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39-565: According to Nonica Datta, Jat Mahasabha was Arya Samaj 's offshoot founded in 1905 in Muzaffarnagar . But Brij Kishore Sharma states that the claims of Datta are incorrect. According to him, it was founded in 1907, and that there are two claims regarding its place of formation. He notes that some sources support the Muzaffarnagar claim, but the Chhatri Jat journal states that it was founded at

78-471: A Punjabi speaking state). Arya Samaj is a charitable organisation. For example, donations were made to victims of the 1905 Kangra earthquake . The samaj campaigned for women's right to vote , and for the protection of widows. Arya Samaj schools and temples are found in almost all major cities and as well as in rural areas (especially in the North) of India. Some are authorised to conduct weddings. The Samaj

117-633: A comprehensive manual of religion and ethics for Adi Dharma, while in Calcutta. The bone of contention between these two Samajs was over the authority of the Vedas–whose authority the Adi Dharma reject and hold to be inferior works, whereas Arya Samaj hold Vedas to be divine revelation. Despite this difference of opinion, however, it seems that the members of the Brahmo Samaj and Swami Dayanand parted on good terms,

156-698: A considerable influence on Bhagat Singh. The British colonial government in the early part of 20th century viewed the Samaj as a political body. Some Samajis in government service were dismissed for belonging to the Samaj. In the 1930s, when the Hindu Nationalist group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh grew in prominence in Northern India, they found support from the Arya Samaj of Punjab. In Punjab,

195-824: A considerable number of Catholic Gaudas to declare willingness to come into the Hindu fold, and a Shuddhi ceremony was carefully prepared. On 23 February 1928, many Catholic Gaudes in Goa were re-converted to Hinduism notwithstanding the opposition of the Church and the Portuguese government. The converts were given Sanskrit Hindu names, but the Portuguese government put impediments in their way to get legal sanction for their new Hindu names. 4851 Catholic Gaudes from Tiswadi , 2174 from Ponda , 250 from Bicholim and 329 from Sattari were re-converted to Hinduism after nearly 400 years. The total number of

234-575: A fair in Garhmukteshwar , Uttar Pradesh. The Mahasabha, a supra-provincial organization, was perceived in southeast Punjab as a symbol of unity in Jat society and as the main catalyst of reform and change. The Jat Mahasabha is a nonpolitical, social organization in nature. It is organized for the purpose of social reconstruction. Although the Jat Mahasabha has been functioning from 1993 for social causes, it

273-562: A flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims as Hindus were the recipients of the violence. . Mahatma Gandhi made a comment on Swami Shraddhananda in an article titled 'Hindu-Muslim-Tensions: Causes and Resistance' in the May 29, 1922 issue of Young India . Swami Shraddhananda has also become a character of disbelief. I know that his speeches are often provocative. Just as most Muslims think that every non-Muslim will one day convert to Islam, Shraddhananda also believes that every Muslim can be initiated into

312-628: A number of schools in Nairobi and other cities of the country. Immigrants to Canada and the United States from South Asia , Eastern Africa , South Africa , and the Caribbean countries have set up Arya Samaj temples for their respective communities. Most major metropolitan areas of the United States have chapters of Arya Samaj. Members of the Arya Samaj believe in one creator God referred to with

351-541: A particular deity such as Vishnu or Shiva. The early Arya Samajist in 19th century Lahore adapted the festival to include prayers and havan but avoid the intoxication, and obscenities associated with traditional celebrations. Shuddhi (Hinduism) Shuddhi is Sanskrit for purification . It is a term used to describe a Hindu religious movement aimed at the religious conversion of non-Hindus of Indian origin to Hinduism . The socio-political movement, derived from ancient rite of shuddhikaran , or purification

390-476: A rebellion by the Muslim Moplah community of Malabar Indian newspapers reported that a number of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. The Arya Samaj extended its efforts to the region to reconvert these people back to Hinduism through Shuddhi ceremonies. The then Shankaracharya of Badrinath Math in 1939 in a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury , called Arya Samajis Un-Hindu. He also criticized

429-463: Is Youth state President Uttar Pradesh of Jat mahasabha. Arya Samaj Traditional Arya Samaj ( Hindi : आर्य समाज , lit.   'Noble Society') is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas . The sannyasi (ascetic) Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s. Arya Samaj

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468-560: Is associated with the Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) schools which number over eight hundred. There are eight million followers of the Samaj in India. Arya Samaj is active in countries including Guyana , Suriname , Trinidad and Tobago , Fiji , Australia , South Africa , Kenya , Mauritius and other countries where a significant Hindu diaspora is present. The Arya Samaj in Kenya runs

507-428: Is generally a Vedic scholar from the local Arya Samaj Mandir or Gurukul. Sometimes elder members of family or neighbours can also perform the havan acting as a purohit. The host is known as the " yajmana ". The priest can be called an " acharya ", "shastri" or "pandit" depending upon his scholarly status and local reputation. It is customary to give a nominal " dakshina " to the priest after havan, although in Arya Samaj it

546-469: Is kept in every room except the bathroom and restroom. More lamps can be lit, which can be placed arbitrarily in the yard, living room and so on. Holi is celebrated as the conclusion of winter and the start of spring to sow the land and hope for a good harvest. This day is marked by colors and songs ( Chautal ). It does not require specific prayer or fasting, however, some people keep a vegetarian fast on this day. The festivities do not associate Holi with

585-410: Is more symbolic and the priest does not state any sum. The sum is decided by the host's capability and status but is still a small amount. After a death, Arya Samajis will often conduct a havan and collect the ashes on the fourth day. Diwali is a very important day in Arya Samaj as Swami Dayanand died this day. A special havan is done for the same. The Arya Samaj version of the Hindu festival Diwali

624-526: Is not a registered body, not even as an NGO or social organisation. Sir Chhotu Ram was awarded the title of 'Rao Bahadur', and in 1923, he founded the Unionist Party or the 'Zamindar Association' to protect the interests of farmers. Governor Malcolm Hailey addressed the Jat Mahasabha in 1930. All India Jat Mahasabha recently appointed state President in Uttar Pradesh. Shubham Rathi Shubham Rathi

663-477: Is sometimes referred to as 'Dayanand ka vir sipahi' (Dayanand's heroic soldier). Dev was killed in a street fight in 1948. The history of Sindhi nationalism is also tied with the activities of the Arya Samaj. In the 19th century, the Hindu community of Sindh had been challenged by Christian missionaries and the Samaj served as a deterrent to the "conversion" done by Christian missionaries in the region. A Hindu Sindhi leader, K. R. Malkani , later on became prominent in

702-449: Is typified by the celebration in Suriname . The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. A vegetarian fast is kept. The Gayatri Mantra is recited while oil lamps are lit, in front of a fire altar lit with sandalwood . One Diya lamp, which is of larger size has two wicks crossed to produce four lights, one in each direction and is lit first. The smaller lamp has one wick. A lamp

741-659: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are legends of historical figures, and reject them as reference to supreme beings and avatars . The members of Arya Samaj also reject other scriptural works such as the Puranas , the Bible , and the Quran . Worship of idols ( murti puja ) is strictly prohibited in the samaj. The core beliefs of Arya Samaj are postulated below: The Arya Samaj members consider

780-474: The Gayatri Mantra , as the most holy mantra and chant it periodically, do the meditation known as Sandhya and make offering to the holy fire ( havan ). The havan can be performed with a priest for special occasions or without a priest for personal worship. The havan is performed as per the havan pustika , usually a simplified guide to do havan, having mantras for general or special occasions. The priest

819-639: The "Cultured Party". In the early 1900s, the Samaj (or organizations inspired by it such as Jat Pat Todak Mandal ) campaigned against caste discrimination . They also campaigned for widow remarriage and women's education . The samaj also established chapters in British colonies having Indian population such as South Africa , Fiji , Mauritius , Suriname , Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago . Prominent Indian Nationalists such as Lala Lajpat Rai belonged to Arya Samaj and were active in its campaigning. Bhagat Singh 's grandfather followed Arya Samaj, which had

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858-587: The Arya Samaj in April 1875 in Bombay with ten principles. However, these principles were finally settled in 1877 in Lahore. Between 1869 and 1873, Dayanand began his efforts to reform orthodox Hinduism in India. He established Gurukul ( Vedic schools) which emphasised Vedic values, culture, and Satya (Truth). The schools gave separate educations to boys and girls based on ancient Vedic principles. The Vedic school system

897-550: The Arya Samaj was opposed by the Ahmadiyya movement which provided the Samaj one of its most aggressive opponents from among the various Muslim groups and whose founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was extensively involved in theological disputations with Samaj leaders, most notably with Pandit Lekh Ram . It was also opposed by the Sikh dominated Singh Sabha , the forerunner of the Akali Dal . It

936-468: The Aryan religion. Shraddhananda Ji is fearless and brave. He alone has built a great Brahmacharya Ashram (Gurukul) in the holy Ganges. But they are in a hurry and it will move soon. He inherited it from the Aryan society. Gandhi further wrote Dayanand that "he narrowed one of the most liberal and tolerant religions of the world." Swami responded to Gandhi's article that "If Arya Samaji is true to themselves, then

975-835: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the BJP . According to Malkani, the Arya Samaj created a "new pride" among the Hindu Sindhis by opening gymnasia and Sanskrit pathshalas in the 1930s. The Arya Samaj of Gujarat members were missionaries from Punjab who had been encouraged to move to Gujarat to carry out educational work amongst the untouchable castes by the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III . The Gujarat Samaj opened orphanages. The Samaj starting losing support when Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 because many activist joined his movement. In 1921, during

1014-601: The Samaj activities assumed a great political role in resisting the government of the Nizam during 1930s. In 1938–1939, Arya Samaj teamed up with the Hindu Mahasabha to resist the Nizam government through Satyagraha . The Nizam government responded by raiding and desecrating Arya Samaj mandirs . The Samaj, in turn, criticized Islam and the Islamic rulers of the state. This widely increased

1053-457: The Samaj efforts at converting Christians and Muslims. A branch of Arya Samaj was established at Dharur in Beed district of Hyderabad state , the largest princely state during British colonial rule. Keshav Rao Koratkar was the president of the organization until 1932. During his tenure, the Samaj, established schools and libraries throughout the state. Although a social and religious organization,

1092-448: The activities of the Samaj led to increased antagonism between Muslims and Hindus . Shraddhanand led the Shuddhi movement that aimed to bring Hindus who had converted to other religions back to Hinduism. In 1893, the Arya Samaj members of Punjab were divided on the question of vegetarianism . The group that refrained from eating meat were called the "Mahatma" group and the other group,

1131-459: The allegations of Mahatma Gandhi or any other person and invasions also cannot obstruct the trends of Arya Samaj." Shraddhanand followingly kept moving towards his goal. The main point of contention was the reconversion of Malkana Rajputs in western United Province. As a result, the movement became controversial and antagonized the Muslims populace and also led to the assassination of the leader of

1170-505: The converts to Hinduism was 7815. The existing Hindu Gauda community refused to accept these neo-Hindus back into their fold because their Catholic ancestors had not maintained caste purity, and the neo-Hindus were now alienated by their former Catholic coreligionists. These neo-Hindus developed into a separate endogamous community, and are now referred to as Nav-Hindu Gaudas (New Hindu Gaudas). However, in Northern India this movement faced stiff opposition from Islamic organizations such as

1209-493: The former having publicly praised the latter’s visit to Calcutta in several journals and the latter having taken inspiration from the former’s activity in the social sphere. Dayanand was assassinated in 1883. Despite this set back, the Arya Samaj continued to grow, especially in Punjab. The early leaders of the Samaj were Pandit Lekh Ram (1858–1897) and Swami Shraddhanand (Mahatma Munshi Ram Vij) (1856–1926). Some authors claim that

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1248-591: The gulf between the Hindu and Muslim population of the state. Arya Samaj promoted the use of Hindi in Punjab and discouraged the use of Punjabi . This was a serious point of difference between the Sikhs, represented by the Shiromani Akali Dal group and the Arya Samaj. The difference was marked during the period immediately following the independence of India and the time of the Punjabi Suba movement (demand for

1287-417: The mainstream community by elevating their position, and instilling self-confidence and self-determination in them. The movement strove to reduce the conversions of Hindus to Islam and Christianity, which were underway at the time. In 1923, Swami Shraddhanand founded the 'Bhartiya Hindu Shuddhi Mahasabha' (Indian Hindu Purification Council) and pushed the agenda of reconversion, which eventually created

1326-558: The movement, Swami Shraddhanand by a Muslim in 1926. After Swami Shraddhanand died this movement continued. In the late 1920s, prominent Goan Hindu Brahmins requested Vinayak Maharaj Masurkar, the prelate of a Vaishnava Ashram in Masur , Satara district ; to actively campaign for the 're-conversion' of Catholic Gaudas to Hinduism. Masurkar accepted, and together with his disciples, subsequently toured Gauda villages singing devotional bhakti songs and performing pujas . These means led

1365-555: The syllable ' Aum ' as mentioned in the Yajurveda (40:17). They believe the Vedas are an infallible authority, and they respect the Upanishads and Vedic philosophy. The Arya Samaj members reject other Hindu religious texts because they are not pure works, and because these texts promote things do not support their ideology and are therefore against the Vedas. For instance, they believe epics like

1404-456: Was also opposed by Vaishnavs, who were criticized by Dayānanda Sarasvatī. The Samaj was active in Sindh at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The activities of the Samaj in the region included using shuddhi in integrating half-Muslim or low-caste communities into the organization. Narayan Dev, a Samaj member active in making many conversions is extolled as a Sindhi martyr. He

1443-457: Was also to relieve Indians from the pattern of a British education. Due to Schisms in Adi Brahmo Samaj at Calcutta, a new variant of Adi Brahmoism called Arya Samaj began to take root in the Punjab. When he traveled to Calcutta Swami Dayanand had come into close and extended contact with Raj Narayan Bose, Debendranath Tagore etc. Swami Dayanand closely studied Tagore's book Brahmo Dharma,

1482-640: Was started by the Arya Samaj , and its founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati and his followers like Swami Shraddhanand , who also worked on the Sangathan consolidation aspect of Hinduism, in North India , especially Punjab in early 1900s, though it gradually spread across India. Shuddhi had a social reform agenda behind its rationale and was aimed at abolishing the practise of untouchability by converting outcasts from other religions to Hinduism and integrating them into

1521-528: Was the first Hindu organization to introduce proselytization in Hinduism. " Arya Samaj " is a compound Sanskrit term consisting of the words " arya " and " samaj ." The term " arya " refers to an individual who possesses virtuous attributes and noble characteristics, whereas " samaj " denotes a social group or organized community. Therefore, the term " arya samaj " refers to a community of individuals of high moral character. Swami Dayanand Saraswati established

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