By Prof. Yashwant Malaiya
It is interesting to compare the two revolutionary personalities. I just noticed that they lived around the same time, although Buteraiji was somewhat older.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati lived during 1825-1883 AD, and founded Arya Samaj in 1877 AD.
Muni Buddhivijayji (Buteraiji) lived during 1806-1886 AD and made his major transition in 1846 AD.
In many ways they were similar, both brought about reformation and dynamism. They inspired their followers to start several institutions.
It is also interesting to see how the two were different.
Buteraiji was born in Punjab but had a lot of impact in the Gujarat region.
Swami Dayananadji was born in Gujarat but had a lot of impact in the Punjab region.
Buteraiji switched from a non-idol worshipping tradition to an idol-worshipping tradition. Swami dayananda did just the opposite.
Also for comparison it should be noted that in Sikhism the Singh Sabha movement was founded in 1873 AD. If I remember correctly, Swami Dayanand Saraswati was actually invited to Punjab by some Sikhs; at that time the Sikh-Hindu difference was not well defined.
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