Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati

Swami Dayanand is one of the most renowned saints of India. He was born in 1824 CE in a Brahmin family. He had all the facilities available to him. He was a very pious soul and had an internal desire to explore spiritual realms. In his pursuit and also to avoid marriage, he fled from home and wandered for 15-16 years and kept company of various yogis to learn about spirituality. He acquired 13 gurus in total, all of whom were ignorant. He therefore gained all but useless teachings and practices from these 13 gurus. 

Swami Dayanand Saraswati was the founder of a sect called Arya Samaj. The followers of Arya Samaj or Maharishi Dayanand are called Arya Samajis. The Arya Samajis consider the Vedas (Rig Ved, Sam Ved, Yajur Ved and Atharav Ved) to be the utmost scriptures which are indeed the most sacred of the Hindu Scriptures and at the time these Scriptures were written, there was no religion. So in essence these scriptures are not really specific to any particular religion or sect but are pertinent to the whole mankind.

All the Vedas were originally written in Sanskrit language which is the oldest language in the world. Swami Dayanand in his lifetime translated one of these Vedas namely the Yajur Ved and did part translation of the Sam Ved. Swami Dayanand also wrote another book called Satyarth Prakash which is actually a compilation of all the teachings and personal views expressed by Swami Dayanand. It is a highly regarded book amongst all the Arya Samajis and also among other devotee souls.

Swami Dayanand laid a great deal of stress on the teachings mentioned in the Vedas and asked his followers to adopt the vedic teachings as the way of life. Undoubtedly Swami Dayanand can be regarded as the only saint who kept the Vedas alive and his followers continued the legacy forward by following his footsteps.

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati | Key Teachings

• Satyarth Prakash teachings are opposite to Holy vedas.
• Satyarth Prakash says that God cannot forgive sins whereas Vedas clearly say that God forgives sins.
• Satyarth Prakash says God is formless whereas Vedas describe God to be in form.
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati promoted infidelity and extra marital sex and gave numerous immoral teachings.
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati made derogatory comments about Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Satyarth Prakash.
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati was addicted to cannabis and used to smoke hookah (Tobacco Pipe).
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati used to take Snuff (smokeless powdered tobacco)

Until now Swami Dayanand has been held in very high esteem but lately truth has been coming out which has exposed the dark side of Swami Dayanand. A deeper look in to the book "Satyarth Prakash" has revealed many issues which are not in accordance with the contemporary way of life and understanding, and rather are opposite to the Vedas and moral values. The views expressed by Swami Dayanand in his book are now proving counter productive and tarnishing the image of the Swami.

The concepts mentioned by Swami Dayanand in the book Satyarth Prakash are opposite to those described in the Vedas. To name a few the most striking among these are listed below.

• In Satyarth Prakash Swami Dayanand says that God cannot forgive your sins where as Vedas very clearly describe that God can forgive even the most heinous sins.
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati says that God is formless, whereas Vedas say that God is in form.
• Swami Dayanand Ji also says that there is habitation on the sun and people living there also read Vedas which everyone knows is untrue.

Worst of all is the chapter four (Chautha Samullas) of the book Satyarth Prakash which crosses the height of immorality. A very vivid description has been given in this chapter about the concept of marriage, re-marriage, infidelity and extra-marital sex. Swami ji also expresses his views against the re-marriage of a widow and describes in detail about the fulfilment of sexual needs for this category. To cut the long story short, "it is disgusting". It is the worst example of teachings of immorality given by a saint which is available in print. It is a disgrace to follow these teachings and any literate soul would definitely want to tread away from this path.

Moreover in one of the chapters the authority of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Prophet Mohammed has been questioned, and unacceptable comments have been made about them by Swami Dayanand which can be a cause of social unrest.

Furthermore various biographies of Swami Dayanand reveal that he was addicted to Cannabis (Bhaang) and also used to smoke tobacco. These are considered social evils in India and going by the teachings of God (from various religious scriptures), consumption of any intoxicants be it alcohol, cannabis or tobacco etc is an obstacle in the way of worship and achievement of salvation. What sort of teachings would a Saint impart to his followers who himself practices these sorts of social evils?

It seems that the Arya Samajis who still want to carry the legacy of Swami Dayanand forward are oblivious to these references in the book Satyarth Prakash as any noble soul would definitely not want to be associated with this sort of immoral behaviour let alone follow it. In this day and age not many would like to follow the teachings mentioned in the chapter four (chautha samullas) of Satyarth Prakash.

It is about time to revisit these scriptures and make an informed decision about what should be carried forward and what should be left behind.

Dayanand Saraswati was addicted to Cannabis (Bhang) at one stage

Autobiography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Swami Dayanand Saraswati himself says in his autobiography that he was addicted to cannabis. He further says that he used to remain semiconscious after consuming cannabis (bhang) for hours.

Excerpt from "Life of Dayanand Saraswati"

"It was at the shrine of Durga-Kobo in Chandalgarh (now known as Chunar) that I passed ten days. I now left off eating rice altogether, and living but on milk. I gave myself up entirely to the study of Yoga, which I practised night and day.

Unfortunately, I got at this time into the habit of using bhang , a strong narcotic leaf, and at times felt quite intoxicated with its effect."

The short video (4 minutes) below shows the evidence in his autobiography.

Dayanand Saraswati used to smoke Hookah (Tobacco Pipe)

Autobiography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Autobiography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati reveals that he used to smoke Hookah (an oriental tobacco pipe). The autobiography shows that Swami Dayanand was still smoking hookah in 1877, 6 years before his death in 1883. The short video (4 minutes) below shows the evidence in his autobiography.

Dayanand Saraswati used to take Snuff

Autobiography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Autobiography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati reveals that he used to take snuff. He used to sniff powdered tobacco. The short video (1 minute) below shows the evidence in his autobiography.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati during 1857 Indian Mutiny

Dayanand Saraswati - Biography

It is a fallacy that Swami Dayanand Saraswati played major role in the independence revolt of 1857. Autobiographies of Swami Dayanand Saraswati reveal that he was absconding at the time of 1857 Indian Mutiny. The Arya Samaj has unnecessarily and fraudulently portrayed Dayanand Saraswati as a freedom fighter whereas in reality he went in to hiding as tension prevailed during the mutiny of 1857. For subsequent 3 years Swami Dayanand Saraswati was nowhere to be found. The short video below shows the evidence in his autobiography.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati - Death

On 26th of September 1883 Swami Dayanand Saraswati became unwell and died on 30th of October 1883 after suffering from a month. It was speculated that he was poisoned but these were mere speculations. In reality he died from Pneumonia. He had been slightly unwell a couple of days before he developed stomach ache. He drank milk that night and from there on continued to worsen. 

Excerpt from Biography of Dayanand Saraswati

"On the 26th September, however, Swamiji became indisposed and continued so the next day. On the night of the 29th September he, as usual, took milk brought by his cook Dhauda Misra and then went to bed, but pain in the stomach spoiled his sleep. He vomited three times but did not awaken anybody. On the 30th September he rose later than usual and again vomited. He then suspected that someone had poisoned him. He drank salt water and tried to throw out the poison by vomiting."

As Swami Dayanand continued to remain unwell despite treatment, his condition worsened and he developed blisters in his mouth and head.

"Blisters appeared in Swaraiji’s throat and on his tongue, palate and head."

Swami Dayanand died of Pneumonia

"On 30th October, which was the Depawali day, Dr. Lachmandas lost all hope and said that some other doctor should also be called, as Swamiji’s condition had become critical, and he feared that Fate was working against recovery. Death seemed imminent, for whenever a little improvement appeared, something wrong was done and there was a relapse. When Lachmandas insisted, people asked him to get any other doctor he thought fit. Colonel Newman, the Civil Surgeon of Ajmer, was called. He looked at Swamiji and expressed his wonder that though Swaraiji suffered from such a dire disease, he was still so calm and not a word of complaint passed his lips. He spoke highly of Swamiji’s courage and will power, and said his life-long Brahmacharya had given him such strength and power of suffering silently such agonies. At first he thought Swamiji had no pneumonia, but Dr. Lachmandas asked him to examine the lungs. He applied the stethoscope and said, there was acute double pneumonia and recommended mustard poultice."

Conclusion: the observation here is that Swami Dayanand suffered, and died a terrible death. It is a fact that those who do true worship as per the vedas do not die such a horrible death. It is certain that Swami Dayanand due to lack of his understanding of the vedas followed arbitrary way of worship and therefore did not get any benefit from his daily religious practices. He therefore had a dreadful one month prior to his death and suffered greatly until he died. 

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