Aayushi International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (AIIRJ)

Vol - V Issue-X OCTOBER 2018 ISSN 2349-638x Impact Factor 4.574

Relevance of Swami Dayananda’s Social Philosophy in Present Education.

Harpreet Kaur Kalra

Asstt. Prof.
DAV College of Education, Abohar

Dayananda Saraswati the great Indian scholar and social reformer. Swami Dayananda was the
founder of Arya Samaj. Swami Dayananda’s ideas are the stock in trade of every reformer, political
or social. whether that acknowledge the debt they owe to him or not is a different matter. History is
giving its verdict, however, Dayananda is no longer the founder of a religious sect, but a pioneer of
progress, a true nation builder, a veritable world delivers. Truly, Dayananda was a superman,equipped
with the torch of love to lead the suffering humanity into the Temple of love. He was a friend of the
poor and the lowly. He left the comfort at home and hearth to join the fraternity of the poor.
Dayananda was not only a social and religious reformer, but also a scholar an educationist
and a great patriot. His whole life was a search for truth. He began as an orthodox Hindu, then
become a vedantist and at last a worshipper of God. He believed that if Indians became strong in body
and mind disabilities, political freedom would follow as a necessary consequence.
Swami Dayananda Saraswati was born on 10 February, 1824 in Tankara near Morvi in the
Kathiawar. His father’s name was Karshanji Lalji Tiwari and his mother’s name was Yashoda
Bai. Theirs was a Brahmin family. His father Amba Shankar held the position of Zamindar, or
revenue collector and besides this, he did some banking and money lending business. He was a stern,
austere man, a devout worshipper of Lord Shiva, Orthodox and uncompromising in his views. Strict
in the performance of his religious duties, he could not tolerate the slightest departure from the
observances enjoined by his faith.
Saffron clad a patriot reformer, the torch bearer, a great nation builder. Swami Dayananda
Sarswati stands out by himself with the peculiar and solitary distinctiveness. Possessed of sharp
intellect and rational thinking and a vision for ahead of his time, he ceaselessly worked hard to bring a
new life to his countrymen through a stupendous programme of religious reformation and social
reconstruction. Indian society was at its cultural, social and political nadir when Swami Dayanandaa
was born in 1824. He grew up in an environment of political subjugation where he witnessed extreme
casteism, superstition, religious dogma and social oppression of women and marginalized section of
society due to centuries of foreign domination. The Hindu people had lost their personality.
Dayananda as a great maker of Indian nation, infused a new faith and renewed self-confidence in the
Hindu people. He boldly asserted the supremacy of the old Vedic wisdom. This gigantic champion of
Indian wisdom at that time produced amazing results. Hindu people learnt to assert themselves. They
got new vision and a new pattern to mould their lives. Dayananda also strove hard to end inter-
religious conflicts by urging them to accept ‘ Universal truths, love each other, live in peace and work
for their common welfare. Swami Dayananda, the founder of Arya Samaj, rebuilt the entire Indian
nation and Hindu society in a new mould. He believed and preached that in our Vedas there is no such
thing as untouchability. He, through Arya Samaj, succeeded in launching a great movement against
untouchability which was followed up by Gandhi Ji and Congress. Arya Samaj successfully fought
with the orthodox Brahmin community, preached and pleaded to return toVedas in true sense and to
follow its dictates.

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 Aayushi International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (AIIRJ)
Vol - V Issue-X OCTOBER 2018 ISSN 2349-638x Impact Factor 4.574

Swami Dayananda led a crusade against the superstitiousss and pernicious practices that
prevailed in contemporary India. He emphasized on Swadeshi and patronizing of Swadeshi products
only amongst all the Hindu community. He was the sage who empowered women. He was no less
generous and no less bold in his crusade to improve the condition of women, a deplorable one in
india. He revolted against the abuse from which they suffered at home. Swami Dayananda and Arya
Samaj hit hard on the most barbaric and orthodox Sati custom among the Hindus of our country. He
emphasized for equal rights for women, condemned child marriages and discrimination against
women even in the provision of education. He opened Kanya Mahavidhyala and more than thousand
D.A.V institutions, Gurukulas and Arya Schools all across the country. He even advocated the girl
consent and say in the matter of marriage and went a step ahead to spearhead widow-marriage. Homes
for the widows and destitute women were opened to accommodate, train them in useful professions
and get them married to suitable partners. Giving a cry back to Vedas; he translated Vedas from
Sanskrit to Hindi so that a common man can read it and understand that Vedic Hindu scripturis gave
utmost importance to women. However high, the name of swami Dayananda stands as a student and
teacher of religion, it is as one of India’s greatest benefactor as a social reformer and Yugpravartak he
will go down in History. In purity of character, in fearlessness of expression in the acuteness and
comprehensiveness of intellect in devotion to the Vedas and his love for his country he was an
outstanding figure of his time.

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