Bookstawa – Modern History

Arya Samaj

Background

Hinduism used to be a religion that was originally based on the Vedas. But as time passed,
the Upanishads, Vedanta Sutras, Aryankas and Puranas also started becoming being considered to
be at the same position as the Vedas. To rectify this, Swami Dayanand Sarawati gave the slogan of
– Back to Vedas. He considered that those people who only believe in the Vedas, are Arya and
those who believe in the Puranas, Upanishads, etc. along with the Vedas, are Sanatani Hindu.

Arya Samaj

Immediately after giving the slogan, Dayanand Sarawati also established the Arya Samaj
in the year 1875. The people who had been influenced by the Back to Vedas call instantly joined
the Arya Samaj, which was solely based on the Vedas. Just like the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj
also followed Monotheism, that is belief in one God. The literal meaning of Arya Samaj is ‘Society
of Nobles’. The first branch of this society was established in Bombay. However, the most growth
initially had been seen in Punjab. This was why the headquarters of Arya Samaj was set up in
Lahore, which was in Punjab at the time.

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Working of the Arya Samaj

Every member of the Arya Samaj had the right to read and learn about the Vedas,
regardless of their class or if they were a man or a woman. Everyone in the Samaj could learn and
participate in discussions about Vedas. But every member was also supposed to follow 10 rules of
the Arya Samaj, which were kept mandatory.

Rules of Arya Samaj

Core Doctrine

The first 3 rules showcase the core doctrine of the Arya Samaj -
1. God is the primary source of all true knowledge.
2. God is the only one in this world who is worthy of being worshipped, but not by the way
of creating idols because God is formless.
3. Vedas are the scriptures of true knowledge.

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Reformative Ambition

The other 7 rules showcases the reformative ambition of the Arya Samaj, out of which some
are related to the Arya Samaj as a whole and some are for the members -
4. They should always be ready to imbibe truth and forsake untruth.
5. All acts should be done in accordance with the Dharma, that is, after deliberating upon
what is truth and untruth.
6. The prime objective of Arya Samaj is to do good to the whole world, that is, to achieve
physical, spiritual and social prosperity for all. (for the members)

7. They should treat everyone with love and justice.

8. They should eliminate ignorance and promote knowledge.
9. Their own progress should be linked to the upliftment of others.
10. They should think of the social well-being of the entire mankind before their own
individual well-being.

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Reason for Growth

Numerous branches of Arya Samaj were established especially in the Northwest and the
Northern part of India. People in large numbers started joining the Arya Samaj. In fact, a many
people who were a part of the Brahmo Samaj left the organization to join Arya Samaj instead.
From 1875, when the first branch of Arya Samaj was established in Bombay, to 1883, until
Dayanand Saraswati was alive, a total of 131 branches of Arya Samaj had been set up in India. 74
of these branches were in the United Provinces and 35 branches were in Punjab. The reason for
this growth was -
• The rules teachings of Arya Samaj were simple and easy to understand.
• Dayanand Saraswati was a great man and had a towering personality.
• Dayanand Saraswati travelled the entire nation and preached about his beliefs.

Contribution to Society

• Arya Samaj has helped people during crisis such floods, earthquakes, famines, etc.
• They have opened a chain of DAV schools, which are still said to be some of India’s better
schools. This means, they have tried to bring change in the society through the medium of
education. Both Indian and Western thoughts are promoted in these schools.
• They started the Shuddhi Movement in order to protect the Hindu society from Islam and
Christianity. In this movement, the people who had been converted to Islam or Christianity

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due to some greed or pressure were reconverted back to Hinduism. This is one of the reasons
because of which this organization is also seen as a communal organization.

Death of Dayanand Saraswati

While Dayanand Saraswati had many followers, he also had enemies as he had openly
criticised some religions. He had even been attacked a number of times. In one such attack, he was
assassinated and died in the year 1883. Dayanand Saraswati’s servant was bribed and made to add
pieces of glass in his milk. After having this milk, his condition continuously deteriorated and he
passed away after a few days.
Yet, Arya Samaj continued to grow even after Dayanand Saraswati’s death. The
organization was later carried forward by Lala Hansraj, Lala Lajpat Rai and Swami
Shraddhanand.

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