Dayanand Saraswati and Arya Samaj - General Knowledge of Modern India: Main points; about the Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Attack On Vices, Principles Of Arya Samaj, Establishment of Arya Samaj and Death.
Dayanand Saraswati and Arya Samaj
Nineteenth century is the era of social reformers and religious reformers and in this era there were many great men who tried to remove the darkness prevailing in the society and show a new ray. Among these, the name of Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, is prominent. Swami Dayanand Saraswati restored Indian culture as a superior culture through Arya Samaj. He was the protector of Hindu society. The Arya Samaj movement was born as a reaction to the growing western influences in India. He had raised the slogan of 'returning to the Vedas'. Today we will read about the life of Dayanand Saraswati and the "Arya Samaj" founded by him.
Birth of Dayanand Saraswati
Swami Dayanand Saraswati was born in 1824 AD in Kathiawar, Gujarat. His childhood name was Mulshankar. Child Mulshankar was irritated by social evils and religious ostentation since his childhood. Swami Dayanand had unwavering faith in the ancient religion and culture of India. He said that Vedas are inspired by God and are the source of all knowledge. According to him, progress of the individual, society and country is possible only through the promotion of Vedic religion. Therefore, Dayanand Saraswati gave a message to his countrymen to return to the Vedas. Through the establishment of Arya Samaj, he communicated new consciousness in Hindu society.
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Attack On Vices
Swami Dayanand Saraswati took a big step against all the religious and social evils prevalent in the country. He strongly opposed the practices of caste discrimination, idol worship, sati-practice, polygamy, child marriage, sacrifice etc. Dayanand Saraswati emphasized on pious living and following ancient Hindu ideals. He also advocated widow remarriage and women's education. Most of all he was irritated by the caste system and untouchability and he took many drastic steps to end it. By establishing Arya Samaj, he tried to give concrete form to all his ideas. In 1877 AD, the branch of Arya Samaj was established in Lahore.
Principles Of Arya Samaj
(01) God is one, He is the original source of truth and knowledge.
(02) God is omnipotent, formless, just, merciful, immortal, immortal and omnipresent, so he should be worshipped.
(03) True knowledge is contained in the Vedas and the ultimate religion of the Aryans is the study of the Vedas.
(04) Every person should always be ready to accept the truth and renounce untruth.
(05) The main objective of the entire society should be the physical, mental and spiritual progress of the human race. Only then the welfare of the whole world is possible.
(06) Avidya should be destroyed and knowledge should be increased and the basis of mutual relations should be love, justice and religion.
(07) Every person should not be satisfied with his own progress and well-being, but should understand his own well-being in the well-being of all.
(08) Every man should have freedom of conduct in personal matters. But following all welfare rules should be paramount.
Establishment of Arya Samaj
Swami Dayanand Saraswati established Arya Samaj and gave a new direction to the social, political and cultural life of India. Along with upliftment of Dalits, emancipation of women, he also did unprecedented work in the field of education. He encouraged Hindi language and literature. He increased national pride by composing texts in Hindi language. Before them, there was no system of female education in the Indian society. He emphasized on making women educated and ordered them to recite Vedas. The importance of Sanskrit language was re-established. He started the practice of educating students through the ancient Gurukul system from the point of view of celibacy and character-building. In this way, Swami Dayanand Saraswati not only tried to give a new form to Hindu religion through Arya Samaj, but also tried to educate and make it universal by removing many evils prevalent in the society.
Death of Dayanand Saraswati
After the death of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Arya Samaj got divided into two parts. One group was led by Lala Hardayal who was a supporter of western education system, the other group was led by Mahatma Munshi Ram who was a supporter of ancient Indian education system. Due to the efforts of Arya Samaj, many orphanages, cow shelters and widow shelters were built. Thus we see that Dayanand Saraswati communicated new consciousness and self-respect in the Hindu society through the Arya Samaj movement. The change that took place in the religious and social sector through this movement led to the birth of a new political consciousness and we raised our voice against the British to protect our culture.
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Modern India