Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s11.3

c11.s11.3

Unfortunately the accounts of Swami Dayananda’s debates are either shrouded in a hazy mass of legends built up by his devotees, or they have been coloured with the spirit of glorifying his *digviyaya* (over-all victory). No authentic biography on him is available. The accounts presented by his rivals (*sanātanīs*) are equally unreliable. One thing about him is certain. The course of his postulations and precepts continued to change because of discussions, dialogues and debates with the followers of diverse faiths, he revised his opinions and stands through *vāda*.