‘Dharma and rashtra are not separate’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says world looks to India

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. File pic

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said dharma and rashtra are not separate in India and asserted that the country's spiritual knowledge has a role to play in addressing several challenges confronting the world.

"Our rashtra (nation) and dharma are not separate. The purpose of the nation is dharma, and dharma helps sustain the nation. The two are interdependent. If one exists, the other also exists; if one does not exist, the other also does not," Bhagwat said here.

Addressing the 14th conference of the All India Vihar Seva group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief said the world was facing dilemmas involving development and environmental protection, individual freedom and family life, and religious faith and conflict.

"The world is troubled. Every happiness remains incomplete, every aspiration comes with some loss, and every loyalty is tied to another loyalty. There is no balance; there is extremism," he said.

Bhagwat said the world was looking towards India for a way out of these contradictions, recalling that India had historically shared its knowledge without seeking to conquer other countries or convert people.

"The world knows that the path will come from India," he said.

He said India possessed a vast knowledge tradition comprising the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Jain Agamas, Tripitaka, Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings of saints.

"Our country has a very great treasure of knowledge, which the world needs today. One can come closer to the Almighty through the strength of devotion," he said.

According to Bhagwat, preserving the lives and traditions of those who carry this knowledge was not merely a religious responsibility but a service to humanity.

"You are not protecting just one life. You are protecting the safe future of the entire human race," he said.

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