Dayānand Sarasvatī

Svāmī Dayānand Sarasvatī (February 12, 1824 – October 30, 1883) was an important Hindu religious leader of his time. He is well known as the founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement of the Vedic tradition with which the Theosophical Society was associated from May 22, 1878 until March 1882, changing its name for a time to that of the Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj.

Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma and skepticism in dogma, and emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya (celibacy) and devotion to God. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – “India for Indians” – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent in Hinduism at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. He promoted the equal rights of women, such as the right to education and reading of Indian scriptures, and translated the Vedas from Sanskrit into Hindi so that the common person might be able to read them.

He was a chela of the Masters of Wisdom, although eventually failed. In 1882 he became critical of the founders. Col. Olcott wrote that "as though possessed by some evil spirit, he repeated his insults and misrepresentations over and over again in lectures", and was surprised at "the extreme language of the Swami - who publicly called us liars and cheating jugglers".

On October 1882 Master K.H. wrote to Alfred Percy Sinnett in one of his letters about the Swami's "ferocious ambition that he mistakes for patriotism":

D. Swami was an initiated Yogi, a very high chela at Badrinath, endowed some years back with great powers and a knowledge he has since forfeited. . . . And now see what has become of this truly great man, whom we all knew and placed our hopes in him. There he is — a moral wreck, ruined by his ambition and panting for breath in his last struggle for supremacy, which, he knows we will not leave in his hands.

In 1883 Dayananda was invited by the Maharaja of Jodhpur to stay at his palace, and was eventually poisoned by the cook. Many doctors came to treat him in an attempt to save his life, but all was in vain. He was bedridden and suffered excruciating pain, his body covered all over with large bleeding sores. He died on October 30, 1883, at the age of 59.