Arya Samaj

Shishya

Namaste,

I ran across an online book on the Arya Samaj in the Telugu language (at least, I'm pretty sure it's Telugu). If I remember correctly, a few of our members speak Telugu, so I thought I would post the link for their benefit. Naturally, I haven't read it, so I don't know if it's any good or not. If anyone reads it, please do give us a short review. Here's the link to the online Flip-Book:

Arya Samajam

You can also download the PDF version with the following link:

PDF: Arya Samajam

Enjoy! meditate

_________________
Namaste,

Shishya
ॐ

ॐ सह नावतु । सह तौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
"Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another."
-Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads

Shyena · Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 3:36 pm Post subject:

Namaste Shishy,

Yes, its telugu. Good you didn't confuse between kannada and telugu, also I'm surprised you spelt telugu right Very Happy

Mitra · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:51 am Post subject:

Namaste,

The book is written by Pandit GopaDev Ji of Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh and Pandit Madan Mohan Vidya Sagar, Hyderabad. They are the doyens of AryaSamaj in the South.

Pandit Gopadev Ji lived a 100 years dedicated to the study of Darshanas and practice of Yoga . He translated singlehandedly almost all major works into Telugu - Satyarth Prakash, Introduction to Vedas, 5 darshanas, 11 upanishads, Bhagavad Geeta, Sanskaar Vidhi, a Vedic Dinacharya, and then wrote many booklets ( all in all his works are more than sixty in number ) that are immensely popular among the Telugu AryaSamajis . His Geetha Pravachans used to be memorable . He trained many under him to uphold that level of scholarship and devotion in his Ashram.

(Source)

Pandit Madan Mohan Vidya Sagar is the charismatic and affectionate scholar who is really the Ocean of Knowledge and inspiration. His home has a open door policy to anyone who wants to have a great discussion or counsel . He also participated in the Freedom Struggle in India . He is confined to the wheelchair now but his mental acuity has not diminished a bit and he is busy in corresponding and studying all day.

This booklet in Telugu is like AryaSamaj 101 . It was published by the Sarvadeshik Sabha. (I wonder though how Madan Mohan Ji who writes in Hindi or English contributed to this book ) . The authors state their mission is to present the true nature of Arya Samaj which has historically been misunderstood in many ways. They then go on to present the basics - Primacy of the Vedas, Decline of the Vedic Dharma , the many sects and loss of direction among Hindus and the rise of Islam and Christianity. A brief biography of Dayananda is included.

The Niyamas of Arya Samaj are analyzed. The book credits Dayananda for formulating these rules which integrate the spiritual with the practical ( our new focus too at the forum ). Just the first two rules concern the nature of God and the Vedas. The rest are guidelines to lead a life of Dharma as truthful, just, civilzed, and wise individuals in the society.Otherwise the religious Gurus had long ago stopped teaching of righteousness in day-to-day life in their sermons.

Next, the beliefs of AryaSamaj are explained concisely, precisely and with references, with how these concepts are of practical importance .
Traitavaada, Monotheism, Law of Karma, Rebirth, Reincarnation ( "why would God need a body to destroy Ravana when he didn't need one to create him? Surely the task of creation is much greater than that of destruction ? "), Heaven - Hell, Yagnas, Sanskaars, Varnas, etc.

The striking thing is the author's concerns in the sections on untouchabilty and the sway of Christianity which is leading many of us away from our roots . It just mirrors the discussions we have today on this forum. The situation has only gone from bad to worse since the days from when GopadevJi wrote this book.

Lastly a brief summary of the rules of running a Samaj - such as eligibilty for membership, activities like Satsang and meetings etc is also given .

Also, this book has a preface by Unnava Lakshmi Narayana who was a great Telugu litterateur , A Gandhian who worked against untouchability and wrote a novel called MalaPalli ( The Harijan Colony ) , he says that Dayananda's axe of Vedic Wisdom struck at the roots of discrimination corrupting the Society. He says that though he might not accept all of what Arya Samajis might stand for , he surely values their courage in standing up for and defending the Vedic Dharma with their very lives , without resorting to force or violence. That preface gave me an idea of the impact Arya Samaj had in its early days when the Vedic society was unable to speak up for itself in the face of onslaught by Islam and Christianity . Swamiji's work armed people with knowledge of the true grandeur of our culture and raised our self-esteem.

The book says that every Arya ( believer ) , who follows the rules of Arya Samaj should consider himself bound to a vow of working for the well-being of this world. A firm belief in the Supreme Being and his commands are the cornerstone of AryaSamaj.
_________________
Namaste
Manurbhava

Mitra · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:39 am Post subject:

Namaste,

Here are links to some of the booklets I mentioned written by GopadevJi in Telugu -

(Laghu Granthamulu )

(Laghu Granthamulu Part 2)

The Ramanavami-SeethaKalyanam in the second part is told to be a very interesting booklet. There are also books on Untouchabiliyty, Nationalism , Untouchabilty and The Shankara Peethas, Dayananda the Rationalist, Are we Hindus? , What is the AryaSamaj ?, Establishing Existence of God by Direct Cognition etc...
_________________
Namaste
Manurbhava

Shishya · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:21 pm Post subject:

Namaste Mitra Ji,

Thank you very much for that review. I was completely ignorant of this man's existence, and am very pleased to see someone utilize the gift of life in such a noble way. namaste

_________________
Namaste,

Shishya
ॐ

ॐ सह नावतु । सह तौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
"Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another."
-Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads