Satyarth Prakash
Encyclopedia
1875 in literature
The year 1875 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*October 1 - American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe is reburied in Westminster Hall and Burying Ground with a larger memorial marker. Some controversy arose years later as to whether the correct body was exhumed.*...
book written by Swami Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
, and is considered its central text.
Overview
During the Middle AgeMiddle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
s of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n history, many faiths and sects sprang up in religious and social spheres of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
society. They drifted away from the teachings of the Vedas and attached greater significance to their founders and their preachings. From then onwards polytheism
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
commenced. Great differences developed among the different sects and divided and weakened Hindu society. The caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
system based on birth became strong and gave rise to further fragmentation. Superstition, ignorance and blind faith spread and caused the degradation of the Hindu religion and society.
It was at this time that Swami Dayanand wrote the Satyarth Prakash in order to spread the knowledge of the Vedas and to educate people on the true qualities of God. The Satyarth Prakash contains exposition and clarifications of Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
principles. Some of the important topics in the Satyarth Prakash are worship of one God, explanation of the main principles of the Vedas, the relationship between religion and science and between devotion and intellect, elimination of the caste system and of different religious beliefs for the strengthening of society, eradication of superstitions, false notions and meaningless customs, shunning narrow-mindedness and promoting the brotherhood of man.
Contents
The book contains fourteen chapters, the contents of which are detailed below:| Chapter | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 | The first chapter is an exposition of “Om Om Om is a sacred syllable of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.OM and similar may also refer to:-Music:* Om , a stoner metal band* Om , a 1965 album* OM , a 2006 album* Om... ” and other names of God. |
| 2 | The second chapter provides guidance on the upbringing of children. |
| 3 | The third chapter explains the life of Brahmacharya Brahmacharya Brahmacharya is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are... (bachelor), the duties and qualifications of scholars and teachers, good and bad books and the scheme of studies. |
| 4 | Chapter 4 is about marriage and married life. |
| 5 | Chapter 5 is about giving up materialism and starting to carry out community service. |
| 6 | Chapter 6 is about Science of Government |
| 7 | Chapter 7 is about Veda and God God God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... . |
| 8 | Chapter 8 deals with Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution of the Universe. |
| 9 | Chapter 9 deals with knowledge and ignorance, and emancipation and bondage. |
| 10 | Chapter 10 deals with desirable and undesirable conduct and permissible and forbidden diet. |
| 11 | Chapter 11 contains criticism of the various religions and sects prevailing in India. |
| 12 | Chapter 12 deals with the Charvaka, Buddha Buddha In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened... (Buddhist) and Jain Jainism Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state... religions. |
| 13 | Chapter 13 has his views on Christianity Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings... (the Bible). |
| 14 | Chapter 14 has his views on Muhammadism (Quran). |
Controversy
In 2008 two Indian Muslims, Usman Ghani and Mohammad Khalil Khan of Sadar Bazar, Delhi, following the fatwaFatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
of Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, the Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi, urged the Delhi High Court to ban the Satyarth Prakash. However, the court dismissed the petition and commented "A suit by Hindus against the Quran or by Muslims against Gita or Satyarth Prakash claiming relief... are in fact, meant to play mischief in the society."