Maharishi Dayanand Jayanti 2018: Date, Significance and History of Arya Samaj Founder

12 Jul, 2018

Maharishi Dayanand Jayanti is observed on the birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj. The Arya Samaj condemns the practices of idol worship, animal sacrifice, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the castes, child marriages, consumption of meat and discrimination against women. During his lifetime, he promoted equal rights for women - their right to education and reading of Indian scriptures. Maharshi Dayananda was a renowned scholar of the Vedic knowledge and Sanskrit and propagated the principles of karma and reincarnation. He believed in the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya, including celibacy and devotion to God.

Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati spent nearly 25 years, from 1845 to 1869, as a wandering ascetic, who gave up material goods in his spiritual pursuits and retreats in pilgrimage sites to find religious truth. During these years, he practiced various forms of yoga and became a disciple of a religious teacher Virajanand Dandeesha.