Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s12: Refutations of Satyārthaprakāśa and Rejoinders
Vāda in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s12
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Refutations of Satyārthaprakāśa and Rejoinders
c11.s12.1
*Satyārthaprakāśa* provoked strong reactions and a prolonged series of refutations and rejoinders from the supporters and detractors of Swami Dayananda.
c11.s12.2
The chain of debates was initiated as early as 1848 when one Anantaram converted to Islam and authored a work entitled *Tohaful-Hind* in condemnation of Hinduism. Munshi Indramani, who had worked with Dayananda had debated with him but was unable to vanquish him.⁹⁰
c11.s12.3
*Vaidika Satyārthaprakāśa* by Akhilanand Sharma, *Dayānandatimirabhāskara* by Pt. Jwala Prasad, *Dayananda-Saraswati-mukha-capeṭika* (A Slap on the Face of Dayananda Saraswati) by Thakar Das Jaini and *Dayananda-chala-kapaṭa-darpaṇa* (A Mirror of Conceit and Deception of Dayananda) were some of the books in Hindi where Dayananda was bitterly attacked. The attacks in response were equally intensive. Tulasi Ram wrote and published a rejoinder of Pt. Jwala Prasad's book in his *Bhāskaraprakāśa arthāt Paṇḍita Jwala Prasad-kṛta Dayanandtimirabhāskara kā Uttara* (1897). Baldev Prasad, a brother of Jwala Prasad, replied to it in his *Dharmadivākara*, and this led Pt. Tulasi Ram to come out with *Divākaraprakāśa*.⁹¹
c11.s12.4
Pt. Jwala Prasad, the author of *Dayānandatimirabhāskara* has been challenging Dayananda on public platforms. Tulasi Ram wrote *Bhāskārābhāsa* as a strong rejoinder to *Dayānandatimirabhāskara*. Bhavani Prasad Nambaradar of Devarikalan, a village in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh issued a critique of *Bhāskārābhāsa* in his *Bhāskarābhāsanivāraṇa* (1901).⁹² Pt. Bhimsen carried the tirade of *sanātanīs* further. Nityanand Brahmachari used to enter into debates with Pt. Jwala Prasad. Several sessions of *śāstrārtha* by Pt. Bhimsen with Nityanand and other Arya Samajis were organized at Madhav Bagh, Mumbai between 1901-10: at Delhi (1900), Agra (1901), Alipur (Punjab) in 1902 and Munger in 1904.⁹³
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The magnum opus of Umapati Dwivedi, *Sanātanadharmoddhāraḥ* is an answer to Dayananda's *Satyārthaprakāśa*. Divided into several sections and running in more than 1,500 pages, the second part of the first volume of *Sanātanadharmoddhāraḥ* refutes the view of Naiyāyikas who do not believe in *svataḥ prāmāṇya* of Veda, and seventy-four pages are devoted under *kṣudropadravavidrāvaṇaprakaraṇa* (a chapter on repealing the mischief of petty people) the views of Weber and Max Müller are criticized. Around 200 pages are devoted to an encounter with Dayananda and his views on Veda.⁹⁴ Another voluminous work of similar nature is *Mahāmohavidrāvaṇa* (A Repealing of the Illusions) against the views of Dayananda by Vedantacharya Mohanlal was published in 1883. Pt. Giridhar Sharma Chaturvedi was supposed to be another apostle standing to stall Dyananda's movement through debates.
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Some other works written in opposition to Dayananda and his movement were *Yathārthaprakāśa* by Anand Swaroop, *Satyārthadarpaṇa* by Ajit Kumar Shastri, *Satyārthaprakāśa kī Chīchāledar* by Kalu Ram Shastri, and another work of the same name by Premacharya Shastri, *Satyārthaprakāśasamīkṣā* by Jagannatha Das, *A Refutation of the Satyartha Prakash of Pt. Dayananda Saraswati* by Gulam Mohamad (Hazi Hanif Sadiq), *Haque Prakasha* in Urdu by Sanaullah Amritsari. This has continued till very recent times when Veer Bharat Talwar in his book *On the Critique of Satyārthaprakāśa* and Dr Namvar Singh have expressed strong resentment over some of the postulations of Dayananda. There were critiques from a number of Western scholars also.⁹⁵ Talwar called Dayananda illogical/irrational for his adherence to Vedas.