Short Biography of Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Saraswati was the founder of Arya Samaj. He was a social reformer and a great Hindu religious preacher. He was born on 12th February, 1824.

Dayananda Saraswati formed Arya Samaj in 1875 A.D. He formed this ‘Samaj’ for the resurgence of Hindu society. He was born in a Brahmin family of Gujrat. He was a Sanskrit pundit. He did not know English. He came in contact with Keshab Sen after being Saint. After that he appointed himself during his last 8 years of life in reform work of religion and the society.

He urged Indians to “Go back to the Vedas”. We have nothing to learn from the West. Because our Veda is self-sufficient in respect of all knowledge and teaching.

He was against the deity worship, child marriage and caste system and was a great supporter of women education, widow marriage and sea voyages.

He fulfilled his movement by writing two books namely ‘Satyarth Prakash’ and ‘Vedabhasya’.

He propagated the religious ideologies among the common. The main difference with Brahmo Samaj was that he was not educated in western education.

He started ‘Suddhi movement’ for reconverting the Hindus who were detached from it.

The Arya Samaj movement gradually spread over entire India. It spread in Punjab, Rajputana, Uttarpradesh and Gujarat. Historian K.M. Panikkar thinks that Arya Samaj had an important role in strengthening Hindu religion in Northern India.

Swami Dayananda died 1883 A.D. His followers tried to continue to propagate his ideologies. The important representatives of Arya Samaj were Lal Hamsaraj, Pandit Guru Datta, Lala Lajpat Rai and Swami Shraddhananda. Lala Hansaraj founded ‘Anglo Vedic College’ in Lahore. Shraddhanand founded ‘Gurudal Arya Vidyalaya’ in Haridwar in 1902 A.D. Their main object was to propagate the ideology of Veda.