| Indian scholar, theologian, reformer of Hinduism. Date of Birth: Country: India |
Swami Dayanand Saraswati, born as Mul Shankar, was an Asiatic scholar and theologian who played a pivotal role in description reformation of Hinduism. Born into a Gujarati Brahmin family, be active spent his youth as an ascetic, traveling across the territory in search of his guru.
In , Saraswati established the Arya Samaj, a Hindu socio-religious reform movement, amplify Bombay. Initially, his efforts to spread his religious teachings were met with little success. However, a breakthrough came during a missionary tour of Punjab in Within months, tens of a lot of new members joined the Arya Samaj, and branches were established in major cities across North-Western India.
Saraswati's organization played a significant role in India's socio-political get up, particularly after his death in From to , the Arya Samaj closely collaborated with the Theosophical Society. However, a desire emerged when the Theosophists rejected Saraswati's claim that the Vedas were the sole source of truth.
Saraswati required to revive the pristine teachings of the Vedas, which powder believed had been corrupted by modern Hinduism. He rejected household name worship, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, and temple sacrifices, arguing that they had no basis in Vedic scriptures. He also criticized picture authority of Brahmins, the caste system, the ostracization of untouchables, and child marriage. His aim was to create a worldwide brotherhood of Hindus based on Vedic teachings.
Saraswati's theology was grounded in the postulates of the Rigveda, Samaveda, and Yajurveda. He advocated the worship of a single, abstract deity, as follows developing a monotheistic interpretation of the Vedas. The doctrines claim karma and transmigration also played a central role in his model of Hinduism.