Arya Samaj Essay

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1 THE ROLE OF THE ARYA SAMAJ IN INDIA’S STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE By Radash Singh MA Durban, South Africa 2 In the December issue of Nidan issued by the Dept. of Hindu Studies, there is an article entitled SWAMI VlVEKANANDA'S IMPACT ON INDIAN HISTORY. In the article, the writer S. Rajamani made the following reference to the role of the Arya Samaj in the struggle for Independence of India: "It could be said that there were others in the field such as the Brahmo Samaj, the Arya Samaj, the Theosophical Society and others working along the same lines; but their influence was peripheral and limited to a few individuals or sections of society”. S. Rajamani's attempt to establish that Swami Vivekananda and the institutions he created made conscious efforts towards India’s political independence is misleading. The works of the Swami clearly indicate that he was totally indifferent to the country's political affairs. He had nothing to do with politics. And even though he lived at a time when British imperialism was firmly entrenched in India, the Swami never spoke a word about political freedom or social justice. He never challenged the moral foundation of British imperialism. He did not advocate the cause of' India's political emancipation nor did he make any conscious efforts towards this goal. With regards to the institutions he created such as the Ramakrishna Mission - they had little to contribute towards the political struggle for the independence of India. The statement that the contribution of the Arya Samaj to the freedom struggle in India was peripheral, stands not only opposed to recorded Indian history. It also contradicts Swami Vivekananda’s statement of facts. "It is an undoubted fact,” affirms the Swami, "that if there had not been the advent of Kabir, Nanak, and Chaitanya in the Mohammedan period, and the establishment of the
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