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स्वामी दयानन्द सरस्वती
1930–2015 CE · Manjakkudi (Tamil Nadu); Rishikesh; pan-India
Tradition: Advaita Vedanta — Sankaracharya lineage
Vedanta as a pramana (means of knowledge); the importance of traditional teaching methodology; samanyaya of all the Upanishadic texts.
Born Natarajan; trained under Swami Chinmayananda; left for direct Vedanta study under Swami Pranavananda; established his own teaching mission; left body in 2015 at Rishikesh.
Founded Arsha Vidya Gurukulams (Coimbatore, Saylorsburg PA, Rishikesh); trained hundreds of acharyas worldwide; champion of traditional Vedic education.
Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya) stands within the lineage of Advaita Vedanta — Sankaracharya lineage. Understanding a saint requires understanding the school of thought, the lineage of teachers, and the historical context that shaped them. The Advaita Vedanta — Sankaracharya lineage tradition has shaped Hindu spiritual life through its philosophical foundations, its liturgy, its scriptures, and the institutions its founding ācāryas built and sustained across generations.
Saints in this tradition are not abstract figures from history — they are the living chain through which the tradition transmits itself. To read Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya) correctly is to read both the writings (where they survive) and the institutions they founded, the disciples they taught, and the practices they reinterpreted. Where written works are listed above, they remain the primary source for studying their thought; for the practical transmission, one studies under a teacher of the same lineage.
The dates and biographical details preserved in tradition often differ from those accepted by modern academic historians. Where the difference matters for interpretation, both views are noted; otherwise the traditional account is given with sources cited.
Awaiting scholar verification. If you spot a factual error in dates, lineage, or teaching, please write to us.