{{Short description|1875 book by Dayanand Saraswati}} {{italic title}} {{Infobox book | name = Satyarth Prakash (The Light of Truth) | title_orig = | translator = | image = <!-- include the file: and the image size --> | image_caption = | author = Swami Dayananda Saraswati | illustrator = | cover_artist = | country = India | language = Hindi | series = | subject = | genre = | publisher = Star Press Benares<ref name="क्रान्त">{{cite book |last1=क्रान्त |authorlink1= |editor1-first= |editor1-last= |editor1-link= |title=स्वाधीनता संग्राम के क्रान्तिकारी साहित्य का इतिहास |edition=1 |series= |volume=2 |year=2006 |orig-date= |publisher=Praveen Publications|location=New Delhi |language=hi |isbn=81-7783-119-4 |oclc= 271682218|doi= |id= |page=348-349 |chapter= |chapter-url= |quote= |bibcode= |name-list-style= }}</ref> | pub_date = 1875 | english_pub_date = | media_type = | pages = | isbn = | oclc = | preceded_by = | followed_by = }}
'''''Satyarth Prakash''''' ({{langx|hi|सत्यार्थ प्रकाश}}; ''{{IAST|Satyārth Prakāś}}''; {{lit|The Light of Truth}}) is an 1875 book written originally in Hindi by Dayananda Saraswati, a religious and social reformer and the founder of Arya Samaj. The book was subsequently revised by Dayanada Saraswati in 1882 and has been translated into more than 20 languages including Sanskrit and foreign languages, including English, French, German, Swahili, Arabic and Chinese. The major portion of the book is dedicated to laying down the reformist advocacy of Dayanada Saraswati with the last four chapters making a case for comparative study of different religious faiths.
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vedicbooks.com/magazine.htm#HINDU%20SCRIPTURES |title=Hindu Scriptures |access-date=2007-10-05 |format= |archive-date=2007-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015041545/http://www.vedicbooks.com/magazine.htm#HINDU%20SCRIPTURES |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Contents ==
The book contains fourteen chapters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aryasamajjamnagar.org/satyarth_prakash_eng.htm | title= Satyarth Prakash |access-date=2007-10-05 }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Chapter ! Content |- | 1 | Chapter 1 is an exposition of “Om” and other names of God. |- | 2 | Chapter 2 provides guidance on the upbringing of children. |- | 3 | Chapter 3 explains the life of ''Brahmacarya'' (bachelor), the duties and qualifications of scholars and teachers, good and bad books and the scheme of studies. |- | 4 | Chapter 4 is about marriage and married life. |- | 5 | Chapter 5 is about giving up materialism and starting to carry out community service. |- | 6 | Chapter 6 is about science of government. |- | 7 | Chapter 7 is about Veda and God. |- | 8 | Chapter 8 deals with Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution of the Universe. |- | 9 | Chapter 9 deals with knowledge and ignorance, and liberation and bondage. |- | 10 | Chapter 10 deals with desirable and undesirable conduct and permissible and forbidden diet. |- | 11 | Chapter 11 contains criticism of the various religions and sects prevailing in India. |- | 12 | Chapter 12 deals with the Charvaka, Buddhism and Jainism. |- | 13 | Chapter 13 deals with Christianity. |- | 14 | Chapter 14 deals with Islam. |}
== 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).<ref>{{cite news|title=Udaipur Garden Palace now a shrine to Arya Samaj founder|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Udaipur-Garden-Palace-now-a-shrine-to-Arya-Samaj-founder/articleshow/55282697.cms|website=Times of India|date=7 November 2016 |access-date=8 November 2016}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}
{| class="wikitable" |- ! No. ! Language ! Author / Translator ! Publication year |- | 1 | Hindi<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--hindi |title=Satyarth Prakash 2nd Edition |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023063430/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--hindi |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Dayanand Saraswati | 1875 (1st edition, Benares), 1882 (2nd edition) |- | 2 | English<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/the-light-of-truth |title=The Light of Truth |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2021-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927032523/https://www.elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/the-light-of-truth |url-status=dead }}</ref> (4 translations by different scholars) | 1. Dr. Chiranjiva Bharadwaja, 2. Master Durga Prasad, 3. Pt. Ganga Prasad Upadhyay, 4. Vandemataram Ramachandra Rao | 1. 1906, 2. 1908, 3. 1946, 4. 1988 |- | 3 | Sanskrit<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--sanskrit |title=Satyarth Prakash Sanskrit Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2023-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208135150/https://www.elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--sanskrit |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Pandit Shankardev Pathak | 1924 |- | 4 | Urdu | 1. Atmaram Amritsari, Bhakt Raimal and Naunihal, 2. Jivandas, 3. Pt. Chamupati, 4. Mehta Radhakrishna | 1. 1898, 2. 1899, 3. 1939, 4. 1905 |- | 5 | Punjabi | Atmaram Amritsari | 1899 |- | 6 | Gujarati | 1. Mancha Shankar and Jaishankar Dvivedi, 2. Mayashankar Sharma, 3.Dilip Vedalankar | 1. 1905, 2. 1926, 3. 1994 |- | 7 | Sindhi | Jivanlal Arya | 1912 |- | 8 | Bengali<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--bangla |title=Satyarth Prakash Bengali Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023031839/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--bangla |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 1. Motilal Bhattacharya, 2. Shankar Nath, 3. Gaurmohandev Verman | 1. 1901, 2. 1911, 3. ''???'' |- | 9 | Marathi | 1. Shridas Vidyarthi, 2. Shripad Damodar Satwalekar, 3. Snatak Satyavrat, 4. Shripad Joshi | 1. 1907, 2. 1926, 3. 1932, 4. 1990 |- | 10 | Tamil | 1. M. R Jambunathan, 2. Kannaiya, 3. Shuddhananda Bharati | 1. 1926, 2. 1935, 3. 1974 |- | 11 | Telugu | 1. A. Somanathan Rao, 2. Pt. Gopadev Sastry | 1. 1933, 2. ''???'' |- | 12 | Malayalam<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--malayalam |title=Satyarth Prakash Malayalam Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022170130/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--malayalam |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 1. Brahmachari Lakshman (Originally by Pt. Vedabandhu Sharma), 2. Acharya Narendra Bhooshan | 1. 1933, 2. 1978 |- | 13 | Kannada<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--kannada |title=Satyarth Prakash Kannada Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817063319/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--kannada |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 1. Bhaskar Pant, 2. Satyapal Snatak, 3. Sudhakar Chaturvedi | 1. 1932, 2. 1955, 3. 1974 |- | 14 | Nepali<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--nepali |title=Satyarth Prakash Nepali Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2021-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927041947/https://www.elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--nepali |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Dilusingh Rai | 1879 |- | 15 | German<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--german |title=Satyarth Prakash German Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817070046/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--german |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 1. Dr. Daulatram Devgram, Borikhel Mianwali, 2. Arya Divakar | 1. 1930, 2. 1983 |- | 16 | Swahili<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--kiswahili |title=Satyarth Prakash Kiswahili Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2022-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023034833/https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--kiswahili |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ''???'' | ''???'' |- | 17 | Odia | 1. Shrivatsa Panda, 2. Lakshminarayan Shastri | 1. 1927, 2. 1973 |- | 18 | Assamese | Parmeshwar Koti | 1975 |- | 19 | Arabic | Kalicharan Sharma | ''???'' |- | 20 | Burmese | Kittima | ''???'' |- | 21 | Chinese | Dr. Chau | 1958 |- | 22 | Thai | ''???'' | ''???'' |- | 23 | French<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--french |title=Satyarth Prakash French Translation |access-date=2022-10-22 |archive-date=2023-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208130222/https://www.elibrary.thearyasamaj.org/book/satyarth-prakash--french |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Lui Morin | 1940 |- | 24 | Kumaoni and Garhwali | Virbhadra Sati | ''???'' |- |}
== Reception and criticism ==
S. Rangaswami Iyengar praised the book, saying that "It contains the wholly rationalistic view of the Vedic religion."<ref>"World Perspectives on Swami Dayananda Saraswati" by Ganga Ram Garg, p. 188.</ref>
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.<ref>The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India, Girja Kumar.</ref> This ban was condemned by Mahatma Gandhi.<ref>{{cite book|title=Religious Offence and Censorship of Publications: An Enquiry through the Prism of Indian Laws and the Judiciary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NMKoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT56|page=56|first=Nishant|last=Kumar|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2023| isbn=978-1-000-84018-6 }}</ref>
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''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/09/stories/2008050953550500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514082330/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/09/stories/2008050953550500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-14|work=The Hindu|date=2008-05-09|title=Arya Samaj plans march to defend book by founder}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aryasamajtoday.com/DocumentLibrary.aspx?aid=19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707172422/http://www.aryasamajtoday.com/DocumentLibrary.aspx?aid=19|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 7, 2011|title=Plea seeking ban on Dayanand book is 'mischief'|publisher=}}</ref>
== References ==
=== Citations === {{commons category}} {{reflist}}
== External links == <!--===============({{No More Links}})============================ | PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS IN ADDING MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA | | IS NOT A COLLECTION OF LINKS NOR SHOULD IT BE USED FOR ADVERTISING.| | | | Excessive or inappropriate links WILL BE DELETED. | | See Wikipedia:External links & Wikipedia:Spam for details. | | | | If there are already plentiful links, please propose additions or | | replacements on this article's discussion page, or submit your link| | to the relevant category at the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org) | | and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template. | ================({{No More Links}})=============================--> * [http://www.aryasamaj.org/newsite/Light_Of_Truth.pdf Read and download ''Satyarth Prakash – Light of Truth'' online in English translated by Dr. Chiranjiva Bharadwaja]. * [http://www.vedicgranth.org/home/the-great-authors/maharshi/satyarth-prakash Read ''Satyarth Prakash'' online]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529155512/http://www.vedicgranth.org/home/the-great-authors/maharshi/satyarth-prakash |date=2013-05-29 }} (in English, Malayalam, Hindi, German, Bengali and Urdu). * [http://www.aryagan.org/satyarth-prakash.html Read ''Satyarth Prakash'' ('The Light of Truth')]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228095929/http://www.aryagan.org/satyarth-prakash.html |date=2014-12-28 }} (in eighteen different languages). * [http://www.krantikari.org/2012/08/buy-satyarth-prakash-hindi.html ''Satyarth Prakash''] at Krantikari
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