Arya Samaj presents itself as a reformist current within Hindu spirituality that seeks to return to what it understands as the pristine vision of the Vedas. At its heart lies an unwavering affirmation of the Vedas as the supreme and infallible source of religious truth and valid knowledge, with later texts accepted only insofar as they accord with this foundational revelation. Flowing from this is a strict monotheism: God, signified by “Om,” is one, formless, omnipresent, omniscient, and the moral governor of the universe. This vision deliberately sets aside image worship, elaborate ritualism, and practices regarded as superstitious, in favor of simple Vedic rites such as the yajña or havan, together with prayer, meditation, and ethical discipline.

The movement’s theological framework rests on the eternity of God, the individual soul, and primordial matter, with the soul journeying through cycles of birth and death under the law of karma. Human circumstances are thus understood as shaped by past actions, and spiritual progress depends on right knowledge, righteous conduct, and devotion to the one God. Liberation (moksha) is described as freedom from ignorance and the cycle of rebirth, attained not by ritual alone but through disciplined study of the Vedas, moral integrity, self-control, and contemplative practice. In this way, Arya Samaj seeks to harmonize inner spiritual realization with an ordered, rational understanding of the cosmos.

Ethical life and social responsibility occupy a central place in this vision. Truthfulness, self-restraint, purity of conduct, and service to others are treated not as optional virtues but as the very substance of religion. The movement explicitly rejects caste based on birth and the practice of untouchability, affirming instead a social order grounded in merit, character, and vocation. It advocates universal education, including for women, and supports reforms such as women’s rights, widow remarriage, and the rejection of child marriage and other oppressive customs. Underlying these commitments is a sense of universal human kinship, a conviction that all people share a common spiritual destiny.

Arya Samaj also emphasizes education and rational inquiry as instruments of both personal and collective upliftment. It promotes Vedic learning alongside broader knowledge, encourages the study of Sanskrit and other Indian languages, and upholds critical thinking over blind adherence to inherited authority. Its ten guiding principles distill these commitments into a program of devotion to one formless God, fidelity to the Vedas, pursuit of truth and justice, and subordination of narrow self-interest to the welfare of all. In this synthesis of Vedic monotheism, ethical rigor, and social reform, Arya Samaj offers a path that seeks to renew religious life while simultaneously transforming society.