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{{Short description|Vedic reform organisation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox organization
| logo_caption             = Official logo, featuring ''[[Om|Aum]]'' with ''[[pluti]]''.
| logo                     = Arya Samaj official logo.gif
| formation                = {{Start date and age|1875|04|10|df=yes|p=y}}<br />[[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]])
| type                     = [[Religious organisation]]
| status                   = [[Foundation (nonprofit)|Foundation]]
| purpose                  = Educational, [[Religious studies]], [[Spirituality]], Social reforms
| headquarters             = 
| coords                   = 
| membership               = 10 million (world)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Sakina Yusuf Khan |date=19 December 2011 |title=Back to Vedas |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/back-to-vedas/articleshow/11167984.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211102440/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/back-to-vedas/articleshow/11167984.cms |archive-date=11 December 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]] |quote=In 1947, there were two million Arya Samajis. Today there are 10 million worldwide, with a sizeable presence in the UK, USA, Australia, Africa and New Zealand. There are 1,200 Dayanand Anglo Vedic Colleges (DAV) and 10,000 schools run by the Samaj. It also runs thousands of charitable dispensaries and public libraries.}}</ref> <br>8 million (India)<ref>{{cite book|author=Adam, Michel|title=Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in Eastern Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQPqCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|date=22 October 2015|publisher=Mkuki na Nyota Publishers|isbn=978-9987-08-297-1|page=77}}</ref>
| language                 = [[Hindi]]
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| remarks                  = 
| name                     = Arya Samaj
| size                     = 200px
| abbreviation             = 
| founder                  = [[Dayananda Saraswati]]
| area_served              = Worldwide
| num_staff                = 
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| website                  = {{official URL}}
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}}
{{Hinduism}} 
'''Arya Samaj''' ({{lit|[[Aryan|Noble]] Society}}) is a [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] Indian [[Hindu reform movements|Hindu reform movement]] that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the [[Vedas]]. [[Dayananda Saraswati]] founded the Samaj in the 1870s.

Arya Samaj was the first Hindu organisation to introduce [[Proselytism|proselytisation]] in Hinduism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thursby |first1=G. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abcfAAAAIAAJ&dq=arya+samaj&pg=PA15 |title=Hindu-Muslim Relations in British India: A Study of Controversy, Conflict, and Communal Movements in Northern India 1923–1928 |date=1977 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004043800 |location=Leiden |pages=3}}</ref><ref name="Pandey2013">{{cite book|author=Gyanendra Pandey|title=A History of Prejudice: Race, Caste, and Difference in India and the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RO1zF3uC3lUC&pg=PR8|date=25 March 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-02900-2|page=64}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
"''Arya Samaj''" is a compound [[Sanskrit]] term consisting of the words "''arya''" and "''samaj''". The term "''arya''" refers to an individual who possesses virtuous attributes and noble characteristics, whereas "''samaj''" denotes a social group or organised community. Therefore, the term "''arya samaj''" refers to a community of individuals of high moral character.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Upadhyaya |first=Ganga Prasad |title=The Origin, Scope and Mission of the Arya Samaj – No. 4 |publisher=J. K. Sharma at the Allahabad Law Journal Press |year=1940 |edition=2nd |location=Allahabad |pages=5 |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

=== The beginning ===
Swami Dayanand Saraswati established the Arya Samaj in April 1875 in Bombay with ten principles. However, these principles were finally settled in 1877 in Lahore.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lajpat Rai |first=Lala |url=http://archive.org/details/aryasamajaccount00lajprich |title=The Arya Samaj: An Account of Its Origin, Doctrines, and Activities, with a Biographical Sketch of the Founder |date=1915 |publisher=London: Longmans, Green |others= |isbn=978-0-524-01191-1}}</ref><ref>Upadhyaya, Ganga Prasad. ''The Origin, Scope and Mission of the Arya Samaj''. No. 4. Arya Samaj, 1954.</ref>
[[File:Charan Singh with the members of Arya Samaj.jpg|thumb|[[Charan Singh]] (fifth from left in last row) with members of Arya Samaj in 1930 ]]

===Vedic schools===
Between 1869 and 1873, Dayanand began his efforts to reform orthodox [[Hinduism]] in India. He established ''[[Gurukula]]'' ([[Vedas|Vedic]] schools) which emphasised Vedic values, culture, and ''[[Satya]]'' (Truth). The schools gave separate educations to boys and girls based on ancient Vedic principles. The Vedic school system was also to relieve Indians from the pattern of a [[British Raj|British]] education.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Ram Nath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4odAR3HVJNcC&dq=dayanand+gurukul&pg=PA357 |title=Problems of Education in India |last2=Sharma |first2=Rajendra Kumar |date=2006 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-7156-612-9 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Arya Samaj R.V. Russell 1916.PNG|thumb|250px|A meeting of the Arya Samaj for investing boys with the [[sacred thread]].]]
[[File:Arya Samaj 2000 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|A 2000 Indian postage stamp dedicated to Arya Samaj.]]

===Arya Samaj in Bengal===
Due to schisms in the [[Adi Brahmo Samaj]] at Calcutta, a new variant of Adi Brahmoism called Arya Samaj began to take root in the [[Punjab]]. When he traveled to Calcutta Swami Dayanand had come into close and extended contact with [[Rajnarayan Basu|Rajnarayan Bose]], [[Debendranath Tagore]] etc. Swami Dayanand closely studied Tagore's book [[Brahmo Dharma]], a comprehensive manual of religion and ethics for Adi Dharma, while in Calcutta. The bone of contention between these two Samajs was over the authority of the Vedas–whose authority the Adi Dharma rejected and held to be inferior works, whereas Arya Samaj held Vedas to be divine revelation. Despite this difference of opinion, however, it seems that the members of the Brahmo Samaj and Swami Dayanand parted on good terms, the former having publicly praised the latter’s visit to Calcutta in several journals and the latter having taken inspiration from the former’s activity in the social sphere.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emergence of Arya Samaj in Punjab (1875) - Adi Dharm {{!}}{{!}} Brahmo Samaj {{!}}{{!}} India |url=https://adidharm.brahmosamaj.in/adi-dharm-timeline/emergence-of-arya-samaj-in-punjab-1875 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413210253/https://sites.google.com/site/adidharm/adi-dharm-timeline/emergence-of-arya-samaj-in-punjab-1875 |archive-date=2021-04-13 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=adidharm.brahmosamaj.in}}</ref>

==Growth of Arya Samaj after Dayanand==
Dayanand was assassinated in 1883. Despite this setback, the Arya Samaj continued to grow, especially in Punjab. The early leaders of the Samaj were [[Pandit Lekh Ram]] (1858{{ndash}}1897) and [[Swami Shraddhanand]] (Mahatma Munshi Ram Vij) (1856{{ndash}}1926). Some authors claim that the activities of the Samaj led to increased [[Islamic–Hindu relations|antagonism between Muslims and Hindus]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barrier |first1=Norman G. |year=1967 |title=The Arya Samaj and Congress Politics in the Punjab, 1894–1908 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=363–379 |doi=10.2307/2051414 |jstor=2051414 |s2cid=154569230}}
</ref> Shraddhanand led the [[Shuddhi (Hinduism)|Shuddhi movement]] that aimed to bring Hindus who had converted to other religions back to Hinduism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nair |first=Neeti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-NoCp9Lc24C&pg=PP8 |title=Changing Homelands: Hindu Politics and the Partition of India |date=2011 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-05779-1 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1893, the Arya Samaj members of Punjab were divided on the question of [[vegetarianism]]. The group that refrained from eating meat were called the ''"''<u>Mahatma</u>''"'' faction and the other group, the "Cultured Party".<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V20_296.gif "Punjab"] Imperial Gazetteer of India 1909. vol. 20 p. 291. Retrieved 2 October 2014.</ref>

In the early 1900s, the Samaj (or organisations inspired by it such as ''Jat Pat Todak Mandal'') campaigned against [[Caste system in India|caste discrimination]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Judge |first=Paramjit S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bNJkAwAAQBAJ&q=mapping+social+exclusion+in+india |title=Mapping Social Exclusion in India: Caste, Religion and Borderlands |date=2014-03-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-05609-1 |pages=82–83 |language=en}}</ref> They also campaigned for [[widow remarriage]] and [[women's education]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Kishwar M. |title=Arya Samaj and Women's Education: Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jalandhar|journal =[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |date=26 April 1986|volume= 21|issue=17 |pages=WS9–WS24|jstor=4375593}}</ref> The Samaj also established chapters in [[Dutch colonies]] and [[British colonies]] having [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian population]] such as [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], [[Fiji]], [[Mauritius]], [[Suriname]], [[Guyana]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vertovec |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eYpJeVkD_qoC&q=arya+missionaries&pg=PR9 |title=The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns |date=2000 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-23893-9 |language=en}}</ref>

Prominent [[Indian nationalism|Indian nationalists]] such as [[Lala Lajpat Rai]] belonged to Arya Samaj and were active in its campaigning.<ref>Lajpat Rai, Lala ''The Arya Samaj: An Account of its Aims, Doctrine and Activities, with a Biographical Sketch of the Founder'' Longman, London 1915. {{ISBN|978-81-85047-77-5}}.</ref> The British colonial government in the early part of 20th century viewed the Samaj as a political body. Some Samajis in government service were dismissed for belonging to the Samaj.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Essays+on+Social+Reform+Movements+By+Raj+Kumar+isbn |title=Essays on Social Reform Movements |date=2004 |publisher=Discovery Pub. House |isbn=9788171417926 |editor-last1=Kumar |editor-first1=Raj |location=New Delhi |pages=2–4}}</ref>

In the 1930s, when the [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] group, the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] grew in prominence in Northern India, they found support from the Arya Samaj of Punjab.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iVsfVOTUnYEC&q=%22arya+samaj%22&pg=PR7 |title=The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s |date=1999 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-024602-5 |location=New Delhi |pages=67–68 |language=en}}</ref>

===Arya Samaj in Punjab===
In Punjab, the Arya Samaj was opposed by the [[Ahmadiyya]] movement which provided the Samaj one of its most aggressive opponents from among the various Muslim groups and whose founder [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] was extensively involved in theological disputations with Samaj leaders, most notably with [[Pandit Lekh Ram]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kenneth W. Jones|title=Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab|date=1976|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0-520-02920-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpvXCtNzrz8C|page=148}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Kenneth W. Jones |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PoBJJej_IiwC |title=Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India |date=1989 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521249867 |pages=116–118}}</ref> It was also opposed by the [[Sikhism|Sikh]] dominated [[Singh Sabha Movement|Singh Sabha]], the forerunner of the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2307/2052684 |jstor=2052684|title=Ham Hindu Nahin: Arya-Sikh Relations, 1877-1905|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|volume=32|issue=3|pages=457–475|year=1973|last1=Jones|first1=Kenneth W.|s2cid=163885354 }}</ref> It was also opposed by [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavas]], who were criticised by Dayānanda Sarasvatī.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Entwistle |first=Alan W. |date=1982 |title=The Rāsa Māna ke Pada of Kevalarāma: A Medieval Hindi Text of the Eighth Gaddī of the Vallabha Sect |url= |degree=PhD |chapter= |publisher=University of London School of Oriental and African Studies |docket= |oclc= |access-date= |page=92}}</ref>

===Arya Samaj in Sindh===
The Samaj was active in [[Sindh]] at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The activities of the Samaj in the region included using [[Shuddhi (Hinduism)|Shuddhi]] in integrating half-Muslim or low-caste communities into the organisation. Narayan Dev, a Samaj member active in making many conversions is extolled as a Sindhi martyr. He is sometimes referred to as 'Dayanand Ke Vir Sipahi' (Dayanand's Heroic Soldier). Dev was killed in a street fight in 1948.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Khan |first1=Dominique-Sita |url=https://sanipanhwar.com/uploads/books/2024-08-29_11-18-51_6d39e63801ee1e45a248a9867718633b.pdf |title=Sindh Through History and Representations, Chapter 6 Jhulelal and the Identity of Indian Sindhis |last2=Boivin |first2=Michel |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University press |isbn=978-0-19-547503-6 |location=Oxford, England |page=80 |access-date=30 March 2020}}</ref> The history of [[Sindhi nationalism]] is also tied with the activities of the Arya Samaj. In the 19th century, the Hindu community of Sindh had been challenged by Christian missionaries and the Samaj served as a deterrent to the conversions done by Christian missionaries in the region. A Hindu Sindhi leader, [[K. R. Malkani]], later on, became prominent in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]. According to Malkani, the Arya Samaj created a "new pride" among the Hindu Sindhis by opening gymnasia and Sanskrit [[Pathasala|Pathashalas]] in the 1930s.<ref>Dhabhai, G., 2018. The Purusharthi Refugee. Economic & Political Weekly, 53(4), p. 67[https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/55704568/SA_LIII_4_270118_Partition_Garima_Dhabhai.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DNATION-MAKING_IN_PARTITIONED_INDIA_The_P.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIATUSBJ6BAMXAKEPHL%2F20200330%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200330T194053Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEPn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIQDCiKi6A5DEiNpFun0A4o1IeU4dP9v4k4%2Bn7iNaCpso%2BwIgTKy1wSvB1P%2FRPda1VXHrj93qTro8N0azg68lK4nhxvoqvQMI8v%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAAGgwyNTAzMTg4MTEyMDAiDNYmlw4GGM1u%2F3KCvyqRA1JNwynb9KgSQAmHpaf184MEWMKdYjNtCwnWDuStV74N6SO5hhpyeby4mRvQ0%2BErXjK3yW6nh199%2FwCafV%2F%2BqYl6KbMGhh0w0gUaqwyWGxJjvz%2FistM3jq0HngOJveDL6V20iTk7cqNoCqM33AClGR1vHuI1EA%2BDQBZXzOGvjZj8sgY0eAwzxbDmoozxEDwtzjULJOwUdRsZXC9Qu6iwBNnO1ZtMtwWiuAIkfNWx9S%2FZ%2BnJCcNKM2e%2FnbJ%2BrWv3z7rFSRKHOXbo8oQCSS5xNhHjBrlvC9NIn5z%2F5O5yrxMo3f7a5CbljQ1sZHU8fRf9NDmSTK07E8kgEuNlWTweW2l5VS1zeeQgTmjDaxPsrId%2F1Jw9d7MQG5mvu1eOXH8YzsEXT3l2jmn%2FlCArJwO7K3B%2BRJV7jhJ9mCfgWMlGLwI79K%2BYtZAPAHBzBvAFiubI6OCMTfUKELoHsJP3q5Z5LjKtFxqXDb9f1urVkTYN0LjAaxs0auVqMtM3Rnl5UWsZAA01hFCPCMLDwMa%2FRUVqHYwUHMIO7iPQFOusBvdQZTkdP0Zae%2BisIJwvqw1CgWwtxQnxe2EXDLuuo6vw12QFzH5ARNo%2FOlqcYGyJgqfL%2Bkw2cexOJPnetNa%2FW2y1FQF7tHwdkEI82lhUyYM5zhopDfwa4oP7jNgyGAb01cBTV5IjQ9hxkj5oapc3fikA%2BGAejh3P%2BQXVYuNh7R5khSkOQULy%2BmD9pIrehxyzr9ukJmVV7hRMYML4cg4qBSfNLPDDuv7QBENG0nPxyMKRLfo8tsTdn4ZXfHNJ%2FI%2BEOb%2BHjJxvw678huBKkp6YBdmMPt0nDkcfooJ2TajeJC%2FkIdfM22dgI5gyshw%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=6aed81ada47129aed554f4542a15b6a6e53ef2745bff7077af8cd52d5c236215].</ref>

===Arya Samaj in Gujarat===
The Arya Samaj of [[Gujarat]] were missionaries from Punjab who had been encouraged to move to Gujarat to carry out educational work amongst the [[Untouchability|untouchable castes]] by the [[Maharaja]] [[Sayajirao Gaekwad III]]. The Gujarati Arya Samaj opened orphanages. The Samaj started losing support when [[Mahatma Gandhi]] returned to India in 1915 because many activists joined his movement.<ref>''Purifying the Nation: The Arya Samaj in Gujarat 1895–1930'' Indian Economic and Social History Review 2000. 44:1 pp. 4 {{ndash}}65.</ref>

===Reconversion in Malabar===
In 1921, [[Malabar rebellion|during a rebellion]] by the Muslim [[Moplah]] community of [[Malabar Coast|Malabar]] Indian newspapers reported that several Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. The Arya Samaj extended its efforts to the region to reconvert these people back to Hinduism through [[Shuddhi (Hinduism)|Shuddhi]] ceremonies.<ref name="Thursby 1975">{{Cite book |last=Thursby |first=Gene R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abcfAAAAIAAJ&q=arya+samaj&pg=PA15 |title=Hindu-Muslim Relations in British India: A Study of Controversy, Conflict, and Communal Movements in Northern India 1923–1928 |date=1975 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-04380-0 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|p.141{{ndash}}152}}

===Views of Sanatani Hindus on the Samaj===
The then [[Shankaracharya]] of [[Badrinath Temple|Badrinath Math]] in 1939 in a letter to the [[archbishop of Canterbury]], called Arya Samajis un-Hindu. He also criticised the Samaj efforts at converting Christians and Muslims.<ref name="Benichou 2000">{{cite book|author=Lucien D. Benichou|title=From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State, 1938–1948|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Loiq3YrFy40C&pg=PR7|year=2000|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-1847-6|page=79}}</ref>

===Arya Samaj in Hyderabad State===
A branch of Arya Samaj was established at [[Dharur, Beed|Dharur]] in [[Beed district]] of [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad State]], the largest princely state during British rule. [[Keshav Rao Koratkar]] was the president of the organisation until 1932. During his tenure, the Samaj established schools and libraries throughout the state. Although a social and religious organisation, the Samaj activities assumed a great political role in resisting the government of the Nizam during the 1930s. In 1938–1939, Arya Samaj teamed up with the [[Hindu Mahasabha]] to resist the [[Nizam of Hyderabad|Nizam]] government through [[Satyagraha]]. The Nizam government responded by [[Persecution of Hindus#Hyderabad State|raiding and desecrating Arya Samaj mandirs]]. The Samaj, in turn, criticised Islam and the Islamic rulers of the state. This widely increased the gulf between the Hindu and Muslim populations of the state.<ref name="Arya Samaj">{{cite book|author=P. V. Kate|title=Marathwada Under the Nizams, 1724–1948|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjndiykddsIC&pg=PR5|year=1987|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-017-8|pages=51, 64–66}}</ref><ref name="Benichou-2000">{{cite book |author=Lucien D. Benichou |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Loiq3YrFy40C&pg=PR7 |title=From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State, 1938–1948 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2000 |isbn=978-81-250-1847-6 |pages=79}}</ref>

===Language issue===
Arya Samaj promoted the [[History of Haryana#Hindi language movement|use of Hindi in Punjab]] and discouraged the use of [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]. This was a serious point of difference between the [[Sikhs]], represented by the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] group and the Arya Samaj. The difference was marked during the period immediately following the [[independence of India]] and the time of the [[Punjabi Suba movement|Punjabi Suba]] (demand for a Punjabi-speaking state).<ref name="google">{{Cite book |last=Lamba |first=Krishan Gopal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSzbGKyLqicC&pg=PA90 |title=Dynamics of Punjabi Suba Movement |date=1999 |publisher=Deep & Deep Publications |isbn=978-81-7629-129-3 |pages=90 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="google2">{{Cite book |last=Chopra |first=Romesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U_ODfrFOd8AC&pg=PA9072 |title=Love Is the Ultimate Winner |date=2013-05-24 |publisher=Partridge Publishing |isbn=978-1-4828-0005-0 |pages=90 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="google3">{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_nryFANsoYC&pg=PA187 |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab |date=1998-10-08 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-63764-0 |pages=187 |language=en}}</ref>

===Humanitarian efforts===
Arya Samaj is a charitable organisation. For example, donations were made to victims of the [[1905 Kangra earthquake]]. The Samaj campaigned for [[women's right to vote]] and for the protection of widows.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Subash Chander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L1RGX3whGEIC&q=punjab+the+crucial+decade |title=Punjab, the Crucial Decade |date=1987 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors |pages=133 |language=en}}</ref> From 2 million in 1947, in 2011 there were an estimated 10 million Arya Samajis in the world, mostly found in India, running more than 1,000 colleges, 10,000 schools as well as thousands of charitable dispensaries and public libraries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Sakina Yusuf Khan |date=19 December 2011 |title=Back to Vedas |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/back-to-vedas/articleshow/11167984.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211102440/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/back-to-vedas/articleshow/11167984.cms |archive-date=11 December 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]] |quote=In 1947, there were two million Arya Samajis. Today there are 10 million worldwide, with a sizeable presence in the UK, USA, Australia, Africa and New Zealand. There are 1,200 Dayanand Anglo Vedic Colleges (DAV) and 10,000 schools run by the Samaj. It also runs thousands of charitable dispensaries and public libraries.}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=A Newspaper article is not a reliable source for the number of adherents of arya samaj|date=December 2024}}

==Contemporary Arya Samaj==

===Arya Samaj in India===
Arya Samaj schools and [[temple]]s are found in almost all major cities and as well as in rural areas of (especially North) India. Some are authorised to conduct weddings. The Samaj is associated with the [[Dayanand Anglo Vedic]] (DAV) schools which number over eight hundred.<ref>[http://www.thearyasamaj.org/home Arya Samaj] website.</ref> There are eight million followers of the Samaj in India.<ref>{{cite book|author=Adam, Michel|title=Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in Eastern Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQPqCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|date=22 October 2015|publisher=Mkuki na Nyota Publishers|isbn=978-9987-08-297-1|page=77}}</ref>

===Arya Samaj around the world===
Arya Samaj is active in countries including [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Fiji]], [[Australia]],<ref name="aryasamajqueensland">[http://www.aryasamajqueensland.com/ Arya Samaj Queensland] website. Retrieved 3 February 2017.</ref> [[South Africa]],{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} [[Kenya]],<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Kenneth S. |first=Ombongi |title=Hindu socio-religious organizations in Kenya: a case study of Arya Samaj, 1903-1978 |date=1993 |publisher=University of Nairobi |url=http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/19703 |language=en |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240913173214/http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/19703 |archive-date=2024-09-13}}</ref> [[Mauritius]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eisenlohr |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFzcGV9FlxgC&q=arya&pg=PR7 |title=Little India: Diaspora, Time, and Ethnolinguistic Belonging in Hindu Mauritius |date=2006 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24879-3 |pages=36 |language=en}}</ref> and other countries where a significant [[Hindu diaspora]] is present. The Arya Samaj in Kenya runs several schools in [[Nairobi]] and other cities of the country.<ref>{{cite book|author=Adam, Michel|title=Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in Eastern Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQPqCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|date=22 October 2015|publisher=Mkuki na Nyota Publishers|isbn=978-9987-08-297-1|page=47}}</ref>

Immigrants to [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] from [[South Asia]], [[East Africa]], [[South Africa]], and the [[Caribbean]] countries have set up Arya Samaj temples for their respective communities.<ref name="Vancouver">Coward H. [http://www.mbc.metropolis.net/assets/uploads/files/wp/1999/WP99-04.pdf ''Hindus in Canada, the Third National Metropolis Conference'']. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230231847/http://www.mbc.metropolis.net/assets/uploads/files/wp/1999/WP99-04.pdf#|date=30 December 2013}} Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis 1999.</ref> Most major metropolitan areas of the United States have chapters of Arya Samaj.<ref>[http://aryasamaj.com/global/ Arya Pratinidhi Sabha America]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231004055/http://aryasamaj.com/global/|date=31 December 2013}} Arya Samaj website. Retrieved 30 December 2013.</ref>

Arya Samaj has been active in the United Kingdom since the 1890s. In 1976, Arya Samaj London was established with its own building in West London.

==Core beliefs==
[[File:O3m AryaSamaj Red.svg|thumb|[[Om|Aum]] considered by the Arya Samaj to be the highest and most proper name of God.]]
Members of the Arya Samaj believe in a creator God referred to as the syllable '[[Om|Aum]]' mentioned in the [[Yajurveda]] (40:17). They believe the Vedas are an infallible authority, and they respect the [[Upanishads]] and other Vedic philosophy. They reject other non-Vedic religious texts in Hinduism. For instance, they believe epics like the ''[[Ramayana]]'' and the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' are legends of historical figures and reject them as references to [[God|supreme beings]] and [[avatars]]. The members of Arya Samaj also reject other Hindu scriptural works such as the ''[[Puranas]]''.<ref name="Jones1976">{{cite book|author=Kenneth W. Jones|title=Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpvXCtNzrz8C&pg=PR9|year=1976|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-02920-0|pages=139–143}}</ref> Worship of [[Murti|idols]] (''murti puja'') is strictly prohibited in the Samaj.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arya Samaj in Hindu Dharma – VCC |url=http://www.vedicculturalcentre.com/hindu.htm |access-date=2021-01-07 |website=vedicculturalcentre.com}}</ref>

The core beliefs of Arya Samaj are postulated below:

# The primaeval cause of all genuine knowledge and all that is known by means of knowledge is God.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2015-09-05|title=10 Principles of Arya Samaj – English & Hindi|url=http://aryasamajindia.org/read/10-principles-of-arya-samaj/|access-date=2019-04-21|website=Arya Samaj India|language=en-US}}</ref>
# God is truth-consciousness: formless, omnipotent, unborn, infinite, unchangeable, incomparable, omnipresent, internal, undecaying, immortal, eternal, holy, and creator of the universe. God alone deserves worship.<ref name=":1" />
# The Vedas are repositories of all of true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to study, teach, and propound the Vedas.<ref name=":1" />
# One should be ever ready to imbibe truth and forsake untruth.<ref name=":1" />
# All acts should be done in accordance with ''[[Dharma]]'', i.e., after deliberating on what truth and untruth are.<ref name=":1" />
# The prime object of Arya Samaj is to [[Lokaksema (Hindu prayer)|do good to the whole world]], i.e., to achieve physical, spiritual, and social prosperity for all.<ref name=":1" />
# Our conduct towards all should [[Religious views on love#Indian religions|be guided by love]], by injunctions of Dharma and according to their respective positions.<ref name=":1" />
# One should dispel ignorance and promote knowledge.<ref name=":1" />
# One should not be content with one's own prosperity only but should consider the prosperity of all as his own prosperity.<ref name=":1" />
# All human beings should abide by the rules concerning [[Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam|social or everyone's benefit]], while everyone should be free to follow any rule beneficial for them.<ref name=":1" />

==Practices==
[[File:Arya samaj Mandir hawan kaksh.jpg|thumb|[[Homa (ritual)|Havan]] being performed by Arya Samaj.]]

The Arya Samaj members consider the [[Gayatri Mantra]],<ref>{{cite book | last=Naidoo | first=T. | title=The Arya Samaj Movement in South Africa | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers | year=1992 | isbn=978-81-208-0769-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2z1mnXSPmEC | pages=30, 71|edition=First}}</ref> as the most holy mantra and chant it periodically, do the meditation known as ''[[Sandhyavandanam|Sandhya]]'' and make offering to the holy fire (''[[Havan]]'').<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Morgan|editor-first1=Kenneth W. |last=Bhattacharyya|first=Sivaprasad|title=The Religion of the Hindus|date=1987|publisher=M. Banarsidass|location=Delhi|isbn=978-8120803879|page=199|edition=Reprint.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulz9mO9cK54C&q=%22arya+samaj%22+animistic+worship&pg=PR5|access-date=26 July 2017}}</ref> The Havan can be performed with a priest for special occasions or without a priest for personal worship. The Havan is usually performed as per the {{transliteration|hi|Havan Pustika}}, a simplified guide to Havan, having mantras for general or special occasions. The priest is generally a Vedic scholar from the local Arya Samaj Mandir or Gurukul. Sometimes elder members of the family or neighbours can also perform the Havan acting as a [[Purohita|''Purohit'']]. The host is known as the "[[Yajamana]]". The priest can be called an "[[Acharya]]", "Shastri" or "[[Pandit]]" depending upon his scholarly status and local reputation. It is customary to give a nominal "[[Dakshina]]" to the priest after Havan, although in Arya Samaj it is more symbolic and the priest does not state any sum. The sum is decided by the host's capability and status but is still a small amount.<ref name=":0" /> After a death, Arya Samajis will often conduct a Havan and collect the ashes on the fourth day.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Firth |first=Shirley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pYNXC-HK1u0C&q=havan&pg=PR8 |title=Dying, Death and Bereavement in a British Hindu Community |date=1997 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |isbn=978-90-6831-976-7 |pages=89 |language=en}}</ref>

===Diwali===
Diwali is a very important day in Arya Samaj as Swami Dayanand died on this day. A special Havan is done for the same reason.[[File:Dia one wick divali 20151111.jpg|thumb|upright|Diya with one wick]]
[[File:Dia two wicks divali 20151111.jpg|thumb|upright|Diya with four wicks, pointing in each direction (N, W, S, E).]]

The Arya Samaj version of the Hindu festival [[Diwali]] is typified by the celebration in [[Suriname]]. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. A [[Diet in Hinduism#Vegetarian diet|vegetarian fast]] is kept. The [[Gayatri Mantra]] is recited while oil lamps are lit, in front of a fire altar lit with [[sandalwood]]. One [[Diya (lamp)|Diya]] lamp, which is larger has two wicks crossed to produce four lights, one in each direction and is lit first. The smaller lamp has one wick. A lamp is kept in every room except the bathroom and restroom. More lamps can be lit, which can be placed arbitrarily in the yard, living room and so on.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Kenneth W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpvXCtNzrz8C&q=kenneth+w+jones+arya+samaj&pg=PA67 |title=Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab |date=1976 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-8173047091 |location=New Delhi |page=67}}</ref>

===Holi===
[[Holi]] is celebrated as the conclusion of winter and the start of spring to sow the land and hope for a good harvest. This day is marked by colours and songs (''[[Chowtal|Chautal]]''). It does not require specific prayer or fasting, however, some people keep a vegetarian fast on this day. The festivities do not associate Holi with a particular deity such as Vishnu or Shiva. The early Arya Samajist in 19th century Lahore adapted the festival to include prayers and Havan but avoid the intoxication, and obscenities associated with traditional celebrations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Kenneth W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpvXCtNzrz8C&dq=holi+arya+samaj&pg=PA95 |title=Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab |date=1976 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-02920-0 |language=en}}</ref>

==Arya Samaj across the world==
{{anchor| World }}
{{See also | Yatra }}

{{col div|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Arya Samaj in Burma]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Fiji]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Ghana]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Guyana]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Kenya]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Mauritius]]
*[[Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha|Arya Ravived Samaj in Mauritius]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Mozambique]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Singapore]]
*[[Arya Samaj in South Africa]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Suriname]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Tanzania]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Trinidad and Tobago]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Thailand]]
*[[Arya Samaj in Uganda]]

{{colend}}

==See also==

* [[Guru–shishya tradition]]
* [[Hindu reform movements]]
* [[Sampradaya]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Chamupati M. A. (2001) ''Ten Commandments of Arya Samaj'' New Delhi: D.A.V. Publications.
* Jordens J. T. F. (1978) ''Dayanada Saraswati'' Oxford University Press, Delhi.
*Madhu Kishwar, "The Daughters of Aryavarta: Women in the Arya Samaj Movement, Punjab." Chapter in Women in Colonial India; Essays on Survival, Work and the State, edited by J. Krishnamurthy, Oxford University Press, 1989.
* Lajpat Rai, Lala (1915) ''The Arya Samaj: An Account of Its Origin, Doctrines, and Activities, with a Biographical Sketch of the Founder'' D.A.V. College Managing Committee, New Delhi {{ISBN|978-81-85047-77-5}}.
*  Lajpat Rai, Lala (1993) ''A History of the Arya Samaj'' New Delhi {{ISBN|81-215-0578-X}}.
* Ruthven M. (2007) ''Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction'' Oxford University Press {{ISBN|978-0-19-921270-5}}.
* Sharma J. M. (1998) ''Swami Dayanand: A Biography'' USB, India {{ISBN|81-7476-212-4}}.
* Sethi R. "Rashtra Pitamah Swami Dayanand Saraswati" M. R. Sethi Educational Trust, Chandigarh.
* Upadhyaya G. P. (1954) ''The Origin, Scope and Mission of the Arya Samaj'' Arya Samaj.
* Shastri V. (1967) ''The Arya Samaj'' Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha.
* Pandey D. (1972) ''The Arya Samaj and Indian Nationalism, 1875–1920'' S. Chand.
* Pandit S. (1975) ''A Critical Study of the Contribution of the Arya Samaj to Indian Education'' Sarvadeshik Arya, Pratinidhi Sabha.
* Vedalanker N. and Somera M. (1975) ''Arya Samaj and Indians Abroad'' Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha.
* Vable D. (1983) ''The Arya Samaj: Hindu Without Hinduism'' Vikas {{ISBN|0-7069-2131-3}}.
* Sharma S. K. (1985) ''Social Movements and Social Change: A Study of Arya Samaj and Untouchables in Punjab'' B. R. Publishing.
* Yadav K. C. and Arya K. S. (1988) ''Arya Samaj and the Freedom Movement: 1875–1918'' Manohar Publications. {{ISBN|81-85054-42-8}}.
* Saxena G. S. (1990) ''Arya Samaj Movement in India, 1875–1947'' Commonwealth Publishers. {{ISBN|81-7169-045-9}}.
* Sethi R. (2009) ''Rashtra Pitamah, Swami Dayanand Saraswati'' M. R. Sethi Educational Trust, Chandigarh.
* Chopra R. M. (2009) ''[[Hinduism Today]]'' .
* Jamnager A. S. and Pandya D. [http://www.aryasamajjamnagar.org/aryasamaji/arasamaji.htm ''Aryasamaj Ke Stambh''] A. S. Jamnager's website.
* Jones K. ''Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-Century Punjab'' 
* Dayananda, S., & Bharadwaja, C. (1932). Light of Truth, or, an English Translation of the Satyartha Prakasha: The Well-Known Work of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Madras: Arya Samaj.
*[[Swami Shraddhananda]], (1926). Hindu Sangathan: Saviour of the Dying Race. Delhi: Shraddhananda.
* Swami Shraddhānanda, (1984). Inside the Congress: A Collection of 26 Articles. New Delhi: Dayanand Sansthan.
{{Refend}}

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