Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati: A Complete Biography
Birth and Early Life
Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati was born as Mool Shankar on February 12, 1824, in Tankara, a town in Saurashtra in Gujarat, India. He was born into a highly respected Brahmin family. His father, Kesar Singh, was a learned man with religious inclinations while his mother, Radha, was pious and devout.
The family followed typical Hindu customs and traditions, and like the majority of Brahmins, were proficient in their religious practices.
Mool Shankar was known for his sharp intellect and curious nature since his early days. The mysteries of life and the universe were his obsession. At an early age of 8, he was sent away to learn Hindu scriptures including the Vedas.
Mool Shankar, however, very soon began to ask questions about many rituals, customs, and practices that did not seem to cohere with the teachings of the Vedas as conveyed to him by his master in the days of his learning.
Biography of Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati
Religious Awakening and Renunciation
- One of the most significant turning points in his life occurred at the age of 14, when he was present at the funeral of his much-loved sister. He witnessed all the rites and ceremonies performed in accordance with Hindu traditions.
- The horrible sights of the funeral pyre and thoughts concerning human mortality deeply disturbed him. He became distressed about the very purpose of life and started seeking answers to these questions in the spiritual tradition of Hinduism.
His questioning mind made the transformation vital. At 15 years of age, having rejected the rituals and idol worship observed in his family and society, Mool Shankar made the decision to leave home, renounce worldly possessions, and begin his journey for spiritual realization. He left his family for ascetic life on the quest for truth.
Spiritual Quest
- Mool Shankar's spiritual quest was carried on throughout the length and breadth of India. He had numerous encounters with saints, gurus, and scholars of various schools of thought but felt most of their teachings were unhelpful and incomplete.
- The illogicality of many religious practices, the sheer dominance of ritualism, and the over-obsessiveness with either the worship of a metaphysical idea or the idol was deeply unsettling to Mool Shankar.
During the course of these wanderings emerged Swami Virjanand Saraswati, the Sage of Wiser Heart, who was to become the initiator of Mool Shankar. Under his guidance began the rigorous study of the Vedas, the old scriptures recognized as the bedrock of Hinduism.
Virjanand's teachings gravely influenced Mool Shankar, and he came to comprehend Vedic concepts that upheld monotheism, rationality, and spiritual enlightenment through the agency of direct knowledge of the divine rather than by adhering to rituals or superstitions.
It was at this stage of his life that Mool Shankar took the name Swami Dayanand Saraswati, a title that professed his devotion to knowledge (Vidya) and wisdom (Dayanand).
"Dayanand" means either "the compassionate" or "one who is kind to all living creatures," while "Saraswati" stands for the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Arya Samaj and Social Reform Movement
In addition to being a spiritual leader, Swami Dayanand was also a social reformer. He believed that Hindu society had strayed very far from the teachings of the Vedas. One of his paramount contributions was the foundation of the Arya Samaj in Bombay, India, in 1875.
The Arya Samaj was basically a reform movement to revive Vedic teachings, to keep their purity by wiping out corrupt practices that had crept in over several centuries.
Swami Dayanand envisioned a society in which the true values of the Vedas were practiced, including the worship of one supreme God, the importance of knowledge and education, and the abolishment of rituals, superstitions, and social evils that had crept into Hindu society.
The principles he preached hinged on the view that the Vedas impart eternal knowledge and that everything should stand the test of scrutiny and evaluation by reason and rationality.
With the aim of social and religious reform in India, the Arya Samaj was very vocal on some principles such as these:
Monotheism: There is one God, and idolatry is rejected.
1. Rationalism: Scientific thinking is encouraged, and the application of reason to understand spiritual truths is promoted.
2. Social Justice: Equal rights to all, irrespective of caste, with the abolition of untouchability and social discrimination.
3. Education for All: Education should promote empowerment and social reform-the right to education for all individuals, and special emphasis on the education of women.
4. Abolishing Superstitions: Casting away many traditional rituals such as idol worship, astrology, and the caste system.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS OF SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI
Reconstruction of Hinduism and Society: Swami Dayanand sincerely felt that Hinduism had deviated from the real teachings of the Vedas and that it had become necessary to reclaim its pristine glory as laid down in the Vedas.
Against idol worship, caste system, and practices that he thought were not in tune with the original teachings of the Vedas, he preached against them and proposed many social reforms such as the emancipation of women, education for all, and abolition of child marriage.
Satyarth Prakash (The Light of Truth): One of the strongest contributors he made toward the reform movement was through the book Satyarth Prakash (The Light of Truth), published in 1875, which presents the philosophical and social ideals of Swami Dayanand and was a guide to be followed by his followers.
- The book discussed the detailed imperfections in idol worship, the caste system, and superstitions that had entered Hindu society. Y He propounded ideas on theism, rationalism, and spirituality based on the Vedas.
- The Rigveda Bhashya: Swami Dayanand wrote an exhaustive commentary on the Rigveda, one of the oldest and foremost texts of the Vedic tradition. His commentary stressed the need to understand the Vedas in their pristine context, undistorted by later interpretations and distortions.
- Promotion of Hindi Language: Swami Dayanand was a fierce advocate for using Hindi for purposes of communication and instruction. According to him, advocacy of Hindi would help drawing masses closer to the teachings of the Vedas, as many could not read Sanskrit, the original language of the Vedic texts.
- Restoration of Vedic Education: Swami Dayanand pursued the revival of Vedic education and the establishment of Vedic schools. He wanted students to study practical information provided through the lens of morality, guided by Vedic teachings, while emphasizing the inclusion of subjects such as science and mathematics.
Some of the social reforms in which the Arya Samaj under the guidance of Swami Dayanand played an influential role included:
Abolition of Sati (a practice of self-immolation by a widow on her husband's funeral pyre).
- Widow Remarriage: Encouragement of widow remarriage at a time when it was anathema in orthodox Hindu society.
- Education For Women: Equal education and opportunity for women on par with men as envisioned by Swami Dayanand.
- Caste System: Opposed caste system in hierarchy and advocated for social equality.
His teaching about monotheism and renunciation of idol worship were further controversial. They labeled him anti-Hindu for questioning established rituals and traditions, much to the delight of others opposing him.
- Swami Dayanand Saraswati's health began deteriorating in the year 1883. Allegedly poisoned, on October 30, 1883, he died in Ajmer, Rajasthan, when he was just fifty-nine years old. Some say poison was given by his enemies,
- while others venture to say it could be an infection or complications from an injury. There remains a debate around the cause of his death, but what stands indisputably is the impact he made on Indian society.
- Swami Dayanand's legacy lives on through the Arya Samaj, active in India and beyond. Generations of reformers and thinkers were inspired by his teachings on Vedic knowledge, social justice, and rational spirituality.
- He is one of the main figures of the Bharatiya Renaissance, an attempt to revive and reform Hinduism so that it enters into the modern era.
- Monotheism: Belief in one God; rejects idol worship and polytheism.
- Rationalism: Encouragement of critical thinking and scientific inquiry.
- Vedic Authority: The Vedas are considered the highest source of knowledge and guidance.
- Social Justice: To promote equality, abolish the caste system, and uplift women.
- Spiritual Enlightenment: The emphasis is on self-realization and seeking knowledge of the true nature of existence.
