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.