Importance of Reading Maharishi Swami Dayanand Authored Vedic Books

Written and Compiled by: Pt. Vedabrat Etwaru, New Jersey

The importance of reading Maharishi Swami Dayanand Vedic books can be summarized by the following statement taken from the introduction to the second edition of the Satyaarth Prakaash: “My chief aim in writing this book is to unfold Truth. I have expounded Truth as truth and ignorance as ignorance. The exposition of ignorance in the place of Truth, and Truth in the place of ignorance does not constitute Truth”. This statement is true for all his writings. The most important books written by Swami’ ji are: 1. Translation of the Yajur Veda. 2. Translation of Rigveda up to Chapter VII- 61.2, he could not complete it because of his untimely death. 3. Rigveda Bhasya Bhumika. 4. Sandhya and Havana. 5. Satyaarth Prakaash. 6. Sanskaar Vidhi. 7. Aryabhivinaya. He wrote 15 other books dealing with cow protection, various sects, teaching of Sanskrit language etc.

The written works of Maharishi Swami Dayanand exposes humanity to the Vedic way of life, empowering them spiritually to shape their self awareness with the reality of their existence. The first thirteen of the sixteen sanskaars of his Sanskaar Vidhi imposes on the Grihastha (married couple) to create children in accordance with Vedic values, self-awareness and spiritual empowerment which is the key to raise the present status of society. Spiritual knowledge enhances human consciousness that enables the individual to grasp the true relationship between God and soul and between soul and matter. This knowledge brings about the virtue of independence in thought which gives an individual self-confidence to pursue material and spiritual education.

The Aryabhivinaya is a small treatise comprising of 108 mantras from the Vedas. Aryabhivinaya means the “discipline of Righteous men’. In the preface he wrote, “The objective of this book, “is that the people may acquire true knowledge of the nature of God. Devotion with a strong faith in Dharma (righteousness) and the purity of conduct will free them from becoming entangled in atheism or vices and this will make them noble. May the almighty Lord of the Universe be kind to us so that all may give up wickedness and become great and righteous”. Swami Dayanand believed that if an individual dedicates himself to the lotus feet of his Divine Creator, he would gain whatever he desires. It is due to this point of view in this manual of prayers, that the entreaties for extermination of diseases, sorrows and ignorance, attainment of happiness, prosperity as well as imperial sway and independence can be achieved.

Maharishi Swami Dayanand’s, Sandhya and Havana are intended for every man and woman. Into these little treatises, he poured his noble heart and soul. Reality and truth of life is echoing in each sentence, and in each phrase in these manuals. He revived the Vedic method of prayer. He laid down that every Arya man and woman must read these texts in the original Sanskrit and studies their interpretations. It must be remembered that before Swami Dayanand’s revolutionary social and religious changes, reciting Vedic mantras were formerly restricted to only a few, the selected circle, and were not allowed to be utilized by all people. He made sure that the knowledge of the Vedas was not hidden from the people at large. He wanted the study of the Vedas, the Sanskrit language and literature and the performance of yogic devotional and ritualistic exercises to be the compulsory daily duty of every individual.

Translation of the Yajur Veda, Translation of Rigveda up to Chapter VII- 61.2. and Rigveda Bhasya Bhumika (Introduction to the Commentary of the Vedas). These three books deal with the Vedas. Maharishi Swami Dayanand‘s one endeavor, the supreme effort of his life, was to give the world the Divine knowledge of the Vedas in all its pristine purity. His position as an interpreter of the Vedas was in some respects unique and requires some explanation. Vedic scholarship in India, in its true sense, seemed to have stopped with the great work of Yaska - the Nirukta. In fact, among the ancient Vedic commentaries only the Brahmanas and the Nirukta have come down to us. There were other works abundantly proved by the fact that Yaska refers to several of them. The works of Sayana, Mahidhara, Uvata, Ravana, and Bhaskara Misra are of a comparatively recent date. None of them is more than a few centuries old and all of them are much later than the Nirukta. During the long centuries that separate Sayana and others from Yaska the field of Vedic Scholarship lay barren and uncultivated. Dayanand discarded all the latter-day commentaries which according to him were libelous and gross misinterpretations. He would acknowledge the authority of no other work than the Brahmanas and the Nirukta. The authority of these two was not completely acknowledged because if he found that they went against the spirit of the mantras he would have no hesitation in discarding them too. The author quotes the authority of the Vedas themselves and of the six Darshanas in support of his position. He then explains the subject matter of the Vedas which is four-fold, viz., Knowledge, Philosophy, Worship and Action and illustrates his position by quoting Vedic verses. Maharishi Swami Dayanand believed that the Vedas contained the germs of all the Sciences.

Modern day scholars should be guided by Maharishi Swami Dayanand’s methodology, scholarship and interpretation of scientific principles of the Vedas. He refused to be bound by the authority of names; he took his stand on principles and not on persons. It was for this reason that he rejected the latter-day commentaries as worthless. He did so, not because they did not coincide with his views but because they violated the very principles of interpretation which had been followed by ancient commentators. These principles have been clearly formulated by Yaska in his Nirukta and by Jaimini in his Purva Mimansa. Yaska belongs to the Etymological school of interpreters. According to him the words in the Vedas have been used in their Yougika derivative or sense and consequently there can be no proper names or historical references in them. Some Vedic exegesis take such words as Indra, Agni, Vayu, Ashivinau, etc., to mean particular deities presiding over different departments of nature but Swami Dayanand interpreted them to mean either God or physical objects and forces according to the context. The other Indian commentators of the Vedas were obsessed with the mythology of the Puranas and tried to read their stories into the Vedas.

Swami Dayanand wrote the Satyarth Prakash to spread the knowledge of the Vedas and educate the people on the true qualities of God. It contains the exposition and clarifications of Vedic principles. Some of the important topics in the Satyarth Prakash are: worship of one God, explanation of the main principles of the Vedas, the relationship between religion and science and between devotion and intellect, elimination of the caste system and of different religious beliefs for the strengthening of society, eradication of superstitions, false notions and meaningless customs, shunning narrow-mindedness and promoting the brotherhood of man

The first ten chapters gives an exposition of the following subject matters, “ AUM” and other names of God, guidance on the upbringing of children, explaining the life of Brahmacharya (bachelor), the duties and qualifications of scholars and teachers, good and bad books and the scheme of studies, marriage and married life, giving up materialism and starting to carry out community service, the Science of Government, Veda and God, Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution of the Universe, knowledge and ignorance, emancipation and bondage, desirable and undesirable conduct and permissible and forbidden diet. The last four chapters contain criticism of the various religions and sects prevailing in India. The following religions are mentioned Charvaka, Buddhism, Jain, Christianity and Muhammadism.

His desire to promote true Vedic values and philosophy is demonstrated in all his writings. It is important and obligatory for every Arya Samaj to read, understand and communicate the works of the Rishi to propagate Vedic Philosophy and the mission of the Arya Samaj. A challenge was left behind by Rishi Dayanand that the prime duty of all Aryas is to study the Vedas and Shastras and to teach them. His writings provide all Aryan with the source material to fulfill this challenge.