Editing Dayananda Saraswati (section)

== Dayanand's mission ==

[[File:O3m AryaSamaj.PNG|right|thumb|[[Om|Aum]] or Om is considered by the [[Arya Samaj]] to be the highest and most proper name of God.]] He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and that Hindus had been misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandizement. For this mission, he founded the [[Arya Samaj]], enunciating the Ten Universal Principles as a code for [[Universalism]], called ''Krinvanto Vishwaryam''. With these principles, he intended the whole world to be an abode for Aryas (Nobles).

His next step was to reform Hinduism with a new dedication to God. He travelled the country challenging religious scholars and priests to discussions, winning repeatedly through the strength of his arguments and knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boloji.com/people/04018.htm|title=Swami Dayananda Sarasvati by V. Sundaram|work=Boloji|access-date=14 January 2016|archive-date=13 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213120012/http://boloji.com/people/04018.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Hindus|Hindu]] [[priest]]s discouraged the [[laity]] from reading [[Vedas|Vedic]] scriptures, and encouraged rituals, such as bathing in the [[Ganges River]] and feeding of priests on anniversaries, which Dayananda pronounced as [[superstition]]s or self-serving practices. By exhorting the nation to reject such superstitious notions, his aim was to educate the nation to return to the teachings of the Vedas, and to follow the Vedic way of life. He also exhorted Hindus to accept social reforms, including the importance of cows for national prosperity as well as the adoption of [[Hindi]] as the national language for national integration. Through his daily life and practice of yoga and asanas, teachings, preaching, sermons and writings, he inspired Hindus to aspire for ''Swarajya'' (self-governance), nationalism, and spiritualism. He advocated the equal rights and respects to women and advocated for the education of all children, regardless of gender.

Dayanand also made critical analyses of faiths including [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]], as well as of other Indian faiths like [[Jainism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Sikhism]]. In addition to discouraging [[idolatry]] in Hinduism,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/3440/books.html |title=Light of Truth |access-date=9 October 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028134700/http://geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/3440/books.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 }}</ref> he was also against what he considered to be the corruption of the true and pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements of his times within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the sixth principle of the Arya Samaj. As a result, his teachings professed universalism for all the living beings and not for any particular sect, faith, community or nation.

Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism. Dayananda's concept of [[Dharma]] is stated in the "Beliefs and Disbeliefs" section of ''Satyartha Prakash,'' he says:
<blockquote>{{Blockquote|"I accept as 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]]."<br>
"He, who after careful thinking, is ever ready to accept truth and reject falsehood; who counts the happiness of others as he does that of his own self, him I call just."|''Satyarth Prakash''}}</blockquote>

Dayananda's Vedic message emphasized respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual. In the [[Arya Samaj#Principles|Ten Principles of the Arya Samaj]], he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefiting mankind", as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. The first five principles speak of Truth, while the last five speak of a society with nobility, civics, co-living, and disciplined life. In his own life, he interpreted [[Moksha]] to be a lower calling, as it argued for benefits to the individual, rather than calling to emancipate others.

Dayananda's "back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers and philosophers the world over.<ref name=Panicker>{{cite book|author=P. L. John Panicker|title=Gandhi on Pluralism and Communalism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4s2kBMLeXoEC|year=2006|publisher=ISPCK|isbn=978-81-7214-905-5|pages=30–40}}</ref>

===Activities===

Dayanand Saraswati is recorded to have been active since he was 14, which time he was able to recite religious verses and teach about them. He was respected at the time for taking part in religious debates. His debates were attended by large crowds.

On 22 October 1869 in [[Varanasi]] he lost a debate against 27 scholars and 12 expert pandits. The debate was said to have been attended by over 50,000 people. The main topic was "Do the Vedas uphold deity worship ?"<ref name="The World p. 123">{{cite book|author=Clifford Sawhney|title=The World's Greatest Seers and Philosophers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YUvLhVrizAoC|date= 2003|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-0824-2|page=123}}</ref><ref>[[Dayananda Saraswati#Sinhal|Sinhal]], p. 17.</ref>