What is the Arya Samaj?

The Arya Samaj is a reform movement and religious/social organization which was formally established in Bombay in 1875. It's patron saint is Maharishi Dayananda. By patron saint we mean to say that he was the inspiration behind this movement and is taken to be the guide of all those who call themselves Arya Samajees. But Dayananda never referred to either himself or others as Arya Samajees or Arya Samajists. He very clearly proclaimed:

"I do not entertain the least idea of founding a new religion or sect. My sole aim is to believe in Truth and help others believe in it, to reject falsehood and help others to do the same."

Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati

Maharishi Dayananda was a social reformer and religious leader of the highest caliber. He was an adamant follower, exponent, and practitioner of the Vedas—the unadulterated Truth as handed down from Guru to disciple since the beginning of time. Swami Dayananda had absolutely no craving for worldly applause and was completely unconcerned and unperturbed by the censure of the superstitious, the ignorant, and the selfish. Swami Dayanada spoke the Truth and practiced it too. His compassion and large heartedness are legendary . Few people really understood him. His greatness cannot be measured with the yardstick of intellect or the ruler of the mind. To really know him one must meet him in the sacred chamber of the purified heart, devoid of all images, opinions, and misconceptions. Great souls never die—indeed, no soul ever dies, but great souls live on and on forever in our hearts. They are not confined to a particular place or time, caste, creed, or religion, country or culture—because they have gone beyond the dimension of the mind.

The formal organization known as the Arya Samaj was an aid in fulfilling Maharishi Dayananda's promise to his preceptor to reveal the true meaning of the Vedas and revive the Vedic culture. However, Dayananda's prime mission in life was not the forming and maintaining of an organization or institution.

What is the Meaning of Arya?

The word Arya means a noble human being—one who is thoughtful and charitable, who thinks good thoughts and does good actions—he or she is an Arya. The universal Arya Samaj (Vishwa Arya Samaj) is a gathering of such people. It is a well-knit society of good people.

Arya Samaj of the 21st Century

For the Arya Samaj (the formal institution) to make an impact in the next century and beyond, its members must take special care to imbibe the purity and depth of Maharishi Dayananda. It is not enough that we merely follow his words to the letter—we need to enter into the spirit of that great soul and realize the essence of his teachings. It is imperative that all narrow-minded sectarian views be shunned, and that every Arya whole-heartedly embrace the universal principles that were practiced and propagated by Maharishi Dayananda. These are the same universal principles that were practiced by the Sages and noble people since times immemorial, and will continue to be practiced by good people until the end of time.

Life of Swami Dayanada

There are many stories that reveal the greatness of Swami Dayanada. One such story of his greatest is retold below:

Swami Dayananda was a tiger of Truth--he was never one to cower before the insolent might. That doesn't mean that he would recklessly put himself in harm's way, but neither would he hesitate to speak the truth to save others from harming themselves (through ignorance or manipulation). At the behest of his Guru (Swami Virjananda) he traveled all over India, sharing his wisdom with all, and guiding those who would listen to him. In the end, he was poisoned by a cook who had been misguided (through creed) by those whose special selfish interests were threatened by Swamiji's clarity and candor. The story goes like this. . . . .

India under the British Raj had degenerated into a hodgepodge of small empires , all too often ruled by selfish Maharajas who had acquiesced to British rule (as a result of bribery or other manipulation). Even the Rajputs (who were known for their fierce patriotism) had fallen into self-degradation. Swamiji wanted to awaken these Maharajas to enlist their support and influence in freeing India from foreign rule and self-deception.

Swamiji was invited by the Maharaja of Jodpur, Rajhasthan, to stay in his palace as an honored guest. The Maharaja respected Swamiji very much and was eager to receive his counsel. But, unfortunately, it seems the Maharaja did not respect himself--he had endeared himself to a low-charactered woman who entertained the Maharaja with her lewd dancing and female wiles. Swamiji happened upon them one day as they were selfishly engrossed in each other, and boldly reprimanded the Maharaja as thus:

"Oh King, what is this I see? A lion in the company of a she-dog?! This is unbefitting of an Arya. Your duty is like that of a father to his children. Your people look up to you for protection and guidance. But you are keeping the company of a street bitch and bringing defame to your name, your family, and the human race. Throw away your selfish and degrading habits! Awaken from the coma of ignorance and hearken to the call of your soul! You are Arya Putra, a son of God--be true to your name and stand on your own two feet like a man of God! Stop making excuses for your selfish habits and leave these crutches of your ego! You are not a four-legged animal--then why do you cuddle at the feet of this fallen mother, like a little puppy dog? Utishtha! Arise and be true to your nature--follow your Dharma like your forefathers; polish and preserve your character and become a shining gem in the crown of the Almighty."

The Maharaja realized his folly and felt much ashamed, and broke off all contact with this woman. As the saying goes, "There is no fury like a woman spurned." This vile person (who was a well-known high-class prostitute of the day) was extremely vexed. It is said that the British rulers of that area got word of this and used it to their advantage: they plotted with her to murder Swami Dayanada by giving her money to bribe the Maharaja's cook to poison Swamiji.

The cook, persuaded by greed and manipulation, carried out the wicked task entrusted upon him. One evening, just before Swamiji was retiring, the cook brought Swamiji warm milk containing poison and ground glass. After drinking the concoction, Swamiji retired for the evening, later to awaken in extreme pain. He realized immediately that he had been poisoned and attempted to purge his digestive system of the poisonous substance, but alas, it had already made its way into his blood stream.

Swamiji became bedridden and suffered excruciating pain. Over the course of the next several weeks, highly qualified doctors were called to help, but none could stop the effects of the poison. In the end, Swamiji's body was covered all over with large bleeding sores caused by the shredded glass and poison.

Just before Swamiji's last days, the cook, overcome with unbearable guilt and remorse, approached Swamiji in tears and confessed his crime. Swamiji (who knew all along the identity of his assassin) listened to the confession of the anguished cook.

Forgiving that tormented soul, Swamiji gave the cook a bag of money and told him to flee the country lest he be found out and executed by the Maharaja's men. Such was the compassion and mercy of Swami Dayananda.

On Deepvali day, Swamiji's spirit was released from its mortal frame with the words,

OM. . . . . .Thy Will Be Done. . . . . .OM

Cohesive Force of Conciousness

What is that which holds a society together? What is that which holds a community together? What is that which binds a family together into one cohesive unit? What is that which enables an individual to 'keep it together', i.e., to remain balanced and focused?

The answer is WISDOM--knowledge of one's Self, the Supreme Self, and the nature of this world. Wisdom is the fabric of a nation, a culture, an organization, a family and an individual. Without wisdom, a nation is divided. Without wisdom, a culture is lost, without wisdom a family is pulled apart, without wisdom an individual becomes insane.

Clarrification :

This is not to imply that the small empires were the invention of the British--but the British certainly left no stone unturned to keep the various kingdoms divided amongst themselves.

The British were not solely responsible for the ills of India--in fact, Indians themselves were mostly to blame, as the Indian society had degenerated over the past 5000 years due to many various influences (many of which came from within the society itself). If you are interested in knowing about this, you are advised to read the eleventh (11th) chapter of Satyarth Prakash (Light of Truth), written by Maharishi Dayananda over 100 years ago.

A wise human being does not get carried away by the stories of the past. It is okay to remember the stories, but it more important to focus on the lessons to be learned.

Focus on the lessons

Finger pointing and name calling are useless. We need to see where we have gone wrong, so that we do not make the same mistakes again. We need to arm ourselves with wisdom to ward off all negative influences--whether they be from our past, from our environment, or from those with whom we come in contact.

"A wise human being learns from a little pain. A foolish person almost gets killed and still doesn't learn."

"A wise human being learns from the mistakes of others. A foolish person doesn't even learn from his own mistakes."