Dharma and Rashtra Inseparable; India’s Knowledge Tradition Can Guide the World: Bhagwat

Mumbai, October 2, 2026: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that dharma and rashtra are inseparable in the Indian understanding of nationhood, and asserted that India’s long-standing knowledge tradition has an important role to play in addressing challenges confronting the world.

Addressing the 14th conference of the All India Vihar Seva group in Mumbai, Bhagwat said the purpose of the nation and the sustaining role of dharma were closely linked.

“Our rashtra (nation) and dharma are not separate,” Bhagwat said, according to a report by Daily Excelsior. He described the two as interdependent and said each sustains the other.

Bhagwat points to global challenges

Bhagwat said the world was facing a number of competing challenges, including tensions between economic development and environmental protection, individual freedom and family life, and religious faith and conflict.

He described the global situation as one marked by a lack of balance and said India could contribute to discussions about how these contradictions might be addressed.

The RSS chief argued that India's historical experience involved sharing knowledge with other societies rather than seeking territorial conquest or religious conversion. He said the country’s civilisational tradition had produced a large body of knowledge that could be relevant to contemporary global concerns.

Vedas, Upanishads and other traditions cited

Bhagwat referred to India's broad knowledge heritage, naming the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, along with Jain Agamas, the Tripitaka, Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings of various saints.

He said this tradition represented a significant intellectual and spiritual resource and argued that preserving the communities and traditions carrying such knowledge was also a form of service to humanity.

His comments are consistent with themes Bhagwat has highlighted during his recent international outreach. In September, while addressing a gathering in London, he said Indian/Hindu thought places emphasis on recognising unity amid diversity and argued that the world could benefit from focusing on what brings people together rather than what divides them.

India’s civilisational role

Bhagwat has also previously linked India's potential global role with its civilisational traditions rather than simply economic or military power. In a June 2026 address, he said India had not yet reached the status of Vishwaguru and argued that greater national capabilities were necessary while remaining rooted in civilisational values.

The latest remarks therefore place dharma, national life and India's knowledge traditions at the centre of Bhagwat's broader argument about the country's possible contribution to global debates.