President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj, had taken initiatives to eradicate superstitions and evil practices prevalent in Indian society during the 19th Century and showed the path of modernity and social justice.
She also drew parallels between the 19th Century social reformer and the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi and contended that their lives and writings continue to inspire people to work for the betterment of society and mankind. She said that both great men were born in Gujarat’s Kathiawar (Saurashtra) region.
The President was speaking at a programme to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati at Tankara town in Gujarat, his native place.
“Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati ji showed society the path of modernity and social justice. He strongly opposed child marriage and polygamy. He encouraged widow remarriage. He was a strong advocate of women’s education and women’s self-respect,” the President said.
“His ideals had a deep impact on great personalities like Lokmanya Tilak, Lala Hansraj, Swami Shraddhanand and Lala Lajpat Rai. Swamiji and his extraordinary followers infused new consciousness and self-confidence among the people of India. Kathiawad has given great personalities to us, be it Mahatma Gandhi or Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati,” the President said.
She said that Swami Dayanand wrote in the language of the common man to get his message across.
“Those who read modern history of India know well that initially, Swamiji used to write only in Sanskrit. But later on, he thought that he should speak directly to common men. So, with an objective to show the society the right path, Swamiji started writing in people’s language, meaning Hindi.”
According to her, even Mahatma Gandhi also wrote in simple language so that masses can read and understand the meaning.
“Swami Dayanand Saraswati wrote the book Satyarth Prakash, while Gandhiji wrote the book Satya na Prayogo [My Experiments With Truth]. Both had many things in common. In Satyarth Prakash, Swami Dayanand Saraswati opposed the tax on salt. Five decades later, Gandhiji took up Dandhi March and got the tax on salt abolished,” she added.
The President appreciated Arya Samaj and noted its invaluable contribution to women empowerment by establishing schools and higher educational institutions for girls and also its efforts to remove discrimination and superstitions from society.
The President said the Arya Samaj will complete 150 years next year and expressed confidence that it would continue to move forward to implement Swamiji’s vision of making a better world.
The President also expressed happiness that various events related to family and social harmony, natural agriculture, and de-addiction during the two years of commemoration of Swamiji’s 200th birth anniversary will be helpful in building a healthy society and help people remember the ideals of Swamy Dayanand.
