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10
Dayanada
and Arya
Samaj
He felt, struck down in his prime, by an
assassin. The concubine of a Maharajah, whom the
stern prophet had denounced, poisoned him. He
died at Ajmer on October 30, 1883.
But his work pursed its uninterrruped and
triumphant course, from 40,000 in 1891 the
number of its members rose to 1,01,000 in 1901, to
2,40,000 in 1911 and to 4,58,000 in 1921.1
Some of the most important Hindu personalities,
politicians and Maharajahs belonged to it. Its
spontaneous and impassioned success in contrast to
the slight reverberations of Keshab's Brahmo Samaj
shows the degree to which Dayananda's stern
teachings corresponded to the thought of his country
and to the first stirrings of Indian nationalism, to
which he contributed.
It may perhaps be useful to remind Europe of
the reasons at the bottom of his national awakening,
now in full flood.
Westernisation was going too far, and was not
always revealed by its best side. Intellectually it had
become rather frivolous attitude of mind, which did
This number is now about 80 lacs. (Editor)