Satyarth Prakash
1875 book by Dayanand Saraswati
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Some of the topics in the Satyarth Prakash include worship of one god, explanation of the main principles of the Vedas, the relationship between religion and science and between devotion and intellect, elimination of the caste system and critical analysis of different religious beliefs and other religions in light of the Vedas, for the strengthening of society, eradication of superstitions, false notions and meaningless customs, shunning narrow-mindedness and promoting the brotherhood of man.
Contents
The book contains fourteen chapters.
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Editions
The book was originally written in Hindi by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati in 1875. After detecting omissions, language and printing mistakes in the first edition, after making corrections at Israr Mahal inside Ramapur at Benares, he published a second revised edition in Samvat 1939 (1882–1883 CE). The book has been translated into twenty-four different languages. Navlakha Mahal is presently the office of Shrimad Dayanand Satyarth Prakash Nyas, which after detecting in 2004 that the book has been printed by many unauthorised entities in different versions, appointed an authentication committee of Vedic scholars, and started to publish authenticated version of the book.
Reception and criticism
S. Rangaswami Iyengar praised the book, saying that "It contains the wholly rationalistic view of the Vedic religion."
Satyartha Prakash was banned in some Indian princely states and in the Sind Province of British India (now Sindh, Pakistan) in 1944; and it remains banned in Sindh. This ban was condemned by Mahatma Gandhi.
In 2008 two Indian Muslims, Usman Ghani and Mohammad Khalil Khan of Sadar Bazar, Delhi, following the fatwa of Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, the Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi, urged the Delhi High Court to ban Satyarth Prakash. However, the court dismissed the petition and commented "A suit by Hindus against the Quran or by Muslims against Gita or Satyarth Prakash claiming relief ... are in fact, meant to play mischief in the society."