RAS question
Who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875?
Correct answer: (A) Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj at Mumbai, then Bombay, on 10 April 1875.
Explanation
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj at Mumbai, then Bombay, on 10 April 1875. That date and place matter because they separate Arya Samaj from other nineteenth-century reform currents and make Dayanand Saraswati the precise answer, not merely a reformer of the same broad period. Its motto, "Krinvanto Vishwam Aryam", is rendered as "Make the world noble", and the movement followed his call for a return to the Vedas. Dayanand Saraswati is therefore the correct choice because the founding event, motto and reform orientation all point to him.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Swami Vivekananda did not found Arya Samaj at Mumbai on 10 April 1875; that founding is tied to Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
- (C) Raja Ram Mohan Roy was not the founder of Arya Samaj in 1875; Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded it at Mumbai.
- (D) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar did not found Arya Samaj; its foundation, motto and Vedic emphasis are tied to Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
Concept
This tests the Modern Indian History theme of nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movements. RAS repeatedly uses such questions because founders, dates, places and reform ideas are compact markers for distinguishing movements.