एकं ब्रह्म द्वितीय नास्ति नेह ना नास्ति किंचन: ब्रह्म ज्ञान का मूल मंत्र एवं सूक्ष्म बोल आलाप

 ABCs of the life philosophy of Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati: Remembering Sawamiji on his 200th birth anniversary
~Lalit Kishore

The nation is observing the 200th birth anniversary (February 12) of Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati followed by the year long celebrations during 2024. He is seen as a great thinker, philosopher, sage, social reformer and educator who founded Arya Samaj in 1875 to remove the prevalent social  and gender inequities by returning to the Vedas as true source knowledge and for living a noble life.

Over the years, Arya Samaj has played an important role in spiritual, cultural and social awakening in society through its efforts in the sread of spirituality along with emphasis on social reforms, education and Vedic values. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan once said on Swami Dayananda, "Swami Dayananda ranked highest among the makers of modern India. He had worked tirelessly for the political, religious and cultural emancipation of the country. He was guided by reason, taking Hinduism back to the Vedic foundations. He had tried to reform society with a clean sweep, which was again needed today. Some of the reforms introduced in the Indian Constitution had been inspired by his teachings."

He founded gurukulas to combine modern knowledge along with understanding the basics of Vedas and spiritualism. He had advocated that the Vedas should be introduced to our students along with 'mathematics, geology, astronomy and other sciences which are important in modern life.'  He  was of the view that education must create noble human beings. A noble person transcends body and mind to become a real mature or an Arya - by ‘consuming the least and contributing the most’ since it is 'for in giving lies the self-growth.'

Here are the ABCs of the life philosophy of Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati

A:  Assume the four Vedas, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda, as the only true and authentic sources of Dharma revealed by the Supreme Soul to those who transcended body, senses and mind

B: Building an inclusive society based on social and gender equity is true Dharma since all humans are equally capable of achieving their divine self or being noble – the Arya

D: Devotion to formless absolute one God with purity of mind and senses to character building and moral life and not indulging in image and statue worship