Pt.Guru Dutt Vidyarthi
To serve the humanity, to establish the human values, to propagate and patronize the truth and to extinct the untruth, the great men take the path of beneficence, benevolence, charity and altruism: Paropkaraya Satam Vibhutayah i.e. the great men lay their life for the welfare of others.
Whenever the evils prevail in the society, the great leaders, the saints, the metaphysists lay down everything for the extinction of the same. The Rishis always carried out the works of social welfare with dedication, asceticism and abnegation. Such great souls are always active for the upliftment and the welfare of all. The name of Pt.Guru Dutt Vidyarthi stands first and the fore most amongst such people. Only at the age of 26 he did such miracles that his name and fame shall live for all times to come. A lily of a day is fairer far in May. Although it lives only for one day but its imprest effect impermanent. This is not important that how long we live but important is how we live. The importance lies in our actions for the beneficence of the society.
Pt. Guru Dutt Vidyarthi was born on 26th April 1864, in the famous Sardana family of Multan. His father Lala Ram Krishna was a great and renowned scholar of Persian Language and Literature. He was a teacher in a school in Jhang, under the control of the Education Department of Punjab. His mother was obviously of religious nature. Pt. Guru Dutt Vidhyarthi, since the early childhood, imbibed the quality of religiosity. He developed fascination for the celestial, heavenly and unearthly entity. He would say to his mother, ‘I see the shining stars in the sky and develop a firm conviction that there is some superpower who created this world’ The mother never knew that this child of religious nature and disposition and also devoted to theism would one day become a great man. The time has a great effect. This child was also taken away from theism as the Mancalay’s system of English education laid a heavy hand on him. But the time changed. That was the time, when the flag of Arya Samaj was flying high, far and wide and Pt. Guru Dutt Vidhyarthi could not remain untouched. He read Satyarth Prakash and became the member of Arya Samaj on 20th June, 1880. Pt. Remal Das and Lala Chetananand were his friends. He used to discuss with them about God and Vedas. He mastered Vedang Prakash of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati with the help of Ashtadhyayi. Pt. Guru Dutt was a genius since the childhood. His life was filled with truthfulness and virtuousness. During his college days he founded a Debating Society and also started a newspaper ‘Regenerator of Arya Vart’. As told earlier he was also taken away once by the dust storm of atheism which was restored back on seeing Maharishi Dayanand Sarswati on his death bed in1883. His belief in the existence of God became resolute. Pt. Guru Dutt spread the Vedic teachings with fervour and zeal. In 1889, again he started the newspaper ‘Vedic Magzine’. He left this earthly world on 19th March, 1890.
Pt. Guru Dutt Vidyarthi lived only for 26 years. After the death of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, he lived only for six years. In June 1888 his book ‘The Terminology of the Vedas’ was published. His book ‘Terminology of Vedas’ had been prescribed in the course in Oxford University. He also published with English connotations –‘Ishopnishad’. ‘The Realities of Inner Life’ was published in 1890. His other books are – Evidences of Human Spirit, Pecuniomania, Criticism of Monier Williams, Indian Wisdom. He also wrote many articles of great importance – Conscience and the Vedas, Religious Sermons, A reply to some Criticism of Swamiji’s Veda Bhashya, Origin of Thought and Language, Man’s Progress Downwards, Righteousness or unrighteousness of Flesh Eating, Mr. Pincot on the Vedas and others.
