SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI
(1824-1883)
Swami Dayana Saraswati was a religious teacher, a social reformer and the founder of Arya Samaj. He was a renowned Sanskrit scholar. He strongly believed in the ancient Hindu scripture and the disciplines laid down by the religion. He was such a great sage with a golden heart that he saved the life of the man who poisoned him.
Swamiji was born in a wealthy Brahmin family in the Tankara town of Saurashtra in Gujarat. His father karsanji Lalji Tiwari was the tehsilder of Tankara. He was a religious and kind man Swamiji’s mother Amritbai was devout large-hearted woman. At the time of birth Swamiji was named Moolashankar and was also called as Dayaram. He started his studies when he was 5 and his thread ceremony was performed at the age of 8.
He learnt devotion from his parents and was very religious by nature. He had a brilliant memory and had memorized the Vedas and the Upanishads by the time he become 14. He was deeply influenced by the religious stories that he heard from his father and uncle. But as he grew up and observed things around him, some doubts began creeping in his mind. Once on the occasion of Mahashivratry, he kept awake till late night as required for the fast. But when everyone fell asleep, he saw that rats came out of their holes, ate the offering of the God and then walked all over the Shivaling. This made him thoughtful. He wondered, if this idol couldn’t protect itself, then how would it protect us? He asked his father, but even he couldn’t clear the boy’s doubts. Later Swamiji’s sister died in the epidemic of cholera. Sometime after that he lost even his uncle. These deaths made him very thoughtful. He began pondering over life and death and how to escape the pain of this cycle. He became reflective and grew away from the daily life and the worldly desires. His parents realized his detachment and decided to tie him in the bond of marriage, so that he wouldn’t leave the house or take sanyas. But later once again he was poisoned at Jodhpur on 20thSeptember 1883.On the instigation of other people, his own cook mixed powdered glass in Swamiji’s milk and Swamiji’s health worsened say by day. Again he saved the life of the man by giving him some money and sending him away to Nepal. Swamiji’s was treated at many different places, but his health did not improve. Swamiji left this world on 30thOctober 1883.