Discover the Arya Samaj, founded by Dayananda Saraswati, aimed at societal reform and the revival of Vedic principles. Key aspects include social reforms like setting marriage ages, advocating equality, and the establishment of the D.A.V. College. The movement faced internal splits and further developments, including the Shuddhi movement and Gurukul Kangri's role in education.
Founding: The Arya Samaj Movement was a reaction to Western influences. Its founder, Dayananda Saraswati (1824-1883), was born in the old Morvi state in Gujarat in a Brahmin family. He spent fifteen years (1845-60) as an ascetic searching for truth. The first Arya Samaj unit was set up in Bombay in 1875, with the headquarters established later at Lahore.
Dayananda's Views: Published in his work Satyarth Prakash (The True Exposition), Dayananda envisioned a classless, casteless society and a united India free from foreign rule, with Aryan religion as the common religion. He took inspiration from the Vedas, considering them as ‘India’s Rock of Ages’, and advocated the slogan “Back to the Vedas”.
Revival: His slogan was not a call to revive Vedic times but to revive Vedic learning and purity of religion while accepting modernity and addressing national problems.
Criticism of Hindu Orthodoxy: Dayananda criticized Hindu orthodoxy, including caste rigidities, untouchability, idolatry, and other practices. He attacked the belief in maya (illusion) and emphasized that God, soul, and matter were distinct entities. He believed in karma and reincarnation but advocated for good deeds for the benefit of others.
Chaturvarna System: He subscribed to the Vedic notion of the chaturvarna system, where a person’s status was based on occupation and merit rather than birth.
Marriage Age: The Arya Samaj fixed the minimum marriageable age at twenty-five years for boys and sixteen years for girls. Dayananda criticized the Hindu race as “the children of children”.
Guiding Principles: The ten guiding principles of the Arya Samaj include (i) God as the source of all true knowledge, (ii) the Vedas as the books of true knowledge, (iii) readiness to accept truth and abandon untruth, (iv) dharma as the guiding principle, (v) promoting world’s well-being, (vi) treating everyone with love and justice, (vii) dispelling ignorance and increasing knowledge, (viii) uplifting all others, (ix) placing social well-being above individual well-being.
Social Ideals: The Arya Samaj emphasized the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of Man, equality of sexes, justice, and fair play. It encouraged intercaste marriages and widow remarriages.
Engagement with Reformers: Dayananda interacted with other reformers of the time like Keshab Chandra Sen, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and others.
Social Service: The Arya Samaj was known for its social service during calamities like earthquakes and famines, and for promoting education. After Dayananda's death, the Samaj’s work continued with the establishment of the Dayananda Anglo-Vedic (D.A.V.) College in 1886 at Lahore.
Differences in Curriculum: A split occurred in 1893 between two groups in the Samaj over the curriculum of the D.A.V. College. The College Party favored government curriculum and English education, while the Mahatma Party preferred Sanskrit and Vedic studies.
Vegetarianism: The issue of vegetarianism also became contentious. The College Party did not oppose non-vegetarianism, while the Mahatma Party advocated strict vegetarianism.
Gurukul Kangri: The Gurukul, founded by Swami Shraddhanand in 1900 at Gujaranwala and later moved to Kangri near Haridwar, aimed to provide an indigenous alternative to colonial education policies, offering education in Vedic literature, Indian philosophy, culture, and modern sciences.
Social Reforms: The Gurukul advocated radical social reforms and founded the Kanya Mahavidyalaya in Jalandhar in 1896, sponsoring education for widows and helping to undermine the myth of Western superiority.
Shuddhi Movement: The Arya Samaj initiated the shuddhi (purification) movement to reconvert people from Christianity and Islam to Hinduism, which contributed to increasing communal tensions in the 1920s.
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