Reawakening Arsha Bharat in Amrit Kaal (Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati)

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RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat called Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, the great saint 'who gave a clear and true vision of our national selfhood (Swa) through Satyarth Prakash to attain freedom from the British rule'. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi says National Education Policy 2020 was formulated in accordance with Swamiji's vision. In Amrit Kaal, when Bharat is poised to shed the remaining vestiges of colonialism from her physical and spiritual body, the vision of Dayanand Saraswati has become more relevant. Recontextualizing his vision to suit the demands of time is the need of the hour.

We use the word 'renaissance' to define the 'Hindu Reawakening', which enlightened the 19th century. Calling it renaissance was indeed a misnomer, which was deliberately given currency to subdue the real spirit of the great Hindu movement, the same way in which Jawaharlal Nehru popularized the word 'Rashtra Navnirman' as a replacement for 'Rashtra Punarnirman'. However, in Hindi, especially in the Arya Samaj literature, it's rightly called 'Punar Jagran'. It was neither a renaissance nor a revival, as in the case of the West. In the context of Bharat, it was nothing but a Hindu reawakening, which was definitely not a medieval phenomenon as it happened in Europe but a reawakening that happens in Bharat from time to time.

In the 19th century, it was a spiritual awakening kindled by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati that later snowballed into a great movement. Swami Dayanand Saraswati was one of the greatest sages Bharat has ever produced. He is remembered for his invaluable contributions towards the revival and propagation of the Vedas and his uncompromising war against all social evils, including caste discrimination and other superstitions. Swamiji was the first Bharatiya to raise the slogan 'Swaraj', inculcating the ideal and spirit of 'Swa' in the national freedom movement.