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

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. His Magnum Opus is the book

Satyarth Prakash ''Satyarth Prakash'' ( hi, सत्यार्थ प्रकाश, ' – "The Light of Meaning of the Truth" or ''The Light of Truth'') is an 1875 book written originally in Hindi by Dayanand Saraswati (Swami Dayanand), an influential religi ...

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'' as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by

Lokmanya Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya ( IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence ...

.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 and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

, S. Radhakrishnan called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did Sri Aurobindo. He considered the

infallible Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...

authority of the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

and

Reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

. He emphasized the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya, including celibacy and

devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

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 In Vedic timekeeping, a ''tithi'' is a uration of two faces of moon that is observed from earth known as ''milа̄lyа̄'' (𑐩𑐶𑐮𑐵𑐮𑑂𑐫𑐵𑑅, मिलाल्याः) in Nepal Bhasa, or the time it takes for the longi ...

to an Indian

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

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 Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

Tiwari Tiwari () is a surname of the Hindu Brahmin communities commonly found in India and Nepal. Alternative spellings include Tiwary and Tewari. Notable people Independence activists *Chandra Shekhar Azad (born Chandrashekhar Tiwari) *Adrian Cola Rie ...

family in

Tankara Tankara is a town in Morbi district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is situated on the Demi River and on Rajkot-Morbi Highway, 20 kilometres from Morbi, 40 kilometres from Rajkot, and 80 kilometres from Jamnagar. Tankara is co ...

Kathiawad Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it i ...

region (now

Morbi district Morbi district is in the state of Gujarat, India. It was formed on August 15, 2013, along with several other districts, on the 67th Independence Day of India. Morbi city is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district has 5 taluk ...

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 Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and taught him the ways to worship Shiva. He was also taught the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu c ...

, 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 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, 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

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

n Mountains, and pilgrimage sites in northern India. During these years he practised various forms of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

and became a disciple of a religious teacher named Virajanand Dandeesha. 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

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 The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...

, Samaveda and Atharvaveda 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 The oral tradition of the Vedas ( Śruti) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. Such traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence, the fixation of the Ved ...

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 Principal Upanishads, also known as Mukhya Upanishads, are the most ancient and widely studied Upanishads of Hinduism. Composed between 800 BCE to the start of common era, these texts are connected to the Vedic tradition. Content The Principal U ...

also with Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 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 The Vedanga ( sa, वेदाङ्ग ', "limbs of the Veda") are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas:James Lochtefeld (2002), "Vedanga" in The Illustrated Enc ...

texts which includes Grammar and the like required for the correct interpretation of the Vedas. In Sanskrit Grammatical texts, he says, Bhagavan

Pāṇini , era = ;;6th–5th century BCE , region = Indian philosophy , main_interests = Grammar, linguistics , notable_works = ' ( Classical Sanskrit) , influenced= , notable_ideas=Descriptive linguistics (Devanaga ...

Aṣṭādhyāyī The (Devanagari अष्टाध्यायी) is a grammar that describes a form of an early Indo-Aryan language: Sanskrit. Authored by Sanskrit philologist and scholar Pāṇini and dated to around 500 BCE, it describes the language as cu ...

and its commentary,

Mahabhashya ''Mahabhashya'' ( sa, महाभाष्य, IAST: '','' , "great commentary"), attributed to Patañjali, is a commentary on selected rules of Sanskrit grammar from Pāṇini's treatise, the ''Aṣṭādhyāyī'', as well as Kātyāyana's '' ...

by Maharshi Patanjali 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,

Vaisheshika Vaisheshika or Vaiśeṣika ( sa, वैशेषिक) is one of the six schools of Indian philosophy (Vedic systems) from ancient India. In its early stages, the Vaiśeṣika was an independent philosophy with its own metaphysics, epistemolog ...

, Nyaya,

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras ( aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ...

Purva Mimamsa Sutras The Mimamsa Sutra ( sa, मीमांसा सूत्र, ) or the Purva Mimamsa Sutras (ca. 300–200 BCE), written by Rishi Jaimini is one of the most important ancient Hindu philosophical texts. It forms the basis of Mimamsa, the earlies ...

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

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 The Aitareya Brahmana ( sa, ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण) is the Brahmana of the Shakala Shakha of the Rigveda, an ancient Indian collection of sacred hymns. This work, according to the tradition, is ascribed to Mahidasa Aitareya. Aut ...

Shatapatha Brahmana The Shatapatha Brahmana ( sa, शतपथब्राह्मणम् , Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam, meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of one hundred paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic ...

, Sāma Brahamana,

Gopatha Brahmana The Gopatha Brahmana ('' sa, गोपथ ब्राह्मण'', ') is the only Brahmana, a genre of the prose texts describing the Vedic rituals, associated with the Atharvaveda. The text is associated with both the ''Shaunaka'' and the ''P ...

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 and the eighteen

Upapurana The Upapuranas (Sanskrit: ') are a genre of Hindu religious texts consisting of many compilations differentiated from the Mahapuranas by styling them as secondary Puranas using the prefix ''Upa'' (secondary). Though only a few of these compilati ...

s, are not the real Puranas as explained in previous paragraph and these are NOT authored by sage

Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

, 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

, 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 ''Pancharatra'' ( IAST: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatars of Vishnu as their central deities. 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 Prakriti ( sa, प्रकृति ) is "the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance". It is a key concept in Hinduism, formulated by its Sāṅkhya school, where it does not refer to matter or nature, bu ...

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 ''Jiva'' ( sa, जीव, IAST: ) is a living being or any entity imbued with a life force in Hinduism and Jainism. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root ''jīv'', which translates as 'to breathe' or 'to live'. The ''jiva'', a ...

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 ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

as advocated in the Vedas which is summarised in the

. 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 ''Paramatman'' (Sanskrit: परमात्मन्, IAST: Paramātman) or ''Paramātmā'' is the Absolute ''Atman'', or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology, as well as other Indian re ...

, 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) A root (or root word) is the core of a word that is irreducible into more meaningful elements. In morphology, a root is a morphologically simple unit which can be left bare or to which a prefix or a suffix can attach. The root word is the prim ...

. 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 ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

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 In Hindu philosophy, ''turiya'' (Sanskrit: तुरीय, meaning "the fourth") or chaturiya, chaturtha, is pure consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the la ...

. 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, 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 Arya Samaj, enunciating the Ten Universal Principles as a code for

Universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...

, 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 discouraged the laity from reading

scriptures, and encouraged rituals, such as bathing in the Ganges River and feeding of priests on anniversaries, which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions 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 Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

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 Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

& Islam, as well as of other Indian faiths like

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

and

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

. In addition to discouraging idolatry 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 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 ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

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 Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

, 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 Arya Samaj, condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as

idol worship 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 ...

, animal sacrifice,

pilgrimages A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the

castes 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 ...

, child marriages, meat eating and discrimination against women. He argued that all of these practices ran contrary to good sense and the wisdom of the

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 Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and Islam.

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 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 Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sh ...

practice allowed him to stay under water until the attackers left.

Assassination

In 1883, the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

Jaswant Singh II Jaswant Singh II, GCSI, (1838 – 11 October 1895) was Maharaja of Jodhpur from 4 February 1873 – 11 October 1895. Birth He was born in 1838 at Ahmadnagar in Gujarat and was eldest son of Takht Singh. Marriage He had eight wives, of which ...

, 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 dharma 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 Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at above ...

as per the advice of Residency, however, after staying for some time in Abu, on 26 October 1883, he was sent to

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...

for better medical care. There was no improvement in his health and he died on the morning of the Hindu festival of Diwali on 30 October 1883 chanting

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

s. 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 Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

homa, is located on the banks of Ana Sagar Lake off the NH58 Ajmer-Pushkar Highway. An annual 3 day ''Arya Samaj melā'' is held every year at ''Rishi Udyan'' on Rishi Dayanand's death anniversary at the end of October, which also entails vedic seminars,

vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

memorisation competition, yajna, and Dhavaja Rohan flag march.Rishi Dayanand mela start in Ajmer Arya scholors in Ajmer

Rajasthan Patrika ''Rajasthan Patrika'' is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper. It was founded by Karpoor Chandra Kulish in 1956 and published as ''Rajasthan Patrika'' in Delhi and Rajasthan, and as ''Patrika'' in 9 other states. As per Indian Readership S ...

, 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 Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...

, Arya Samajis celebrate Rishi Bodh Utsav during the 2 days mela at Tankara organized by Tankara Trust, during which

Shobha Yatra Mahalakshmi Menon, best known by her stagename Shobha (23 September 1962 – 1 May 1980), was an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam and Tamil films. At the age of 17, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her rol ...

procession and Maha Yajna is held; event is also attended by the Prime Minister of India

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

and Chief Minister of Gujarat

Vijay Rupani Vijaybhai Ramniklalbhai Rupani (born 2 August 1956) is an Indian politician who served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 for two terms. He is a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, representing Rajkot West. He is a ...

. Navlakha Mahal inside Gulab Bagh and Zoo at

Udaipur Udaipur () ( ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic cap ...

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 in Rohtak, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University 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 redefining ...

(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, including Dayanand College at Ajmer. Industrialist

Nanji Kalidas Mehta Nanji Kalidas Mehta, MBE (17 November 1887 – 25 August 1969) was an industrialist and philanthropist from Gujarat. He founded the Mehta Group of Industries in British East Africa, now having its head office in India. His son Mahendra 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 Shyamji Krishna Varma (4 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and '' The Indian Sociologist'' in London. A graduate ...

, who founded

India House India House was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate, North London. With the patronage of lawyer Shyamji Krishna Varma, it was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britai ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and guided other revolutionaries was influenced by him; Subhas Chandra Bose;

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

;

Madam Cama Bhikaiji Rustom CamaBhi''ai''- (with aspirated ''-kh-'') is the name as it appears in the biographies. Another common form is Bhi''ai''- (with unaspirated ''-k-''), as it appears on the postage stamp. The name is also frequently misspelled 'Bhi ...

;

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (), Marathi pronunciation: �inaːjək saːʋəɾkəɾ also commonly known as Veer Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966), was an Indian politician, activist, and writer. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationali ...

;

Lala Hardayal Lala Har Dayal Mathur (Punjabi: ਲਾਲਾ ਹਰਦਿਆਲ; 14 October 1884 – 4 March 1939) was an Indian nationalist revolutionary and freedom fighter. He was a polymath who turned down a career in the Indian Civil Service. His simple ...

;

Madan Lal Dhingra Madan Lal Dhingra (18 September 1883 — 17 August 1909) was an Indian revolutionary, pro-independence activist. While studying in England, he assassinated William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a British official. Early life Madan Lal Dhingra was bo ...

;

Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil ( Hindi: राम प्रसाद "बिस्मिल") (11 June 1897 — 19 December 1927) was an Indian poet, writer, revolutionary and an Indian freedom fighter who participated in the Mainpuri Conspiracy of 1918, a ...

; Mahadev Govind Ranade;

Swami Shraddhanand Swami Shraddhanand (22 February 1856 – 23 December 1926), also known as Mahatma Munshi Ram Vij, was an Arya Samaj sannyasi and an Indian Independence activist who propagated the teachings of Dayananda Saraswati. This included the establishment ...

; S. Satyamurti;

Pandit Lekh Ram Pandit Lekh Ram (1858 – 6 March 1897) was the leader of the Arya Samaj, an Indian Hindu reform movement, and was also active as a writer and publicist. He is known particularly for his encounters with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ah ...

; Mahatma Hansraj; and others. He also had a notable influence on

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...

. Singh, after finishing primary school, had joined the Dayanand Anglo Vedic Middle School, of Mohan Lal road, in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Sarvapalli 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 ...

, on Shivratri day, 24 February 1964, wrote about Dayananda: The places Dayanand visited during his life were often changed culturally as a result.

adopted

as main language, and later the present day

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

did the same. Other admirers included Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna,

Bipin Chandra Pal Bipin Chandra Pal ( bn, বিপিন চন্দ্র পাল ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and Indian independence movement freedom fighter. He was one third of the “ ...

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Syama Prasad Mukherjee (6 July 1901 – 23 June 1953) was an Indian politician, barrister and academician, who served as India's first Minister for Industry and Supply (currently known as Ministry of Commerce and Industry) in Jawaharlal Nehru' ...

, and

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production a ...

, who regarded Dayananda as a remarkable and unique figure. American Spiritualist

Andrew Jackson Davis Andrew Jackson Davis (August 11, 1826January 13, 1910) was an American Spiritualist, born in Blooming Grove, New York. Early years Davis had little education. In 1843 he heard lectures in Poughkeepsie on animal magnetism, the precursor of hy ...

described Dayanand's influence on him, calling Dayanand a "Son of God", and applauding him for restoring the status of the Nation. Sten Konow, a Swedish scholar noted that Dayanand revived the history of India. Others who were notably influenced by him include

Ninian Smart Roderick Ninian Smart (6 May 1927 – 29 January 2001) was a Scottish writer and university educator. He was a pioneer in the field of secular religious studies. In 1967 he established the first department of religious studies in the United Ki ...

, 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 ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...

, Islam and Christianity). Some of his major works include the Satyarth Prakash, Satyarth Bhumika, Sanskarvidhi, Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika, Rigved Bhashyam (up to 7/61/2)and Yajurved Bhashyam. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of

was founded by Saraswati to publish and preach his works and

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 # ''Advaitmat Khandan'' which criticised

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...

# ''Panchmahayajya Vidhi'' (1874 & 1877) # ''Satyarth Prakash'' (1875 & 1884) # ''Vedanti Dhwant Nivaran'' (1875) which criticised

Vedanta philosophy ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

# ''Vedviruddh mat Khandan'' OR ''Vallabhacharya mat Khandan'' (1875) which criticised

Shuddhadvaita Shuddadvaita (Sanskrit: "pure non-dualism") is the "purely non-dual" philosophy propounded by Vallabhacharya (1479-1531 CE), the founding philosopher and guru of the ("tradition of Vallabh") or ("The path of grace"), a Hindu Vaishnava tradit ...

philosophy # ''ShikshaPatri Dhwant Nivaran'' OR ''Swaminarayan Mat Khandan'' (1875) which criticised the

Shikshapatri The Shikshapatri ( gu, શિક્ષાપત્રી, Devanagari: (शिक्षापत्री) is a religious text consisting of two hundred and twelve verses, written in Sanskrit by Swaminarayan. The Shikhapatri is believed to have ...

# ''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

# ''Rigved Bhashyam'' (7/61/1,2 only) (Incomplete) (1877 to 1899) which is a commentary on the

according to his interpretation # ''Yajurved Bhashyam'' (Complete) (1878 to 1889) which is a commentary on the

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 Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

& his views regarding validity of

in Hinduism # ''Jaalandhar Shastrarth'' (1877) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

# ''Satyasatya Vivek (Bareily Shastrarth)'' (1879) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at Bareily # ''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 Shahjahanpur district is a districts of Uttar Pradesh India. It is a part of Bareilly division. It was established in 1813 by the British Government. Previously it was a part of district Bareilly. Geographically the main town is Shahjahanpur w ...

# ''Kashi Shastrarth'' (1880) which is a record of his arguments with orthodox ''pundits'' at

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 Arya Samaj # ''Updesh Manjari (Puna Pravachan)'' (4 July 1875) which is a record of his sermons delivered to his followers at

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

# ''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

# ''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

* * *

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