RSS chief says nation and dharma sustain one another

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said the nation and dharma were inseparable and depended on each other. Addressing the Vihar Seva conference on October 2, Mr. Bhagwat said the purpose of the nation was dharma and that dharma helped sustain the nation.

He added that the existence of one was linked to the existence of the other. Mr. Bhagwat also spoke about what he described as global dilemmas involving development and the environment, freedom and family, and faith and conflict.

He said the world was facing a lack of balance and the presence of extremism. He described India as possessing a long knowledge tradition that included the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Jain Agamas, Tripitaka, Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings of saints. According to Mr.

Bhagwat, India had shared knowledge without seeking to conquer other countries or convert their people. He said the world recognised that a path forward would come from India and that the country’s knowledge was needed internationally. Mr.

Bhagwat connected devotion with the strength to come closer to the Almighty. He said preserving the lives and traditions of people who carried knowledge was not only a religious duty but also a service to humanity. “You do not protect just a life.

You protect the safety of the future of humanity,” he said. The source material records Mr. Bhagwat’s remarks but does not identify specific measures or organisations associated with preserving the traditions he mentioned.

It also does not provide responses from other groups or political parties to his address.