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Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay. Arya Samaj emphasizes values from the Vedas and advocates for social reform.
Deeksha Dixit13 May, 2025
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The Arya Samaj was a powerful socio-religious reform movement that emerged in India during the 19th century. It aimed to reform Hinduism and revive Vedic values in response to increasing Western influence and internal social decay.
Founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the Arya Samaj played a critical role in fighting against casteism, superstition, and social evils like Sati and child marriage. It also laid the foundation for rational thinking, women's education, and nationalism. Read on for more!
Arya Samaj Movement in India
The Arya Samaj movement began in the late 19th century as a response to growing societal evils and religious decline. At this time, Indian society was deeply divided by caste, ignorance, and outdated practices. People blindly followed rituals, idol worship, and superstitions. The British colonial rule also challenged Indian traditions and questioned the relevance of Hinduism.
Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy had already initiated changes, but a deeper return to Vedic values was still needed. Finally, Arya Samaj stepped in 1875 and rejected orthodox Hindu customs and promoted a rational, scriptural understanding of the Vedas. It encouraged people to think logically, question rituals, and return to the original teachings of the Vedas.
Arya Samaj Movement
Founder
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Year Founded
1875
Place Founded
Bombay (now Mumbai), India
Motto
"Krinvanto Vishwam Aryam" (Make the world noble)
Main Objective
Revival of Vedic traditions and removal of social evils
Core Beliefs
Monotheism: One all-knowing, eternal God worthy of worship
Vedas as the ultimate and infallible source of knowledge
Emphasis on truth, righteousness (dharma), and social justice
Social Reforms
Promotion of women's equality, widow remarriage, and female education
Opposition to caste discrimination, child marriage, polygamy, and Sati
Educational Impact
Established Gurukuls and Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) schools
Social Impact
Influenced Indian nationalism and civil rights movements
Conducted Shuddhi (reconversion) movement
Relation to Other Movements
Shared reformist ideals with Brahmo Samaj, such as opposition to polytheism and caste restrictions
Legacy
Active in India and abroad (approximately 10000 Arya Samaj Temples in the world and over 2500 Schools, Colleges, and Universities).
History of Arya Samaj
The history of Arya Samaj begins in 1875 when Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the movement in Bombay (now Mumbai). Initially, it was called the ‘Arya Samaj of Bombay.’ Later, it gained national popularity and spread across northern India. The Samaj was formally established with ten principles finalized in 1877 in Lahore, emphasizing Vedic authority and reform.
The movement was deeply inspired by Vedic teachings and opposed anything that contradicted the Vedas. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Arya Samaj grew in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and other regions. It opened schools, started social reforms, and even influenced India’s freedom movement.
The founder of Arya Samaj, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, was born as Mool Shankar Tiwari on February 12, 1824, in Tankara, Gujarat. He belonged to a Brahmin family and was deeply religious from a young age. But his faith in traditional rituals started to shake after witnessing a mouse eat the offerings made to Lord Shiva during a temple visit.
This incident raised serious questions in his mind about idol worship. Swami Dayanand renounced his home and began a long journey across India in search of truth. His final conclusion was simple: the Vedas are the only true scriptures, and Hinduism must return to its Vedic roots, leading to the foundation of the Arya Samaj.
Key Leaders of the Arya Samaj Movement
While Swami Dayanand was the founder of Arya Samaj, many key leaders helped carry his mission forward. These leaders played major roles in spreading the movement’s ideas across India:
Swami Virajanand Dandeesha
Spiritual mentor of Dayanand Saraswati; influential Vedic scholar who inspired Dayanand’s reformist vision and Arya Samaj’s foundation.
Shri Shraddhanand
Prominent Arya Samaj leader; founded Gurukul Kangri University (1902) to promote Vedic education; active in social reform and Indian independence movement; assassinated in 1926 for his reform efforts.
Pandit Lekh Ram
Noted Arya Samaj preacher and debater; defended Vedic teachings against religious orthodoxy; became a martyr after assassination in 1897 due to his reformist stance.
Mission and Core Principles of Arya Samaj
The mission of the Arya Samaj was to revive and promote the teachings of the Vedas, eradicate social evils, and work for the physical, spiritual, and social welfare of all humanity. The core principles of Arya Samaj are written in its ‘Ten Principles’, which include:
God is the primary source of all true knowledge.
God is formless, omnipotent, just, merciful, and the creator of the universe.
The Vedas are the books of true knowledge.
Truth should be accepted and untruth rejected.
One should do what is right for all.
Promote knowledge and destroy ignorance.
Treat all equally, with love and justice.
Promote good deeds and discourage bad ones.
One should work for the physical, spiritual, and social good of everyone.
Personal liberty must align with societal welfare.
The Arya Samaj also rejected idol worship, blind rituals, astrology, animal sacrifices, and priestly domination. It promoted the idea of universal brotherhood, social service, and nationalism.
Major Contributions of Arya Samaj
The major contributions of Arya Samaj are as follows:
Education: The DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) schools and colleges were founded to combine Vedic values with modern learning. Today, there are hundreds of DAV institutions across India.
Women’s Rights: Arya Samaj fought for widow remarriage, girls’ education, and against dowry and child marriage.
Shuddhi Movement: This was started to reconvert Hindus who had adopted other religions, especially in the face of force or fear.
Nationalism: Many freedom fighters, including Lala Lajpat Rai, were influenced by Arya Samaj ideals. It laid the moral and intellectual foundation for the independence struggle.
Social Reform: It openly opposed untouchability, caste discrimination, and the monopoly of priests. It encouraged rational debate and scientific thinking.
Split Organizations within Arya Samaj
Over time, differences in interpretation and administration led to split organizations within the Arya Samaj. A few streams emerged:
Split Organization
Description
Mahatma Group
Emerged in 1893 due to disagreement over vegetarianism; considered more conservative regarding dietary practices.
Cultured Party
More liberal in dietary customs compared to Mahatma group; reflected internal diversity within Arya Samaj Punjab.
Gurukul Group of Arya Samaj
The conservative wing formed around 1892; this group emphasized traditional Vedic education through Gurukuls.
College Group of Arya Samaj
Radical wing favoring English education and modern schooling, including Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) institutions.
Despite these splits, all groups shared the basic mission of Arya Samaj and continued social and educational reforms in their own ways.
Legacy of Arya Samaj
The legacy and impact of Arya Samaj can be seen in today’s educational institutions, social reforms, and even constitutional values like equality and secularism. The movement influenced leaders like Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Today, it runs around 10,000 Arya Samaj temples worldwide, along with about 2,500 schools, colleges, and universities (including DAV institutions) and nearly 400 traditional Gurukuls. Arya Samaj also organizes thousands of inter-caste marriages each year and supports education in tribal areas.
The movement continues to emphasize education, women’s rights, and social equality, shaping modern India’s growth and inspiring reforms. The Arya Samaj was not just a religious group, it was a movement that touched every part of Indian society.
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