I saw Maharshi Dayanand
Those people, who had the privilege of seeing Maharshi Dayanand in person are truly blessed. They got the opportunity to listen, know and understand him closely. Some of these great personalities expressed their memories with Maharshi Dayanand. We get a glimpse of Maharshi Dayanand’s personality, work, thoughts and the dreams he often had by these memories. These eyewitnesses have readily described about his tall physique, fair complexion and his grand, happy countenance. The softness and mildness of his nature, his affection towards younger ones, his courtesy, his resistance to injustice, hypocrisy and oppression, all this has been expressed page after page in these memories.
[(1853 – 1941) Swami Achyutananda, who got attracted towards Vedic religion after coming in contact with Swami Dayanand, was earlier a follower of New Vedanta and was a Mahamandaleshwar. The Chaturveda Shataks written by him was widely publicized in Arya Samaj. With the inspiration of Pandit Guru Dutt, he formally entered Arya Samaj.]When I had the darshan of Pujyapad Shri 108 Shri Swami Dayanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj, the founder of Arya Samaj, in Kashi in Vikrami Samvat 1927, the conversation that took place at that time is as follows. At that time Shri Swami Ji Maharaj was sitting on the throne but naked (wearing a saffron cowpin only). Swamiji Maharaj was preaching in Sanskrit to eight-ten Bengali youths. When I had darshan of Shri Swamiji and saluted him with folded hands, I was stunned to hear the beautiful Sanskrit language from the mouth of a strong and great scholar due to the influence of complete celibacy. Started thinking that I have never seen or heard a naked Sadhu Prasannavadan speaking Sanskrit like this before. I saw big advertisements of Shri Swamiji in which it was written, “O Pandits of Kashi, come and debate with me on the subject of idol worship which is against the Vedas, your cunningness will not help.” I asked Shri Swami Ji Maharaj, “How does one attain welfare? He replied, through the knowledge of God. Question – How is the knowledge of God obtained? Answer – Through the meetings of wise people. False Stone – Knowledge can never be gained through false stone (idol) worship. You are still a child. Study Sanskrit, grammar etc. You will know the nature of God through that knowledge.
Then I kept studying grammar, justice etc. in Kashi. At that time, Shri Swami Ji Maharaj had established a Sanskrit Vidya Pathshala in Kashi in which the great scholar of Kashi, Shri Pandit Shivkumar Shastri, Sadhu Jawahar Das Ji Udasinand a Sanyasi whose name I do not remember, all three taught. Shri Swami Ji Maharaj used to pay all the expenses of the school. I also studied in that school for several months. Again sighted Shri Swami Ji Maharaj in the Kumbh of Haridwar in Vikramisamvat 1936. I also debated with Shri Swamiji twice, which was a cause of immense pleasure. I had darshan of Shri Swamiji many times in other cities also. I never saw Shri Swami Ji Maharaj smoking tobacco or chewing paan. Aryaveero, propagate the principles of that true sage and as per his orders, make the sound of the Vedas echo in the world. This was Maharshi’s wish and your welfare lies in it.
-Dayanand birth centenary special issue of ‘Aryamitra’
[(Born 1862) Born in the village of Rumana near Patiala, Pandit Maniram later became known as Aryamuni. He was a professor of Sanskrit at DAV College, Lahore for many years. He wrote detailed commentaries on Rigveda, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Darshan, Gita and other scriptures. He was the only Aryan scholar to receive the title of Mahamahopadhyaya from the British Government.](a)
I first saw Swami Ji in Amritsar on Vikrami 1934, then in the Haridwar Kumbh of Vikrami 1936. What’s too much? Looking at his figure, it seemed that if anyone could pierce the worship of earthly Gods instead of God and establish Vedic religion, it was Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati only. At that time, hearing his Vedic words gave me a sense of his gravity and from that day on I accepted his discipleship.
– Preface to the Rigveda Bhashya
(aa)
In Samvat 1936 Vikrami, I was studying philosophy in Kashi, in those days, Rishi Dayanand visited Kashi and stayed in there for several months. I had become a Naveen Vedanti in those days. I did not like the refutation of the Naveen Vedanta by Rishi Dayanand. One day I had a conversation (scriptural debate) with him on Navin Vedanta. I had pride in my erudition but I soon succumbed to his tactics. Thus this was my first meeting with Rishi Dayanand. After losing the scriptural debate, I became attracted to him because of his scholarship and charming personality. I met him almost every day. He blessed me to become a scholar.
One day in Kashi, a famous Naiyayika said to Rishi Dayanand that when you do not know how to speak Sanskrit (in his view, Swami Dayanand’s simple Sanskrit was not Sanskrit), why do you come here to Kashi and cause trouble? Rishi Dayanand said that he speaks the same Sanskrit as Patanjali has written in the Mahabhashya. If that (Patanjali’s Sanskrit) is not Sanskrit, I assume that I do not know Sanskrit. But tell me which is your Sanskrit? The neiyayik scholor said, “I have come to argue with you in Navyanyaya, if you cannot debate the scriptures in the language of Navyanyaya, then accept your defeat. At this, Rishi Dayanand said Tathastu and urged him to ask questions. I (Aryamuni) was with him at that time. I also believed that Rishi Dayanand would not be able to debate the scriptures in the language of Navya Nyaya for long. But I was surprised to see that Rishi Dayanand in a short time defeated him in the language of Navya Nyaya. Finally, Rishi Dayanand asked the audience, “Do you understand our conversation? When the people present refused, the sage said that just as two crows fight and no one understands their language, so is the language of Navya Nyaya. It’s crow language. I speak simple Sanskrit to explain to people.
-Article by Pt. Yudhisthira Mimansak in Sarvahitkari (November 21, 1977)
[(1823 – 1907) Colonel Henry Steele Alcott, a resident of the United States, founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 with the assistance of Madame H. P. Blavatsky. He came to India with Madam in 1879 and met Rishi Dayanand at Meerut, Saharanpur and Kashi. In time, the Theosophical Society ceased to be associated with the Arya Samaj. The Colonel has written in detail about Swami Dayanand in his book ‘Old Diary Leaves’]When we reached Saharanpur, the Arya Samajists welcomed us grandly with fruits and sweets. We were given a feast by Arya Samaj. As per Indian custom, we had to sit on the ground and eat the food served on banana leaves with our right hand (without taking a fork or spoon). Swami ji reached Saharanpur the next day. I and Moolji Thakarsi went to see him. At that time Swami ji had taken bath on a well situated in a grove of trees and he was wearing clean clothes. We greeted each other respectfully.
He took my hand in his hand and took me to an open paved place. There he asked for a cot on which he made me sit near him. After some preliminary courtesies we took leave. After an hour he came to the Dak Bungalow where he was introduced to Madam. After this we had a long conversation during which he discussed Nirvana, Moksha and God in such a way that it was difficult for us to disagree.
Next morning we discussed with him the new rules of the Theosophical Society. He accepted to become a member of the council of our society and gave me the authority in writing that I would be his replacement. He also accepted the separation of Harishchandra Chintamani from Arya Samaj and agreed with our idea that separate cells related to Buddhism, Parsi, Islam and Hindu religions should be established in the society. I had recorded all these things in my diary at that very moment. Therefore, it is not possible for there to be any mistake in this regard. It has to be admitted that initially Swamiji’s ideology was liberal.
From here on the next day we left for Meerut by rail along with Swamiji. On the way, we got Swamiji to decide that he will send us the draft of three such certificates which we can provide to the upper class members of our organization as per their mental and spiritual ability.
On reaching Meerut, we were taken to the house of a government contractor Shivnarayan, where all the arrangements for our residence were made. Next day at 6 pm we went to a huge crowded meeting of Arya Samaj which was quite interesting for us. For us Westerners, this scene was beyond imagination. This meeting took place in a huge rectangular courtyard which was surrounded by many buildings, but was open from above. At one corner of it there was a platform made of bricks measuring 50×100 long, on which Indian rugs and carpets were spread. There was a stool placed on it for Swamiji to sit and also a stool on which some books were kept. There were also cushions and pillows on which Swami Dayanand was sitting. Due to his calm pride, he was impressing all the people present. And the audience was also eager to listen to the words coming out of his mouth with complete peace. There only the sound of nearby birds could be heard.
When our group was seated at designated places, Swamiji tilted his chin towards his chest, remained meditative for some time and after some time raised his face towards the sky. After this, a sweet but serious and clear sound like thunder, ‘Om Shantih Shantih Shantih’ came out from his mouth. As soon as this sound subsided, he started his sermon on the subject of prayer.
He defined prayer as a form of action. Prayer is not just uttering meaningless words, it is not just flattering God or threatening Him. Thinking it as such makes prayer ineffective.
Swamiji said that he heard a Brahmo Samaji praying for two hours continuously – “O God, you are completely merciful and just.” He asked what benefit would be derived from this. Many people talk to God as if they are talking to their servant. As if they have the right to give orders to God, in fact this is wrong. One who prays effectively should also be active continuously. The things which could not be achieved even after making efforts, should be worshiped and can be achieved through the development of spiritual powers. His speech continued, just like a smooth stream of water flows – fluid, clear and effective. When his lecture ended, the bright light of the moon started touching the buildings in front, the colour of the sky was light blue on the top of the trees, the moonlight had spread like a silver curtain behind Swamiji, his majestic figure looked even more impressive in this background.
The next day I had to speak. For this, an awning was put up in the courtyard of Vishwanarayan’s house. Carpets were spread on the ground on which valuable carpets made in Persia and India were spread. A table was set up for the speaker and some chairs for the Europeans. The remaining people, including Swamiji, sat down on the floor. Some British officers were also present and an employee of the Intelligence Department was sitting in the meeting with his mustache shaved to keep himself confidential. I mainly explained the benefits of mutual ideological exchange between the West and the East. Moolji did the work of translating the speech.
On the second day, Swamiji told us about his experiences and those of the great yogis that he had gained while living in the forests. He told that he had been wearing only a cowpin (underwear) for seven years. In those days, only land or rock was their bed. Whatever was found in the forest became their food. His life beyond duality became so harsh that he was not even aware of heat and cold or wounds on his body or burns. He roamed freely among the ferocious animals and poisonous snakes, no creature gave him any trouble. Once a hungry bear met him on the way and lifted its feet, but when he raised his hands in front of the bear and signalled it to move away, on this it left his path and went away. He found a monk named Bhavanigiri on Mount Abu who used to drink the entire bottle of poison, just one drop of which can kill a person. Swamiji could remain fasting for forty days and could also perform many supernatural activities.
That evening, a large crowd gathered to see us and a debate took place between the headmaster of the local government school and Swamiji regarding the evidence to prove the existence of God. On Wednesday 7th May we left for Bombay. Swamiji and his followers, in large numbers, came to see us off at the station. These people showered us with rose flowers and greeted us very friendly when our train started moving.
On May 18, 1879, I gave a speech for the first time before the Bombay Arya Samaj. This meeting was held in an open ground and was heavily attended. The editor of the Marathi newspaper of the Presbyterian Mission was also present in this meeting, who had made many baseless allegations about us in his newspaper. I challenged him and asked him to prove those allegations. Our lawyer Mr. Turner also gave him notice for this, as a result of which he had to apologize in his newspaper. But at that time he spoke in some indistinct language. On this, the President of the meeting Shri AtmaramDalvi lashed out at him. Madam also made some sharp remarks. On this the he got up and left.
On 15 December 1879 we left for Kashi from Allahabad and reached at four in the evening. The clerk of the king of Vijayanagaram accommodated us in Anandbagh. Swami Dayanand was waiting for us. He welcomed us very warmly and took complete information about our comforts and facilities. This time he was looking quite weak due to suffering from diphtheria, however, his facial features were as divine and impressive as before. Maharaja’s agent Dr. Lazarus had arranged complete facilities for our residence.
In Kashi, I also met Dr. G. Thembo, Principal of Banaras Sanskrit College, who was an old disciple of Prof. Max Muller. After this we also went to meet the District Magistrate and Magistrate of Banaras, Mr. Wal. [It is worth remembering that the same Magistrate Mr. Wal had imposed a ban on Swami Dayanand’s lectures in Kashi, fearing a breach of peace, to remove which Swamiji had to appeal to the provincial governor, by whose order this ban was removed.]
That very evening, when the moon was spreading its light in the clear sky, we sat on chairs. Apart from Dr. Thiban, there were also some Sanskrit Pandits from Banaras Sanskrit College among the people present. Apart from this, there were also Babu Pramadadas Mitra, Swami Dayanand, Sri Rama Rao, Damodar, a disciple of Swamiji, Mrs. Garden, Mrs. Blavatsky and some others whose names I have not been able to note down. Due to the pleasant moonlight of that time, the bungalow of our residence was shining like a palace made of ivory and the lotuses blooming in the pond in front were gaining a silver glow. At that time we were debating on the ideology of Aryans. Swami Dayanand spoke in the context of the conversation that there is no provision for idol worship anywhere in the Vedas. Babu Pramadadas Mitra and other pundits were fundamentalist mythological and idol worshippers. From this the readers can guess how much foolishness and heat must have gone into that discussion on idol worship. Dr. Thibo and other present people like us, residents of European countries, were listening to this debate with a neutral attitude.
On 16 December 1879, in the presence of Swami Dayanand, I initiated Mrs. Garden into the Theo society. Swamiji advised her to attain yogic powers. Next morning, I, Mrs. Garden and Swami Dayanand sat in a carriage and went to see the Girls’ School run by Maharaja Vijayanagaram. Dr. Lazarus showed us the school, here we saw many talented Hindu girls studying. Swamiji also took their test which was quite interesting. We especially liked their Devanagari writing which is done on wooden boards dipped in chalk solution with pens made of straw.
The next day I gave a speech in the Town Hall of Banaras. The meeting was presided over by Babu Pramadadas Mitra, a highly respected Vedantist of Kashi and Munshi Bakhtawar Singh, resident of Shahjahanpur, did the translation work.
We came to Meerut on 30 August 1880.All the members of the local Arya Samaj welcomed us at the station. From there we came to Shivnarayan’s bunglow and met swami Dayanand.
The views expressed by Swamiji regarding Yoga are simple, clear and a complete representation of the Indian viewpoint on Yoga. Swami Dayanand was a great scholar of his era, an experienced seeker, an ascetic, a powerful speaker and a great patriot.
Despite extreme heat, I had discussions with Swamiji every evening. On the same day, Swami Dayanand of Arya Samaj and I, as President of Theosophical Society, had a long, serious and secret conversation. The result of this is that none of us is responsible for each other’s thoughts. Both the institutions are cooperative and independent.
– Old Diary Liebz
[This Muslim gentleman was originally from Varanasi and came in contact with Swamiji in Kashi and Mirzapur. On the request of Diwan Bahadur Harvilas Sarda, he sent an Urdu article on Swamiji’s memoirs for publication in Dayanand – Smriti granth in 1933.]Harvilas Shardaji please pay attention,
Received your kind letter dated 18th April 1933. I am very surprised how you came to know that I have the honour of being in the service of Swami Dayanand. Even at this time, Swamiji’s picture is present in my vision. I think that a maximum of fifty years must have passed since Swami ji lived in a garden in Durgakund, Banaras. At that time, his style was such that he wore a drawers and his entire body was exposed. Used to sit on a chair. People who came to meet him also used to sit on the chair. He was very healthy and had a happy nature. Two educated persons used to sit on the floor near him. Whatever Swamiji said, they used to write it down.
There was no religious prejudice at all. Something kept cooking on an iron stove, he used to get up from his chair and look at it. It was my student period and I was studying in Jayanarayan College. After finishing college, I used to come to serve Swamiji daily. The result of attending the service every day was that he too used to wait for a student like me and when he saw me coming from the front, he would be happy and say, come and sit.
As far as I remember, Swamiji never had any controversial religious discussion with me, but used to point out about religious unity. He used to say Imdad Hussain, you have many epithetic names of God (in Islam). I used to say, you are right. On this he would give orders – Take two or four such names. I would request, for example- Rahim, Kareem, Gafoor etc. Hearing this, he too immediately told the Sanskrit equivalents of these words and said – “Look, we have these words here, which are so beautiful in pronunciation and so accurate in terms of meaning.”
Yes, if I ever got to know of his religious views, at that time whenever any Panditji would come, he would have addressed him as Lotashah or Thalishaah. First of all, my respect for him did not allow me to ask him anything all the time, but when I asked him on such an occasion after finding him happy, he told me, “This is Panditji, but he is completely unfamiliar with his religion. Idol worship is not considered appropriate anywhere in our religion, in the Vedas etc., but this Panditji himself worships idols and also gets others to do so.” There were many famous Pandits in Banaras in those days, but no one came in front of him. He had no opposition to Muslims. Only ignorant Brahmins considered Swamiji bad because he was a staunch opponent of idol worship.
I heard that one day a huge gathering gathered against Swamiji. (Since I was not present there, it is possible that this statement of mine may not be completely in accordance with the events happened at that time) The context of debate came up. There was a request from the pundits that Swamiji should initiate the conversation. Swamiji said – Where is it written in the Vedas to worship idols? The opposing party replied that where is it written in the Vedas to notto do this? Swamiji remained silent on this, probably he followed the belief that it is better to remain silent than to answer a fool. As he remained silent, people created an uproar that Swamiji was defeated.
When I attended his service the next day, I came to know about this incident, but Swami ji did not say anything from his mouth. It seemed as if he was dissatisfied with the outcome of this debate and considered it useless to even discuss it. Whatever fame he had in that era was that he was a high class ascetic, highly knowledgeable in Sanskrit and opposed to idol worship. Muslims had no reason to oppose him at that time, nor did he debate with Muslims on religious matters.
I have written that he was not interested in wearing clothes etc. Forget about being interested in clothes, at that time he did not even wear any other clothes except cowpin. Sometimes some fragrant substance like sandalwood etc. was applied on the body and also on the forehead. I can’t say what he used, nor did I get an opportunity to ask him about it. If I had asked him, he would have immediately told me the name of that thing, its benefits and would have asked me to use it. We were such devotees of his that we would have followed his orders and benefited from its benefits.
Now the time came that Mahatma ji (Dayanand) left Banaras and went out. We did not get any reliable news as to where they went and what they did. My student days also ended and I joined government service. Food and water brought me to Mirzapur, I lived there. I remember that before leaving Banaras, Swamiji did not leave without giving me something. He insisted and told me as a lesson – “Imdad Hussain, do not marry until you are 25 years of age and it is also a condition that you should spend this time of twenty-five years happily. Therefore, I followed the said order.
After a long time, the good news spread in Mirzapur city that Swami ji was coming to Mirzapur. My happiness cannot be measured even by writing. Didn’t had to wait for long. It was known that he would arrive on a certain day and at a certain time. A moneylender (Ramratan Laddha translator) vacated a house he used for Swamiji. It was a horse shed to say, but there was no shortage of space in it. It was decided to hold a meeting at night but the audience started coming earlier, towards evening Swamiji arrived in the meeting.
There was a carpet spread on a bed with masand and swamiji sat on it. Mats were spread for Hindus to sit. The number of Muslims was less, there were chairs for them. I remained looking at Swamiji restlessly from my chair; his appearance had completely changed. He was wearing full clothes with headgear and had become very weak. I thought – Oh God! Is this the same Swamiji or someone else. I mean to say that when Swamiji’s lecture started, his voice made me believe that he was the same Swamiji who was kind to us. The topic of his lecture was cow protection. He confirmed his statement in every way and said that if the cow is protected then a single cow can benefit so many people with its milk for such a long period of time. Therefore, protection of cow is a must for us considering its usefulness.
The lecture ended by ten o’clock at night. The lecture was such that everyone was listening with interest. The meeting ended and people started dispersing. Expressing their views about Swamiji’s lecture, they went towards their respective homes.
Muslims considered this lecture as a religious lecture and started complaining to me because when I heard that Swamiji was coming to Mirzapur, I had praised him immensely among my known friends. I had told them that he was against idol worship and had no connection whatsoever with religious fanaticism. A gentleman asked me – “You used to say that he (Swamiji) does not like religious narrow-mindedness, rather he considers idol worship inappropriate. Maulvi Sahib! Tell me, what was this lecture? I requested that Swami ji’s this lecture was related to the protection and rearing of the cow. The cow which gives milk. His advice is for both the classes, whether they are Hindu or Muslim. Suppose Swamiji says that do not kill the cow or do not let it be killed, then both (Hindus and Muslims) are included in this teaching. Imagine that in Banaras, cows are reared in many houses. If you pay attention, you will know that 85 percent of Hindus have cows at there houses, where as sonly 5 percent of Muslim houses have cows.
Suppose that Swamiji is giving this teaching only to those people of Banaras that protect the cow, stop the slaughter of cows, then it means that he is giving this teaching to five Muslims and 95 Hindus.
Suppose, 20 cows are killed in Banaras in a month, then if Muslims are responsible for the killing of 1 cow, then Hindus are responsible for 19 cows. Tell me, where did the butchers get the 20 cows that they slaughtered? The thing is that whichever house you go to, you will find only a young and milk-giving cow. Then what happened to that poor cow which no longer gives milk? These are the same non-milking cows of Muslims and Hindus which are killed by butchers and the lower class Muslims buy and eat that meat because the meat of those poor and old cows is sold cheap. The blame for killing a cow falls equally on both Hindus and Muslims, less on Muslims and more on Hindus.
If we ask any Hindu what happened to his old cows, where did they go, he will get angry and will be ready to fight. In reply he will say, they died, or he will say that those cows have gone away from our house. As far as we remember, it was sold to Hindus, whether it was a wicked butcher or a Hindu or if the butcher had bought the cow through some worthless Hindu, then we can’t be blamed for that. Now let us ask them why did you sell? Haven’t you considered that the cow was no longer giving milk, so why is the buyer buying it?
Our Swami ji’s speech was on the cow giving milk. He proved that if a cow is properly served, then such number of people can avail the benefits of its milk for such a long period of time. They did not even discuss selling the old, weak and useless cow. Who sells more, Muslims or Hindus? Hindus forgive me, their cows go to butchers in greater numbers than Muslims and when they grow old, they are given to butchers.
Hindus are not generous enough to designate a place in every colony where the cow can be taken when it grows old. Hindus should take care of them by collecting donations. Donation should be taken from all those who give, whether they are Hindu, Muslim or English. In this way old cows can be looked after.
When my conversation reached this point, a Hindu gentleman spoke. Maulvi Saheb (Imdad Hussain) is very right. We cannot be freed from this crime. Finding him my supporter, I said that a person told me that a person fell ill in a Hindu’s house. People told his son that your father is about to die, if you canget a cow donated through his hands. Explaining his poor condition, he requested those who advised him for donation of a cow that if a suitable cow is found, then they should get it for him. Some person in the locality had an old cow, which he got for three rupees andItwas resolved and given to a Brahmin. When the Brahmin found this old cow, he thought that it had slapped him well on the head. He called a weaver from his village and said, Ramjani bhaiya, Look, we got this cow from a certain place for three rupees, we don’t have enough space, If you have space at your place then keep it, we will be grateful to you. Ramjani bhaiya understood, took the cow and Panditji returned to his home.
Ramjani reached the butcher qurban’s house with the old cow. Looking at the cow he made a face saying that it was very thin. Ramjani told the whole story and said that it was only worth three rupees. Qurban said that we will not give more than two rupees. Ramjani said that Pandit will take two rupees. Qurban smiled and gave four more annas. In short, Ramjani took four annas, Panditji took two rupees and the old cow was killed by the butcher. Who knows whether this story is imaginary or real. As I requested, the useless and old cow should be protected. If this is done then where will the butchers get such cows and how will they be able to kill them?
I also asked them whether there is a tradition among our Hindu brothers that, as mentioned in the story, they donate a cow at the time of death? I have not seen any good or valuable cows being donated. Low value cows are given to Brahmins and which is such a Brahmin who keeps all the cows received in donation? Then where do those cows go?
Hearing this speech of mine, many of my Hindu friends clearly said that Maulvi Saheb says very right things. There is no doubt that our carelessness is involved in this cow slaughter and we are the culprits. When the fundamentalist Hindu brothers started fighting with them, they got irritated and asked them, “Okay, tell us, what happened to the cows that grew old during the time of your ancestors?” The meaning is that all these things kept happening. All went to their respective homes and we also came back to our house and slept after eating.
In the morning, after offering Namaz, I reached the garden where Swamiji was staying. There was no guard, without hesitation I went to serve Swamiji. He looked at me, it was evident from his face that he was happy to see me, but was not recognizing me. I myself asked whether he recognize me? I am Imdad Hussain, I was studying in Jayanarayan College at that time and was present in your service at Durgakund. After hearing this Swamiji recognised me and said- come Imdad Hussain, come. He felt happy after seeing me. Stay well. I requested, thank you.
Although I had gone very early in the morning, I saw that people had started coming to meet him and everyone wanted to talk to him, so I thought of having a brief conversation and taking permission from him to take leave. Have to go to court also. If possible, I will come again at another time, so I enquired whether the sir has got married? Swami ji said – What did you see that would make you understand that he has got married? I requested that you are dressed from head to toe, looking like a householder. Earlier you used to wear a cowpin, and were very healthy. Now I see that you have become very weak. Hearing this, he became silent for some time and said – “I have not paid attention to worldly matters. Imdad Hussain, you will be sorry to hear my answer that I was poisoned thrice. My body became very weak, so in order to protect the body, I am forced to take it.” Expressing my regret, I said without any hesitation, “This is the result of this lecture on cow slaughter, this poison has been given by Muslims.” Swamiji said, absolutely not, Hindus have given poison. I asked where, as far as I remember, where in the state. I wanted to ask in which state that he again said that he once escaped the sword. I immediately asked – why this? He mentioned the name of some place which I don’t remember now. Said that once he had gone to an open place for defecation, when he was defecating, he saw a man with a sword ready to kill him. He signaled him to stop while he take the toilet water and then cut his neck. As a result, he gave me the opportunity and after using the toilet water, he told him to cut off the head. The person became stunned. He saw that his body was trembling. He was keeping his head bowed and suddenly the person ran aside.
After this, I wanted to hear from him about those three incidents of poisoning, but the time of going to the court was near. Driver came and said, Sir, it is nine o’clock. The thought came that the city is far from here, we have to go to the house to have food and also go to the court. Took permission and after receiving orders set out.
There was no opportunity to meet him again. Swami ji left from Mirzapur. Harvilas ji Saheb, anyone who knows about these incidents of poisoning will tell you in detail. I am saying that Swami Dayanand was not a victim of religious narrow-mindedness, as many of his critics thought. Namaste! Alm. 1 June 1833 AD.
“The pious persons got no respite.
Wasn’t Dayanand Swami also persecuted?
Alas, you were poisoned many times.
You were not disrespected by the pagans.
– From Dayanand Smriti book
(Translated from original Urdu)
[Famous leaders of Maharashtra]I had the privilege of seeing Swami Dayanand in Bombay during his lifetime. I listened to his lectures many times and privately debated with him on the topics discussed in those lectures. The pictures of him that are visible now, depict his physical form accurately but they do not reflect the brilliance of his eyes nor the seriousness of his speech which impressed the listeners. He preached before large congregations. At that time, he often used to sit on a chair, but during personal conversation meetings, he used to sit only on the mat. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit. He had special authority on grammar. He also had adequate knowledge of ancient and modern sciences. Therefore, the examples and illustrations he presented from the sources of his unlimited experience impressed the audience. His oratory was of the style of ancient Acharyas, due to which thousands of people listened to his lectures with fascination and accepted his principles favourably.
– Translated from Dayanand Smriti book
[(1862 – 1932) Ganeshprasad Sharma, resident of Farrukhabad, was an Audichya Brahmin. For many years, he edited the monthly mouthpiece of Arya Samaj Farrukhabad ‘Bharatsudasha Pravartak’ and wrote the history of Farrukhabad, in which the authentic account of Rishi Dayanand’s residence in Farrukhabad seven times is collected.](a)
Swamiji’s complexion was fair, his body was shapely and full, his conversation was polite. He took great care not to violate the grain of truth in whatever he said from his knowledge. He had no time to say useless things. His speech was without playfulness, serious, his feelings were pure and steadfast. He was not even touched by the smell of spoiling someone’s favour out of motherly love or making him slow by hugging. Swami ji was a peace-loving person, one got peace by going near him. The statue looked gentle and kind, but in the debates, an amazing radiance was shining on his face. The opposition’s heart began to tremble with his fluent oratory. Whatever he pronounces seems as if he has learned it by heart, just as a diligent disciple does to his teacher, he recites it fearlessly. We did not see any note with him during the lecture. There was no need for other clothes except a loincloth and a tahmad or sometimes an upper (they would remove that also). In the beginning he used to praise God by reciting the mantra ‘Swasti Na Indro Vridhashravah’. At that time, peace reigned over his moon like face. The entire assembly hall became an embodiment of peace. His expression looked extremely charming like Muniman-Ranjan. But the aura of the opposition was dimmed and heart rate would increase.
(aa)
Pandit Ganesh Prasad Sharma often used to go near Swamiji and do some writing work. In this context he wrote-
One day, it clocked 9 of night while doing social work near Swamiji, at that time Shri Maharaj asked with a kind heart that you did not come after eating and speak of leaving after completing work, so do your work after eating some fruits and sweets. On this I said, You are a charitable Mahatma, hence it is the duty of householders like us to serve you and not to accept your food items. On this statement of mine, Maharaj said – What is my own in this food item? All of this has come from the homes of family people. All the food items are more than I need, for this reason you should not hesitate. Shri Ramchandrajietc. in exile also accepted when welcomed by forest sadhus sitting in leaf huts. The tuberous roots and fruits given by them were accepted even by the king of the state, hence there is no place for thinking. Saying the above, the celibate Ramanand was ordered to bring mango, melon and barfi. Swamiji was very happy to feed me.
Similarly, an Agrawal gentleman came from Meerut just at the time when Swamiji was going to have dinner. At that time he left the way to the kitchen and did not eat food himself until the food was served to the pre-said guest, and even though it was too late, he did not worry about anything.
In Agra, when Swamiji called the people of Farrukhabad to consider the case of Munshi Bakhtawar Singh at the same time Munshi Narayandas and I had also went there. It was seen there that when food was prepared for us, Swamiji himself would lovingly bring ginger water and butteroil and ask, “If you need anything else, tell without hesitation.” He himself used to go to have food after saying this.
– History of Farrukhabad (1931 AD)
[(1863- 1947) Ojhaji was a well-known scholar and writer of history, archeology and ancient scripts. He wrote detailed histories of many princely states of Rajasthan. He was the chairman of Hindi Sahitya Sammelan and curator of Jaipur Museum. You gained fame as an authentic expert on Rajput history.]While living in Bombay, I had the privilege of listening to many lectures of Maharshi from December 1881 to May 1882 and they had a great impact on my mind.
– Dayanand-Smriti book
[(Born 1857) was the illegitimate son of Jodhpur King Maharaja Takht Singh. Raoraja Saheb was prominent among those who invited Swami Dayanand to Jodhpur. He continued to attend Swamiji’s goog accompaniment when he was in Jodhpur. In 1925, when the birth centenary of Swami Dayanand was celebrated in Mathura, he attended it and narrated many interesting memories about Swamiji.]I had taken a photograph of Swamiji after obtaining his permission. This picture used to be hung in the bedroom of Maharaja Saheb of Jodhpur. He used to tell his officers that he is my guru. When Swamiji was in Jodhpur, he used to go to the forest for Pranayama at five in the morning, where many wild animals lived. On this, Maharaj Saheb started making arrangements to send Risala (security personnel) with Swami Ji, but Swami Ji prohibited it. I have read in a book that Swamiji used to snuff and eat paan, this is not right. When Swamiji came to Jodhpur, he forbade people from doing this several times. This thing should be removed from that book immediately. Swami ji did not eat betel leaves, but he used to eat Brahmi herb by keeping it on betel leaves. We were also fed many times. This is a very effective medicine. This medicine itself is being called betel. We never saw Swamiji eating paan, no need to say about tobacco?
– Dayanand’s birth centenary account
[(1861 – 1913) Swamiji was born in Jagraon town of Ludhiana district. His studies took place in Kashi. In 1901 he took the initiation of sannyasa. Swamiji has a prominent place among the writers of Arya Samaj. He established many Gurukuls, edited many newspapers, did hundreds of debates and wrote hundreds of books.]When I was listening to the lecture of Swami Dayanand in Amritsar, the disruptors threw bricks in that meeting, then a brick hit my leg. I listened to 37 lectures of Rishi Dayanand.
– Darshanand Darshan (Shriram Sharma)
[Shri Gupta, a resident of Bengal, edited the famous English daily ‘The Tribune’ published from Lahore for many years. He has recorded his memories about Swami Dayanand in his memoir book ‘Recollections and Reminiscences’.]In Arrah (Bihar) I saw Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the eminent Sanskrit scholar, reformer and founder of Arya Samaj. He was staying in the garden house of Dumraon Maharaja. I did not know much about Swamiji, but one afternoon, inspired by childlike curiosity, I went to the garden with a peon. Swami ji was standing in the verandah. He was wearing only a cowpin and had just finished his daily exercise. The Mudgars which he operated were kept in a corner. Swamiji could not speak Hindi language fluently at that time. Before that he had been speaking only Sanskrit. But he asked the peon some questions. Asked me a couple of questions and patted my head. He had a strong body, medium height, elevated head and round and tearless face.
That evening, a lecture by Swamiji took place in our school hall. The meeting place was completely filled. So a group of small children, including me, stood outside the hall watching the arrival of people. At the same time Swami Dayanand came there. At that time he was wearing saffron clothes and had a turban. There were many people with him. We looked at the crowd for a while, then I quietly went towards home.
-Recollections and Reminiscences.
[(1855 – 1932) Shahpura King Naharsinghji got his first opportunity to come in contact with Swami Dayanand in Chittor. Thereafter he invited the sage to his capital and studied the scriptures like Manusmriti, Yogadarshan etc. from him. With the advice of Swamiji, Naharsinghji did many things for the benefit of his people and continued to express feelings of devotion and affection towards him throughout his life.](a)
I used to live in a small village in my childhood. When Shahpuradhish passed away, I was placed on the throne at the age of fourteen. The government appointed one of my teachers who was a practicing Christian. Through his company I did not become a Christian but an atheist and remained an atheist for a long time. And then I met Swami Dayanand in Chittor. I thought that Swamiji could solve my doubts. In fact, when doubts were raised before him, he resolved them appropriately. Swamiji told the meaning of the anecdote of Prajapati-Duhita is that Vidya is the daughter of Brahma and he became absorbed in Vidya. After this I had faith in Swamiji. Then I saw Swamiji in Udaipur. After my prayer for several times, he reached Shahpur. In the morning I used to go with him to the forest for consuming fresh air. There he himself used to do Pranayam and taught me also. I started reading Patanjala Yoga Sutra from him in Shahpur. This is the story of my personal relationship with Swamiji. I have neither intelligence nor knowledge. I have only Swamiji’s teachings, towards which I want to draw your attention.
– Dayanand’s birth centenary account
(aa)
Swami ji was strong, had strong thighs and was very strong. When I compare his body with those of today’s strongmen, I find a huge difference. His body parts were so strong and shapely that have never been seen again till today. He used to go to the forest every morning for yoga and practice pranayama. One day I also went with him and he wanted to leave me after teaching me some of the pranayama techniques which he used to teach me daily, but I wanted to stay with him but as Swami ji used to go running in the forest, so he told me that I won’t be able to work that hard. But I did not agree and I also started running with him and after some time I got tired and Swami ji kept running continuously. Perhaps he would not have run less than five miles and even after returning his lungs would not have swelled. From that day I understood that all this was due to Swamiji’s complete celibacy. Even during my long association with him, I never saw him taking any kind of medicine.
For Swamiji’s oratory power, it is enough to say that his speech was fluent, faultless and vigorous. By listening to the evidence of Shruti and Smritis and the words of the scriptures, people knew that Swamiji had studied the scriptures from all over the world and whatever he said, he said it objectively, succinctly and boldly. Once some Vedapathis came to Shahpur and recited Veda mantras to Swami Ji Maharaj. When I asked those Brahmins the meaning of the mantras, they said that only Brahma ji knows the meaning of the Veda mantras. Hearing this, Swamiji asked him to recite the same mantra a second time and told him the complete meaning.
The situation at the time of the lecture was such that a high level of enthusiasm was generated in his body and the proofs and tips given by him were irrefutable. But on the contrary, during times of peace he remained completely calm and serious. Anxiety was not visible in him. I first heard the name of Deshodhar (reformation) from the mouth of Swamiji. He was a great patriot. He was saddened to see the inferiority of India and day and night wished for the salvation of the country. Along with other means for national interest, he also told me that Indians should use indigenous goods for the benefit of their country. By doing this, the craftsmanship of the country increases, knowledge increases and wealth increases. Following these principles, he ordered native khadi from Jodhpur and got my clothes made. Some of those clothes are still with me.
– Aryamitra’s Dayanand birth centenary issue
[(1855 – 1933) Pt. Bhumitra Sharma, resident of Karnavas (District Bulandshahr), received Yagyopavit from Swami Dayanand and got initiated into Vedic religion. He wrote commentary on Ish and Ken Upanishads andGeeta and also composed many other books.]In 1924 , when Swami Maharshi Dayanand Saraswatiji preached the Vedic religion in Karnavas (Bulandshahr), accordingly, the Kshatriyas from big states there accepted Maharshi’s sermon with respect and wore the sacred thread (Yajyopavit) and studied the mantras of Sndhya and Agnihotra. . On the same occasion, I also had my Upanayana Sanskar. I used to go to concrete pier on banks of Gangadaily for performing Sandhya in Swamiji’s guidance. One day, at four o’clock in the afternoon, all the Kshatriyas and other listeners were sitting near Swamiji. At the same time, Lala Kesarilal Kayastha, the servant of Thakur Gopal Singhji asked, Maharaj, I recite Geeta, what kind of book is it? Then Swami ji replied that “communal people have added many verses in Geeta. In it, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 chapters are interpolated in total and in other chapters too, some have two, some have ten and some have five. The verses are interpolations of incarnation, etc. Apart from them, the rest of the Gita is pure.
– Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Introduction)
Vedanug Gem Collection
[Pt. Madhavraj Joshi, father of Pt. ShukrarajShastri, who sacrificed his life for the propagation of Vedic religion and Arya Samaj in Nepal, had heard the sermons of Rishi Dayanand in Kashi. Joshi ji and his family were severely tortured by the Ranashahi of Nepal. Even his son Pandit Shukraraj Shastri was hanged. Joshi ji’s biography was completed by his second son Pt. Vakpatiraj Shastri. The incomplete biography was written by Pt. Shukraraj Shastri.]When for the sixth time Shri 108 Guruvar Dharmaditya Dharmacharya Jagadguru Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj returned from Bombay and descended into the garden of Uttamgiri in Kashi, preaching and delivering sermons of the religion, I also reached there. I felt as happy after listening to the teachings as Mahrshi after meeting Jagadguru Swami Virjanand Saraswati Prajnachakshu, poorer getting innumerable wealth, having given eyes to the blind man getting eyes, kingless king getting kingdom. I fell at his feet, paid obeisance and took the initiation of Brahma Gayatri Mantra, learned the Vedas and worship them. At that time there was no Satyarth Prakash book, which is a book of true knowledge.
After that I asked whether there is casteism or not.
Maharshi replied- There is caste discrimination.
Me: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, God, human being, demon etc. are mentioned in the scriptures and in the world, is this not a caste?
Maharshi – This is not caste discrimination, this is varna discrimination. It is by doing deeds, not by birth.
Me: Is God in form or formless?
Maharshi – Formless is the form of Sachchidananda.
Me: What is the solution to meet him?
Maharshi – By practicing yoga properly one attains God.
Me: What kind of yoga is that?
Maharshi – Ashtangayoga- Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. To attain their Samyaktaya Siddhi, get up at 3 a.m., get rid of defecation, do Padmasana in a secluded place, chant the Gayatri Mantra with the meaning given by me, keep doing it until you attain Siddhi. If your sanskar is good then you will definitely get it.
Me- It is said in Sankhya Shastra that ‘God is imperfect’, so why?
Maharshi – Kapil Muni, the author of Sankhyashastra is not an atheist. Those who ignore the commentaries of sages and look at the commentaries of people with corrupt minds fall into this illusion. Therefore, if you look at Bhaguri Bhashya, your confusion will be cleared and God is asiddh says the Purvapaksha in Sankhya, that is, it is the word of Pratipakshi. Next is its answer. After this, Sankhyakar also clearly believes in rebirth, Vedas, afterlife, yoga and soul, then how can he be an atheist? Nor is there any conflict between the philosophies. See, philosophy originates from six reasons for creation. (1) Nyaya is of atoms (2) Mimamsa is of karma (3) Sankhya is of elements (4) Yoga is of knowledge, thought, intellect (5) Vaisheshika is representative of time (6) Vedanta describes the story of God the doer. Blind with eyes, deaf with ears, foolish with knowledge and wisdom, arrogant pundits and scholars are living their lives in vain, being misled by many impure texts and commentators due to tradition. They are becoming slaves of foreigners by spreading ignorance in their birthplace India.
Me: Should yagyopaveet be worn or not?
Maharshi – Those who are virtuous, learned, knowledgeable, religious people who have studied the Vedas for themselves, must wear them and not the foolish and miscreants.
After so many conversations, the soul felt grateful and found peace after getting the darshan of that Avadhoot Sanyasi, but what to do? There is no helper in a foreign country. The money had run out. I came home (Nepal) even though I did not want to.
-Biography of Madhavrao Joshi
Written by his son VakpatirajShastri
[(1819 – 1899) Bombay-born Monier Williams was Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University. He came to India three times and in 1876 he met Swami Dayanand in Bombay. His Sanskrit-English dictionary is an authentic encyclopedia.]I had introductionwith him in Bombay in 1876. I heard him deliver an impressive oration on the religious evolution of the Aryan race. In one of my interviews, I asked him about his definition of religion. He replied in Sanskrit – Religion is the name of truth and just vision and partiality allowance. Religion is the unbiased exploration of senses and logic and God-given knowledge (truth through the Vedas).
– Brahmanism and Hinduism
[(1855-1945) Rai Bahadur came in contact with Swami Dayanand in his youth and became the first head of Arya Samaj Lahore. He was nominated by Swamiji himself as the Vice President of the Paroparkarini Sabha and remained on this post for a long time. He has written his autobiography in English. In which his interesting memoirs related to Arya Samaj are collected.]In 1877, Swami Dayanand came to Lahore and first stayed in the garden of Ratnachand Dadhiwala. When the sanatani owner of this garden, Dewan Bhagwandas, objected, Swamiji went to the house of khan Bahadur Rahim Khan which was situated between the Samadhi of Chhajju Bhagat and the Antyapariksha Bhawan of King Edward Medical College. It is here that the ten rules and by-laws of Arya Samaj were determined. For some time, Swamiji also lived in the house of Nawab Nawazish Ali Khan, which was outside the Mochi Gate.
One morning, I was sitting on a mat in front of Swamiji in the garden of this bunglow. Swami ji was sitting on the chair. Some women from Lahore came and sat on the mat in front of Swamiji. Swamiji turned his back towards them. The women requested Swamiji to give some sermon, Swamiji asked them to come to the public meetings where he preached and also asked them not to come to his residence. When those women left from there, I asked Swamiji the reason for not preaching to women. Swamiji replied that he had followed celibacy throughout his life and for many reasons it was not desirable for women to come near him.
This is the incident of 1877 itself. Swami ji was going from Lahore to a city in the north-west to preach religion. We came to the station to see him off, were waiting for the train to arrive. There was no bench on that platform. He had some bundles of books, which contained Sanskrit texts including copies of Veda Bhashya. Swami ji was taking them with him. Swami ji sat on one of these bundles. One of the people present told Swamiji that the bundle on which he was sitting also contained Vedas. Swamiji said that by sitting on this bundle he has not shown disrespect towards the Vedas because Vedas are printed on pages and books are inanimate.
In November 1879, I received a letter from Swamiji in Lahore in which he had asked me to come to Delhi and meet him. I went to Delhi and met him at the garden where he was staying. He talked to me about the Theosophical Society. By then it had been decided that Arya Samaj would have no connection with the Theosophical Society. That evening I went with Swamiji to the house situated in the center of the city where his lecture was given. That was my last meeting with Swamiji.
– Translated from Dayanand Smriti book
[South-eastern politician and skilled administrator D.B. Raghunathrao was the Diwan of Indore state.]Before implementing his religious and social reform plans, Swami Dayanand had contacted those people of the country who were already engaged in reform work. It was in this context that he arrived in Indore. I also gave some financial assistance to Swamiji in the publication of Veda Bhashya. In this context, I also had a detailed discussion with him on reform works. The first question that arose in the discussion was, what are the Vedas? Dayanand was of the opinion that the Samhita parts are the real Vedas and the Brahmin texts are merely their interpretations. I found his idea to be absolutely true and I agreed with him. After this we considered another, but equally important question. Sayana and other Veda commentators say that the subject matter of the Vedas is only rituals, whereas Dayanand had said, and it was right, that the Vedas are the encyclopedia of complete knowledge. According to him, the entire knowledge is present in the Vedas in seed form, besides the Vedas also reveal the secrets of nature and these books propagate the philosophy of karma. Whatever Swami Dayanand said is absolute truth.
– Vedic Magazine Part 3, Number 4
[(1861 – 1941) World poet Ravi Thakur was the son of Brahmo Samaj leader Maharshi Devendranath Thakur. He became world famous due to his poetic work Gitanjali and other books and he received the Nobel Prize, the world’s highest literary award. The great poet Rabindranath was a Brahmo Samaji in terms of faith.]Some events happen in life which leave an indelible impression on the heart even though their full meaning is not revealed at that moment. A similar incident happened on the day when Rishi Dayanand visited our house in Calcutta. By then we had heard the fame of Swamiji’s erudition. We had also heard that he has interpreted the Vedas in such a way that idol worship is prohibited. I was eager to see that great scholar. But till then I had no idea that he was going to become great in the near future. My brother was discussing Vedartha with the sage and the esoteric elements of Aryan culture were being discussed with him. I was very young at that time and was sitting in a corner. But the grand presence of the great Dayanand had a deep impact on my mind. Dayanand’s face was shining with immense radiance and he was filled with power. He had extraordinary power and talent. Despite not knowing his personality completely, I could bring this thought to my mind at that time. That virtuous memory of Swamiji is still present in us and our family members and inspires our hearts with joy. His teachings gradually became idolized and spread throughout India. I wonder how such wide dissemination of the sage’s teachings was possible in India, where fanaticism and narrow-mindedness have established their empire.
– The Tribune (Lahore), 23 February 1935
[Harvilas Sharda’s friend Shri Ram Gopal later became a barrister and lived in Bangalore.]Swami Dayanand was lying on his sick bed in Bhinay’s bunglow in Ajmer in October 1883. In fact, this was his death bed. I was a young man of twenty years at that time. Being inspired by the principles and teachings of Arya Samaj, I visited Bhinay’s bunglow several times and inquired about Swamiji’s health. In that youth, Rishi Dayanand was my ideal man and I considered him equivalent to God. I would inquire about his health almost daily. A ray of hope could also be seen because the saying is famous, there is hope as long as there is breath. But this hope completely vanished on the evening of 30 October 1883 when the sun of Sanskrit education and social and religious reforms set. I was present in a nearby room with my school classmates – Harvilas Sharda and Ramvilas Sharda. This sad news of Rishi’s demise filled our young eager hearts with pain and brought tears to our eyes. The next day a funeral procession was taken out in which thousands of Swamiji’s fans and followers participated. He was cremated in the crematorium and the remains were kept in a casket.
During the six-seven years before his death, Swamiji had come to Ajmer several times during his religious preaching. The praise for his lecturing style and skill in interpreting the Vedic scriptures spread throughout the city. At that time I was living in the hostel of Government College, Ajmer. The hostel superintendent, Master Jamnadas, like us students, was also eager to listen to Swamiji’s lectures. Until I saw and heard Swamiji, my young mind had a different kind of idea of Swamiji. I thought that he would be slim, tall, with a big crest on his head and a long open beard, like the ancient sages. We often used to see similar figures of sages and saints in paintings. But when I saw him for the first time, I was extremely surprised to see his grand and impressive figure. He was hairless, had a shaven head, wore only cowpins, was usually seen to be about 6 feet tall, with strong, muscular arms and completely balanced in body parts. To me, he seemed to generate jealousy in the heart of a professional wrestler with a tall physique like the Greek hero Hercules.
But when I listened to his lecture, I noticed another surprising thing. I had thought that his lecture would also be of the old style, in which dryness, dullness and pedantic language like that of storytellers would be used. I had heard such narrative discourses from Jain and Brahmin sages. But Swamiji’s sermon was of a completely different type. It was unique both in terms of content and style. It expressed sharp criticism of the religious and social weaknesses of the present times and a strong desire for their improvement. To make his statement interesting and heart-warming, he used to use humour and satire as well as quoting interesting illustrations and stories. Whatever brief, youth-friendly study I made of his nature and disposition, I saw that he never lost his patience in a hurry. I have never seen him in an angry, disoriented or depressed state of mind. He always had a peaceful mind, free from disturbance but active and determined. During conversations and lectures, I saw a unique attraction in his figure. At that time a smile kept playing on his lips. Looking at his face, it seemed as if he was a symbol of strong will, immense energy and indomitable courage to overcome all obstacles. My youthful attraction and admiration for him was so strong that I would often go to his residence and see the adults coming near him talking to him and solving their doubts. Once my father took me to Swamiji and introduced me. At that time I was only a seventeen year old boy. Swamiji encouraged me and said a few words and asked me to remain active as a student and continue to pursue education. His kind glance and the sound of that great man’s words were so strongly imprinted on my mind that even today it remains equally alive and inspiring in my life. Even today I consider that incident of meeting Swami Dayanand as the most inspiring memory of my student days. He is my first source of inspiration and pillar of light.
– Translated from Dayanand Smriti book
[(Born 1967) Shri Vishnulal Sharma, resident of Bareilly, held the post of Sub Judge in United Province (Uttar Pradesh). He was elected member of the Parokarini Sabha in 1909.He was a good English writer.]When Shri Swami Ji Maharaj came from Bareilly and was staying in the bunglow of Lala Laxmi Narayan, a moneylender, I saw him. At that time I was 11 years old. There used to be a huge crowd at the lecture but there was a strange silence. Like a peaceful lake, people used to listen to his beautiful words with a peaceful mind. His attire was very simple, wearing a topa and mirzai, he appeared as resplendent as a deity seated on a pedestal. The voice was very sweet and serious. Many people used to go just to see his appearance and physical condition and to listen to many verses and mantras. Ultimately everyone gained something or the other from his darshan. From then onwards that sprout (of Vedic religion) arose in my mind. When I went to Agra College, I saw that Chaubey Kushaldev, an ordinary person, who had served Swamiji by making bread for a few days, had become a good preacher.
– Aryamitra’s Dayanand birth centenary issue
[(1867-1955) Harvilas Sarada was a veteran Arya Samaji of Ajmer. He served for almost 60 years by holding the post of Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Paroparkarini Sabha. In 1824, he was elected a member of the Central Section Assembly and got a law prohibiting child marriage passed. He was a high-class English writer and an authentic source of information about Swami Dayanand and Arya Samaj.]Swami Dayanand used to give many lectures in every city he visited. I had the privilege of listening to Swamiji’s lectures two or three times when he came to Ajmer. Twice his lectures were held at Gajmal ji’s Nohre situated in Canal locality, to listen to these, I used to go with my father. My respected father was a Sanskrit scholar, religious minded and a strong believer in Advaita Vedanta. After serving in Government College, Ajmer, he used to spend his leisure time in the company of learned monks. When Swamiji came to Ajmer, my father used to go to meet him daily.
The first opportunity to see Swamiji was when my father took me to him one Sunday morning. At that time, Swamiji was standing alone in the eastern verandah of the bunglow of Seth Fatmahal Bhadgatiya, built near Seth Moolchand Nemichand Soni’s Nasiyan (Jain temple). We saluted him and sat down. He was a divine and tall man. His face was radiant. He asked me what I read. I replied in one word – ‘Siddha’. My father told him the meaning of Siddha. Swamiji blessed me and my father started philosophical discussion with him.
The second opportunity to see him came in 1878, when he came to the Kartiki fair of Pushkar. This fair is held every year in the last five days of Kartik (October-November). At that time people from near and far gather to take bath in the holy lake of Pushkar. At that time he was staying at Kota Ghat. We saw him sitting on a mat in the verandah. He probably had cold, a runny nose and many people were sitting around him asking questions.
I will give an example to show how he used to expose the weaknesses of his opponents through sarcastic statements. One morning, at the house of Pt. Bhagram in Lakhan Kothri locality of Ajmer, Mir Shafi Hussain, uncle of the Sajjadanshin of Khwaja Sahib Dargah and Pt. Shivnarayan (later Mahamahopadhyay) were sitting with some other Hindu and Muslim gentlemen and were having a religious discussion. Muslims were making fun of the religious superstitions of Hindus. Swami ji was listening to all this carefully. Now he turned towards Mir Shafi Hussain and said, you keep a beard and addressed Pandit Shivnarayan and said, you keep a braid. I will grab you by the beard and pull your braids.But I have neither a beard nor a braid, you can’t catch me.
I still remember an incident during his lectures. One evening, most of the people left after listening after the lecture in Gajmal ji’s Nohra, but some people stayed behind to clarify their doubts from him. It was eleven o’clock at night and Swamiji, after finishing their doubts, got ready to go to the garden where he was staying. I was also there at that time. There must have been about fifteen or sixteen people. When we came towards the door of Nohra, we came to know that the door was closed. Some people came forward and tried to open the door, but it did not open. Some other people also came forward. Only two or three of us were left with Swamiji. They tried hard to open the door, but perhaps it was so tight that it could not be opened. Seeing all those people trying their best with the door, Swami ji smiled and said – You people are the boys, leave the door and walk away. He first shook the doors and then pressed the door hard with his left foot and left hand, putting the entire force of his body on it. Holding the chain of the latch, he opened the door with a forceful push. Seeing his physical strength, we were filled with confused surprise and reverence.
When Swamiji fell ill after being poisoned in Jodhpur and was brought to Ajmer on 27 October 1883, he was accommodated in Bhinay’s bunglow. When we got this news, I along with my friend Ram Gopal and cousin Ram Vilas went to Bhinay’s bunglow in the afternoon to see him. We were classmates and studied in the matriculation class of Government College.
I was 16 years old, Ram Vilas was eighteen years old and Ram Gopal was twenty years old. We thought that when Swamiji becomes healthy, we will be able to listen to his lectures. He was being treated by Dr. Laxman Das, a Punjabi working in the government service of Ajmer. There was no improvement in Swamiji’s condition. On October 29, his weakness reached a worrying level and any hope of improvement was destroyed. The next day was of Diwali. That day too, like other days, we went to Bhinay’s bunglow and saw that the whole atmosphere was filled with sadness and people had given up all hope. We were there also when Swamiji breathed his last at around 6 pm. It was a pitiful and solemn scene. He called Swami Atmanand and Brahmachari Ramanand and blessed them and asked the people present to come and stand behind him. After blessing all the people present, he chanted Gayatri and went into samadhi for some time. Lie down again. The words he said at that time were – ‘Merciful, Almighty God, this is your wish, may your wish be fulfilled. Aha, you did a good job’. Saying this he lay down on his side, took a deep breath and released it. This was his last breath.
All three of us returned home crying. The day of Diwali is considered very auspicious and fortunate for Hindus. That day, seeing us shedding tears, father asked the reason for this. Sobbing I said – The sun has set on India today. My father gave me patience, he knew that we used to go to Bhinay’s bunglow often.
The last rites of Swamiji’s mortal remains were performed the next day. Between 9 and 10, his body was placed in a plane and the funeral procession started towards the crematorium. Entering the city from the Agra gate, the funeral procession passed through Naya Bazaar, Kadakka Chowk, Dhanmandi, Dargah Bazaar, Ghaseti Diggi, came to Usri Gate and moved towards the crematorium of Malusar. The last rites were performed as per the arrangements that Swamiji had written about his funeral in his acceptance letter. I was in the funeral procession from the very beginning and along with other Arya Samajists, I got the opportunity to shoulder the bier. It was a big plane and I counted the people carrying it as we passed through the city. These people were 16. This fact reminded me of what he had said in a lecture in Ajmer, condemning child marriage and praising celibacy. He had said that those who do not follow celibacy and become victims of child marriage, remain weak and emaciated. Swamiji said about himself that he has followed complete celibacy. At least sixteen men would be required to carry his dead body to the crematorium.
Ajmer’s Deputy Justice Commissioner Rai Bahadur Bhagaram was an admirer and follower of Swamiji. He had made complete arrangements for the funeral procession and he himself was present at the funeral site. Before consecrating Swamiji’s mortal body to the fire, he praised the sage’s services towards humanity and inspired people to continue the work started by him for the benefit of the world.
– Dayanand Smriti Granth- Published in 1933
[(1857-1926) Swami Shraddhanand, the great leader of Arya Samaj, educationist and patriot, gave a new turn to his life by coming in contact with Rishi Dayanand and he was a great fighter of the freedom struggle, the founder of Gurukul Kangri and originator of reforms like Shuddhi Sangathan and untouchability. He has written propaganda literature in Hindi, English and Urdu.]On the 14th day of Shravan Samvat 1936, Swami Dayanand came to Bans Bareilly and went away on Bhadrapada 3. As soon as Swami Maharaj arrived, Kotwal Saheb (his father – Lala Nanakchand) got orders to make arrangements to stop the chaos during the lectures of Pandit Dayanand Saraswati. His father himself went to the meeting and was so impressed by Swamiji Maharaj’s lectures that he believed that his son, an atheist, would get rid of his doubts through his satsang. As soon as he came home at night, he said – “Son Munshiram! A Dandi Sanyasi has come, he is a great scholar and Yogiraj. Your doubts will be cleared after listening to his speech. Come with me tomorrow.” In reply he said that he would go but the same feeling remained in his mind that what would a saintdo, who knows only Sanskrit, when it comes to intelligence. The next day, along with his father, he reached the mansion of Begum Bagh where a lecture was being held. Seeing that divine Aditya idol, some reverence arose; But when he saw Pastor TJ Scott and two-three other Europeans sitting eagerly, his faith increased even more. He had not yet listened to the lecture for ten minutes when he thought in his mind- “This is a strange person that despite being a mere Sanskrit expert, he speaks such logical things that scholars get stunned.”, the lecture was on Om, the personal name of God. One can never forget the spiritual joy of that first day. Despite being an atheist, it was the work of the sage soul to immerse him in spiritual bliss.
That day it was requested to Dandi Swami that the town hall had been arranged, hence the lectures would start there from tomorrow. Swami ji said in a loud voice that if the ride reached on time then he would be ready.
In the town hall, as long as the meaning of the definitions like “Namaste, Pope, Purani, Jaini, Kirani, Qurani” etc. were being explained, his father kept listening with devotion, but when idol worship and incarnation of God started being refuted, on the one hand, his faith started increasing, whereas father stopped coming and put one of his subordinates on duty as a police station officer. Till the evening of 25th August, his time management was such that after having lunch, he would reach the mansion of Begum Bagh in the afternoon and sit on the porch. When the Rishi’s court would be held between 2 – 4 o’clock, as soon as the order was given, the first person who would salute Acharya Rishi was him. Questions and answers kept happening and he kept enjoying them. Before 20 minutes of the lecture, all the courtiers would leave and Acharya would prepare to leave. He would have reached the town hall directly on his ‘Wegnut’. After enjoying the lecture, he did not return home until Acharya Dayanand’s carriage started towards his tent. On 25th, 26th and 27th August, Rishi Dayanand had three debates with Pastor Scott. The topic on the first day was rebirth, on the second day incarnation of God, and on the third day it was ‘whether man’s sins are forgiven without suffering consequences or not.’ He was also among the writers for the first two days. But on the second night he got typhus fever and again he could not see Acharya Dayanand. From 30 Shravan to 9 Bhadrapada (15 to 25 August) he witnessed many incidents related to the life of the sage, out of which he would write about some of them here, which had such an impact on him that even then it was flashing before his eyes.
He came to know from the servants of Acharya Dayanand that every morning, after toilet, he would go out at 3.30 wearing only a cowpin and carrying a stick in his hand and return at 6 o’clock. He decided to follow him and see what he does when he go out. The editor of Dabdab-e Kaisari newspaper also joined me. Acharya came out at exactly 3.30 A.M. and left, we followed him. After walking slowly for quater mile, he moved so fast that even a fast-moving young man like me could not keep track of him. There were three routes ahead. We had no idea where he went. Next morning, we hid in ambush from 2:30 in the morning at a place from where three roads diverged. Seeing that huge Rudramurti coming, we got ready to run, Rudraswami walked fast and he was running behind. The editor behind me was also rolling. In between, RudraSwami also ran a race of half a mile, but there was a field there, he also did not let him go out of his sight. At last he walked slowly for a mile and sat under a Peepal tree. When he checked the clock, he remained in samadhi (asana) for the whole one and a half hour. He did not seem to be doing Pranayam, he seemed to be in samadhi as soon as he took the asana. Got up, took two limbs and walked towards his then ashram.
After a Saturday lecture, the audience was informed that the lecture would start one hour before the scheduled time on the next day (Sunday). Acharya said at that very moment that if the ride would reach one hour earlier, he would be ready to leave at that very time. On Sunday, people started gathering one and a half hour before the previous time. The hall (lecture hall) was filled to the brim but Acharya did not arrive. Quater hour or even half an hour passed but no rumbling of the carriage was heard. After 45 minutes, a huge statue of Rishi Dayanand, adorned with the same clothes that are shown in his picture, was seen climbing up. Leaning on a stick against the side wall below the middle platform, before sitting down to pray to God, he said – “I was ready on time, but the ride did not come. After a long wait, I started on foot. On the way, at the last appointed time, only got the ride. That’s why there was delay. Civilized men! It is not my fault, It is the children’s fault who do not know how to keep the promise.” This signal was towards cashier Lakshminarayan. Swami Dayanand lived as his guest in his Begum Bagh mansion. Babu Lakshminarayan was the treasurer of five government treasuries and was considered a millionaire in Bareilly at that time.
In a lecture he was refuting mythological, impossible and immoral stories. At that time Pastor Scott, Mr. Edwards Commissioner, Mr. Reed Collector, along with 15 or 20 other Englishmen were present. Acharya took a dig at the idea of Panchkunwaris in other stories and appealed to the religious sentiments of the audience by narrating the stories of Draupadi, Tara, Mandodari etc. who had more than one husband. There was a lot of humour in Swami ji’s speech, hence the audience did not get tired. English persons kept laughing and enjoying. Then the Acharya said – “This is the leela of the pouranies, now listen to the leela of the Kiranies. They are so corrupt that they talk about the birth of a son of a mademoiselle, then put the blame on the omniscient, pure form of God and do not feel even the slightest bit ashamed while committing such a grave sin”. Hearing this, the faces of the Commissioner and the Collector turned red with anger, but Acharya’s speech continued with the same force and the Christian belief continued to be refuted till the end.
Next day in the morning, Cashier Lakshminarayan got a call from the Commissioner’s place. Saheb said – “Explain to your Pandit Swami not to act strictly. We are civilized Christians and are not afraid of the rigor of debate, but if the illiterate Hindus and Muslims get angry, your Pandit Swami’s lectures will stop.“The treasurer returned with a promise to convey this message to Acharya. The treasurer wanted to find someone else to start the conversation so that he could save himself from Acharya’s punishment. When no one stood up, hhe, an atheist, was put forward. But I excused himself by saying that the cashier wanted to say something because the commissioner had called him. Now all the trouble fell upon the treasurer. The cashier scratches his head at some places and clears his throat at some places. Acharya remained surprised for five minutes and said – “Brother, there is no fixed time for you to do any work, you do not understand the value of time. Time is priceless for me. Say whatever you want to say.” On this the treasurer said – “Maharaj! What is the harm if strictness is not taken? It also has a good effect. It is also not good to anger the British – etc.” With great difficulty these words came out of the poor man’s mouth stuttering. The Maharaj laughed and said, “Hey! What was the matter for which you begged? Wasted so much of my time also. Sir must have said that your Pandit speaks harshly, lectures will be stopped, this will happen, that will happen. Hey brother! I am not a ghost that I will eat you. He said to you, you should have told me directly. Why did you waste so much time?” A devout mythological Hindu was sitting. Said – See! He is an incarnation, he knows the thoughts of the mind.
Who can forget that evening’s lecture? I have heard the lectures of great Vagvisharads, but what can compare with the brilliance that emanated from the simple words of Acharya that day and excited the entire gathering. That day there was a lecture on the nature of the soul. All the Englishmen of the previous day (except Pastor Scott) were present. The topic of power of truth came up in the lecture. Explaining the truth, Acharya said – “People say that do not reveal the truth, the Collector will be angry, the Commissioner will be unhappy, the Governor will hurt. Hey! Even if Chakravarti King will be unhappy, we will only tell the truth.” He praised the soul by reciting a verse behind it. Neither weapons can cut it, nor fire can burn it, nor water can melt it and nor wind can dry it. It is eternally immortal. Then he said in thundering words – “This body is impermanent, it is useless to do unrighteousness by being inclined to protect it. Any person can destroy it as per his wish.” Then, looking around sharply, he said with a lion’s roar – “But show me that brave man who claims to destroy my soul. Until such a brave man is seen in this world, I am not ready to even think that I Will I suppress the truth or not?” There was silence in the entire hall. The fall of the handkerchief could also be heard.
There was some delay in the lecture. As soon as he woke up, Rishi Dayanand asked – “Devotee Scott was not seen today.” The priest never absented himself from any lecture, and also used to talk to him lovingly, hence the sage had fallen in love with him. Someone said, he had a lecture today in the nearby Church. As soon as he came down the stairs, the sage said – “Come let’s see the church of devotee Scott.” There were still three to four hundred people standing. He reached the church with the whole crowd. The lecture had ended there. The audience was around a hundred. Pastor Saheb came down, took Swamiji to the altar (pulpit) and asked him to give some sermons. Acharya condemned human worship for twenty minutes while standing.
One day Acharya came to know that the cashier had relationship with a prostitute. On his arrival he asked – “What is your caste?” He said, “What can I say, you believe in caste system according to your qualities and actions.” Acharya said – “Though everyone is mixed, but what are you by birth?” Got the answer that Khatri. Maharaj said – “If a son is born to a prostitute from the semen of a Khatri, what will you call him?” The cashier lowered his head. On this the Maharaj said – “Listen brother! We do not appeal to anyone. We will only tell the truth.” The cashier sent the prostitute somewhere else. He ended the story of this amazing satsang with one last incident. Although the teachings of Acharya Dayanand had fascinated him, yet he used to think in his mind that if Pandit Dayanand Swami would give up on the deception of God and Vedas, then no scholar would be able to face his unmatched wisdom and reasoning power. He was proud of his atheism in those days. One day he attacked the existence of God. In the five minutes of question and answer, so much was said that the tongue was sealed. He said, “Maharaj! Your reasoning is very sharp; you have silenced me, but have not made me believe that God has any existence.” The second time he went again after preparation, but the result was the same. The third time he went again after making full preparations but his logic was defeated again. He then gave the same final answer – “Maharaj! Your reasoning power is very strong; you made me silent but did not make me believe that God exists.” Maharaj first laughed, then said in a serious tone – “Look, you asked questions, I answered – it was a matter of strategy. When did I promise that I will make you believe in God. Your faith in God will come only when The Lord himself will make you a believer.” Then he remember that he had read the following Upanishad sentence –
“Nayamatmapravachanenlabhyonamedhyanabahunashruten.
Yamevaishvrunute ten labhyastasyaishatmavivrunutetanu swam.॥”
– Kath0 1.2.22.
[Pt. Shivduttji was a resident of Ajmer and later became a professor of Sanskrit in Government Oriental College, Lahore.]He was a resident of Jaipur. When Rishi Dayanand came to Jaipur, one day a hundred pundits gathered to debate with him and with many quetions went towards Swamiji’s tent with the thought that today they will leave only after defeating Swamiji. They started in a group of a hundred scholars, but on the way, someone felt thirsty and someone felt to urinate. By the time they reached the designated place, only fifteen pundits were left. Then discussions began among themselves as to who should ask the questions. When no one was ready, they made me stand with great difficulty. I spoke for only five minutes but with my head down. I vanished due to his brilliance. Swami ji was shining like the sun. When Swamiji started answering, Gyan Ganga started flowing. There was a flurry of evidence from Veda mantras and scriptures. That spiritual flow continued not for one hour, not for two hours, but for two and a half hours. Thousands of people, Hindus, Muslims, Englishmen too, despite not knowing Sanskrit, all were listening to that divine voice with fascination.
[(Born 1935) America-born Pastor Thomas Jefferson Scott came to India in 1963. Later, he remained as the chief Christian priest of Bareilly. He had cordiality and friendship with Swami Dayanand. Swamiji used to call him Devotee Scott. Reverend Dr. T.J. (Thomas Jefferson) Scott was a missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church of America and came to India after being appointed as lay pastor of Bareilly district. He had met Swami Dayanand in the fair of Kakode (village) held on the banks of Ganga. He has given details of this in his book ‘Missionary Life in the Villages of India’ (pages 162-68).]“That afternoon I met on the sand at the banks of the Ganges, a fakir, about whose scholarship and piousness Ihad heard in the market crowd. I saw him sitting in a leafy hut. He was a man of imposing figure, a giant with a well-built body and limbs, an oval skull and a gentle face. He was sitting in a posture almost naked (wearing a loincloth) and started talking to me happily. He was a saint of that category who has renounced the entire world and is always engrossed in the meditation of God. After talking to him, we came to know that he has a brilliant mind and deep knowledge of the ancient scriptures of Hindus. He speaks only Sanskrit, hence our conversation took place through an interpreter only.
After a long conversation with this fakir, it came to light that he was completely familiar with the ancient and perfect system of Hindu philosophy. According to his views, this universe was created in this order – sky, air, fire, water, earth (inanimate element) and then living beings. The reason for the distortion that has come in the world is man’s ignorance. Purity can also be regained in human life when we gain knowledge and punish the criminals.
Only the attainment of knowledge saves man from degradation. Everyone should study the Vedas till the age of thirty, after which they should marry if they deem fit. Man can escape from sins only by suffering punishment. First of all, we should present the ideal of purity before man and when he violates it, we should punish him. In this way he will be afraid of crime and will learn the lesson of righteousness.
I presented the Christian viewpoint on every point of this conversation, but I felt that this fakir did not deviate even an iota from his principles.
At the end of our conversation I presented him with a copy of the New Testament and requested that he follow it carefully”.
[(1858 – 1937) Awadhvasi was famous by the name of Lala Sitaram. Despite being in the government service of United Province, he contributed fully to the writing of Hindi literature. Translated many of his Sanskrit plays and poems into Hindi and also composed poetry in Braj language.]In 1875, he had the privilege of listening the lectures of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in the huge hall of the Normal School of Lucknow, which was then established in Aminuddaula’s mansion. He felt as if some great soul was speaking within Swamiji. To him, Swamiji Maharaj seemed more than just a patriot, whose aim in life was to break the chains of deceit and superstition. A desire to hear more and more from Swamiji’s mouth arose in his heart.
In 1879, he got the rare opportunity of personal conversation with Swamiji in the beautiful Anandbagh of Banaras. The then District Magistrate entrusted him with the task of translating into English those Sanskrit advertisements which were publicized by Maharshi Dayanand and the opponents. After reading them, the District Magistrate told him that it was futile to oppose Swami Dayanand. Swamiji’s erudition was immense and all the knowledge of Banaras evaporated before Swamiji. While talking to Swamiji, he got the impression that Swamiji was very strong in his faith but calm. In his long life he had never found a person with such true and strong thoughts as Swamiji. When he met Swamiji who was writing something. He asked – “Are you writing a commentary on the Rigveda?” Swamiji said, “No, I am preparing a book series on Sanskrit grammar (14 parts of Vedangaprakash).”
Of all the patriots and social reformers that the 19th century has produced, Swami Ji Maharaj was the brightest among them. In comparison to the work Swamiji alone did for the social, moral and intellectual upliftment of the country, the combined work of all the reformers was negligible.
– Translated from Dayanand Smriti book
[ (1848 – 1939) Kshemkarandas Trivedi was originally a resident of Aligarh district. In Moradabad he met Swami Dayanand and became Aryasamaji. After taking leave from long term service in Railways, he studied Sanskrit and studied the Vedas systematically and obtained the title of Trivedi. His Atharvaveda commentary has universal reputation among Vedic scholars.]In Samvat 1833 (1877 AD), Maharshi Shri Swami Dayanand Saraswati came to Moradabad. He landed at the palace of Raja Jaikrishna Das CIE and gave lectures on Vedic religion in the evening for five-six days consecutively. He used to give lectures while sitting and along with other Veda mantras, ‘Om Shanno Mitrah Shantih’, the beginning mantra of Satyarth Prakash and ‘Shanno Mitrah Shantih’, this was the ending mantra of Satyarth Prakash, he used to speak in clear words in a loud, melodious voice and the lectures were also very pure, simple and melodious. He used to give in words which the listeners used to listen to with single minded. No matter what kind of conversation or noise there was, as soon as he spoke, everything would stop together and peace would spread. At the end of the lecture he used to resolve the doubts of the people. Some people used to attend satsang with him till ten-eleven o’clock at night. I too used to go to lectures and satsangs bothtime, barefoot with reverence and devotion and in the morning, when he used to go out of the city for a walk with his stick, I would also go and see him on the way and take the blessings ‘Be happy’. Swami ji’s body was big, strong and the complexion was wheatish. Intelligence, seriousness, bravery, fairness and altruism were clearly visible in his speech. His walk with stick flashes before my eyes.
In those days, I and MunshiKalika Prasad, two Kayasthas, Lala Chandramani and Lala Dwarika Prasad, two Vaishyas, took Yajnopavita and Gayatri Mantra. With Swamiji’s permission, I read his Panchmahayajnavidhi book from MunshiIndramaniji. One day I asked Swami ji, what should be the answer if people blame you for taking Yagyopavit and ask about your religion. He said that taking Yajnopavit from a Sanyasi is as per the scriptures and declare your religion as Vedic religion. Then he patted my back very lovingly and said – “God forbid you read the Vedas and propagate them.” I used to take and read Swamiji’s books with keen interest. I was number 9 among the subscribers of his monthly magazine Vedabhasya, which I continued to subscribe for 17 years till the end.
Now Swamiji had come to Moradabad in the year 1877, an Arya Samaj was established at the residence of the said Raja Saheb. Swamiji again came to Moradabad on 3rd July 1879 and landed at the same Raja Sahib’s bunglow in the city. These days Swamiji was suffering from Sangrahani (diarrhoea). Gave three lectures. On July 20, 1879, in the presence of Swamiji, materials were ordered to perform a big havan at the same Raja Sahib’s mansion and Mohanbhog was also ordered. It was raining heavily that day, and a small havan was performed in a house. Material and mohanbhog left unutilised . About five hundred people were present. Due to delay, Raja Sahib served food to everyone and also distributed Mohanbhog. On the same day Arya Samaj was established, Munshi Indramani was President, Kunwar Parmanand and Thakur Shankarsingh were Secretaries, Sahu Shyamsundar was treasurer, Lala Jagannathdas was librarian and thirty-eight councilors, including me, were there. On this occasion, the miscreants gossiped that these people had eaten Mohanbhog on which Swamiji had spit. Panchayats started being held in the community; Some people separated from the society and some remained steadfast and continued working.
– Autobiography of the commentator at the beginning of Atharva Veda Bhashya