Swami Dayanand’s Crusade to Reform Hinduism Ended on the Diwali Day.

By. Ajit Adhopia.

(From Canadian Hindu Link-Oct-Dec. issue)

Most Hindus celebrate Diwali for a Varity of reasons, based on certain events that had occurred on that day mentioned in the Puranic stories about various deities. The Arya Samajists, the followers of Arya Samaj or Noble Society, too observe Diwali just like other Hindus, but for a different reason. On the Diwali day, the founder of Arya Samaj Swami Dayanand was assassinated. Traditionally, the passing away of a great soul like him is not mourned, but celebrated. The Arya Samaj emerged from the Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayanand in the 19^th Century.

Swami Dayanand, whose given name was Mool Shanker, was born in 1824 in an orthodox Brahmin family, in the state of Gujarat in India. His quest for spiritual knowledge started at a very young age. He learned Sanskrit, studied the Vedas (the primary Hindu Scriptures) and became an ardent debater at a very young age.

An incident I his local temple triggered his search to find the true meaning and form of God. Thirteen year-old Mool Shanker was observing a fast to celebrate the Hindu festival of Shivaratri. He was keeping the required nigh long vigil in front of the Shiva’s idol at his local temple, when instead of seeing God, he observed a mouse nibbling the offering made to Lord Shiva by His devotees.

Mool Shanker wondered how the Almighty God could protect him when He could not even protect Himself from a little mouse. Later, having witness the death of his sister and uncle, he grew disenchanted with life. He left his home and became a wandering ascetic. He wandered around in India fro 15 years and met many yogis and holy me until he found a spiritual preceptor who helped him realize the true meaning of life and understand the hidden, inner meanings of Vedas. His guru gave him a new name, Dayanand, and told him “Dayanand my son, go and spread the true knowledge of the Vedas, dispel the darkness of ignorance, throw light on the true meaning of truth and liberate India”.

Realizing the Hindu masses were in the grip of superstitions arising from the priest craft practiced by Brahmins to earn their living, Swamiji, as his followers call him, ignited a crusade to reform the Hindu society.

Swami reinterpreted the Vedas in the modern terms in his work Satyarth Prakash (Light of Truth) and urged Hindus to “go back to Vedas” and shun superstitious practices that had distorted their faith. He strongly opposed idol worship, polytheism and pantheism and urged Hindus to worship one formless God. He strongly condemned social practices –such as child marriage, custom of dowry, force widowhood, the hereditary caste system based on birth and statee (self-immolation by widows)- that had nothing to do with Vedas.

Swamiji aggressively campaigned for the emancipation of women, eradication of untouchability and education for lower-caste Hindus and women. He believed that without these reforms India would never be able to caste off the yoke of British rule. He harshly chastised Christian missionaries for proselytizing among poor and vulnerable Hindus.

To create a vehicle for his reform program, Swamiji laid the foundation of the Arya Samaj in 1875. He urged his followers to focus on social and spiritual development of all. He toured across India and his fiery oratory motivated urban, educated Hindu youths to rejuvenate their society by joining the Arya Samaj movement.

Arya Samaj made a huge contributions to the social development of Hindus society, establishing schools and colleges for girls, shelters for destitute widows and abused women and training centers fro female priests and community workers.

The Brahmins, who earned their livelihood by performing the rituals that Swamiji so harshly condemned, felt threatened by aggressive way he promoted his revolutionary ideas. He challenged and debated the validity of many popular rituals with them, earning the wrath of many orthodox Hindus.

Swamiji survived 13 assassination attempts on his life by poisoning, but 1n 1883 he succumbed to the 14^th attempt on Diwali, the major Hindu festival.