Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Born: 12, February, 1824
Died: 31, October, 1883

Achievements
Dayanand Saraswati was a reformer and believed in pragmatism. He preached against many rituals of the Hindu religion such as idol-worship, caste by birth, animal sacrifices and restrictions of women from reading Vedas. He was not only a great scholar and philosopher but also a social reformer and a political thinker. Dayanand Saraswati was responsible for the revival of the Indian educational system by bringing together pupil from different strata of the society under one umbrella, that is, classroom.

Early Life
Dayanand Saraswati was born on 12, February, 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat. His original name was Mool Shankar. His father Karsanji was a tax collector and was a rich, prosperous and influential person. He was the head of an eminent Brahmin family of the village. When Mool Shankar was eight years old, Yajnopavita Sanskara, or the investiture with thread of the "twice-born" were performed. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught Dayanand Saraswati the ways to impress the Lord. Dayanand was also told the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivaratri, Dayanand had to sit awake the whole night in obedience to Lord Shiva. One such night, he saw a mouse eating the offerings to the God and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned himself, if the God could not defend himself against a little mouse then how could he be the savior of the massive world.

When Dayanand was fourteen years old, his sister died. He was so shocked by the sudden demise of his sister that he began to look upon death as a challenge. He also ran away from home to know the secret of death. In search of the answer, Dayanand wandered all over the country for around twenty years. During his course, Dayanand visited temples and sacred places of religious devotion. He met Yogis living in the mountains and forests but nobody had the perfect answer Dayanand was seeking for.

Lastly, Dayanand Saraswati went to Mathura where he found Swami Vrijananda and became his disciple. Vrijananda asked Dayanand to throw away all his books and learn directly from the Vedas. After completing his Vedic-education, Dayanand realized that his purpose of learning the "secret of death" has been satisfied. On the day Dayanand was to leave from the ashram, Swami Vrijananda called him and asked to spread the knowledge of Vedas in the society. The name Rishi Dayanand was also given by his guru Swami Vrijananda.

Arya Samaj
On 7 April, 1875 Dayanand Saraswati formed the Arya Samaj at Bombay. It was a Hindu reforms movement, meaning "society of the nobles". The purpose of the samaj was to move the Hindu religion away from the fictitious beliefs. 'Krinvanto Vishvam Aryam" was the motto of the samaj, which means, "Make this world noble". Today, the Arya Samaj organization is very active not only in India but also in various parts of the world. The United States, Canada, Trinidad, Mexico, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Mauritius, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia are some of the countries where the Samaj has its branches.

The 10 principles of Arya Samaj

• God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge and all that is known through knowledge.
• God is existent, intelligent and blissful. He is formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn, endless, unchangeable, beginning-less, unequalled, the support of all, the master of all, omnipresent, immanent, un-aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the maker of all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.
• The Vedas are the scriptures of all true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to read them, teach them , recite them and to hear them being read.
• One should always be ready to accept truth and to renounce untruth.
• All acts should be performed in accordance with Dharma that is, after deliberating what is right and wrong.
• The prime object of the Arya Samaj is to do good to the world, that is, to promote physical, spiritual and social good of everyone.
• Our conduct towards all should be guided by love, righteousness and justice.
• We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya (knowledge).
• No one should be content with promoting his/her good only; on the contrary, one should look for his/her good in promoting the good of all.
• One should regard oneself under restriction to follow the rules of society calculated to promote the well being of all, while in following the rules of individual welfare all should be free.

Death of a saint
Due to his radical thinking and approach to the social issues and beliefs Dayanand Saraswati had created many enemies around him. One such enemy of the saint was the Maharaja of Jodhpur. On the occasion of Diwali, the King invited Dayanand Saraswati to Jodhpur and killed him by offering food mixed with poison, in 1883. The king was believed to be against the principles of Dayanand Saraswati.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Born: August 14, 1774
Died: September 27, 1833

Achievements
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is considered as the pioneer of modern Indian Renaissance for the remarkable reforms he brought in the 18th century India. Among his efforts, the abolition of the sati-pratha-a practice in which the widow was compelled to sacrifice herself on the funeral pyre of her husband-was the prominent. His efforts were also instrumental in eradicating the purdah system and child marriage. In 1828, Ram Mohan Roy formed the Brahmo Samaj, a group of people, who had no faith in idol-worship and were against the caste restrictions. The title 'Raja' was awarded to him by Mughal emperor Akbar, the second in 1831 when Roy visited England as an ambassador of the King to ensure that Bentick's regulation of banning the practice of Sati was not overturned.

Background
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on 14 August, 1774 to Ramakanta Roy and Tarini Devi in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. His father was a wealthy Brahmin and strictly performed the duties set by the religion. Ram Mohan himself was also devoted to lord Vishnu and in his 14th year, he wanted to become a monk but his mother, Tarini Devi objected to his desire.

Though his father Ramakanto was very orthodox but he wanted his son to have higher education and after the basic formal education in Sanskrit and Bengali in the village school, Ram Mohan was sent to Patna to study Persian and Arabic in a madrasa. After that he went to Benares (Kashi) for learning the intricacies of Sanskrit and Hindu scripture, including the Vedas and Upanishads. He learnt English language at the age of 22 years.

Father of Renaissance
Ram Mohan viewed education as a medium to implement the social reforms. So, in 1815, Ram Mohan came to Calcutta and the very next year, started an English College by putting his own savings. He was well aware that the students should learn the English language and scientific subjects and that's why he criticized the government's policy of opening only Sanskrit schools. According to him, Indians would lag behind if they do not get to study modern subjects like Mathematics, Geography and Latin. Government accepted this idea of Ram Mohan and also implemented it but not before his death. Ram Mohan was also the first to give importance to the development of the mother tongue. His 'Gaudiya Byakaran' in Bengali is the best of his prose works. Rabindranath Tagore and Bankimchandra also followed the footsteps of Ram Mohan Roy.

Freedom of Press
Ram Mohan Roy was a staunch supporter of free speech and expression and fought for the rights of vernacular press. He also brought out a newspaper in Persian called 'Miratul- Akhbar' (the Mirror of News) and a Bengali weekly called 'Sambad Kaumudi' (the Moon of Intelligence). In those days, items of news and articles had to be approved by the government before being published. Ram Mohan protested against this control by arguing that newspapers should be free and that the truth should not be suppressed simply because the government did not like it.

His Last Days
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, during his visit to United Kingdom as an ambassador of Akbar- the second, died of meningitis at Stapleton in Bristol on 27 September, 1833. He went there to request the British government to increase the royalty, received by the Mughal Emperor and to ensure that Lord Bentick's regulation of banning the practice of Sati was not overturned. Recently, the British government has named a street as 'Raja Rammohan Way' in the memory of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Born: February 18, 1836
Passed Away: 16, August, 1886

Contributions
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was a popular saint of India. He had a strong faith in the existence of god. He regarded every woman of the society, including his wife, Sarada, as holy mother. Swami Vivekananda was one of the prominent disciples of Ramakrishna, who later formed the Ramakrishna Mission.

Life
The original name of Ramakrishna Paramhansa was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was born into a poor and orthodox Brahmin family on 18 February, 1836 in Kamarpukur, Hooghly district of West Bengal. His parents were Khudiram Chattopadhyaya, and Chandramani Devi.

Though Gadadhar was very reluctant going to school, he had a god-gifted ability of painting and creating clay models. He was also good at learning things. He easily mastered the tales, based upon the religion. Young Gadadhar loved the nature so much that he used to spend much of his time in orchards and on the river-banks.

After the death of his father in 1843, the responsibilities of the family were handled by his elder brother Ramkumar. Ramkumar left home for Calcutta and started teaching Sanskrit in a local school. Ramkumar also served as a priest at different socio-religious functions. Young Gadadhar, back in his village started performing regular worshipping of their family-deity.

Ramkrishna at Dakshineswar
Few months later, Ramkumar was invited to Dakshineswar temple by Rani Rasmoni, the founder of the temple. Ramkumar was appointed as the chief-priest of the temple. In 1852, Ramakrishna went to Calcutta and started assisting his brother at the same temple.

In 1856, after the death of Ramkumar, Ramakrishna took his place as the chief-priest of the Kali temple. It is believed that the name Ramakrishna was given to Gadadhar by the son-in-law of Rani Rasmoni.

After being given more responsibilities, Ramkrishna began to spend much time in the "Thakur-Ghar" (home of the deity). He considered Goddess Kali as the mother of all. He wanted to see the glimpse of the god. At times, he would go into the jungle and spend the entire night worshipping goddess Kali. The activities of Ramakrishna were viewed by many as gimmick. Many believed that Ramakrishna has become "mad". With an effort to bring Ramakrishna back into the normal life, her mother began to search for a bride. In 1959, Ramakrishna was married to five year old Sarada.

Sri Ramakrishna was the most 'rational mystic'. With scientific precision he put forward in most simple terms, as parables and stories, the eternal truth regarding God and God realization. He talked about God only after directly experiencing the reality of God. To get rid of the thought that he belonged to a higher brahmanical caste, he began to eat food cooked by the shudras or lower-caste.

Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's wife
At the age of eighteen, Sarada, the bride of the Ramakrishna, was sent to Dakshineshwar to join her husband. It was believed that the Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as the holy mother. Sarada Devi is considered as the first disciple of Ramakrishna. Even after Ramakrishna's death in 1886, Sarada Devi led the movement and worked hard to make it a success.

With Vivekananda
Ramakrishna met Vivekananda for the first time in November 1881 when Vivekananda visited Dakshineswar to know if the god really exists. In his reply Ramakrishna said, "Yes, I see God, just as I see you here, only in a much intenser sense. God can be realized,"

At first Vivekananda did not believe Ramakrishna. He felt, how such a simple man could see the God. But, gradually he started developing faith in Ramkrishna. Few days later, Vivekananda realized that Ramakrishna's words were honest and uttered from a deep experience. Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineswar frequently and a relationship of "Master and disciple" developed between the two.

At Death-Bed
In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer. In order to consult the best physicians of Calcutta, Ramakrishna was shifted to Shyampukur by his disciples. But with the time, his health started deteriorating and he was taken to a large house at Cossipore. His condition worsened and on 16 August, 1886, he expired at the Cossipore garden house. After the death of Ramakrishna, the monastic disciples formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar, headed by Vivekananda. This was the initial stage of Ramakrishna Mission.

Social Reformers Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

Born: August 26, 1910
Passed Away: 5 September, 1997

Contributions
Mother Teresa was a true follower of humanity. Many people considered Mother as the "reincarnated form of Lord Jesus". Mother Teresa devoted her entire life in serving the needy and abandoned people of the society. Although her mission started in India, she succeeded in bringing the people of all societies under one roof, i.e. humanity. Besides the Nobel Peace Prize, she was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay and Padmashri Award for her social works.

Life
The original name of Mother Teresa was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, on 26 August, 1910. In 1919, when she was eight years old, Agnes lost her father, a noted politician in Albania. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the "call of God" and wanted to spread the love of Christ. Her religious foundation developed further and in 1928, she left Skopje to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ireland. The institution was popularly known as Sisters of Loreto. There, she received the name Sister Mary Teresa. After a training of around six months in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, Teresa was sent to India. On 24 May, 1931 she took her initial vows as a nun.

For around next 15 years, Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, now Kolkata. She also became the principal of the school. On 10 September, 1946, while traveling to Darjeeling, North-Bengal, for the annual retreat Mother realized "the call within call". She felt as if the Jesus was asking her to come out of the walls and serve the down-trodden people. The feeling was so intense that on 17 August, 1947, Mother dressed in white, blue bordered sari left the Convent. In December 1950, Mother for the first time visited the slums of Calcutta. Although she had no funds, she started an open-air school for slum children. Soon she was joined by many voluntary organizations, which provided Mother, a crucial financial support.

Later, on 7 October, 1950, Mother established the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. The primary objective of the Missionaries of Charity was to love and care for weak and downtrodden persons in the society. In 1965, the Pope Paul VI granted a Decree of Praise and allowed Mother Teresa to expand her congregation to other countries. Now, the Society became an International Religious Family. Following the decree, the society opened its branches in many countries of the world including some influential erstwhile communist nations.

To strengthen the organization and spread the message of international brotherhood, Mother Teresa opened a few more organisations. She founded the Missionaries of Charity for brothers in 1963, Contemplative Branch of Sisters in 1976 and Contemplative Branch of Brothers in 1979, subsequently.

Missionaries of Charity
The Missionaries of Charity was formed by Mother Teresa in 1950. Today, it consists of over 4,000 nuns. The organization, so far, has expanded its wings to over 100 countries. The objective of the Missionaries of Charity is to provide care and support to the sick, mentally ill, aged, victims of incorrigible diseases, and abandoned children. The Missionaries of Charity has opened around 20 homes in Calcutta including a school for street children.

Awards
People from across the globe have appreciated the work and dedication of Mother Teresa. She received numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize (1991), Ramon Magsaysay Award and Padmashri Award (1962). The honor and appreciation, Mother Teresa received could not be measured in terms of awards and prizes. The real awards came from the people she served and worked with.

Her Last Days
After 1980, Mother suffered some serious health problems including two cardiac arrests. Despite the problems, Mother herself governed the Missionaries of Charity and its branches, as efficiently as earlier. In April 1996, Mother Teresa fell and broke her collar bone. Since then, Mother's health started declining. On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa passed away.

Beatification
In 2002, Pope John Paul II confirmed the decrees to Mother's canonization. On 19 October, 2003 the Pope beatified the Mother before a huge crowd at St. Peter's square, Vatican City.