Dayanand Saraswati () (born Mool Shankar Tiwari; 2 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) also known as Maharshi Dayanand is an Indian

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, social leader and founder of the

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...

, a

Hindu reform movement Contemporary groups, collectively termed Hindu reform movements, reform Hinduism, Neo-Hinduism, or Hindu revivalism, strive to introduce regeneration and reform to Hinduism, both in a religious or spiritual and in a societal sense. The movement ...

. His Magnum Opus is the book Satyarth Prakash which has remained a highly influential text on the Philosophy of the Vedas and clarifications of various ideas and duties of Human Beings. He was the first to give the call for ''

Swaraj Swarāj ( sa, स्वराज, translit=Svarāja '' sva-'' "self", '' raj'' "rule") can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule". It was first used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to attain self rule from the Mughal Empire and the Adil ...

'' as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.Aurobindo Ghosh, ''Bankim Tilak Dayanand'' (Calcutta 1947, p. 1) "Lokmanya Tilak also said that Swami Dayanand was the first who proclaimed Swaraj for Bharatpita i.e. India." Denouncing the

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...

and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the

and President of India,

S. Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...

called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as ''Vande Mataram''. He joined the ...

. He considered the infallible

authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...

of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of Karma and Reincarnation. He emphasized the Vedic ideals of

brahmacharya ''Brahmacharya'' (; sa, ब्रह्मचर्य ) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means to stay in conduct within one's own Self. In Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism it generally refers to a lifestyle charac ...

, including

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

and devotion.

Early life

Dayananda Saraswati was born on the 10th day of waning moon in the month of Purnimanta Phalguna (12 February 1824) on the tithi to an Indian Gujarati

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Brahmin Tiwari family in Tankara, Kathiawad region (now Morbi district of Gujarat). His original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari because he was born in Dhanu Rashi and Mul Nakshatra. His father was Karshanji Lalji Tiwari, and his mother was Yashodabai. When he was eight years old, his Yajnopavita Sanskara ceremony was performed, marking his entry into formal education. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught him the ways to worship Shiva. He was also taught the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivratri, Dayananda sat awake the whole night in obedience to Shiva. During one of these fasts, he saw a mouse eating the offerings and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned that if Shiva could not defend himself against a mouse, then how could he be the saviour of the world. The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

led Dayananda to ponder the meaning of life and death. He began asking questions which worried his parents. He was engaged in his early teens, but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846. Dayanand Saraswati spent nearly twenty-five years, from 1845 to 1869, as a wandering

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

, searching for religious truth. He gave up material goods and lived a life of self-denial, devoting himself to spiritual pursuits in forests, retreats in the Himalayan Mountains, and pilgrimage sites in northern India. During these years he practised various forms of yoga and became a disciple of a religious teacher named

Virajanand Dandeesha Virajanand Dandee Swami also known as the blind sage of Mathura was the celebrated teacher of Arya Samaj founder Dayanand Saraswati. He was a scholar and teacher of Sanskrit grammar and Vedic literature. Early life Virajanand was born in Karta ...

. Virajanand believed that Hinduism had strayed from its historical roots and that many of its practices had become impure. Dayananda Sarasvati promised Virajanand that he would devote his life to restoring the rightful place of the Vedas in the Hindu faith.

Teachings of Maharshi Dayanand

Maharshi Dayanand advocated all Human beings are equally capable of achieving anything. He said all the Creatures are the eternal praja or citizens of the Supreme Lord. He said the four Vedas which are Rigveda, Yajurveda,

Samaveda The Samaveda (, from ' "song" and ' "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and part of the scriptures of Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. A ...

and

Atharvaveda The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...

are the only true uncorrupted sources of Dharma, revealed by the Supreme Lord, at the beginning of every creation. Also, because they are the only perfectly preserved knowldege without alterations using Sanskrit prosody or Chhandas and different techniques of counting the number of verses with different Vedic chanting techniques. He says, confusions regarding the Vedas arose due to the misinterpretations of the Vedas. And Vedas promote Science and asks Humans to discover the Ultimate Truth, which he has emphasised throughout his Commentaries on the Vedas. He accepted the teachings of the first ten Principal Upanishads also with

Shvetashvatara Upanishad The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' ( sa, श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् or or , IAST: ' or ') is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Upa ...

, which explains of Adhyatma part of the Vedas. He said, yet, any source whatever, including Upanishads should be considered and accepted to only that extent they are in conformity with the teachings of the Vedas. He accepted the six Vedanga texts which includes Grammar and the like required for the correct interpretation of the Vedas. In Sanskrit Grammatical texts, he says, Bhagavan Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī and its commentary, Mahabhashya by Maharshi

Patanjali Patanjali ( sa, पतञ्जलि, Patañjali), also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra, was a Hindu author, mystic and philosopher. Very little is known about him, and while no one knows exactly when he lived; from analysis of his works it i ...

are the current surviving valid texts and all other surviving modern-grammatical texts should not be accepted as they are confusing, dishonest and will not help people in learning the Vedas easily. He accepted all the six Darshana Shastras which includes

Samkhya ''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a Dualism (Indian philosophy), dualistic Āstika and nāstika, school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, ''purusha, puruṣa' ...

, Vaisheshika,

Nyaya (Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Purva Mimamsa Sutras, Vedanta sutras. He said all the six darshanas are not opponents but each throw light on different aspects required by the Creation. Hence they are all independent in their own rights and all of them conform with the teachings of the Vedas. He says Acharya Kapila of Sankhya Darshan was not an atheist but it is the scholars who misinterpreted his sutras. He said the books called Brahamana-Granthas such as Aitareya Brahmana, Shatapatha Brahmana, Sāma Brahamana, Gopatha Brahmana etc... which are authored by the seers to explain the meaning of the Vedas are also valid but again only to that extent as they agree with four Vedas because these texts are prone to interpolations by others. These books are also called by the names "Itihasa, Purana, Narashamsa, Kalpa, Gatha" since they contain information about life of Seers and incidents, they inform about the creation of the World etc... He said the eighteen

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

and the eighteen Upapuranas, are not the real Puranas as explained in previous paragraph and these are NOT authored by sage Vyasa, and since they violate teachings of the Vedas, they should not be accepted. And the eighteen -Puranas and Upapuranasare are filled with contradictions, idol worships, temples, rituals and practises which are against the Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, he says whatever 'good' present in these eighteen- Puranas and upapuranas, are already present in the Vedas and since they contain too many false informations which can mislead people, they should be rejected. He said the Sage Vyasa was called so by the name "Vyasa" NOT because he divided the Vedas but it indicates the "diameter or breadth" which means sage Veda Vyasa had studied the Vedas in great depth. He lists out various works which should not be treated as honest texts to develop one's understanding of the World and the Lord. He rejected "all" of the Tantric texts including Pancharatra. He said that these texts are not valid as they teach different customs, rituals and practises which are against the Vedas. Maharshi Dayanand based his teachings on the Vedas which can be summarised as follows: # There are three entities which are eternal: 1. The Supreme Lord or Paramatma, 2. The individual souls or Jivatmas, which are vast in number but not infinite, 3. Prakriti or the Nature. # Prakṛti or Nature, which is the material cause for the Creation, is eternal and is characterised by Sattva (Pure existence), Rajas (Rajah means to shine, light or Atomic or that conveys information about existence) and Tamas (Existence unknowable in its form), which tend to be in equilibrium. In every cycle of creation, the Conscious Supreme Lord will disturb its equilibrium and makes it useful for the creation of the Worlds and its forces and to manufacture the bodies required by the individual souls. After a specific long time called the day of the Brahma (Brahma means great, lengthy etc...), the creation will be dissolved and the Nature is restored back to its equilibrium. After a period called the Night of Brahma, which is equal to the length of the day of the Brahma, the Creation will set forth again. This cycle of creation and dissolution has neither beginning nor nor end, hence the characteristic of the eternal. # Jiva or Jivatma or Individual eternal Souls who are different from one another yet have the similat characteristics and can reach the 'same level' of Happiness in the state of Moksha or Liberation (explained below in another paragraph). They are bodiless hence beyond all genders and all other characteristics as seen in the World, but they acquire body made out of the Nature and it is known as 'birth'. They are not made out of materials of Nature, and they are subtler than the Nature itself, but take birth through body as per the creative principles set by the Supreme Lord based on their past karma and they put effort to improve themselves. By realising oneself, the Nature and the Supreme Lord, individual souls are liberated. But this realisation depends on their efforts and knowledge gained. They keep coming to the World, use Nature, obtain fruits of their actions and appear taking myriads of lives of different animals (It is not a one way direction but those who have attained higher intellectual bodies can also go back to lower forms based on their Karma or actions), they redo their actions and are completely free to choose their actions, learn and relearn, attain Liberation and after the extensive long duration of Moksha or Liberation, will come back again into the World. Since this period of Moksha or Liberation is extremely long, it appears as though they never return or they never take birth again by the other beings who are still in the World. Since they are eternal and are capable of working, these characteristics cannot be destroyed. They are timeless, eternal but are not All-Knowers and they cannot be the pervaders of entire Space. # The Supreme Lord who is One without second like him, goes by the name Om, is the efficient cause of the Universe. Lord's Chief characteristics being - Sat, Chit and Ananda i.e., "It exists", "Has Supreme Consciousness" and is "eternally Blissful". The Lord and his characteristics are the same. The Supreme Lord is ever present everywhere, whose characteristics are beyond the Nature or Prakriti, and pervades all the individual souls and the Nature. It is not chracteristic of the Supreme Lord to take birth or incarnate. He is ever pure i.e., unmixed by the characteristics of the Nature and the individual souls. The Supreme Lord is bodiless, infinite, hence has no form and hence cannot be worshipped through idols but can only be reached by any being through Yogic Samadhi as advocated in the Vedas which is summarised in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Since the Lord is bodiless and hence beyond all genders, the Vedas address him as Father, Mother, Friend, Cause of the Worlds, the maker etc... He is the subtlest entity which is subtler than Nature and all the other conscious individual souls, therefore he is subtle pervader. It is due to his subtleity that he could take hold of Nature to create the Worlds and proposes no difficulty for the motion of the Worlds in Space. Hence he is called Paramatman, which means 'Ultimate Pervader". There neither who is equal to him nor completely opposed to him. The idea of Ghosts etc. are foreign to the Vedas. # He said the names Agni, Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Prajapati, Paramatma, Vishva, Vayu, etc... are the different characteristics of Supreme Lord as whose meaning should be obtained by Dhatupatha or Root (linguistics). But these names do not refer to any Puranic deities which are in practice. Also, certain names may also refer to the worldy elements which should be distinguished from their contexts. # It is Maharshi Dayanand's mark of intellect that he could very easily reconcile the notion of Saguna and Nirguna charactertistics of the Supreme Lord. Saguna, he says, refers to characteristics present in the Lord such as Pervasiveness, Omnipotency, Bliss, ultimate consciouness etc... And, Nirguna, he says, refers to that which means he has no worldy characteristics of the Nature and the individual souls such as different states of existence, taking birth, etc... Until his time, everbody understood 'Saguna' as 'With Form and body, Incarnation" and 'Nirguna' as 'Without form and body' states of the Lord. # On Moksha or State of Liberation: Moksha does not refer to any characteristic place but it is the state of individual souls who have achieved Liberation. The Jivas or individual souls are characterised by four different states of existence which are: 1. Jagrat (Wakefulness), 2. Swapna (Dreamy state), 3. Sushupti (Deep Sleep) and 4. Turiya. It is in the fourth Turiya state, the individual souls exist without contact with the Nature but are conscious of their own selves, other individual souls and the Supreme Lord (or eternal Truth). This state of Moksha or Turiya is not seen in the World hence incomparable but can only be realised. In this state they are free of every tinge of Nature and possess their own minds and experience bliss, the pleasure of their freedom and the like, which are incomparable with any form of pleasure of the world. They are bodiless in that state and can attain any form of pleasure by their own will without requiring any external agent such as, for example they can perform the function of ears by their ownself without requiring material ears etc. In that state they are capable fulfilling of all their wishes, can go anywhere they want right then and there, can witness the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the Worlds, they also come in contact with other individuals who are liberated. But even in that state, the world-creative powers remain with the Supreme Lord. In Moksha, the individual souls are remain distinct from one another and from the Supreme Lord. And, by means of their own capability and with the Supreme Lord as their means, they enjoy the bliss. After the period of Moksha, they pass on to this World again, in support of which, he quotes Veda mantras and Mundakopanishad verses, in his book Satyarth Prakash and Rigvedaadi Bhashya Bhumika: # Again, it is the mark of Maharshi Dayanand's wit that he reconciles the notion of Unending or Eternal Moksha. He says, the 'Eternal Moksha' or 'Ananta Moksha', refers to the 'permanency of pleasures of Moksha', and does not necessarily mean the individual souls will remain in Moksha permanently. He clarifies it by saying that the individual souls are permanent and hence their characteristics also, and it is 'illogical' to consider that individual soul would get trapped in one of the moments of the beginningless time, and escape the World for eternity by using finite time period of his lives in different creature forms. Even if the illogical is accepted then also it means even before he got trapped in Creation, he was in Moksha and hence his Moksha period may fail at times is the conclusion which is contradictory to the assumption that the Moksha is for infinite period of time. Hence, the Vedic teaching that that the individual souls should come back after liberation should be considered valid. In different point of view, he clarifies the same idea by saying that all actions whatever, done for a finite time period cannot yield infinite result or fruit-of-actions, and after the period of Moksha, the jivas or individual sould would not have the capability to enjoy the bliss of Moksha further. These, he said, are according to the Vedas and Upanishads and quotes verses from the Vedas. Social Causes: He opposed

Caste system Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

, Sati system, Idol Worships, Child Marriage etc.. which are against the spirit of the Vedas and advocated that all evils of society should be thoroughly investigated and should be removed. The Varna System is based on Education and Profession and in his book Satyarth Prakash, he quotes passages from Manusmriti, Grihya Sutras and Vedas which support his claims. He advocated the notion of Rashtra and One Government throughout the World, also known as Chakradhipatya. etc....

Dayanand's mission

He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and that Hindus had been misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandizement. For this mission, he founded the

, enunciating the Ten Universal Principles as a code for Universalism, called ''Krinvanto Vishwaryam''. With these principles, he intended the whole world to be an abode for Aryas (Nobles). His next step was to reform Hinduism with a new dedication to God. He travelled the country challenging religious scholars and priests to discussions, winning repeatedly through the strength of his arguments and knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas.

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

discouraged the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

from reading Vedic scriptures, and encouraged rituals, such as bathing in the

Ganges River The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

and feeding of priests on anniversaries, which Dayananda pronounced as

superstitions A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

or self-serving practices. By exhorting the nation to reject such superstitious notions, his aim was to educate the nation to return to the teachings of the Vedas, and to follow the Vedic way of life. He also exhorted Hindus to accept social reforms, including the importance of cows for national prosperity as well as the adoption of Hindi as the national language for national integration. Through his daily life and practice of yoga and asanas, teachings, preaching, sermons and writings, he inspired Hindus to aspire for ''Swarajya'' (self governance), nationalism, and spiritualism. He advocated the equal rights and respects to women and advocated for the education of all children, regardless of gender. Dayanand also made critical analyses of faiths including Christianity &

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, as well as of other Indian faiths like Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. In addition to discouraging

in Hinduism, he was also against what he considered to be the corruption of the true and pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements of his times within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the sixth principle of the Arya Samaj. As a result, his teachings professed universalism for all the living beings and not for any particular sect, faith, community or nation. Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism. Dayananda's concept of

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

is stated in the "Beliefs and Disbeliefs" section of ''Satyartha Prakash,'' he says:

Dayananda's Vedic message emphasized respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual. In the ten principles of the Arya Samaj, he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefiting mankind", as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. The first five principles speak of Truth, while the last five speak of a society with nobility, civics, co-living, and disciplined life. In his own life, he interpreted moksha to be a lower calling, as it argued for benefits to the individual, rather than calling to emancipate others. Dayananda's "back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers and philosophers the world over.

Activities

Dayanand Saraswati is recorded to have been active since he was 14, which time he was able to recite religious verses and teach about them. He was respected at the time for taking part in religious debates. His debates were attended by large crowds. On 22 October 1869 in Varanasi, where he won a debate against 27 scholars and 12 expert pandits. The debate was said to have been attended by over 50,000 people. The main topic was "Do the Vedas uphold deity worship?"

Arya Samaj

Dayananda Saraswati's creation, the

, condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as idol worship,

animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...

, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the castes,

child marriages Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a m ...

meat eating Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chick ...

and discrimination against women. He argued that all of these practices ran contrary to good sense and the wisdom of the Vedas.

Views on superstitions

He severely criticized practices which he considered to be superstitions, including sorcery, and astrology, which were prevalent in India at the time. Below are several quotes from his book, Sathyarth Prakash:

On Astrology, he wrote, He makes a clear distinction between Jyotisha Shaastra and astrology, calling astrology a fraud.

Views on other religions

He considered the prevalent religions to have either immoral stories, or badly practised, or some of them have sufficiently moved away from the Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, Maharshi Dayanand has analysed critically current form of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and

Assassination attempts

Dayananda was subjected to many unsuccessful assassination attempts on his life. According to his supporters, he was poisoned on a few occasions, but due to his regular practice of

Hatha Yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

he survived all such attempts. One story tells that attackers once attempted to drown him in a river, but Dayananda dragged the assailants into the river instead, though he released them before they drowned. Another account claims that he was attacked by Muslims who were offended by his criticism of Islam while meditating on the Ganges river. They threw him into the water but he is claimed to have saved himself because his pranayama practice allowed him to stay under water until the attackers left.

Assassination

In 1883, the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh II, invited Dayananda to stay at his palace. The Maharaja was eager to become Dayananda's disciple and to learn his teachings. Dayananda went to the Maharaja's restroom during his stay and saw him with a dancing girl named Nanhi Jaan. Dayananda asked the Maharaja to forsake the girl and all unethical acts and to follow the

like a true Arya (noble). Dayananda's suggestion offended Nanhi, who decided to take revenge.Krant (2006) ''Swadhinta Sangram Ke Krantikari Sahitya Ka Itihas''. Delhi: Pravina Prakasana . Vol. 2, p. 347. On 29 September 1883, she bribed Dayananda's cook, Jagannath, to mix small pieces of glass in his nightly milk. Dayananda was served glass-laden milk before bed, which he promptly drank, becoming bedridden for several days, and suffering excruciating pain. The Maharaja quickly arranged doctor's services for him. However, by the time doctors arrived, his condition had worsened, and he had developed large bleeding sores. Upon seeing Dayananda's suffering, Jagannath was overwhelmed with guilt and confessed his crime to Dayananda. On his deathbed, Dayananda forgave him, and gave him a bag of money, telling him to flee the kingdom before he was found and executed by the Maharaja's men. Later, the Maharaja arranged for him to be sent to Mount Abu as per the advice of Residency, however, after staying for some time in Abu, on 26 October 1883, he was sent to Ajmer for better medical care. There was no improvement in his health and he died on the morning of the Hindu festival of

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

on 30 October 1883 chanting mantras. Garg, pp. 96–98Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati's idea of a modern India
India Today, 2018-10-30.

Cremation and commemoration

He breathed his last at ''Bhinai Kothi'' at Bhinai 54 km south of Ajmer, and his ashes were scattered at Ajmer in Rishi Udyan as per his wishes.Ramananda Chatterjee, 1933
The Modern Review
Volume 54, Page 593. Rishi Udyan, which has a functional Arya Samaj temple with daily morning and evening yajna

homa Homa may refer to: Places Ethiopia * Homa (woreda), a district in Oromia Region, Ethiopia Kenya * Homa Bay, a town and a bay on the shore of Lake Victoria in Kenya * Homa Mountain, a volcano near Homa Bay, Kenya Iran * Chal Homa, Mark ...

, is located on the banks of

Ana Sagar Lake Ana Sagar Lake is an artificial lake situated in the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan state in India. It was built by Arnoraja (alias Ana), the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, in 1135 -1150 AD and is named after him. The Drainage basin, catchments ...

off the NH58 Ajmer-Pushkar Highway. An annual 3 day ''Arya Samaj

melā Mela ( sa, मेला) is a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a "fair". It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas o ...

'' is held every year at ''Rishi Udyan'' on Rishi Dayanand's death anniversary at the end of October, which also entails vedic seminars, vedas memorisation competition, yajna, and Dhavaja Rohan flag march.Rishi Dayanand mela start in Ajmer Arya scholors in Ajmer
Rajasthan Patrika, 20 November 2015. It is organized by the ''Paropkarini Sabha'', which was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati on 16 August 1880 in Meerut, registered in Ajmer on 27 February 1883, and since 1893 has been operating from its office in Ajmer. Every year on Maha Shivaratri, Arya Samajis celebrate Rishi Bodh Utsav during the 2 days mela at Tankara organized by Tankara Trust, during which Shobha Yatra procession and Maha Yajna is held; event is also attended by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani. Navlakha Mahal inside

Gulab Bagh and Zoo Gulab Bagh (Sajjan Niwas Garden) is the largest garden in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. It is spread over of land. The garden has innumerable varieties of roses. Gulab Bagh gets its name from the abundance of rose flowers it has. Overview Gulab ...

at Udaipur is also associated with him where he wrote the second edition of his seminal work, Satyarth Prakash, in

Samvat The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

1939 (1882-83 CE).

Legacy

Maharshi Dayanand University Maharshi Dayanand University, also called M.D. University or simply MDU, is a university in Rohtak, Haryana, India. Established in 1976 and named after the saint Dayananda Saraswati. Maharshi Dayanand University, ab initio established as Rohtak ...

in Rohtak,

Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University is a university in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. It opened in 1987 and is named after the philosopher Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati. History The university was established August 1, 1987 as the University o ...

in Ajmer,

DAV University DAV University is a private university in Jalandhar, Punjab, founded in 2013 under the aegis of DAV Trust. DAV University at Jalandhar traces its roots to the legacy of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System that has been reforming and redefini ...

(Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System) in Jalandhar are named after him. So are over 800 schools and colleges under

D.A.V. College Managing Committee The D.B.V. College Managing Committee, familiarly known as DAVDholakpurMC, is a non-governmental educational organisation in Antarctica and overseas with over 900 schools. 75 colleges and a university. It is based on the ideals of Maharishi Da ...

, including

Dayanand College Dayanand College is a college in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, that was established in 1887 in form of a Pathshala (School) through the efforts of Karmaveer Pt. Jiyalal and Prof. Dattatreya Vable. In July 1942, it became a college. After Dayanana An ...

at Ajmer. Industrialist Nanji Kalidas Mehta built the Maharshi Dayanand Science College and donated it to the Education Society of Porbandar, after naming it after Dayananda Saraswati. Dayananda Saraswati is most notable for influencing the freedom movement of India. His views and writings have been used by different writers, including Shyamji Krishna Varma, who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries was influenced by him;

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

; Lala Lajpat Rai; Madam Cama; Vinayak Damodar Savarkar; Lala Hardayal; Madan Lal Dhingra; Ram Prasad Bismil;

Mahadev Govind Ranade Mahadev Govind Ranade (18 January 1842 – 16 January 1901), popularly referred to as Justice Ranade, was an Indian scholar, social reformer, judge and author. He was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress party and owned ...

; Swami Shraddhanand;

S. Satyamurti Sundara Sastri Satyamurti (19 August 1887 – 28 March 1943) was an Indian independence activist and politician. He was acclaimed for his rhetoric and was one of the leading politicians of the Indian National Congress from the Madras Presidenc ...

; Pandit Lekh Ram;

Mahatma Hansraj Lala Hansraj (19 April 1864 – 14 November 1938) also known as Mahatama Hansraj, was an Indian educationist and a follower of Arya Samaj movement founder, Swami Dayanand. He founded, with Gurudatta Vidhyarthi, the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools S ...

; and others. He also had a notable influence on Bhagat Singh. Singh, after finishing primary school, had joined the Dayanand Anglo Vedic Middle School, of Mohan Lal road, in Lahore. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, on Shivratri day, 24 February 1964, wrote about Dayananda: The places Dayanand visited during his life were often changed culturally as a result. Jodhpur adopted Hindi as main language, and later the present day Rajasthan did the same. Other admirers included

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

, Bipin Chandra Pal, Vallabhbhai Patel, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and Romain Rolland, who regarded Dayananda as a remarkable and unique figure. American Spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis described Dayanand's influence on him, calling Dayanand a "Son of God", and applauding him for restoring the status of the Nation.

Sten Konow Sten Konow. Sten Konow (17 April 1867 – 29 June 1948) was a Norwegian Indologist. He was professor of Indic philology at the Christiania University, Oslo, from 1910, moving to Hamburg University in 1914, where he was professor for Indian h ...

, a Swedish scholar noted that Dayanand revived the history of India. Others who were notably influenced by him include Ninian Smart, and Benjamin Walker.

Works

Dayananda Saraswati wrote more than 60 works in all, including a 16 volume explanation of the six Vedangas, an incomplete commentary on the Ashtadhyayi (Panini's grammar), several small tracts on ethics and morality, Vedic rituals and sacraments, and a piece on the analysis of rival doctrines (such as Advaita Vedanta,

and Christianity). Some of his major works include the Satyarth Prakash, Satyarth Bhumika, Sanskarvidhi,

Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika (also known as Introduction To Vedas) is a book written originally in Standard Hindi, Hindi by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, a nineteenth-century social reformer and religious leader in India. His other notable book was ...

, Rigved Bhashyam (up to 7/61/2)and Yajurved Bhashyam. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of Ajmer was founded by Saraswati to publish and preach his works and Vedic texts. He was also a socio religious reformer lived in 19th century.(India)

Complete list of works

# ''Sandhya'' (Unavailable) (1863) # ''Bhagwat Khandan'' OR ''Paakhand Khandan'' OR ''Vaishnavmat Khandan'' (1866) which criticised the

Srimad Bhagavatam The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

# ''Advaitmat Khandan'' which criticised Advaita Vedanta # ''Panchmahayajya Vidhi'' (1874 & 1877) # ''Satyarth Prakash'' (1875 & 1884) # ''Vedanti Dhwant Nivaran'' (1875) which criticised Vedanta philosophy # ''Vedviruddh mat Khandan'' OR ''Vallabhacharya mat Khandan'' (1875) which criticised Shuddhadvaita philosophy # ''ShikshaPatri Dhwant Nivaran'' OR ''Swaminarayan Mat Khandan'' (1875) which criticised the Shikshapatri # ''Ved Bhashyam Namune ka PRATHAM Ank'' (1875) # ''Ved Bhashyam Namune ka DWITIYA Ank'' (1876) # ''Aryabhivinaya'' (Incomplete) (1876) # ''Sanskarvidhi'' (1877 & 1884) # ''Aaryoddeshya Ratna Maala'' (1877) # ''RigvedAadi Bhasya Bhumika'' (1878) which is a foreword on his commentary on the Vedas # ''Rigved Bhashyam'' (7/61/1,2 only) (Incomplete) (1877 to 1899) which is a commentary on the Rigveda according to his interpretation # ''Yajurved Bhashyam'' (Complete) (1878 to 1889) which is a commentary on the Yajurveda according to his interpretation # ''Asthadhyayi Bhashya'' (2 Parts) (Incomplete) (1878 to 1879) which is a commentary on Panini's Astadhyayi according to his interpretation # Vedang Prakash (Set of 16 Books) ## Varnoccharan Shiksha (1879) ## Sanskrit Vakyaprabodhini (1879) ## VyavaharBhanu (1879) ## Sandhi Vishay ## Naamik ## Kaarak ## Saamaasik ## Taddhit ## Avyayaarth ## Aakhyatik ## Sauvar ## PaariBhaasik ## Dhatupath ## Ganpaath ## Unaadikosh ## Nighantu # ''Gautam Ahilya ki katha'' (Unavailable) (1879) # ''Bhrantinivaran'' (1880) # ''Bhrmocchedan'' (1880) # ''AnuBhrmocchedan ''(1880) # ''Go Karuna Nidhi'' (1880) which contains his views on

cow slaughter in India Cattle slaughter in India, especially cow slaughter, is controversial because of cattle's status as endeared and respected living beings to adherents of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism; while being an acceptable source of meat for Muslims, ...

# ''Chaturved Vishay Suchi'' (1971) # ''Gadarbh Taapni Upnishad'' (As per Babu Devendranath Mukhopadhyay) (Unavailable) # ''Hugli Shastrarth tatha Pratima Pujan Vichar'' (1873) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at Bengal & his views regarding validity of idol worship in Hinduism # ''Jaalandhar Shastrarth'' (1877) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at Jalandhar # ''Satyasatya Vivek (Bareily Shastrarth)'' (1879) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at

Bareily Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

# ''Satyadharm Vichar (Mela Chandapur)'' (1880) which is a record of his arguments with Muslim & Christian theologians at an inter-faith dialogue held in Chandapur of Shahjahanpur district # ''Kashi Shastrarth'' (1880) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at Varanasi Note:- For other miscellaneous Shastrarth please read 1.''Dayanand Shastrarth Sangrah'' published by Arsh Sahitya Prachar Trust, Delhi and 2. ''Rishi Dayanand ke Shastrarth evam Pravachan'' published by Ramlal Kapoor Trust Sonipat (Haryana). # ''Arya Samaj ke Niyam aur Upniyam'' (30 November 1874) which deals with code of conduct for the

# ''Updesh Manjari (Puna Pravachan)'' (4 July 1875) which is a record of his sermons delivered to his followers at Pune # ''Swami Dayanand dwara swakathit Janm Charitra'' (During Puna pravachan) (4 August 1875) which is a record of his early life spoken by himself to his followers at Pune # ''Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati Jivan Charitra'' Photo Gallery # ''Swami Dayanand dwara swakathit Janm Charitra'', for the Theosophist Society's monthly Journal: Nov & 1 Dec # ''Rishi Dayanand ke Patra aur Vigyapan'' which is a collection of the letters & pamphlets written by him.

References

Bibliography

* * * Satyarth Prakash

External links

* *
Dayanand Saraswati (1824–1883)

Life and Teaching of Swami Dayanand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dayananda Saraswati, Swami 1824 births 1883 deaths People from Rajkot district Gujarati people Arya Samajis Founders of new religious movements 19th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Hindu reformers Indian autobiographers Indian murder victims Indian reformers Indian Hindu saints Critics of Islam Critics of Christianity Critics of Jainism Critics of Sikhism Critics of Buddhism Anti-caste activists 19th-century Indian philosophers Social leaders Hindu critics of Islam