subject: Spreading The Message Of Satya And Guiding The Society Since A Century And A Half- Arya Samaj [print this page] Yes, times have modernised and society has moved ahead. But can we ever detach ourselves from our roots, the Vedas? Perhaps this was the reason why Swami Dayanand, an ardent believer of the teachings of Vedas laid the foundation of Arya Samaj. He believed that all noble people should follow the teachings of the Vedas.
While talking of Arya Samaj, the first thing that comes to our mind is the Arya Samaj Marriage, but let me tell you, its much more than that. Arya Samaj was established by Swami Dayanand on 10th April 1875. Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati staunchly believed in the principles of the Vedas. Arya Samaj can be simply put as a group of Arya people, who believe in the doctrine of truth or Satya and work for the betterment of the society. The Aarya Samaaj ke Niyam, or the ten principles of Arya Samaaj lays the foundation of this society, and these are the principles which are being followed since the time of its origin.
The Arya Samaj was established when India was under the rule of the British, so Arya Samaj was established to spread awareness about Indias self rule and to get rid of social malpractices like sati, caste based discrimination and the subordinate position of women. It was also involved in society upliftment activities like providing education for children and doing charity works.
However, close to 150 years after its establishment the social scenario has changed and so has the horizon of its activities. While evils like sati are no more practised, Arya Samaj works towards eradication of caste based discrimination and spreading the Vedic doctrines. The movement of Swami Dayanand against untouchability was followed by leaders like Gandhi and the Congress.
Arya Samaj marriages are very popular and a hot topic of discussion in India. All that is needed are certain documents like age proof, address proof etc. For a lot of couples who go against the wishes of their parents and the society, Arya Samaj marriages are a very good option. Also, for an Arya Samaj marriage very marginal amount of money needs to be spent, they are very helpful for a lot of lower and middle class people. A strict policy of no dowry is followed. The Arya Samaj marriages are completely valid under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Arya Samaj Marriage Validation Act, 1937. Such a marriage cannot be questioned by any authority. However according to Compulsory registration, 2009 all marriages where the girl is under 21 are not valid without the consent of the parents. This gives the opportunity to the parents to object if their daughter is young and marries against their consent.
However, lately the Arya Samaj marriages have seen a decreasing trajectory. With more number of parents now accepting inter caste marriages and societys broader perspective of these marriages, there is decrease in the number of Arya Samaj marriages. The number of Arya Samaj marriages at these centres has reduced to almost half when compared to the 2009 figures.
So what is the future of these Arya Samaj marriages? Well, that is something only time will tell. But it is wrong to associate Arya Samaj to just Arya Samaj marriages, as said before it is a Samaaj of Aarya people, which will continue doing its social activities.
