The Moral Woman and the Urban Punjabi Society of the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The Satyarth Prakash of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, was not just a book of Religion. Rather, it was meant to be a moral code of conduct, a guide for the Aryan People to adhere to. As such, the Swami had taken pains to spell out the model character of an Aryan woman, among other things. He had given the Iwoman question' a centrality because he perceived women to be the key to the maintenance of caste purity; and because he wished to exploit the reproductive capability of women, so that a judicious sexual union would produce the required Aryan male progeny. Swami Dayananda Saraswati died in the year 1883. He died too early, his followers felt, without giving them adequate guidance to follow his precepts as taught in the Satyarth Prakash. They, nevertheless, endeavoured to be true to his word, and to make the Satyarth Prakash their spiritual guide. This was especially true of his followers in Punjab, where the number of Arya Samajis grew rapidly. By 1891, their number was 24,458, which increased to 65,282