Arya Samaj: A social reformation movement

Baidyanath Upadhyaya

(baidyanathupadhyaya06@gmail.com)

Arya' means a noble human being. One who is thoughtful and charitable, who thinks good thoughts and does good actions- he or she is an Arya. Thus, Arya Samaj means a society of nobles is a vigorous movement of modern Hinduism, founded by Dayananda Saraswati in 1875. The aim of the Arya Samaj was to re-establish the Vedas, the earliest Hindu scriptures, as revealed truth. The prime object of the Samaj is to do good to the world, i.e. to improve the physical, spiritual and social standards of all persons.

Swami Dayananda desired that society emerges as a moral society, so, he preached that the Hindus should observe dharma in their life. According to him, dharma is a practice of equitable justice together with that of truthfulness in word, deed and thought and like virtues as embodied in the Vedas. He believed in the doctrines of karma and rebirth; stressed the old ideals of brahmacharya and sannyasa, instead of the efficacy of sanskaras and rite of upanayana and agnihotra (Hawan/Homa) upheld the sanctity of the cow, condemned animal sacrifices, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, untouchability and child marriage as lacking Vedic sanctions.

Arya Samaj was a revolutionary reform movement that brought many changes to the Hindu religion. The major significance of Arya Samaj includes-

1. To prevent child marriage and improve the status of women in the country, the Arya Samaj set a minimum age for marriage.

2. The Arya Samaj worked for human welfare after natural disasters like floods, famines and earthquakes.

3. It has always taken the lead in promoting education. Even after the death of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, educating the masses was a crucial area of concern for Arya Samaj.

4. Arya Samaj successfully brought back the confidence and self-esteem of Hindus. It helped in eliminating the influence of westernization over Hinduism.

5. It launched the shudder movement to purify the Hindus influenced by other religions (Christianity and Islam).

6. The shudder movement also worked to convert the untouchables and the lower caste Hindus into pure caste Hindus.

The Arya Samaj opposes worship of murtis (images), animal sacrifice, shraddha (rituals on behalf of ancestors), basing caste upon birth rather than upon merit, untouchability, child marriage, pilgrimages, priestly craft, and temple offerings. It upholds the infallibility of the Vedas, the doctrines of Karma (the accumulated effect of past deeds) and samsara (the process of death and rebirth), the sanctity of the cow, the importance of the samskaras (individual sacraments), the efficacy of Vedic oblations to the fire, and programs of social reform. It has worked to further female education and inter-caste marriage; has built missions, orphanages, and homes for widows; has established a network of schools and colleges; and has undertaken famine relief and medical work. From its beginning, it was an important factor in the growth of Indian nationalism.

The following are the ten principles of Arya Samaj-

1. God is the primary source of all proper knowledge.

2. He is omniscient. He is the one worthy of being worshipped.

3. Vedas are scriptures of proper knowledge. An Aryan should read, recite and teach Vedas to others.

4. We should read to accept the truth and give up untruths.

5. All actions should be performed by following dharma.

6. The objective of Arya Samaj is to promote physical and social well-being for everyone.

7. Everyone should follow love, righteousness and justice.

8. We should avoid ignorance and accept knowledge.

9. One should not be concerned with one's welfare. We should consider the welfare of others too.

1. One should follow the rules of society to promote the well-being of all while following the rules of individual welfare, all should be free.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati saw the degraded and debased condition of the Hindus. His heart bled at the sight of millions of people who were weak, disjointed, deranged and helpless. They were dominated by a few egoistic and power-driven individuals with hidden agendas.

He wanted to unite all together to cast off the artificial and self-imposed bonds and tied them to their present position. He wanted them to remove from their eyes the bondage that prevented them from seeing the light of Truth and Liberty. He wanted the society to arise pure and strong from the prevailing Walter, corruption, ignorance and internal strife. To stand on its own feet and take the proper place among the nations of the world.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati was an adamant follower, exponent, and practitioner of Vedas- the unadulterated truth as handed down (shruti) from Guru to disciple since the beginning of time. He had absolutely no craving for worldly applause and was completely unconcerned and unperturbed by the censure of the superstitious, the ignorant and the selfish. Swami spoke the truth and practised it too. In 1863 he emerged preaching against idolatry and started Sanskrit classes.

He has explained two principles in his book Satyagraha Prakash that the primary mission of the Arya Samaj is to eradicate Ignorance (Agyan), Indigence or poverty (Abhav) and Injustice (Anyaya) from this earth. Arya Samaj believes in one God known by the name of Om, who is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, the source of all intelligence and bliss, merciful and just.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati held the Vedas not only as the infallible authority of Hinduism but for the rest of humanity as well. He believed that the four Vedas are words of God. He held the Brahmas as the most-highest or Paramatman as the supreme spirit who permeates the whole universe; who is the personification of Sat-Chit-Ananda; who is Omniscient, Formless, All-pervading, Unborn, Infinite, Almighty; who creates, sustains and dissolves the universe and who awards all souls the fruit of their deeds in accordance with the requirements of absolute justice. One can attain salvation through the worship of God.

There are three elements Stuti, Parthana and Upasana. Stuti or glorification consists in praising the attributes and powers of God with a view to fixing them in our minds and cultivating love towards God. Parthana is praying to God for the gift of the highest knowledge and other blessings. Upasana or communion consists in conforming to the divine spirit in purity and holiness and in feeling the presence of the Deity in our heart through the practice of Yoga, which enables us to have direct cognition of God. He believed that the revitalization of the Hindu religion and society could be achieved by purifying the religion and uniting the Hindu society. He believed that the purification of religion could be achieved by purging the religion of its impurities like polytheism and idolatry. So, he attacked these two things and advocated monotheistic worship of the formless Brahma.

The Arya Samaj has been doing noble deeds for the reformation of society. Since its inception, the Arya Samaj has done numerous valuable works to reinstate self-confidence among Hindu followers. The Arya Samajis had dedicated themselves to freeing our nation from the clutches of colonial British rulers. At present time the Arya Samaj has been doing for the betterment of Hindu society in the world as well.