The Arya Samaj is founded on ten guiding principles, the Niyams, written by its founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They set out the Samaj’s beliefs about God, truth, and duty to others.

1. God is the primary cause of all true knowledge and all that is known through knowledge.
2. God is existent, intelligent, and blissful (Sat-Chit-Ananda). He is formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn, infinite, unchangeable, beginningless, unequalled, the support and lord of all, all-pervading, omniscient, imperishable, immortal, fearless, eternal, holy, and the maker of the universe. To Him alone is worship due.
3. The Vedas are the scriptures of true knowledge. It is the paramount duty of every Arya to read them, teach them, recite them to others, and hear them read.
4. One should always be ready to accept truth and renounce untruth.
5. All acts ought to be done conformably to Dharma, i.e., after deliberating what is right and wrong.
6. The primary object of the Samaj is to do good to the world, i.e., to promote physical, spiritual, and social good of everyone.
7. Our conduct towards all should be guided by love, righteousness, and justice.
8. We should dispel Avidya (ignorance) and promote Vidya (knowledge).
9. No one should be content with promoting his own good only; on the contrary, one should look for his good in promoting the good of all.
10. One should regard oneself under restriction to follow the rules of society calculated to promote the well-being of all, while in matters of individual benefit all are free.