The AryaSamaj is a progressive faith and a way of life. It was founded by Swami DayanandSaraswati. The great saint, Maharishi DayananadSaraswati was born in 1824 in village Tankara in Gujarat.
He was a great thinker and social reformer. In 19th century, he saw the Indian society in the grip of age-old customs, superstitions and beliefs. He propounded the slogan 'Back to the Vedas’ to help people get rid of the false beliefs and adopt an objective, rational and progressive way of life. He openly stood up against all the social evils such as discrimination on grounds of caste, creed, sex, economic status , social bigotry, male chauvinism and religious dominance of higher castes over the backward castes and classes.
By propagating Vedic knowledge he ushered in a social renaissance in the Indian society. He strongly advocated the eradication of ignorance and illiteracy through education of persons belonging to all castes, high or low. He encouraged education of women and promoted widow-remarriage. Rarely in history has one single person come to be so totally identified with social and moral revival of the nation as Swami DayanandSaraswati.
Thus AryaSamaj aims at making man a good human being and achieving the two-fold development i.e. the spiritual upliftment and the social upliftment.
10 Principles of Arya Samaj
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God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge and all that is known through knowledge.
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God is existent, intelligent and blissful. He is formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning-less,unequalled, the support of all, the master of all, omnipresent, immanent, un-aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the maker of all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.
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The Vedas are the scriptures of all true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to read them, teachthem , recite them and to hear them being read.
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One should always be ready to accepttruth and to renounce untruth.
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All acts should be performed in accordance with Dharma that is, after deliberating what is right and wrong.
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The prime object of the AryaSamaj is to do good to the world, that is, to promotephysical, spiritual and social good of everyone.
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Our conduct towards all should be guided by love,righteousness and justice.
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We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya (knowledge).
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No one should be content with promoting his/her goodonly on the contrary, one should look for his/her good in promoting the good of all.
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One should regard oneself under restriction to follow the rules of society calculated to promote thewell being of all, while in following the rules of individual welfare all should be free.