leaders like Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi.
Emphasis on Education
- Both believed in the power of education for social change. Dayanand founded institutions like the DAV schools, while Gandhi focused on promoting education as a tool for nation-building and empowerment.
Reform of Caste System
- While Gandhi fought for the rights of the “untouchables” (Harijans), Dayanand challenged the hereditary caste system and supported social mobility based on individual merit.
Death and Legacy
- Dayanand Saraswati died under suspicious circumstances in 1883, after his public criticism of the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
- Today, Dayanand Saraswati’s legacy carries on through the Arya Samaj centres found across India as well as the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic schools and colleges.
- The first DAV School was established at Lahore with Mahatma Hansarj as the headmaster.
- Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, India’s second President, called Dayanand Saraswati “a maker of modern India”.
