Arya Samaj

Shishya · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject: In Memory of Swami Satyam

SATYAPAL SHARMA (SWAMI SATYAM)
by
Bharat Bhushan Vidyalankar

He was born on 24th January, 1928 at Gauribidnoor, Mysore, Karnataka and his father Dr.Vishwamitra Iyengar was a devout Arya Samajist. Being a scholar of Sanskrit and English, he wrote a tract entitled Ten Commandments based on the ten principles of the Arya Samaj, as well as several other books on Yagya and daily routines, which are in use in Karnataka and Southern India. He had two brothers and one sister. His younger brothers Shruti and Mitra had been associated with the Hindu Mandir at London and his sister, Ms. Usha, worked as a teacher at Gurgaon and, after her retirement, also engaged herself with Veda Prachar in Nairobi and Mauritius.

I had a close association with Shri Sharma and after graduating from Gurukul. Sharmaji attained his M.A. in Hindi and English. Before this, I attained the degree of Vidyalankar from Gurukul Kangri while Shri Sharma obtained the title of Ved-Shiromani while studying at Vrindavan, Mathura in December, 1949. In 1957 both of us joined the Hindi Teaching Scheme under the Ministry of Home Affairs and worked at various places in South India for the propagation of Hindi among government officials. I joined the Central Hindi Directorate in 1961 while Sharmaji joined it in 1962 and both of us worked in the same department. In 1972 both of us obtaited D.D.A. flats in Janakpuri - which was then a new development - and with the inspiration of Sharmaji weekly yagyas were performed in neighbouring parks with great enthusiasm. On the day of Deepawali in 1972, Satsang & Yagya was held at C2A Block and on this occasion at the instance of Sharmaji it was formally resolved to form the Arya Samaj in C Block of Janakpuri which was registered in the course of time.

Sharmaji started his Arya Samaj work in 1950. He organized the 1st Arya Maha Sammelan in 1951 as a priest of Arya Samaj. Later on, he worked in South India as an Arya Samaj Organizer from 1954 to 1956 with Mangalore and Bangalore as centers. He established 40 Arya Samajs in Karnataka, founded the Karnataka Arya Pratinidhi Sabha and organized an Arya Maha Sammelan at Bangalore under the leadership of Swami Dhruvananda Saraswati. During his employment at Delhi, he busied himself in spreading the Vedic message after office hours. Fortunately, he came in contact with an auto-driver who collected him from his house in the morning to take him to office, afterwards took him to the place of the evening discourses and finally brought him back to his house at Janakpuri. The auto-driver also attended his discourses and benefited from them himself. Sharmaji edited religious tracts and bulletins called Samidha and Satya Surabhi. He also undertook to make a copy of nicely printed Satyarth Prakash available to each and every house at a nominal cost of 50 paise with the co-operation of a publisher.

After accepting voluntary retirement from service in 1981, he went to live with his son in America. There he continued spreading the Vedic message and initiated postal teaching of Vedic Dharma among the local Americans and established the Vedic University of America in 1987. At the invitation of the persons from Nairobi, Mauritius, Surinam and others, he visited about 30 countries as an Independent Vedic Missionary. He frequently visited those countries for propagation of the Arya Samaj. Shri Sharma was highly impressed with the work of the Arya Sabha of Mauritius where they have more than 450 Arya Samajs and he himself delivered about 1000 lectures in Maritius besides delivering lectures on their radio and television stations. During this time, his wife, Ms. Sushma, expired. After discharging his family duties, he took Sanyasa from Swami Deekshanand Saraswati on 18th August, 1996 and assumed the name Swami Satyam.

During this stage of life he actively participated in the activities of the Arya Samaj and served as the President of the International Arya Maha Sammelan held at Bombay. He also discharged his duties as the Working President of the Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha in Delhi. Despite his deteriorating health, he continued his mission of Vedic preaching and with this intent he went to a village in Haryana where he fell from the stage and sustained head injury. He then decided to go visit his place of birth for treatment and rest but there he met his end due to a brain hemorrhage.

With the unfortunate demise of Sw. Satyam, Arya Jagat has lost a tireless Vedic preacher both in India and abroad, a devoted soldier of the Arya Samaj and is bereft of an able leader. May the Almighty God rest his soul in peace!