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 at Bombay in 1875 and promoted Shuddhi, but it did not oppose Vedic ritual practice.
Explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct because the Arya Samaj was formally founded in Bombay in 1875 and is linked with Shuddhi, the movement to bring back Hindus who had converted to other religions. Statement 3 is the trap. Arya Samaj did oppose idol worship, but that does not mean it rejected Vedic practice. Its reform programme rested on the authority of the Vedas and supported havan, Vedic mantras and the slogan “Back to the Vedas”. So the combined statement that it opposed both idol worship and Vedic rituals is too broad and becomes incorrect.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Option B wrongly accepts statement 3, because 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.
- (D) Option D includes all three statements, but statement 3 is false because Arya Samaj did not oppose Vedic rituals as such.
Concept
This tests nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movements, especially the difference between rejecting later practices such as idolatry and affirming Vedic authority. RAS often frames this area through statement-combination questions because reform movements mixed religious revival, social reform and institutional organisation.