Dayanand Saraswati

#GS 01 Reform Movements

Dayanand Saraswati was born as Mul Shankar Tiwari on 12th February 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat in an orthodox Brahmin family.
He spent 15 years traveling as a hermit before becoming the follower of Mathura’s blind sage Virajanand Dandeesha.
He established the Arya Samaj in Bombay on April 7, 1875 based on 2 basic tenets- Monotheism and Infallible authority of the Vedas.
He issued the slogan, “Back to the Vedas.”
He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as “India for Indians” in 1876, which was later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.
He denounced idolatry and ritualistic worship and worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies.
He believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas and advocated the doctrine of Karma and transmigra.
He focused on the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya, including celibacy and devotion to God.
He wrote three books viz. Satyartha Prakash in Hindi, Veda Bhasya Bhumika, an introduction to his Vedic commentary, and Veda Bhasya, a Vedic commentary in Sanskrit on the Yajurveda and the major part of the Rig-Veda.

Arya Samaj is a Hindu socio-religious movement established by Swami Dayananda Saraswati which promoted Monotheism and Infallible authority of the Vedas.
Arya Samaj holds the distinction of being the first Hindu reform movement that practised proselytization.
They promoted gender equality, total justice, inter-caste marriages, widow remarriages, and fair play between man and man and country and nation.

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