Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati - A thinker and reformer who propounded the idea of Swaraj and Swadeshi

I was introduced to Swami Dayanand Saraswati through several inspirational stories that my parents told me when I was a child.

Those were formative days and my father used to tell me inspiring and interesting stories of saints, philosophers, and great men of India and the world to inculcate in me good character and to acquaint me with history, culture, and civilization.?

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati left an indelible imprint on my mind and as I grew up I became more interested to know about his life and philosophy.

Fortunately, I had my schooling at DAV model school established in his memory which is known for imparting quality education, character building, and chiseling children to become good human beings and assets of the nation.?

From the morning prayer to classroom teaching and recreation on the sports ground, I always felt the celestial presence of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati. Now when I am in politics to serve my people, his thoughts always inspire and keep me on the right track.

Down memory lane, I often wish to go back to my kindergarten days to feel the celestial presence of this great saint, philosopher, social reformer, and educationist whom our former President S. Radhakrishnan had referred to as the Maker of Modern India.

A visit to the history of reforms in India would reveal that a majority of socio-religious reforms, economic and political ideas, and democratic values were either inspired by him or were the result of his tireless efforts. There is an exhaustive list of such reforms—universal education, equal rights to women, the law against untouchability and child marriage, proper education policy, and many more—are the transformation of his ideas. An ardent prophet of reforms, his views were advanced of his time.?

The monk was a great visionary who had anticipated India would sooner or later break imperial shackles and would emerge as a great welfare democratic state of the world. The duty he had prescribed for the state and the lawmakers are very enlightening. He said that the state should be moral and ethical rather than political.

?Right from ancient times, the socio-political and religious history of India is flooded with myriads of examples where saints, philosophers, and Sanyasis came forward to lead the society, became the pioneer of change, and raised the voice for the voiceless.??

They raised their heads against British imperialism, sacrificed their lives, became immortal, and inspired future generations. The Sanyasis Revolt of the late 18th century led by Sanyasis is one such example. Thus, through ?astra (??????) and ?āstra (???????), and ?āstrārtha (???????????) they have provided leadership, infused self-esteem in the masses and convinced society for positive changes.

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati belongs to that grand tradition of saints and Sanyasis who lived at a time (1824-1883) when Indian society riddled with social follies was groaning the British subjugation. The great Sepoy Revolution of 1857 failed to dislodge British rule but it rekindled a sense of nationalism among Indians. Even leading an ascetic life in search of true knowledge, he was closely watching the country and the countrymen.

A political thinker who propounded the idea of Swaraj and Swadeshi?

“The greatest musical instrument given to a human being is the voice,” Maharishi had said once. Many may interpret it as his deep philosophical musing over God and His grandeur. But in this line, one can also decode his unflinching commitment to democratic values and the right to freedom of expression. He rather exhorts Indians to raise their voice against imperial injustice because God has made everybody equal.?

That was a memorable phase of Indian history where a saffron-clad Sanyasi was leading the movement for socio-political awakening and unification of India.

When India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is celebrating Amrit Kaal — the 75 years of the independence of India — it is necessary to revisit his thoughts and speeches, especially his call for Swaraj (India for Indians). He was the first to give the call for Swaraj, urging people to discard foreign things which gave a fresh impetus to Indian nationalism and changed the trajectory of India’s struggle for freedom.?

In fact, the idea of Swaraj is reflected in his magnum opus Satyartha Prakash where he exhorted people for self-confidence, self-esteem, and political consciousness to get Swaraj.

He asserted Indians have the right to enjoy Swaraj because we are not slaves and foreign rulers must vacate our country.? His revolutionary views on ‘Swaraj’ and distaste towards ‘foreign yoke’ alerted the British government.

But the idea of Swaraj had already taken wings, it soon became the main political discourse of India and the cause was taken-up many leading freedom fighters and revolutionaries of the time including even Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Ram Prasad Bismil, Madan Lal Dhingra, Veer Sawarkar and others.?

Lala Lajpat Rai had even an intensive debate and dialogue with students of the DAV College over the idea of Swaraj and how to sustain it as a national movement. The DAV school and colleges I belong to became the chief exponent of the idea of Swaraj which is integral to the idea of Swadeshi. Swadeshi served as an important part of the curriculum.?

For Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswati the idea of Swaraj was just not a political necessity it was a tool of economic empowerment and self-sustenance of India. All the Swadeshi movements, pre or post-independence, or a very successful and result-oriented action plan for ‘self-reliant India’ by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi have drawn inspiration from Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswatiji. India can’t be the supplier of raw materials and a captive market of foreign products.?

He inspired kings and zamindars to use hand-spun and hand-woven clothes. This was the idea of Swaraj which was manifested in his thought and action.

The journey of his life had an abrupt end in 1883. But his words and teachings continued to inspire generations. The baton of Swadeshi was taken up by Mahatma Gandhi who was also a great economic thinker.

Under the leadership of Gandhiji, the Khadi, and village industry became a common thread connecting the haves and have-nots of the country. Khadi symbolizing Swadeshi became the most trusted and sacred word which still makes us nostalgic and fills us with pride.?

A prophet of social reform?

Many social reforms India has witnessed were due to the effort of Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswati. He championed the cause of universal education, gender equality, and women's empowerment and actively campaigned against early marriage, polygamy, and untouchability.

He realized that the body politics of Indian society needs immediate major surgery to weed out evil practices and false notions if India wants freedom from British rule.?

Arya Samaj was started formally in Bombay in 1875 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. It came as a movement where the founder and the members never knew English and they made their appeals not to an English-educated elite, but to the broad masses of their fellow countrymen.

The Arya Samaj under his leadership had a strong motive for socio-religious and political movements to fight against dogmas besides the spiritual and moral upliftment of people. He revived the past glory and rich heritage of India and reacted against undue and evil western influences.?

He constantly strived for widow remarriage and women’s education and persuaded society to accept these reforms. Highlighting the importance of female education, he declared denying education to a girl as a crime and that an educated man needs an educated wife for society.

In Satyarth Prakash, which is arguably the best book on social reforms written in the 19th century, he said that only education can improve the condition of women and society as a whole.?

He insisted that women should be given freedom from purdah and allowed to join men in religious and public life because they are equal to men in their ability to achieve emancipation.?

He cautioned the society against evils of early marriage/child marriage and proposed the state to bring a law to abolish this practice. He said that the minimum age for marriage should be sixteen for girls and twenty-five for boys.?

He viewed the caste system and caste-based discrimination as the biggest hindrance in the unification of Hindus and Indian society and said that Vedas never prescribed discrimination of human beings and prohibited its recitation on the basis of caste and gender.?

He had rightly envisaged that only education can power any socio-political transformation. That was why he supported the idea of free compulsory universal education and put the onus on the state to ensure the education of all children, both boys and girls, irrespective of their social position. He even proposed stringent measures like denying education to children as a penal offense.?

"Both state and society should make it compulsory upon all to send their children (both male and female) to school after the 5th or 8th year. It should be made a penal offense to keep a child at home after that age," he said in Satyartha Prakash.?

But there was a burgeoning challenge to set up and sustain an educational system that catered to the needs of the Indian society rather than serving as a factory for the production of westernized educated natives for the British government.?

His main insistence was on enlightenment, acquiring true knowledge through education, developing a sense of humanism and rationalism, and cultivating the spirit of service and help to others.

He attached a high value to the moral education of the children to encourage virtues and discourage vices. A scrutiny of the model of the educational system and multisided curriculum proposed by him only reveals that he wanted the most comprehensive and all-around perfection for the people of his country. He emphasized on Vedic education to restore the glory of India.

His thoughts on education have a great bearing on contemporary educational philosophy and none can deny that he has a special place in the history of education in modern India.

The DAV schools established in the memory of Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswati today are an all-India presence preferred by parents for quality and value-based education for their children. Since 1886 DAV family has been religiously following the educational policy of Maharshi Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Modern India will remain indebted to this finest philosopher, leader, and social and religious reformer whose reforms shaped the destiny of India.?