{"id":15334,"date":"2026-05-01T04:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T04:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/?p=15334"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:24:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T10:24:42","slug":"swami-dayanand-saraswati","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/swami-dayanand-saraswati\/","title":{"rendered":"Swami Dayananda Saraswati: Biography, Ideology, Reforms, Arya Samaj"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Swami Dayanand Saraswati <\/strong>(1824\u20131883) was a visionary Hindu reformer<\/strong> and the founder of Arya Samaj (1875)<\/strong>. He rejected idol worship<\/strong> after watching a mouse (rodent) eating offerings on Lord Shiva\u2019s idol, doubting the omnipotence of God. Without creating a new religion, he just wanted to purify the existing religion & believed the Vedas <\/strong>were the only purest form of knowledge<\/strong> & later, the Puranas have polluted it. His Satyarth Prakash <\/strong>book was originally written in hindi <\/strong>in 1875<\/strong>. It is among the influential books of Vedic philosophy & social reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dayanand Saraswati was the first person <\/strong>to use the word \u2018Swaraj<\/strong>\u2019 long before Gandhiji & Tilak. He is also known for the introduction of \u2018Shudhi Movement<\/strong>\u2019 to bring back the earlier converted people. The radical views of Dayanand regarding superstitions earned him many enemies. It is said that in 1883 <\/strong>during his stay at the court of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, he was poisoned<\/strong>. His efforts were pivotal in eradicating social evils, promoting education, and instilling nationalism, shaping the socio-religious fabric of 19th-century India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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