Dayanand Saraswati (12 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) was a Hindu religious leader who founded the Arya Samaj, a Neo-Hindu reform movement of the Vedic tradition. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya (abstain-ism). Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati Founder of Arya Samaj Cult Early Childhood Dayanand Saraswati was born on 12 February in 1824 in a Brahmin family in the Kathiawad region (now Rajkot district of Gujarat). His original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught Mool Shankar the ways to impress the Lord by idol worshiping and keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivratri, Dayanand saw a mouse eating the offerings to the God and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned himself, if the God could not defend himself against a little mouse then how could he be the savior of the massive world. Later, the deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera caused Dayanand to ponder the meaning of life