The correct answer is Swami Dayananda Saraswati Explanation & Key Takeaways: • Born on 12th February 1824, Dayananda Saraswati was a significant Indian thinker, social reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj movement, which aimed at reforming Vedic dharma. • He was also known as Mulshankar. • In 1876, he was a pioneer in advocating for Swaraj (self-rule), promoting the idea that India should be governed by Indians, a sentiment that would later be echoed by other leaders like Lokmanya Tilak. • Dayananda Saraswati emphasized the principles of Karma (action) and Reincarnation (the cycle of birth and rebirth) in his teachings. • He was also a proponent of equal rights for women, working towards their upliftment and advocating for their education and equal status in society. • In 1883, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II of Jodhpur invited him to the palace, expressing a desire to become his disciple and learn from his teachings. • Dayananda Saraswati demonstrated his scholarly prowess in a debate held in Varanasi in 1869, where he emerged victorious against a gathering of 27 scholars and 12 expert pandits, with an audience of over 50,000 people. • Throughout his lifetime, he authored more than 60 works, including a significant 16-volume explanation of the six Vedangas, which are auxiliary disciplines associated with the study and understanding of the Vedas. • He also began but did not complete a commentary on the Ashtadhyayi, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on grammar written by Panini, showcasing his deep engagement with classical Sanskrit texts and his scholarly contributions to understanding and interpreting them.