Talk:Maharṣi Dayānanda Sarasvatī
By Vishal Agarwal
Maharṣi Dayānanda Sarasvatī (1824–1883 C.E.) regarded as one of the greatest social reformers of the Hindu society, he was born close to the modern town of Morvī in the Indian state of Gujarāt. As a child, he was very inquisitive about the nature of this world and Bhagavān but was not very satisfied with the answers that his parents and others gave to him. Around the age of 20, he ran away from his home and became a sādhu. He roamed throughout central and northern India and studied under many different gurus. He became a scholar of many Hindu scriptures, but found that some of the teachings of the later books were wrong, because they were written by authors who had incomplete knowledge and understanding.
Hindu dharm teaches us to accept something only if it makes sense to us, and if it seems correct. A Sanskrit proverb says, “Do not accept a false statement even if it has been said by Brahmā.” Śaṅkarācārya (7th–8th cent. C.E.), one of the greatest Hindu philosophers, had also said that even if hundreds of verses in the Vedas were to say that ‘fire is cold,’ then we cannot accept it because by our own experience, fire is hot and burns us!
In the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa teaches the entire philosophy of Hindu dharm to Arjuna. But at the end, He does not say, “It is My command that you must follow whatever I have said.” Instead, Kṛṣṇa asked him whether his delusion of ignorance was destroyed by His answers to Arjuna’s questions. Respecting one’s Guru and holy books does not mean that we accept whatever they say. No one knows everything, including your teacher. Therefore, if you have a doubt, ask your teacher. And if your questions are not answered satisfactorily, then do your own investigation. The story below shows how Swāmī Dayānanda found out the truth himself.
Story: Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī Dissects a Corpse Swāmī Dayānanda read elaborate descriptions of human anatomy (the structure of organs, bones inside the body) through some newer books of Haṭhayoga (a branch of yog that focusses on breathing and physical exercises) like the Haṭhayogapradīpikā. However, the complicated descriptions of these books had really confused him. One day, as he was walking on the banks of the Gaṅgā river in the town of Garhmukteśvar, he saw a corpse floating by.
Swāmī Dayānanda dragged the corpse out of the water. With a knife, he cut the abdomen to examine the heart. He also examined some areas in the neck and the head, and tried to compare them with the anatomical descriptions given in the works of Haṭhayoga. After sometime, the Swāmī concluded that the descriptions in these books did not match the actual structure of the human body.
Therefore, Swāmī Dayānanda concluded that these books were inaccurate and not reliable. Disappointed, he threw back these books and the corpse into the river. He came to the conclusion that only the Vedas and ancient works of Ṛṣis like Patañjali and Kapila were true and accurate.
Story: How Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī Paid his Guru-Dakṣiṇā Around the year 1851, Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī was on a search of a Guru who could teach him the intricacies of Sanskrit grammar. He carried with him manuscripts of the grammar book Sārasvata Kaumudī and other books which were very expensive and rare in those days. One day, he heard that the blind man Swāmī Virjānanda of Mathurā was a great scholar of Sanskrit grammar. So one night, he knocked at the door of Swāmī Virjānanda, who asked Swāmī Dayānanda what books he had studied and what books he was carrying.
Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī responded, “I have studied the grammar in Sārasvata Kaumudī and some other books, and I am carrying their manuscripts. But I have still not been able to master the grammar of Sanskrit.” Swāmī Virjānanda replied, “Then these books are of no use. Go and throw your manuscripts in the waters of the Yamunā river.” Without batting an eyelid, Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī went to the Yamunā river and threw away his manuscripts.
When he returned to Swāmī Virjānanda, the latter said, “All books of grammar created by small minds in recent times are of little use. Instead, you should study grammar from the works of Pāṇini and Patañjali written several thousand years ago. Only the works of great Ṛṣis and Munis like them can help you master the subject of Sanskrit grammar.”
Virjānanda was a very quick-tempered and a harsh person. He used to be the teacher of Princes in a Rājput kingdom in western India and was very meticulous about punctuality. One day, the Princes arrived a bit late. Swāmī Virjānanda immediately packed up his bags and left the kingdom to move to Mathurā, another city in north India, because he had zero tolerance for his students arriving late.
The Guru would get annoyed at little things and even hit his grown up students. One day, Swāmī Dayānanda swept the floor of his Guru’s room and heaped the garbage in a corner to pick it up soon. Suddenly, the Guru arrived and stepped on the heap of garbage. He flew into a rage and beat Dayānanda with a stick. But despite his Guru’s harsh behavior, Dayānanda did not get upset. Instead, he started massaging the hands of his Guru saying, “Gurudev, I am young and my body is very sturdy but your arms are weak. I apologize if I have caused a pain to your arms.” Swāmī Dayānanda knew that his Guru was very knowledgeable and kind hearted, and therefore he did not get upset by the harshness of his behavior.
Swāmī Dayānanda then spent a few years studying grammar under Swāmī Virjānanda with the help of books of the Ṛṣis, and mastered the subject. When it was time to depart from his Guru, he offered some cloves to Swāmī Virjānanda (thinking that they will soothe the pain due to his stomach ulcers) as a parting gift. But Swāmī Virjānanda said, “There was no need to give me a gift. But I need a promise from you – that you will devote your life to teach and popularize the works of great Ṛṣis, and that you will spread the message of the Vedas to the common people even if you have to lose your life in this effort. You will never compromise with evil, and will not hesitate to criticize the superstitions in our society.”
Swāmī Dayānanda agreed and spent the remaining years of his life spreading the message of the Vedas and popularizing other works of Ṛṣis all over north India. Several attempts were made on his life by evil people, but he never stepped back and always forgave those who had tried to kill him, and never went back on the promise that he had given to his Guru.
Story: Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī Acknowledges the Respect of a Poor Man In the town of Anūpshahar in Uttar Pradesh, India, a humble barber became a great admirer of Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī. One day, the barber lovingly served a few roṭīs to the Swāmī, and said, in a trembling voice, “Swāmījī, everyone considers me a low-born, humble barber. I apologize for offering you this roṭī, even though I am an unclean person.” There were about twenty Brāhmaṇas sitting in the vicinity and they too remarked, “How can you eat a roṭī given by an unclean and low person like a barber?”
Swāmījī smiled and said, “There is nothing unclean about this roṭī. It is made of wheat, just as a roṭī from any other person. Only that food is unclean which is purchased with ill-gotten money, or which has contaminating stuff in it. I will definitely eat the roṭī offered by you.”
This story shows how the humble and kind gesture of Swāmī Dayānanda acknowledged that the Swāmī had respect for everyone in his heart, even for people who were regarded as lowly by the rest of the society.
Story: The Effect of Bhajans – How Swāmī Dayānanda Reformed Amīchandra Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī had a disciple named Amīchandra, who sang very well and also played the ṭablā. The Swāmī entrusted him with the task of singing bhajans in his sermons.
Some other disciples of the Swāmī objected and said, “Gurudev, Amīchandra is an alcoholic. Therefore, if we associate with him, our own reputation will be harmed.”
But Swāmī Dayānanda replied, “Till now, Amīchandra sang only for pleasure or for money. Today, he has started singing for the Divine. We should encourage him because in this way, he will eventually give up his alcoholism and other bad habits.”
In fact, this is what happened. Singing spiritual and religious songs at meetings, Amīchandra himself got reformed and gave up his bad habits. He became an active supporter of Swāmī Dayānanda in his efforts to reform the Hindu society.
Story: Swāmī Dayānanda Forgives his Assailant The Swāmī was fearless in criticizing priests who fooled the innocent common people in the name of religion. One day, a paṇḍit offered him a pān which had poison inside it. When Swāmī Dayānanda fell ill after eating it, he used his yogic training to spit out the poison and survived the attempt to murder him.
The news reached the Muslim police officer of Anūpshahr, where Swāmī Dayānanda was staying at that time. The officer was a great admirer of the Swāmī. He got the paṇḍit arrested and produced him in front of Swāmī Dayānanda.
He asked, “What punishment do you think we should give to him?”
To his surprise, Swāmī Dayānanda replied, “I have come to free people, not to imprison them. Therefore, please free this man.” The police officer was astonished at how forgiving Swāmī Dayānanda was.
Story: Swāmī Dayānanda Teaches Good Habits to a Student The Swāmī once visited a rich man in the city of Bombay (today called Mumbai). He noticed that the ten year old boy of the host was very spoilt. He called the boy and said to him lovingly, “Child, please pay attention to some good things that I will teach you. Wake up early in the morning. Wash up and then bow to your parents. And make sure that you carry your own books to the school. Do not ask a servant to carry your stuff.”
Swāmī Dayānanda fought for the rights of women and proved from the Vedas that all human beings have the right to study Hindu scriptures. Till his times, Muslims and Christians converted Hindus to their religions, but Hindus did not convert others to Hindu dharm. Hindus believed that one had to be born a Hindu to be a Hindu and that conversion to Hinduism was not possible. But Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī disagreed. He and his followers started the ‘Śuddhi Movement’ under which several hundred thousand Christians and Muslims were converted to Hindu dharm.
Most Hindus were not able to read the Vedas because they were in a language that the common man could not understand. Therefore, Swāmī Dayānanda started translating them into Hindi for the first time in history. Unfortunately, he died before completing his translations, but his followers continued his task. Thanks to his pioneering efforts, the Vedas are today available in translations in many languages of India. Due to his great scholarship of the Vedas and his saintly character, Swāmī Dayānanda came to be known as ‘Maharṣi’, which means ‘Great Ṛṣi.’ He founded an organization called Ārya Samāj in 1875, which continues to have millions of followers to this day.
Story: Paṇḍit Gurudatt Shows the Correct Way of Learning from the Lives of Saints Paṇḍit Gurudatt (1864–1890 C.E.) was a close associate and confidante of the Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī. After the Swāmī passed away, some followers urged Gurudatt, “You knew the Swāmī very well. Why not write a biography of him? It will bring you great fame.”
Paṇḍit Gurudatt replied, “Yes, I am actually writing a biography of Swāmī Dayānanda. I have started working on it.”
One of Swāmī’s followers asked, “Well, that is wonderful. We shall await its completion. Do you know when you will complete the biography?”
Paṇḍit Gurudatt replied, “Let me clarify one thing right now. I am not writing a biography using pen and paper. Instead, I believe that the best way of writing a great man’s biography is to follow his teachings and life, and live like he did. I have started emulating his examples, his teachings and his actions. Let us see how long it will take me to become like him.”