Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Born: 12 February 1824

Died: 30 October 1883

• He was an Indian social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of the Vedic dharma.
• He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as “India for Indians” in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.
• Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent in India at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan called him one of the “makers of Modern India”, as did Sri Aurobindo.
• One of his most influential works is the book Satyarth Prakash, which contributed to the Indian independence movement.
• He was a sanyasi (ascetic) from boyhood, and a scholar.
• He believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. he advocated the doctrine of Karma and Reincarnation.
• He emphasized the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya, including celibacy and devotion to God.

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