Revelations- Dayananda Drstanta - Manika (Inspiring, Educative and Interesting Incidents From The Life of Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati)

The twenty first century was a period of unprecedented darkness in Indian history. The intellectual and spiritual horizon of the nation was overcast with dark clouds of illiteracy and ignorance. The benevolent and universally nourishing Vedic culture and the celebrated Aryan way of life were at their lowest ebb. The final blows aimed at uprooting Vedic culture and civilization from the Indian subcontinent were aimed by the chief advisor of the English rulers, Lord Macaulay, who was light in complexion but dark and devilish in his efforts to undermine the Indian ethos. According to him, "If you want to destroy a nation, destroy its history and the nation will perish of its own accord"; which means that any nation and community will self-destruct if you distort and warp its history. The scholars advising Max Mueller and other Christian rulers were not very learned and they interpreted Vedic texts as extremely dated and traditional and devoid of meaning and perverted the true essence of the Vedas.

Dr. Amrita Mehta's areas of specialization and interest include Indian English writing, Indian women's poetry and ELT. She has published articles and reviews in peer-reviewed national and international journals and presented papers at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and Oxford University, UK. Dr Mehta has contributed to English proficiency courses for Department of Adult and Continuing Education and Extension, University of Delhi, Ambedkar University and the National University Students Skill Development Programme undertaken by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Dr Amrita Mehta teaches English at Bhagini Nivedita College, University of Delhi.

Dear Readers! When I first opened my eyes in the wonderful world created by God, our sovereign creator; the strains of Vedic chants echoed in my ears. The Vedas were being recited melodiously and the environment was fragrant with the aromatic smoke from the yagya. I was born on the fourth of July in the year nineteen seventy five in the Arya Samaj Mandir in Jind, Haryana, in the home of Rajpandit Dr. Sudershan Devji Acharya; the renowned annotater and disseminator of the Vedas, exponent and interpreter of Panini grammar, staunch supporter of Swami Dayananda, and the disciple of revered Swami Omanandaji Maharaj. At that time, my family lived in the Arya Samaj Mandir in Jind, Haryana. I have no recollection as to my age when I memorized the Gayatri Mantra and prayers and chants in praise of God. In the Arya Samaj tradition and under the guidance of my venerable father, I studied the principles of the Vedas and the finer points of Arya Samaj. On reading the works of Maharishi Dayananda, I developed deep faith in his ideas. I was extremely happy when I received an opportunity to go to Gurukul Kangri University for my research work. A staunch follower of Maharishi Dayananda, Dr Mahavir Agarwalji granted me permission to proceed with my research titled "Maharishi Dayananda Prtipadit Ishwarvad Ka Paryalochan".

I am fortunate to have been born into a family in which my revered grandfather Shri Shivduttji Vanaprasthi turned the family towards Vedic traditions during the purification drive launched in Rohtak in 1921; under the inspiration and guidance of the family patriarch Swami Shraddhanandji Maharaj. Our association with Maharishi Dayananda's teachings and the Arya Samaj endowed us with immense status and respect, which would have been difficult to otherwise attain even in a hundred lifespans.

A great deal of research has been undertaken on the works of Maharishi Dayananda. However I wished to disseminate and popularise the ideas of Maharishi Dayananda in such a way so that the common person, child, young or old, atheist or believer; would be familiar with the ideas and emotions of Maharishi Dayananda. Inspired by this thought, I decide to collate true and exalting incidents from the life of Maharishi Dayananda and publish them as an anthology that would be both entertaining and motivating and would encourage readers to explore further. Readers who are inspired to do so, can then delve into the original works of Maharishi Dayananda.

I am extremely grateful to and humbly thank Guru Naunnand Singhji (Swami Nityanandaji) who first inspired my father and personally accompanied him to Gurukul Jhajjar and inducted him into the Rishi tradition of learning. I thank the inspirational source of this book, Dr. Balbir Acharya, Professor in the Sanskrit Department of Maharishi Dayananda University, Rohtak (Haryana) and Dean and Head of Vedic Studies Department, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar (Uttarakhand) for their support in this publication. The flawless typing of the text was completed by Dr Naresh Kumar who spared time from his busy schedule for which I am grateful and offer my thanks. My heartfelt thanks to my wife Dr. Poonam Arya, my dear daughter Kamna and son Nishkam for their support during the writing of this book.

My respected father Dr Sudershan Devji Acharya strongly felt that there must be continuous research on the work of Maharishi Dayananda and I am inspired by his vision. I hope that this volume will meet with his approval and please his spirit. I am also thankful to my venerable mother Shrimati Sushila Devi for innumerable reasons.

Whatever is attractive and appealing in this volume is due to the blessings of my Gurus and the deficiencies are entirely due to my own intellectual lapses. Once again I hope that I will receive the approval and love of both the learned and the casual reader.

**Contents and Sample Pages**