Give five facts about dayananda sarsawati
- Born to a wealthy Brahmin family and was a gifted scholar. 2. Visited a shiva temple as a boy, noticed mice stealing food meant for shiva, he became convinced shiva had no power. 3. Studied the vedas and believed god was formless. 4. Left home at a young age to avoid an arranged marriage and joined a sarsawati renunciation order. 5. His guru predicted he would return Hinduism to its Vedic glory.
What event had a large impact on sarsawati?
The death of his sister and uncle led him to dwell on universal issues like death, he left home soon after.
Give five features of Arya samaj
- Set up in 1875, emphasized a return to sanatanadharma through the vedas. 2. God is formless and the center of all life. 3. National identity based on Vedic Hinduism. 4. Education and equality for all. 5. Hindi as a national language.
What is the theological view of Arya samaj?
Vishishaadvaita- the soul and god are similar, interdependent, but not identical. At moksha, the atman retains its individual identity.
What is a ‘national identity based on Vedic Hinduism’?
India was the homeland of the Indian civilization which was once based on the vedas, it had since been corrupted and sarsawati sought a return to the golden age.
What did sarsawati want to become the national language and why?
Hindi, it fitted with his vision of a hindu state. He founded schools to teach it which excluded Urdu speaking Muslims and Hindus who spoke Dravidian languages. He encouraged separatism between Hindus and Muslims.
What belief did sarsawati hold that contradicted ahimsa?
An armed struggle against the British, he sent agents to France to be trained in insurgency and terrorism.
Give four features of ‘education for all’
- Education would enable people to return to the Vedic golden age. 2. Gurukulas were set up teaching Vedic theology and modern science. 3. Scientific knowledge was important. 4. Modern scientific achievements were Vedic as the vedas already held all of the truths that science later discovered.
What did sarsawati think about women’s rights?
Supported widow remarriage, education and an end to child marriage. Salvation can only be gained through considering the well-being of all people. The movement set up schools and orphanages.
What is suddhi?
Vedic ritual where Dalits and lower caste members who had converted away from Hinduism could be brought back as twice born Hindus. It was very popular and gained much support.
What is sanskritization?
Lower castes imitate the behavior of higher castes, leading to a more harmonious religion where Sanskrit replaces local languages and local practices are abandoned.
What is niyoga?
Marriage as a social contract between widows and widowers for companionship and the raising of children.
How is god seen in Arya samaj?
Formless, eternal and impersonal, murti worship is wrong and the many deities are manifestations of a single ultimate reality.
What three things are contained within the vedas?
- Methods for reaching god. 2. Ideal structure of society. 3. Rules for living, they are the prime text of Hinduism.
How did sarsawati see other texts?
Corrupt, they have been composed by self interested men. He accepted some of the laws of Manu and thought all knowledge could be found in the vedas.
What is Arya samaj worship like?
- Services held on Sunday, vedas read out and no murtis used. 2. Reintroduction of the Vedic sacrifice. 3. Sarsawati encouraged sanskritization and attempted to get temples to follow his form of worship.
What did brahmo samaj and Arya samaj disagree on?
Fusing hindu ideas with western rationalism- sarsawati completely rejected western practices.
Give three positives of AS legacy
- Influential with the middle class, spread to South Africa and Fiji. 2. Suddhi developed Hinduism into an aggressive force against Christianity and Islam. 3. Gurukulas still operate, spreading Vedic values and social reform.
Give three more positives of the legacy of AS
- Sense of national pride and Hinduism as a communal identity is a major force in Indian politics today. 5. Movement influenced the BJP and other right wing parties. 6. Group is still active and has branches in Kenya, USA and Netherlands.
Give three negatives of the legacy of AS
- Sanskritization effected the diversity of local life and traditions. 2. Underestimated the importance of murtis. 3. Social inequalities still exist and there has been no return to Vedic Hinduism.
