RAS question
Consider the following statements about the Arya Samaj: 1. It was founded in 1875 at Bombay. 2. It promoted the concept of 'Shuddhi' (purification/reconversion). 3. It opposed idol worship and Vedic rituals. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Correct answer: (A) 1 and 2 only.
The Arya Samaj was founded in Bombay in 1875 and promoted the Shuddhi movement, but it did not oppose Vedic ritual practice.
Explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Swami Dayanand Saraswati formally founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay on 10 April 1875, so statement 1 is correct. Its Shuddhi movement sought to bring back Hindus who had converted to other religions, so statement 2 is also correct. Statement 3 combines a true point with a false conclusion: the Arya Samaj opposed idol worship, but it treated the Vedas as the basis of knowledge and truth. It promoted Vedic practices such as havan and Vedic mantras and used the slogan “Back to the Vedas”. Therefore, the claim that it opposed both idol worship and Vedic rituals is too broad, and only statements 1 and 2 are correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Option B wrongly accepts statement 3 because the Arya Samaj opposed idol worship but upheld Vedic authority and Vedic ritual practice.
- (C) Option C leaves out statement 1, although the Arya Samaj was founded in Bombay in 1875, and it also wrongly accepts statement 3 even though the Arya Samaj did not oppose Vedic rituals.
- (D) Option D includes all three statements, but statement 3 is false because the Arya Samaj did not oppose Vedic rituals as such.
Concept
This question tests the ideology and programmes of nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movements, especially where the Arya Samaj was founded, what the Shuddhi movement sought to do, and why opposing idol worship did not mean rejecting the Vedas or Vedic rituals. RAS often combines such points in statement-based options.