Arya Samaj
Publié le 22/02/2012
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«
be interpreted by himself and other human beings.
Thus, in the final analysis, Dayanand insisted that individual
reason is the deciding factor in arriving at religious knowledge.
In keeping with his rejection of the mythology of the Purā˳as , Dayanand condemned the idolatry associated with
their mythology.
He also rejected the hereditary system of caste, giving it instead an ethical and occupational
interpretation, somewhat as the Buddha had done.
He questioned the authority and social superiority of Brahmans,
and was against animal sacrifices and long pilgrimages.
A confirmed nationalist, Dayanand believed that ‘Aryans
were the chosen people, the Vedas the chosen gospel and India the chosen land' .
So the Arya Samaj looked upon
the Vedas as India's ‘rock of ages' and coined the slogan ‘go back to the Vedas' .
The Arya Samaj, like the Brahmo Samaj, worked courageously to eliminate the social evils that it believed had
crept into Hindu society.
It was more a social reform movement than a strictly religious or philosophical school.
In
the area of social reform, the Arya Samaj struggled against child marriage and campaigned to fix the minimum age
of marriage for boys and girls at 25 and 16 respectively.
It advocated a status for women equal to that of men.
Intercaste marriage was encouraged, as was the remarriage of widows.
In addition to advocating progressive
reforms, the Arya Samaj undertook charitable works during national disasters such as earthquakes, famines and
floods, and it opened orphanages and homes for widows, thereby giving a new lease of life to the distressed.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Version 1.0, London and New York: Routledge (1998)
Arya Samaj
The leaders of the Arya Samaj were aware of the supreme importance of education, but sharp differences arose
within the movement over the question of the best system.
One faction favoured the ancient system of Hindu
education.
One of its leaders, Swami Shardhanand, started the ‘Gurukul' near Haridwar in 1902 to propagate the
more traditional ideas.
Another faction recognized the value of British education and established a network of
‘Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools and Colleges' for both boys and girls throughout the country.
Lala Hansraj
played a leading part in this effort.
In order to counter Christian and Muslim missionary activities, the Arya Samaj started the śuddhi (purity)
movement for the reconversion of those Hindus who had been unwillingly or forcibly converted to Islam or
Christianity.
They could now be readmitted to Hinduism after passing through a ceremony of purification.
While
the Arya Samaj's work in social reforms tended to unite people, its religious work tended, though perhaps
unconsciously, to work against the growing sense of national unity arising among the Hindus, Muslims, Parsis,
Sikhs and Christians of India.
Though founded in Bombay, the Arya Samaj found its true home in Punjab, and it later spread far and wide over
the whole of northern India.
After Dayanand 's death in 1883, the work he had begun was continued by a band of
followers.
Even today, the spirit of the Samaj is active in the towns and villages of India, as well as in communities
of Indians who have emigrated to other parts of the world..
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Liens utiles
- Ramakrishna Ramakrishna (1834-1886), brahmane bengali, l'un des principaux acteurs du renouveau indien au XIXe siècle avec Vivekananda, son disciple, et Dayananda Saravasti, fondateur du mouvement réformiste hindou Arya Samaj.
- Brahmo Samaj
- Aryens (sanskrit arya «noble»).