Swami Dayanand regarded the Vedas as infallible. This gave his teachin...
Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, was a staunch advocate of the Vedas and considered them to be infallible. This belief in the infallibility of the Vedas gave his teachings an orthodox coloring. There are several reasons why this is the case.
1. Preservation of ancient wisdom: Swami Dayanand believed that the Vedas contained the eternal truths and wisdom that had been passed down through generations. He saw them as the ultimate source of knowledge and guidance for humanity. By regarding the Vedas as infallible, he aimed to preserve and protect the ancient wisdom contained within them.
2. Rejection of other religious scriptures: Swami Dayanand vehemently criticized and condemned the religious scriptures of other ancient religions. He believed that these scriptures were corrupted and deviated from the true teachings of the Vedas. By asserting the infallibility of the Vedas, he sought to establish their superiority over other religious texts and promote the revival of Vedic principles.
3. Emphasis on divine revelation: Swami Dayanand believed that the Vedas were not composed by human beings but were divinely revealed to sages and seers through meditation and spiritual experiences. According to him, the Vedas were the direct word of God and, therefore, were infallible. This belief in divine revelation further strengthened his orthodox stance and his insistence on the infallibility of the Vedas.
4. Supremacy of faith over reason: Swami Dayanand emphasized the importance of faith and regarded it as superior to reason. He believed that human reason alone was not sufficient to understand the profound truths contained in the Vedas. By considering the Vedas as infallible, he emphasized the necessity of having faith in their teachings, regardless of whether they could be comprehended through reason or not.
In conclusion, Swami Dayanand's regard for the Vedas as infallible gave his teachings an orthodox coloring due to his rejection of other religious scriptures, his belief in divine revelation, and his emphasis on faith over reason. This perspective shaped the ideology of the Arya Samaj and influenced its followers to adhere strictly to Vedic principles.