History shows numerous instances of well-established civilizations declining and ultimately dying away. Names like Inca, Aztec, Maya, Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria and Mesopotamia, come to mind. They were all thriving civilizations; but they came and went. India continues more or less in its original culture, over an unbroken period of thousands of years as recorded in history. A vast majority of people – scholars and laymen, friend and foe – acknowledge in one voice that Hinduism is the most ancient among religions and that the Vedas are the most ancient among scriptures. Such an acknowledgement speaks volumes for the uniqueness, glory and resilience of this Dharma that has remained alive, flourishing, and dynamic through centuries, even under most unfavorable skies. And when it looked like dark, thundering clouds were hovering over Indian religion and culture in the 19th century, signaling decadent times, Dayananda came, initiated a spiritual renaissance and revitalized Indian civilization, reaffirming our connections with our ancient past that extended to the Vedas. These Vedas are not merely religious books but are symbols of our permanence and of our highest achievements in the fields of spirituality and science.
In assessing Dayananda Saraswati, historians call him the Maharshi of the Vedas, a man of deep Vedic insight. They tell a story of how, in a staunch and consistent way, he championed and propagated values rooted in India’s traditional knowledge and, further, they bear witness to the exceptional success he has had. They finally testify that his relentless crusade helped to save Indian civilization at a crucial time of crisis in the country’s long, checkered history.
The contribution that Dayananda made towards saving Indian civilization can be measured against the fact that for centuries, since the time that Mahmud of Ghazni had first invaded their country in 1001 AD and after sixteen additional attacks, when he had plundered their famous Somnath temple in 1025 AD, Indians were politically, socially and religiously enslaved. They indeed felt a high sense of being inferior to invading nations. Dayananda felt that it was his task to create a psychological shock revolution, a mental earthquake, to shake the minds of millions of Indians out of their low self-esteem and apologetic behaviour for all things Indian. Christian missionaries and British administrative officials had made Indians feel that their language, civilization and culture were of inferior value, and so, as a people, Indians had, at one time, lost their soul. Even though, in reality, Indian philosophy and culture were like the sun, still, Indians were begging for light from western civilization and philosophy. With the coming of Dayananda, however, the dazzling illusion of western civilization started losing its sheen and, uplifted in a surge of tremendous self-confidence, the Indian masses started re-claiming their lost soul. Unlike contemporary renaissance reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Rai and Keshav Chandra Sen of the Brahmo Samaj, Dayananda was a thundering controversialist who responded to fierce attacks of Christian missionaries on Hinduism with his equally crushing blows. The Rishi believed that, in most cases, the best defense is offence. He challenged the foreign missionaries to come forward and defend their tenets. As a debater, Dayananda had no equal and most of his competitors withdrew from engaging with him, many times out of hesitation and fear of defeat. This consequently stemmed the tide of Hindus easily converting to Christianity. The number of converts was drastically reduced.
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