Birthdate: February 12, 1824
Birthplace: Tankara, Gujarat
Parents: Yashodabai and Karshanji Lalji Tiwari
Education: Educated independently
Movements: Back to the Vedas, Shuddhi Movement, Arya Samaj
Religion: Hinduism as a religion
Publications: Sanskarvidhi (1877 and 1884), Satyarth Prakash (1875 and 1884), and Yajurved Bhashyam (1878 to 1889)
Death: 30th of October 1883
Death location: Ajmer, Rajasthan
More than just a religious figure in India, Swami Dayanand Saraswati had a significant influence on the country's culture. He established the Arya Samaj, which altered how Indians perceived religion. He spoke out against idolatry, useless ritualism, pointless ritual focus, and man-made rules prohibiting women from reading the Vedas. It was nothing short of bold for him to advocate rejecting the caste system that one inherits via one's own choice rather than birth. By establishing Anglo-Vedic schools to provide Indian students with an updated curriculum teaching both the knowledge of the Vedas and contemporary English education, he brought about a total revamp of the educational system. Although he was never truly active in politics directly, many political figures in India's war for independence found inspiration in his political observations. He was given the title "Maharishi" and is credited with creating modern India.
Childhood and Education
Karshanji Lalji Tiwari and Yashodabai welcomed Dayanand Saraswati into the world on February 12, 1824 as Mool Shankar in Tankara, Gujarat. His powerful and wealthy Brahmin family was a devout devotee of Lord Shiva. Being up in a profoundly religious household, Mool Shankar was instilled with a strong sense of devotion and cleanliness as well as the value of fasting at a young age. When Mool Shankar was eight years old, the Yajnopavita Sanskara, also known as the investiture of the "twice-born," was performed, introducing him to the Brahmanic religion. He would pay close attention to these practices. Mool Shankar would stay awake all night on Shivaratri in deference to Lord Shiva. One such night, he witnessed a mouse running over the idol's body while devouring the sacrifices to God. When he saw this, he began to doubt God's ability to save the vast globe if he couldn't even defend himself against a tiny mouse.
More than just a religious figure in India, Swami Dayanand Saraswati had a significant influence on the country's culture. He established the Arya Samaj, which altered how Indians perceived religion. He spoke out against idolatry, useless ritualism, pointless ritual focus, and man-made rules prohibiting women from reading the Vedas. It was nothing short of bold for him to advocate rejecting the caste system that one inherits via one's own choice rather than birth. By establishing Anglo-Vedic schools to provide Indian students with an updated curriculum teaching both the knowledge of the Vedas and contemporary English education, he brought about a total revamp of the educational system. Although he was never truly active in politics directly, many political figures in India's war for independence found inspiration in his political observations. He was given the title "Maharishi" and is credited with creating modern India.
Indoctrination in religion
After his sister passed away when Mool Shankar was 14 years old, he became drawn to the spiritual world. His parents were unable to respond to his inquiries concerning life, death, and the afterlife. When Mool Shankar was asked to marry according to social customs, he fled his house. For the next 20 years, he traveled the nation, stopping at temples, shrines, and other revered locations. He spoke with yogis who lived in the mountains or forests and questioned them about his problems, but no one was able to provide him the ideal solution.
Finally, he reached Mathura, where he encountered Swami Virajananda. Swami Virajananda took Mool Shankar on as a pupil and gave him the instruction to study the Vedas directly. Throughout his study, he discovered the answers to all of his questions about life, death, and the hereafter. Mool Shankar was given the responsibility of disseminating Vedic knowledge across society by Swami Virajananda, who also gave him the new name Rishi Dayanand.
Religious Beliefs
Maharishi Dayanand was a supporter of Hinduism as it is described in the Vedas, free from distortion and embellishments. He placed the highest priority on maintaining the integrity of the faith. He was a fervent supporter of the ideas of Dharma, which he held to be impartial and representative of truth. Anything that did not conform to reality, was unjust or unfair, or went against the Vedic principles was considered Adharma in his eyes. He supported the practise of Ahimsa, or non-violence, and held reverence for human life regardless of circumstances. He urged his compatriots to focus their efforts on helping humanity as a whole rather than wasting time on pointless rituals. He forbade the worship of idols and saw it as a corruption brought forth by the priesthood for its own gain. He opposed caste segregation and other social ills like superstition. He promoted the idea of Swarajya, which refers to a nation devoid of outside influence and glistening with the glory of just and fair players.
Arya Samaj and Dayanand Saraswati
Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay on April 7, 1875. It was a "society of the nobles" or Hindu reform movement. The Samaj was founded with the intention of removing bogus notions from Hinduism. "From Krinvan to Vishvam Aryam" "The Samaj's motto is "Make this world noble," which is what it implies. The Arya Samaj's tenets are as follows:
1. All real knowledge and all that is understood through knowledge are effectively caused by God.
2. God is real, intelligent, and joyful. He is the creator of everything, omnipresent, immanent, unaging, immortal, fearless, eternal, and holy. He is also formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unending, immutable, beginningless, peerless, the support of all, and the master of all. Only He is deserving of worship.
3. The Vedas are the foundational texts of all genuine knowledge. All Aryas have a moral obligation to learn them and to read them aloud to others.
4. One should always be willing to renounce lies and accept the truth.
5. All actions must be carried out in line with Dharma, or after careful consideration of right and wrong.
6. The Arya Samaj's main goal is to improve the world, which includes advancing everyone's physical, spiritual, and social well-being.
7. Love, righteousness, and fairness should be our guiding principles in how we treat everyone.
8. We should foster Vidya and eliminate Avidya (ignorance) (knowledge).
9. No one should limit themselves to advancing their own interests; instead, they should seek for opportunities to advance the interests of others.
10. When adhering to social norms designed to advance everyone's well-being, one should see themselves as constrained, whereas when doing so, everyone should be free.
Maharishi Dayanad called for a return to the Vedas and its pure spiritual teaching in his call for reforming India, which was based on the ten foundational principles of the Arya Samaj. The Samaj commands its adherents to denounce ritualistic behaviours such as idol worship, pilgrimage and bathing in sacred rivers, animal sacrifice, offering in temples, supporting the priesthood, etc. Additionally, rather than blindly adhering to traditional rites and ideas, the Samaj urged its adherents to think for themselves.
The Arya Samaj tried to eliminate a number of social problems in addition to seeking a spiritual restructuring of the Indian mentality. The education of women and widow remarriage were foremost among these. In the 1880s, the Samaj started initiatives to encourage widow remarriage. Maharishi Dayanand opposed child marriage and emphasised the need of educating girls. He declared that for the sake of society, an educated man needs an educated wife.
Movement for Shuddhi
Maharishi Dayanand created the Shuddhi Movement to convert Hindus who had either freely or involuntarily converted to other religions like Islam or Christianity back to Hinduism. Those who wished to return to Hinduism were given shuddhi, or purification, and the Samaj did a good job of gaining access to the various social classes and bringing the downtrodden masses back into the folds of Hinduism.
Academic Reforms
Maharishi Dayanand was very certain that ignorance was the primary cause of Hinduism's adulteration. To teach his disciples the Vedic knowledge and to help them spread it further, he established a number of Gurukuls. After his passing in 1883, his followers founded the Dayanand Anglo Vedic College Trust and Management Society as a result of his beliefs, teachings, and concepts. On June 1st, 1886, Lala Hans Raj was appointed headmaster of the first DAV High School, which was founded in Lahore.
Death
Dayanand Saraswati made many enemies due to his extreme way of thinking about social issues and views. The Maharaja of Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh II, had welcomed Maharishi Dayanand to his palace in 1883 on the celebration of Diwali and requested the Guru's blessings. When Dayanand encouraged the King to abandon her and live a life of Dharma, he angered the court dancer. She plotted with the cook to put glass fragments in the milk for the Maharishi. The Maharishi was in great pain but forgave the cook before he passed away on October 30, 1883, the day of Diwali, in Ajmer.
Legacy
The Arya Samaj is currently active throughout the world, not just in India. Some of the nations where the Samaj has branches include the United States, Canada, Trinidad, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Mauritius, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.
Though the Arya Samaj and Maharishi Dayanand were never directly involved in the fight for Indian independence, their lives and teachings had a significant impact on a number of significant figures, including Lala Lajpat Rai, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Madam Cama, Ram Prasad Bismil, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Madan Lal Dhingra, and Subhash Chandra Bose. Shaheed Bhagat Singh attended the D.A.V. School in Lahore for his education.
Maharishi Dayanand was regarded as a globally loved figure, and American Spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis referred to him as the "Son of God." "acknowledging that he had a significant influence on his spiritual views and praising him for elevating the country's prestige.
