Swami Karpatri (1907–1982), born as Har Narayan Ojha, was a Hindu saint and revivalist who founded the

Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad (RRP, "All India Council of Ram's Kingdom") was an Indian Hindu nationalist political party founded by Swami Karpatri in 1948. The RRP won three Lok Sabha seats in the 1952 elections to the national Parliament ...

. He was also a writer and led several pro-Hindu movements, including the cow protection movement. A

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

of the Dashanami Sampradaya, he belonged to the conservative branch of Hinduism.

Early life and education

He was born in a Saryuparin Brahmin family in a small village of Bhatni in Pratapgarh,

United Provinces of Agra and Oudh The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 22 March 1902 to 1937; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now modern-day

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

). From early childhood he had no interest in worldly matters and was married to Srimati Mahadevi at the age of 9 in the year 1916. He planned to leave home in order to attain

Sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...

, though his father insisted him to give them a child before leaving. After which a girl child was born to him, after which he left his home at the age of 19. Sometime after leaving home, he took vow of Brahmacharya (initiation into celibacy) from Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. After initiation, he was renamed Harihar Chaitanya and went to study in a gurukul in Narwar,

Bulandshahr Bulandshahr, formerly Baran, is a city and a municipal board in Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bulandshahr district and part of Delhi NCR region. According to the Governme ...

. He stayed there for two years studying Vyakarana,

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

and 6 Darshanas (six schools of Hindu Philosophy) among other things. In 1927, he left the Gurukula and walking along the Ganga river, reached Uttarakhand where he spent the next three years in solitude that ended with him attaining Atmagyana or self-realisation. He returned to his gurukul where he was welcomed as a Paramhansa (one who has self-realisation). It was during this period that he got his most popular name “Karpatri” as he used to receive alm of food in his cupped hands resembling a bowl. (''Kar''-hands, ''Patra''-bowl, hence ''Karpatri'' literally means a man who receives alm in his cupped hands). Sometime during 1931–32, at the age of 24, he formally accepted the Danda from the hands Swami Brahmananda Saraswati near Durga Kund, Varanasi. He was given Sanyasa Deeksha (initiation into monkhood) name of Swami Hariharananda Saraswati.

Dharm Sangh

On the day of Vijayadashmi, He established Dharm Sangh in the year 1940. He travelled through all parts of India and established many branches of Dharm Sangh. The Slogan was: Dharm Sangh under leadership of Swami Karpatri helped the

Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...

victims of 1946 riots and provided them land, food and financial aid. He re-converted Hindus who were forcibly made Muslims and gave them initiation under Rama-Nama. He and his group was the first one to be jailed in Independent India. Even before Independence, In the year 1947, he started protests and meetings from the month of April. On the night of 14 August 1947, the members of Dharm Sangh were raising the slogans of "Bharat Akhand Ho" (May

Bharat Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** India, a country ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent ** Bharatavarsha, another Sanskrit name for the Indian subcon ...

be united), All of them were jailed.

Later life

He was a disciple of Shankaracharya of

Jyotir Math Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or JyotirMath is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the Ādi Śaṅkara 1200 years ago to preserve Hinduism and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in the city of J ...

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. He spent most of his life at

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or 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 tradition of I ...

. Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati, the 145th Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya of

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, is an eminent disciple of Swami Karpatri. He initiated

Alain Daniélou Alain Daniélou (; 4 October 1907 – 27 January 1994) was a French historian, Indologist, intellectual, musicologist, translator, writer and Western convert to and expert on the Shaivite branch of Hinduism. In 1991, he was awarded the Sange ...

, a noted French Historian into Shaivite Hinduism under the name, Shiv Sharan.Swami Karpatri ''The Linga and the great goddess'' Indica bolls,

Politics

Other than DharmSangh, In 1948, Swami Karpatri founded the

(RRP), A traditionalist Hindu party. The RRP won three

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

seats in the 1952 Lok Sabha election and two in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

. He led a movement against the Hindu Code Bill. He was also a prominent agitator in 1966 anti-cow slaughter agitation. On 18 April 1948, he founded the newspaper ''Sanmarg'' which promoted Sanatana Dharma and also advocated against the Hindu Code Bill and voiced opposition on cow slaughters.

Death

On the day of his demise in the year 1980 “Magh Shukla Chaturdashi”, he asked his disciples to sing the "Ayodhya Tyaga" story of

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

for him; he himself did the recitation of Sri Sukta and at the end by keeping the idol of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

on his chest, he died by reciting "Shiva Shiva Shiva" thrice.

Debates

Swami Karpatri adhered to a strict no-compromise policy regarding Hindu laws and the

Shastras ''Śāstra'' ( ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The word is ge ...

. He was popularly referred to as "Dharmasamrat" (English: "Emperor of Dharma") by the masses. In 1932, in his late 20s, he debated with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on the topic of "Pranava" (ॐ). In 1964, a debate was held between traditional Sanatani scholars and members of the

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s. Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...

. Although Swami Karpatri initially participated only as a spectator, he later joined the discussion, engaging directly with Yudhisthir Mimansak. In 1965, Swami Karpatri engaged in a significant debate with Sri Vidyamanya Tirtha, a sanyasi of the Madhva Sampradaya, who had publicly challenged scholars to defend the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. Swami Karpatri accepted the challenge, and the debate lasted for two days. Vidyamanya Tirtha posed numerous incisive questions, prompting Swami Karpatri to respond using logical interpretations of Vedanta. According to available accounts, Vidyamanya Tirtha was considered the victor of the debate due to the challenges he raised and the responses he received.

Books

Marxwad Aur Ramrajya: Criticism of Modern Ideologies such as Marxism, Socialism, Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Progressivism, Democratism, Feminism etc. Vichar Piyush: A Summary of Swami Karpatri's Thoughts. Bhakti Sudha: An anthology of various articles written by Swami Karpatri on importance of Bhakti. Bhagwat Sudha: Explaining the Essence of Srimad Bhagvat Puran. Sri Radha Sudha: A record of Swami Karpatri's speeches on Radha Sudha Nidhi. Bhakti Rasarnava: A Unique work on Bhakti. Pibata Bhagvata Rasamalaya: A Book dealing with Rasa of Srimad Bhagvata Purana. Kaal Mimansa: A work dealing with the chronology in context of the Pauranic and Other Hindu Epic literature. Kya Sambhog se Samadhi: A Simple Refutation of Osho's interpretation of Samadhi. Capitalism, Socialism and Ramrajya: Refuting Osho's shallow understanding on these Ideologies. Ramayana Mimansa: A Book with systematic analysis of the Hindu Epic Ramayana. Ved Ka Swaroop Aur Pramanya: The epistemological significance and Structure of the Vedas. Veda Pramanya Mimansa: Establishing the supreme authority of Vedas. VedaSwarupVimarsh: A Short book defining the swarupa of Vedas while refuting the claims of Social Reformers and Modern day Scholars Like Swami Dayanand. Samanvaya Samrajya Samrakshanam:A work dealing with coordination between various schools of Hinduism. Ahamartha aur Parmartha Sara: A commentary on Patanjali's work "Parmarth Sara" with the refutation of Vishishta Advaita View. Nastika-Astika Vaad: A point to point refutation of Nastika Arguments used against Astikas. Videsh Yatra Shastriya Paksha: The Views of Hindu Shastras on Travelling Abroad. Sankirtan Mimansa evam Varnashrama Dharma: A text Describing the maintenance of Varnashrama Dharma along with Holy Enchanting. Rss aur Hindu Dharma: Deals with Structural criticism of Sangh-Sponsored Anti-Shastra ideology. Gau - Ek Samagra Chintan: The importance of Cow within Hinduism and Humanity as a whole. Vedartha Parijata: Explaining the True Essence of the Vedas along with Commentary. Kumbha Tithyadi Nirnaya: A treatise dealing with the astrological conclusions in context of Tithis and Kumbha Parva. Yajurveda Commentary: Bhashya (Commentary) of Shukla Yajurveda by Swami Karpatri in eight parts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karpatri, Swami 1907 births 1982 deaths Advaitin philosophers 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians People from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh Scholars from Varanasi People from Gorakhpur district 20th-century Indian philosophers Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad politicians Indian Hindu religious leaders Indian Hindu saints Hindu revivalist writers