Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on 30 August told a gathering in New York that dharma must not be conflated with religion or worship, framing it instead as a universal governing principle that sustains balance across individuals, society, and the natural world. He made the remarks while addressing the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden.

Dharma as a Universal Principle

Bhagwat drew a clear line between dharma and organised religion. “Dharma is not religion. It is not a worship. It is beyond all this,” he said. He described dharma as “the rule through which the universe is sustained” and through which “human beings can manage the dualities of life.”

The RSS chief argued that dharma enables different dimensions of existence to advance simultaneously rather than at each other’s expense. “It is not that societal progress will happen only when individuals are suppressed. No. It is not that society had to be suppressed to make individual successes. No,” he said. “Individual, society and the environment, they have to proceed together, progress together.”

Balance of Body, Mind and Intellect

Bhagwat extended the principle inward, applying it to human development itself. “Your body, your mind, intellect, they have to proceed together, progress together,” he said, describing dharma as a middle path that unites rather than divides.

He offered a compact definition: “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.”

Unity Beneath Diversity

Bhagwat grounded his argument in what he called the oneness of existence. Visible differences among people, he said, do not erase a deeper shared reality. “Our destiny is to give that to the world and the solid foundation on which this Dharma is perceived is the oneness, unity of existence,” he said.

He called on people to recognise the same animating principle within themselves and within others, and to act for the broader 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.”

India’s Role and the Call to Practice

Bhagwat argued that human life carries inherent purpose — both self-realisation and service. “Human life is not purposeless. It is not meaningless. It is not a simple coincidence,” he 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.”

He placed a specific responsibility on India and on Indians abroad, cautioning against mere rhetoric. “That is the mission Bharat has to accomplish. That is the message Bharatiyas world over have to give by their own example, not by preaching, by practice,” he said.

He closed by affirming the coexistence of difference and unity: “Because diversity is natural and unity is truth. 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. His New York appearance marks one of his most prominent international platforms in recent years.