Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti, an annual event, commemorates the birth of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati. This year, the occasion falls on 26th February. According to the conventional Hindu calendar, Dayanand Saraswati was born on the Dashami Tithi of Phalguna Krishna Paksha.
Who is Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati?
Born into a traditional Brahmin household in Tankara, Gujarat, on 12th February 1824, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, originally named as Mool Shankar Tiwari, undertook a fifteen-year journey as a monk in search for truth. His ideologies are widely discussed in his notable work, Satyarth Prakash or The True Exposition.
Contributions to Indian Society
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, a self-educated philosopher and social leader, is renowned as the founder of the Arya Samaj, a substantial reform movement of the Vedic Dhamma. He demonstrated great leadership, advocating for a self-governed India with the slogan “India for Indians” as early as 1876.
His foundational unit of the Arya Samaj was established in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1875, later relocating its headquarters to Lahore. He envisaged a unified India free from casteism, class distinctions, and foreign rule, with Aryan religion as the common belief system. His teachings were inspired by the Vedas, which he believed to be infallible, and he promoted the return to these ancient texts with his popular slogan “Back to the Vedas”.
He further advocated for a Vedic interpretation of the chaturvarna system, encouraging caste identification based on the individual’s occupation rather than his birth.
Reformation of Education System
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati initiated a complete revamp of the education system. With a vision for a modern India, he introduced the DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) schools in 1886. The first DAV School was established in Lahore with Mahatma Hansarj functioning as the headmaster.
Arya Samaj: A Look into its Principles and Impact
The Arya Samaj’s primary goal is to revive the teachings and importance of the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, as revealed truth. It rejects post-Vedic additions, yet continues to include much of the post-Vedic thought in its interpretations.
Tensions rose during the 1920s and 1930s over several issues, including ‘music-before-mosque’, the cow protection movement, and the Arya Samaj’s efforts to reconvert recent Muslim converts to Hinduism back to their original faith. Majority of the Arya Samaj’s followers are from western and northern India.
The Samaj opposes idol worship, animal sacrifice, rituals for ancestors, birth-based caste system, untouchability, child marriage, pilgrimages, priestly craft, and temple offerings. Standing firmly on the infallibility of the Vedas, it advocates for doctrines like karma, samsara, and the sanctity of the cow.
It also supports individual sacraments, ritualistic fire oblations, and social reform programs. Actively involved in societal upliftment, the Arya Samaj has made significant contributions to female education and intercaste marriages, constructed missionary buildings, orphanages, and homes for widows; established numerous schools and colleges, and carried out famine relief and medical work.
