Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday addressed the ‘One World: One Humanity’ faith leaders’ conference in New York, where he called for unity and harmony among different religions.
Speaking alongside several faith leaders, Bhagwat said religions today are largely defined by rituals. “To follow a religious discipline and pursue the path to divinity, this discipline of rituals is also necessary. But what is the purpose of religion? It leads us to truth,” he added.
“I am working in a society that traditionally says that religions might be different, but humanity is one. Truth is one, and humanity is a product of that truth,” he added.
Bhagwat also emphasised the importance of educating society about ancient traditions.
He said India’s traditions have survived foreign invasions, which taught people about one world, one humanity.
Mohan Bhagwat’s Message On Hinduism
During his address, Bhagwat recalled being asked by Muslims in 2018 about the RSS’s goal of Hindu Rashtra. “If any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslims in Bharat, he is not being true to the essence of Hinduism,” he stated.
The RSS chief said one has to understand that there are many paths to follow the Hindu way, but they lead towards the same ultimate truth. He also stressed that there were no fundamental differences between human beings and each had a right to dignity.
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He also said that the organisation had initiated dialogue with Muslim and Christian communities residing in India. “Dialogue is the first step. Service is another but not necessarily a step after dialogue. They have to happen simultaneously. We are serving. And when we serve, we do not discriminate.”
“That is why, when it comes to publicity, we are far behind. There is a perception created by wrong narratives. But when people actually come and see our work with some understanding, those perceptions can disappear very quickly,” he added.
Bhagwat’s Views On Modern Politics
The veteran RSS chief also spoke about modern politics, noting that they depend heavily on public opinion, particularly in a democracy, and no politician can easily go against it.
“We want to change and influence politics before things happen, and influence it in the right way. We want to stop wars. We want to do all these things. Therefore, at some point in time, we have to influence politics.”
However, Bhagwat implied that religious harmony was not taking place due to politics. “I am sorry to say, but the fact is that politics has now become a game of self-interest. Where there is ‘me and mine’, there is no solution. ‘We and ours’ is the solution. So, our experience in Bharat is that we have to start with society. We have already started this.”
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