THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

(The Satyartha Prakasha)

“I have not come to preach any new dogmas or religion, nor to establish a neworder, nor be proclaimed a new Messiah or Pontiff. I have only brought beforemy people the light of the Vedic wisdom which had been hidden during thecenturies of India’s thralldom.”

By Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Opening notes

The Satyartha Prakhash (The light of Truth) is the masterpiece of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Some call itas Magnum Opus. No doubt, it is a great literary undertaking, as the lexicographic contents denote. But I goa step further. The lexicon (Oxford) says, Magnum, a bottle containing a certain quantity of wine. But asthe great writer of this masterpiece Swami Dayanand was a symbol of ultimate morality and spiritualismand was a sage of standing, he never touched a drop of wine. And so his present work down not contain anysuch alcoholic impact. But one thing is undoubtedly true about it. This great, book is, indeed, andencyclopedia of the various contemporary social religious and political currents cross-currents andmovements going on at the time of the writer's life. To go it further, the writer has not spared the pastevents and guiding philosophies, which has polluted the human mind and deteriorated the man's quest for true knowledge and right way of life.When one analyzes this work for this angle, we have witnessed that this great masterwork of SwamiDayanand Saraswati positively mad w revolution in the socio-political fabric notonly of the Indians but of the whole mankind. It created a new flutter and awakening in the society, that made the various thinkersand followers and scholars of different faiths and sects to make drastic changes in their concepts, beliefsand interpretations contained in their Books of Faith. No doubt, much more crusading spirit was witnessedamong the readers of this book who hailed from different races, communities and groups. The wordMagnum, therefore, has no parallel like that in the context of this work.Its repeated study, research and investigation have greatly contributed to the thinking of humankind, sinceit was written by the author, more than a hundred years ago.The liberal angle which motivated the writer is summed up by him in the introduction, where heunfailingly disclaimed to start a new sect or religion and laid his firm faith in the oneness of humansociety. The introduction has Swami's following words:-<o:p></o:p></span></p>“………..there is not the remotest idea to hurt the feelings of any person either directly or indirectly buton the contrary, the book proposes that men should distinguish truth from falsehood. Thus alone can thehuman race steadily advance on the path of happiness, since none but the preaching of truth is the cause of the improvement of the human family.”Such a selfless exposition by the writer has found a distinct position for this author in the world literature of this kind. The English translation of his book was rendered by Dr. Chiranjiva Bharadwaja in the lastcentury. It enjoys greater popularity and has already run into a number of reprints.The Sabha has brought it out to meet the great and persistent demand and as a present on the sacredoccasion of Swami Dayanand's Nirvan (Death) Centenary which being celebrated all over the world thisyear, under the Sabha's aegis.Satyartha Prakash means the Light of Truth. In fact, it is a Light House in the ocean of knowledge, wherehuman mind can anchor at safe point during the turmoil and tempest. That way, this book has weightageover other works numbering……… written by the Swami during his life time.Ram Gopal ShalwalePresident.June 1984Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi SabhaDayanand Bhavan, Ramlita Ground New Delhi -11002 (India)

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

‘Satyarth Prakash’ (Light of Truth) is the Magnum opus of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, theillustrious founder of the Arya Samaj. It occupies a prominent place in the classical Religious andPhilosophical literature of the world. It is regarded as the Bible of the Arya Samaj and is asimmortal as the truth is.It is in fact the beacon light leading people from darkness to light, irrationality to rationality,irreligion to religion, and nescience to science. It embodies the teachings of Swami DayanandaSaraswati on all matters – religious, social, educational, political and moral, also his beliefs anddisbeliefs and the way of life as envisage by the Vedas and the Vedic cultere, which prevailedthroughout the whole World about 5000 years back, when enlightenment, peace and prosperitywas at the Zenith of its glory.It presents a charter of life at once sublime and noble. Ti contains principles and rules of conductto all. In short it makes people mould and better their lives on the lines which were chalked out bythe Vedas and the pattern laid down by what is the best in ancient Vedic heritage, whose livingsymbol was the Swami himself.Author’s comments on the tenets and working of various religious denominations were made ingood faith and were not motivated, as the author has envisaged, for injuring the susceptibilities of their adherents. He meant to bring forth truth to light and prevent perpetration of ‘Adharma’(unrighteousness) in the name of ‘Dharma’ (righteousness). In fact it gave the incentive speciallyto the divines of those faiths to revise their teachings and give them a rational tone. The object of the Maharshi in writing this volume, to quote his own words, is as under:-”……there is not the remotest idea to hurt the feelings of any person either directly or indirectly; but on the contrary , the book proposes that men shoulddistinguish truth from falsehood. Thus alone can the human race steadilyadvance on the path of happiness, since none but the preaching of truth is thecause of the improvement of the human family.” It is widely read by the people living in India and Overseas. This treatise was written in Hindi soas to enable both classes and the masses to be benefitted by it and ahs been availed by crores of people. It ahs been translated in all the principal regional languages of India as well as in English,French, German, Chinese and Burmese.The present is the new edition of the English Translation rendered by the late Shri Dr. ChrianjivaGharadwaya. It enjoys greater popularity and has already run into a number of editions. TheSabha has brought it out to meet a great and persistent demand as a present on the sacredoccasion of Arya Samaj Foundation Centenary which is being celebrated all over the world thisyear under the Sabha’s aegis.Our thanks are due to Dr. Satyakam Bharadwaja (son of the learned Translator) and his family,who have give cooperation in the publication of this volume and also th Shri Pandit Narendra, theConvener of the Sarvadeshik Arya Samaj Foundation Centenary Committee for his valuableassistance in making this edition attractive and worthwhile in all respects.We very much appreciate the cooperation of Bharat Mudranalaya and its partner, Shri BharatBhushan, Chairman, Special Zonal Committee (Shahdara), Municipal Corporation, Delhi for thespeedy and nice printing.