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 “The personality of the great Swami, as he lived the actual life of the Vedic past, in all the glowing majesty of his heroic spirit, was so magnetic, virile, so passionately sincere and brave, that others caught his inspiration before he died and carried on his message in his spirit. For Swami Dayananda’s personality and character there may well be almost unqualified admiration. He was a puritan to the backbone and lived up to his creed. He was a fighter, strong, virile, and independent, if somewhat imperious in behaviour....He was a passionate lover of truth.” C.F. Andrews (DESIGNATION)             

Swami Dayananda ‘Saraswati’ (1824-1883 AD) is remembered as a distinguished Indian scholar, thinker, social reformer, and nationalist. His interpretation of the Vedic-Hindu philosophy is dedicated to universal unity and truth. The manner in which Swami Dayananda ‘Saraswati’ put forward his views for social reform – freedom, equality, and women's education has been exemplary. He opposed unjust social practices like child marriage and the ritual of burning a lady on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. On the other hand, he fully supported and encouraged widow remarriage. He was among those who prepared the ground for a social revolution. He projected his approach as one based on dharna that focused on the freedom of India from foreign subjugation.

Swami Dayananda ‘Saraswati’ was, undoubtedly, a messenger of Swarajya – self-rule. He defined Swarajya as the administration of self or self-governance. In this regard, he put forth a pertinent question that when God created people free to perform any work they were inclined to choose, how could there be any legitimacy for the British occupation of India.

Later on, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak raise the slogan of, “Swarajya is my birth right,” and worked for it throughout his life. Besides being an innovative social reformer, he was a great thinker. Realising the only reality of the Indivisible Whole in his early life, he assimilated the truth of Universal Unity, the chief feature of the Vedas and started work for spreading it – to impart the profound Vedic idea of Cosmic Unity and Oneness to everyone without any kind of discrimination. He made it the mission of his life. Therefore, one who is curious to comprehend and analyse the life, message and mission of Swami Dayananda ‘Saraswati’, needs to have familiarity with the glorious authority of the Vedas and their divinity.

The Vedas – four in number (the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda) are the most ancient scriptures of the world. These treatises are the basic source of the Sanatana Order – the Dharma. They are divine and called as the Shruti as well. The chief character of the Vedas can be found in their dedication to the Cosmic –Universal Unity as all emanating from the only one source of Almighty God –Paramatma, Indivisible Whole.

The term Veda is derived from the Sanskrit word Vid epitomising Jnana – knowledge. So, from a simple literal viewpoint the Veda is a knowledge book. The Vedas are the sacred scriptures imparting eternal knowledge. The Vedas are endowed with the knowledge of the Satya – truth, which can be perceived differently, i.e., “Ekam Sadvipraa Bahudhaa Vadanti…” (the Truth is only one, the learned ones perceive it differently or call it by various names) and the intact unity. Both of these principles are based on One and the Same Universal Rule, or the Order governed by Almighty and Perpetual God treating everyone with equality. As the Order –Rule is connected to continuity and orderliness, the Vedas are, therefore, the basic source of truth –the Satya and the Eternal Oder –Vyavastha. Maharishi Kanada, the founder of the Vaisheshika school of thought has, therefore, accepted the Vedas as the source of science and philosophy. It can be well comprehended from two of his significant mentions, “Tadwachanaadaanmaayasya Praanaanyam” and “Buddhipurvaakyakritirveda.” Similarly, it can be grasped from a mention of Manu in which he puts forth, “Vedoakhilo Dharmamulam.”

Swami Dayananda ‘Saraswati’ himself accepted the Vedas to be the source of highest knowledge – origin of all sciences. He also accepted the Vedas as the basic source of realisation of the Authority of Almighty God, who is the Director and Conductor of the Universal Order, and is Himself the basis of the Dharma –righteousness. This can be realised from his own statement in the Satyartha Prakash, “I accept as the Dharma whatever is in full conformity with impartial justice, truthfulness and the like; that which is not opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas. Whatever is not free from partiality and is unjust, partaking of untruth and the like and opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas – that I hold as Adharma.” Justice and truth are, thus, the two foremost aspects of the Dharma. Any injustice, small or big, based on any form of discrimination is Adharma. Swami Dayanand ‘Saraswati’ firmly put this reality before everyone, general or elite.

The Satya – truth and Sarvabhaumikta –Universality, the two eternal realities of the Vedic Mantras, which according to their basic spirit call everyone for realising human unity and equality, are essentially connected with the everlasting Law of Change urging a human being to do services for the welfare of one and all. While remembering Swami Dayanand ‘Saraswati’, a great social reformer, a self-rule lover, a patriot, and above all a follower of Satya on his birth anniversary, one should also be familiar with this reality and be ready to practice it to transform oneself from ‘being’ to ‘becoming’ - which is the only way to pay a tribute to him.

*A Padma Shri and Sardar Patel National Awardee Indologist Dr. Ravindra Kumar is a Former Vice Chancellor of CCS University, Meerut; he is also the Editor-in-Chief of Global Peace International Journal. 

The opinion/s expressed in the article are that of the author’s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policy or position of this magazine.