Dharma is not religion: RSS chief at New York event

New York, Aug 30 (IANS) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said dharma should not be understood as religion or a form of worship, describing it instead as a universal principle that balances the needs of individuals, society and the environment.

Addressing the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York, Bhagwat said the idea of dharma went beyond religious identity and ritual practice.

“Dharma is not religion. It is not a worship. It is beyond all this,” he said.

“It is the rule through which universe is sustained. It is the rule through which human beings can manage dualities of life.”

Bhagwat said dharma allowed different parts of life to progress together. It did not demand the sacrifice of individuals for society, or the weakening of society to enable individual success.

“It is not that societal progress will happen only when individuals are suppressed. No. It is not that society had to society had to be suppressed to make individual successes. No,” he said.

“Individual society and the environment, they have to proceed together, progress together.”

Bhagwat extended the same principle to the human personality, saying physical, mental and intellectual development must move in balance.

“Your body, your mind, intellect, they have to proceed together, progress together,” he said.

He described dharma as a middle path that connects different parts of existence without creating conflict among them.

“This principle, which unites everything, which upholds everything, which doesn’t cause a rift, let not that happen, and which balances everything, which is a middle path, that is Dharma,” Bhagwat said.

The foundation of that understanding was the unity of existence, he said. Differences among people were visible and real, but they did not eliminate their deeper connection.

“Our destiny is to give that to world and the solid foundation on which this Dharma is perceived is the oneness, unity of existence,” he said.

Bhagwat said the Indian understanding of human life required people to recognise the same principle within themselves and others, and then work for the wider welfare of the world.

“You have to see that principle inside you. And at the same time, you have to see that principle inside others,” he said.

“Everything and everybody in the world. And work for their benefit. For the welfare of the world.”

He said human life was not meaningless or accidental. Its purpose included self-realisation as well as service to others.

“Human life is not purposeless. It is not meaningless. It is not a simple coincidence,” Bhagwat said.

“Human life is given to give this knowledge to everybody and live that knowledge for our own liberation, for the benefit of the world.”

Bhagwat said India’s role was to demonstrate this balanced model through practice. He cautioned against relying only on sermons or abstract claims.

“That is the mission Bharat has to accomplish. That is the message Bharatiya’s world over have to give by their own example, not by preaching, by practice,” he said.

He concluded that both unity and diversity had to be recognised while shaping everyday life.

“Because diversity is natural and unity is truth,” Bhagwat said. “That we must understand and shape our life according to this.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded in Nagpur in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. Bhagwat became its sixth Sarsanghchalak in 2009 after serving in several senior positions within the organisation.

–IANS

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