UPSC CDS GS History Questions Part 1

Statements (1) and (2) about the social base of the Arya Samaj in British India are correct. Arya Samaj was a North Indian Hindu reform organisation of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly active in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, which sought to revive Vedic learning and combine it with modern education in the sciences. The ‘Ten Principles’ of Arya Samaj reflect its vision of mankind which has much broader approach than Brahmo Samaj. So, statement (3) is not correct. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj led by Swami Dayanand Saraswati were the two prominent socio-religious movements of India in the 19th century. Both the organisations were against the social and religious evils, like Sati, polygamy, child marriage, idol worship and other malpractices prevalent in the society, especially among the Hindus. Both the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj advocated for the women education and equal status to all in the society. Both the movements worked to develop a sense of national consciousness among the fellow countrymen.