Swami Virjanand was a blind sage of Mathura and was the celebrated teacher of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who founded the AryaSamaj.

Swami Virjanand was born in Kartarpur, near Jalandhar in 1778 CE in Mojyal family. He lost his eyesight at the age of 5; due to the attack of smallpox. Both his parents died when he was very young, leaving him to the mercy of his elder brother and sister-in-law at a very young age. As they did not treat him well, the temperamental Virjanand soon left their home.

After leaving home, he went to Rishikesh and practiced mediation for three years. After leaving Rishikesh, he went to Haridwar, where he met swamiPurnanandGiri. Swami PurnanandGiri; thought his Sanskrit grammar, and soon he became the master of Sanskrit literature.

As a teacher, Swami Virjanand was a very hard taskmaster, and he expected a very high standard of diligence and discipline in his students. When Swami Dayananda Saraswati completed his course from Swami Virjananda, Swami Virjanand asked him to spread the knowledge of Vedas in this country.

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