Happy Dayananda Saraswati 2020: It will be the 196th birth anniversary of Dayananda Saraswati on February 12 this year. Fondly known as Swami Dayananda Saraswati by his followers, he was the founder of the Arya Samaj and donned many hats during his lifetime. He devoted his life in working towards the revival of Vedic ideologies. Dayananda Saraswati contributed significantly in society in various ways. His contributions include him promoting equal rights for women, commentary on Vedas in Sanskriti and Hindi, right to education among other things. If you are searching for more information on Dayananda Saraswati, his life, contributions and more, then you have arrived at the right place as you can find them all here below. Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti 2020: Quotes And Sayings By the Founder of Arya Samaj on His Birth Anniversary.

Dayananda Saraswati was born on February 12 in 1824, to a Brahmin family based in Gujarat. We at LatestLY bring you some of the interesting facts and lesser-known things about Dayananda Saraswati on his 196th birth anniversary.

1. It is a little known fact that Dayananda Saraswati’s real name was Mool Shankar, at the time of his birth.

2. Dayananda Saraswati was a sanyasi (ascetic) since his childhood and believed in Vedas very much.

3. Dayananda Saraswati was against his marriage and ran away from his home at the age of 22.

4. Dayananda Saraswati spent nearly 25 years as an ascetic, in search of religious truth. It was during this time that he resolved to bring a Vedic renaissance in India.

5. It is a little known fact that it was Dayananda Saraswati who first gave the call for “India for Indians”, and it was later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.

6. Dayananda Saraswati had a huge following. His list includes Madam Cama, Pandit Guru Dutt Vidyarthi, Bhagat Singh, Veer Savarkar, Madan Lal Dhingra, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, Lala Lajpat Rai and many more.

7. Dayananda Saraswati was against a lot of things and criticised several (then) prevalent activities in the society such as idol worship, pilgrimages, the castes, child marriages, eating meat, discrimination against women, animal sacrifice, offerings in temples etc. amongst other things.

8. It is said that once while participating in a debate in Varanasi in 1869, Dayananda Saraswati won it by defeating 27 scholars and over 12 pandits. The debate was attended by 50,000 people and the topic was “Do the Vedas uphold deity worship?”

9. Dayananda Saraswati’s contributions to literary works have been immense. In total, he has more than 60 works, including a 16-volume explanation of the Vedas.

10. Such has been Dayananda Saraswati’s legacy that more than 800 schools, colleges, and universities across India are under the D.A.V College Managing Committee, which is based on his ideas and reforms.

11. Not many people know that President of India S Radhakrishnan and Sri Aurobindo referred Dayananda Saraswati as “one of the makers of modern India”.

Dayanand Saraswati has contributed immensely to the traditions and cultures followed by Hindus around the world today. Not just the cultural aspects, he contributed greatly to the Indian independence movement as we shall remember his teachings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2020 10:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).