1. Indian Freedom Struggle
    After the failure of the Revolt of 1857, Maharshi Dayanand had outlined the main components of India’s future freedom struggle. Maharshi Dayanand’s many strategies like strong feeling of freedom from foreign kings, goal of complete independence, use of indigenous goods, opposing tax on salt, learning the working system of the enemy, Guerrilla war, taking weapons training, ordnance manufacturing, going abroad and collecting help, inspired and guided millions of future freedom fighters.
  2. Swarajya (Autonomy)
    First of all Maharshi Dayanand proclaimed the Vedic word Swarajya against British slavery. Later on, this became the basic idea of the revolutionaries and freedom fighters. Bal GangadharTilak declared that Swaraj is my birth right. Later, Congress also adopted the goal of complete independence.
  3. Swadeshi (Indigenous)
    Maharshi Dayanand first of all opposed the foreign goods being imposed on Indians by the British and proclaimed Swadeshi to promote indigenously manufactured goods and indigenous industries. Later, revolutionaries and freedom fighters took the initiative to give Swadeshi the form of a movement. Today’s Made in India campaign is also a contribution of this Swadeshism.
  4. Truth
    Maharshi Dayanand lived and sacrificed for the establishment of truth. He established the flame of truth in front of the storm of untruth. The general public abandoned untruth and started following the truth. Later, independent India adopted “Satyamev Jayate” as its national motto.
  5. Cultural Self-respect
    Before Maharshi Dayanand, the heretics used to ridicule Sanatan Vedic religions by showing them the hypocrisies and evil practices prevalent there. Maharshi Dayanand proved these hypocrisies and evils to be against the scriptures and showed the true nature of Sanatan Vedic religion, which re-awakened the self-respect of its followers for their religion.
  6. Self-study
    As a result of the refutation made by Maharshi Dayanand, the trend of self-study of the scriptures started among the common people also. The result was that lakhs of people who were deprived of Gurukul education started knowing the true meaning of their religious scriptures and were able to give a befitting reply to the false propaganda of heretics.
  7. Shastrarth (Debate)
    Maharshi Dayanand restarted the Vedic tradition of debate to decide truth and falsehood. He not only challenged the heretics but also destroyed the forts of the Popes who were spreading heresy in their religion. As a result, thousands of debates started taking place and lakhs of people came to know about the reality of hypocrites.
  8. Supremacy of Vedas
    Before Maharshi Dayanand, the contractors of religion had given importance to man-made literature equal to the Vedas to carry forward their fabricated ideas. This caused great confusion among the general public. As a result of Maharshi Dayanand’s declaration of the supremacy of the Vedas, today the Vedas are considered to be the supreme religious texts of the Sanatan Vedic religion.
  9. Scientificity of Vedas
    Before Maharshi Dayanand, the Vedas were considered only a matter of rituals. Maharshi Dayanand declared Vedas synonymous with science. Scientificity is also visible in his books. He revealed many scientific formulas described in the Vedas which were later accepted by Western science. He told that there are three subtle elements of nature (Sat, Raja and Tama) which were later accepted by Western science. Similarly, inspired by Maharshi Dayanand’s book Rigvedaadibhashyabhumika, one of his followers Shivkar Bapuji Talpade made a prototype of the aircraft and successfully flew it. When consanguineous marriage was prevalent in the West, Maharshi Dayanand prohibited consanguineous marriage, the scientificity of which was accepted by Western scientists. Scientists are doing research on many such topics propounded by Maharshi Dayanand.
  10. Availability of Vedas
    Maharshi Dayanand declared that reading the Vedas is the birthright of every human being. As a result of Maharshi Dayanand’s determination to make the Vedas accessible to the masses, today the book of Vedas is available to the common people without any discrimination.
  11. Studying Vedas
    Maharshi Dayanand described reading and listening to the Vedas as the supreme religion of the Aryans. Whereas earlier knowledge of the Vedas was considered the monopoly of Brahmins, Maharshi Dayanand gave the right to read the Vedas to all sections of the society. Today, Vedas are read and heard in Arya Samaj temples, Gurukuls and homes.
  12. Translation of Vedas
    Maharshi Dayanand had declared that all human beings have the right to read the Vedas. But when the Vedas were not available in Hindi then how would the general public understand the meaning of the Vedas. In view of this, to shed light on the true meaning of the Vedas, Maharshi Dayanand commented (translated) them into Hindi language. Later, his followers translated the Vedas into other languages also. Today Vedas are available in many languages.
  13. Gurukul System
    As long as the Gurukul system existed in India and the Vedic scriptures continued to be studied, no one could bend India. The Gurukul system is the future source of India’s resurrection. In view of this, Maharshi Dayanand called for the revival of Gurukul system. Today, hundreds of Gurukuls established by Arya Samaj are functioning, in which anyone can study the Vedic scriptures without any discrimination.
  14. Varna (Merit) System
    Maharshi Dayanand was in favour of the Vedic system of determining Varnas on the basis of qualities, actions and nature. Although complete success has not yet been achieved in its implementation, the children of many families considered to be of lower caste (varna) have accepted the Brahmin varna by studying the Vedic scriptures in Arya Gurukuls.
  15. Arya Name
    The name Hindu is the gift of foreigners and the word Hindu is not even mentioned in any text before the arrival of foreigners in India. Maharshi Dayanand declared that our ancestors were Aryans and we too are Aryans. Our name is Arya even in our historical texts Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. As a result, today a large section of people identify themselves as Aryans.
  16. Modern Education
    Maharshi Dayanand explained the importance of modern education along with classical education. He wanted that people should acquire adequate knowledge of English along with Hindi, Sanskrit and by knowing the reasons for the progress of foreign countries, they should also progress their own country. While on one hand hundreds of Gurukuls were established by Arya Samaj, on the other hand thousands of D.A.V. and other Arya schools were also established. Many educational institutions of Arya Samaj are working not only in India but also in foreign countries. At present more than one crore children study in these institutions altogether.
  17. Hindi (Sanskrit based)
    At the time when Maharshi Dayanand appeared, Hindi was almost dead. Mainly Persian, Urdu and English were prevalent. Only local dialects were left in the name of Hindi. Sanskrit was considered only the language of rituals. In such a situation, Maharshi Dayanand said that only Hindi can unite India. He also wrote his main book Satyarth Prakash in Hindi, which was the first book of modern Hindi at that time. If Hindi is alive today, the credit goes to Maharshi Dayanand only.
  18. Rituals
    The contractors of religion had made the rituals so complex and expensive that the general public started moving away from them. Maharshi Dayanand presented a simple form of the ritual so that the general public could easily adopt it. Even today, to perform the rituals on auspicious occasions in a pure and simple manner, the general public prefers the Arya Samaji method.
  19. Havan (Yagna)
    Different religious sects invented their own unique worship methods due to which there was a lot of confusion in the society. It was impossible for the general public to know which method of worship was correct. For the unity of Sanatan Vedic religion, it was necessary that they all adopt the same method of worship. Maharshi Dayanand declared that Havan is our eternal worship method which includes worship of God, unionization and charity. Today millions of people around the world perform daily yagna.
  20. Monotheism
    There is only one God in Sanatan Vedic Dharma. But in the era of darkness that spread after the Mahabharata war, many non-Vedic sects emerged and they started making them their idols and calling them the most revered. The common people left the Almighty God and started worshiping human imaginary gods. Maharshi Dayanand declared that God is one and there is no other like Him. As a result, a large number of people started worshiping one Almighty God, while polytheists also started believing that there is only one God.
  21. Namaste
    One of the many reasons for the disintegration of Sanatan Vedic Dharma followers, was the lack of uniformity in greetings. People considered shouting slogans in the name of their favourite as a form of greeting. Maharshi Dayanand told with reference to the Vedas that Namaste is the best greeting. Arya has always been greeting by saying Namaste. Gradually the general public started adopting Namaste and today Namaste has become the identity of India all over the world. During the Covid pandemic, the whole world accepted Namaste as the best way of greeting and adopted it enthusiastically.
  22. Organization of Sanatan Dharma Followers
    Maharshi Dayanand was the first to organize the badly divided Sanatan Vedic religion (Hindus) in the name of caste, creed, sect, language, region, gender, prosperity, greetings, diet, favourite deity, religious scriptures and method of worship. Arya Samaj established by Maharshi Dayanand became the first organization of Hindus. After this many other organizations of Hindus emerged.
  23. Vegetarianism
    The Hindus, under the influence of their oppressors, had also started adopting non-vegetarian food without any hesitation. Non-vegetarian food started being consumed indiscriminately among Brahmins and Kshatriyas also. The sacrifice of innocent animals in temples was given the colour of religion. Maharshi Dayanand declared non-vegetarianism as a completely demonic act and called upon the Sanatan Dharma people to follow their religion. Today people all over the world are adopting vegetarianism.
  24. Democracy
    Arya Samaj is not only the first organization of Hindus but also the first democratic organization of India. Maharshi Dayanand has explained the importance of democracy in his books. At the beginning of the process of building modern India, Maharshi Dayanand had laid the foundation of democracy in the form of Arya Samaj. Later, the leaders of India also adopted democracy.
  25. Environmental Protection
    In 1875, when no one paid any attention towards environmental protection, Maharshi Dayanand had explained the need and measures for environmental protection. Today all the countries of the world are organizing big conferences for environmental protection. New solutions are being found to save the environment.
  26. Modernization
    On the one hand, Maharshi Dayanand was classicist in religion and cultural science, while on the other hand he was a modernist in engineering and physical sciences. He wanted that Indians, who were once the leaders of the world, may have lagged behind Western science due to whatever reasons, but today they should move forward by taking advantage of the science refined by westerns. It is the influence of Maharshi Dayanand that even those Indians who could not be touched by modernity are achieving new heights every day by using modern technologies.
  27. Swayamvar (Self Selection of Life Partner)
    Girls were married like animals to anyone without asking their consent. Maharshi Dayanand worked to revive the ancient tradition of Swayamvar in which boys and girls got the right to choose their life partner as per their wish. Today Swayamvar has become a common thing.
  28. Inter-caste Marriage
    Maharshi Dayanand declared that all human beings belong to the same caste and while getting married one should choose a life partner only after looking at their qualities, actions and nature. This paved the way for all Sanatan Dharma people to break caste barriers and marry each other. Later, Arya Marriage Law was also made to recognize inter-caste marriages. Today people are gradually becoming aware and inter-caste marriages are getting acceptance among the general public.
  29. Declaration of Minimum Age for Marriage
    When small children were taken in their lap and married, then Maharshi Dayanand first declared the minimum age for marriage (25 years for boys and 16 years for girls). Also awakened the general public, as a result child marriages stopped on a large scale. Later, Judge Harbilas Sharda, an ardent devotee of Maharshi Dayanand, made a law in 1929 for the minimum age of marriage, which is famous by the name of Sharda Act.
  30. Prohibition of Polygamy
    When it was common in Hindu society for a man to marry multiple women, then Maharshi Dayanand declared polygamy against the Vedas and announced its prohibition. Also awakened the general public, the result of which was that polygamy stopped on a large scale. Later, laws were also made for this.
  31. Widow Marriage
    Maharshi Dayanand strongly supported the remarriage of widowed women and worked to get it accepted in the society. He said that when there is no restriction on remarriage of men then it is not fair to stop women from remarrying. Many followers of Maharshi Dayanand set exemplary examples in the society by marrying widows. Today, marriage of widows is common.
  32. Niyog (Surrogacy)
    The only purpose of marriage is to have children whereas due to various reasons children are not born after marriage. In such a situation, men used to adopt many wrong paths to have children due to which women ultimately had to suffer immense sorrow. Maharshi Dayanand gave the Vedic solution to Niyog for childless couples. Today, due to the use of modern technologies, the acceptance of Niyog has increased across the world and every year millions of children are being born due to Niyog.
  33. Cow Protection
    It was very unfortunate that on one hand mother cow was worshipped, on the other hand cow slaughter took place indiscriminately. Maharshi Dayanand thought that protection of mother cow was possible only if it was made an integral part of the economy. With this thinking, he gave the idea of cow based agriculture and economy. He also established India’s first cow shelter in Rewari for the helpless and old cows. Later, the famous Gauraksha Movement initiated by Hindu organizations also started from Arya Samaj Diwan Hall itself. Today organic farming is becoming increasingly popular. Besides, thousands of cow sheds have been established.
  34. Orphanage
    Maharshi Dayanand started orphanages for the proper upbringing of orphan Hindu children and to save them from getting trapped in the clutches of heretics. Later, orphanages were established by many Hindu noblemen. Although even today most of the Hindu orphanages are operated by Arya Samaj.
  35. Stop on Conversion
    Fearing the atrocities of the heretics or due to greed and oppression by the self-righteous, crores of Sanatan Dharmis had abandoned their religion and were abandoning it. The affluent class was also getting attracted towards other sects due to the evil practices and hypocrisy prevalent in their religion. In such a situation, Maharshi Dayanand, through a series of debates on scriptures from both self-righteous and heretics, proved that there is no belief or sect better than Sanatan Vedic Dharma. Wherever there was information about conversion, Maharshi Dayanand’s followers would reach there and explain to the, this curbed the uncontrolled one-sided conversion of Hindus to a great extent.
  36. Shuddhi (Homecoming)
    The contractors of religion had made this arbitrary rule that once one leaves the religion, it is not possible for him to return. While millions of people were willing to return to the religion of their ancestors. In such a situation, Maharshi Dayanand opened the door of purification for the return home of his separated brothers and sisters. Since then, countless people have returned home. At first the contractors of religion opposed purification. But gradually they also understood the importance of purification and they also got involved in this work under the leadership of Arya Samaj.
  37. Propagation of Religion
    On one hand, heretics were promoting their religion indiscriminately, while on the other hand, Hindus were sitting with doors of their religion closed. Propagation of one’s religion among followers of other religions was a distant dream. At that time Maharshi Dayanand himself travelled to every corner of the country to propagate Sanatan Vedic religion. His followers also did unique work for propagating religion. This religious propagation was not limited to India but reached foreign countries also.
  38. Women’s Education
    Today, women are reaching new heights everyday standing shoulder to shoulder with men, but there was a time when educating girls was considered a sin. When Maharshi Dayanand talked about the education of girls, the contractors of religion strongly opposed him. When Arya Samaj opened girls’ schools, people started being stopped from sending their daughters to study. But gradually they also understood the importance of educating girls and got involved in this work. Today the Government of India is running the campaign of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
  39. Women Empowerment
    During the rule of Aryans, women had full respect and rights. Over the time, after the arrival of foreign invaders, women in India also started to suffer like the culture of these foreigners. The condition of women became worse than that of animals. Maharshi Dayanand called women again as mother power and opposed the atrocities against them in every possible way. Announced women’s rights. Maharshi Dayanand is the architect of the strong form of women seen today.
  40. Foreign Travel
    Today, the ban on foreign or sea travel may seem ridiculous, but during the time of Maharshi Dayanand, the idea of corrupting one’s religion by going on a foreign or sea voyage was widely prevalent. People were prevented from going abroad. Maharshi Dayanand strongly refuted this notion.
  41. Writing Tradition
    During the period of foreign slavery, it was common for uncivilized invaders to destroy and burn libraries. Gradually the interest of the general public in books also decreased. The credit for reviving writing in modern times also goes to Maharshi Dayanand. 150 years ago, when the books were less popular, Maharshi Dayanand composed many texts in Sanskrit and Hindi. Thousands of his disciples also strengthened the writing tradition by writing innumerable books.
  42. Aryan Invasion Theory
    To increase their acceptance, the invading Christians (British) started a conspiracy to portray the Aryans, the foundation of Indian culture, as foreign invaders. Gradually many Indian scholars also started accepting this lie as truth. Maharshi Dayanand was the first to refute it. Scholars like Dr. Ambedkar, while supporting Maharshi Dayanand, completely refuted the Aryan invasion theory. Later scientific discoveries proved Maharshi Dayanand’s point that Aryans are the original inhabitants of this country.
  43. Cremation
    The Hindus, who were under foreign slavery, had adopted many of their customs and evils. One of these was the burial of dead bodies. At some places, the practice of immersing dead bodies in water had also started. Maharshi Dayanand described cremation as the best way for the last rites of dead bodies. Today scientists also consider cremation to be the best method of last rites. The dead body of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking was cremated and his ashes were buried. The Catholic Church has also accepted cremation. During the Covid pandemic, the world understood the importance of cremation very well.
  44. Dead Feast
    One of the evils prevalent in the society was the feast of the dead on a large scale. Firstly, there being the sorrow of separation of a loved one, and on top of that, the unwanted burden of feeding the society. Maharshi Dayanand declared the dead feast wrong. The effect of this was that many fraternities/communities took a mutual decision and announced a collective prohibition of the feast of the dead.
  45. Purdah System
    Hindus, under foreign slavery, had adopted many customs and evils of their oppressors. One of these was the tradition of keeping women veiled. Whereas there is no description of such a veil tradition in the history of the Aryans. Maharshi Dayanand refuted this practice. Purdah was actually a major obstacle to women empowerment. At present the practice of purdah is partially limited to the villages only and is speedily coming to end there too.
  46. Untouchability
    Maharshi Dayanand declared untouchability Non-Vedic and called for its complete eradication. Maharshi Dayanand embraced the people who were called untouchable and his followers did many things to end untouchability. Aryans carried out many movements and made many sacrifices to get rights like dola palanquin and entry of Untouchables/Dalits in temples. After this long fight, untouchability has almost ended.
  47. Caste System
    Maharshi Dayanand told that the birth based castes prevalent in Hindu society have no scriptural basis. There is no place for birth based caste system in Vedic religion. Later, Dr. Ambedkar also accepted that history describes the Aryans as having four castes (Varna) and all of them had equal rights and respect. The currently prevalent castes came into existence much later.