Adi Shankracharya and Swami Dayananda

Dr Vivek Arya

Adi Shankracharya and Swami Dayananda are two greatest pillars in the
History of our country. The mission of both personalities was the revival of
Vedic Dharma. Both were born in Brahmin family and they fought against
birth based Caste system. Both shared same childhood
name Shankar and Mool Shankar. Both left their home at tender age. Both
attained Vairagya at early age and practiced highest order of celibacy in their
life. Both fought against the dogmatic practices on name of Religion. Their
books are famous as trinity (three books). Adi Shankracharya’s famous works
are the commentary of Gita, Brahamsukta  and  Upanishads. Swami
Dayananda’s famous works are Satyarth Prakash, Rigvedadibashya-
bhumuka  and  Sanskar Vidhi.

1. Adi Shankracharya raised his voice against the anti Vedic sects like
Buddhism and Jainism while Swami Dayananda faced different ritualistic
sects/sub-sects among Hindus along with foreign sects like Islam and
Christianity.
2. No doubt that the work of both was difficult and herculean. Adi
Shankracharya faced the indigenous sects shaped and fashioned in same
workshop of our country. While Swami Dayananda had to contend against
both indigenous and alien faiths.
3. Adi Shankracharya needed to counter the arguments of Buddhists on
which they rejected the authority of the Vedas. Swami Dayananda apart
form the propagation of the Vedas needed to disapprove the claims of
any foreign religion along with the different sects and subsets flourishing
in the country.
4. The opponents of Adi Shankracharya never looked him with hatred. His
all opponents were his own countryman. And it is inherent philosophy of
Hinduism to respect even our enemy. Swami Dayananda faced stiff
resistance from his countryman as well as the foreign countryman.
Dayananda the marathon champion accepted this challenge and
neutralized all his opponents. His only supporter was the one and only
one almighty God.
5. In case of Adi Shankracharya an extensive knowledge of Hindu
metaphysics was altogether necessary to do his work. While in case of
Swami Dayananda had to work under entirely different circumstances. He
had, unlike Shankracharya, to defend the Vedas not only against the
attacks of those who did not admit their authority. He also fought against
those who confined them to the unmeaning practices and grand absurd
rituals.
6. Adi Shankracharya era was scholarly era of our country. People used to
accept the truth by participating in debates or Shastrarth. This was a huge
support to Adi Shankracharya. He managed to implement his vision
working on the same methodology. He advised Ujjain  King  Sunadhava  to
organize his Shastrarth with the Jain Scholars. The rule was defined that
the views of the winner would be acceptable to all. Adi Shankracharya won
the debate and he thus earned the supporters as well as the royal
patronage in form of the King. On the other hand in the age of Swami
Dayananda the Vedic glory was almost forgotten. Dense ignorance
prevailed for centuries. Swami ji need to do gigantic effort to remind our
countryman about the vast knowledge of Vedas. Our tradition
of Shastrarth was forgotten. Swami Dayananda did all efforts to revive it.
He even involved the King of Kashi in his debate with the learned Pundits
of Benaras. But the Kashi King was different from the King of Ujjain.
Instead of supporting the truth,the King of Kashi sided with the Benaras
Pundits to dampen the voice of Dayananda. But the God believer
Dayananda crossed all obstruction and defended one and only one the
Truth.
7. The Vedas were regarded and given due respect in the age of Adi
Shankracharya. The age of Swami Dayananda was quite different. On one
side there were disbelievers of the Vedas while on the other side their was
a class of Vedic scholars for whom the Vedas were mere ritualistic texts
supporting animal sacrifice, black magic and numerous superstitions. A
close analytical study by Swami Dayananda convinced him that our people
had completely forgotten the strictly scientific and etymological system of
understanding the Vedas. Rishis of the Vedic age formulated the means to
understand the Vedas but their directions were neglected. Swami
Dayananda commentary on Rigveda and Yajurveda fully testifies the
difficulties he had to confront when dealing with these people. One can
understand his contribution towards the understanding of the Vedas by
thoroughly reading his works.
8. The minds of opponent Pundits in the age of Adi Shankracharya were
not so polluted. They were sincere, readily gave-in their support to him at
the moment they were proved incorrect. Shankracharya needed to
demonstrate their insufficiency and un-tenability of their few opinions.
The King as well as the masses followed the Pundits faithfully. Thus, the
Shankracharya got early success in his mission of revival of the Hinduism.
Swami Dayananda on contrary had to deal with the men of entirely
different order. The priestly class of our country was not only ignorant but
also lacked knowledge to differentiate between the true and false beliefs.
Also the irrational religious practices and ceremonies were their source of
income, worldly prosperity, continuation of life and inspiration for their
followers. So, they instead of supporting Swami Dayananda opposed him
 with full force for fulfilling their personal vested interests. They started
movement against Swami Dayananda to oppose him up-to any extent.
This uphill task already difficult became more difficult due to the wrong
attitude by our countrymen. And the foreign based sects added spice to
the dish. They also raised their voice in the same tone and frequency
against Swami Dayananda. Hindus who had lost the habit of testing the
truth long back, instead of learning from Dayananda, preferred to remain
blind. They could not respond to the appeal of Swami Dayananada. He
offered them a religion which demanded from its votaries the highest
exercise of the intellect. The Vedic religion is a religion of reason and no
one can fully carry out its behests without intellect. Words of Dayananda
fell on the deaf ears of Hindus while in the era of Shankara the knowledge
and intellect had not touched so low.
9. Adi Shankracharya was lucky that he did not face Islam and Christianity.
Islamic invaders outraged the Hindus and degraded their intellectual
status. Islamic faith lowered the educational and mental status of the
Hindus. Hindus lost the capability of appreciating the beauty and truth of
their ancient Religion. Hindus somehow survived the torture and cruel rule
of Islamic invaders by constant opposition and brave attempts of brave
hearts like Shiva Ji and  Maharana Pratap. But, the rule of Britishers gave it
a last blow. Hindus lost the confidence to counter the allegation raised by
the Christian missionary on the religious beliefs and the practices of the
Hindus. English education immensely accentuated this effect. Young
Hindu mind was so influenced that it started thinking that the western
culture and beliefs were always superior to those of our country. Swami
Dayananda far vision was readily able to diagnose this disease as well as
he invented the remedy for this problem. Swami Dayanand through his
analytical research and comparative religion study established the
superiority of Vedic Philosophy over the foreign ideas. We are amazed to
learn his depth of comparative study in the 13th and 14th Chapter of his
famous work, Satyarth Prakash. This remedy was like an instant cure to the
diseased body of Hinduism.
Thus, the era of both reformers was entirely different. Shankracharya was born
in the age when our country was governed by Hindu polity while Dayananda
worked in the age of foreign rule. Though by no means inferior to
Shankracharya, either in intellect or in the intensiveness and extensiveness of
his learning, Swami Dayananda had to fight against more heavier and greater
odds. Greater, much greater in proportion, is then his title to the glory he won,
and deeper, much deeper the debt of gratitude which we owe him.

I will like to conclude my article with the statement of Madam Blavatsky, the
founder of the Theosophical Society that-
"It is perfectly certain that India never saw a more learned Sanskrit
scholar, a deeper meta physician, a more wonderful orator, and a more
fearless denunciator of any evil than Dayanand, since the time of
Shankracharya."

(Note- We have no intention to compare the two great reformers Adi

Shankracharya and Swami Dayananda to prove the superiority of anyone. We
respect both of them with full sincerity. We only compared the circumstances
and challenges faced by the both reformers- Writer)

With inputs from Life and teachings of Swami Dayanand by Bawa Chajju
Singh and Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a critical review of his career together
with a short life sketch.