Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on 30 August called for the acceptance, respect, and protection of religious diversity, describing it as a visible expression of humanity's underlying unity. Speaking at the 'One World, One Humanity' interfaith programme in New York, Bhagwat told an audience of religious leaders that while faiths may differ in practice, humanity itself remained indivisible.

The Core Message

'I am working in a society which traditionally says that religions might be different but humanity is one,' Bhagwat said, setting the tone for his address. He argued that there exists one ultimate truth, though people perceive and describe it differently owing to the inherent limits of human perception. 'That truth is one truth but it is described in many ways according to the describer,' he added.

To illustrate his point, Bhagwat drew on the way different living beings perceive colour — varied experiences of the same reality, none necessarily false. 'We are experiencing the same thing. That is the basis of humanity,' he said.

On Religious Rituals and Their Purpose

Bhagwat observed that religions today are largely identified by their rituals and disciplines. While acknowledging that such practices are necessary for those on a particular spiritual path, he cautioned that they should not become ends in themselves. 'What for religion is there? It is leading us to truth,' he said.

He used a pointed metaphor: religious practice is like a finger pointing toward a light. A person who keeps looking at the finger, rather than following its direction, will never see the light. 'So seeking the ultimate truth, divinity, which we call by different names — science nowadays calls it consciousness — we have to tread the path of truth,' Bhagwat added.

Many Paths, One Destination

The RSS chief said spiritual paths could be straight or winding, long or short, carefully constructed or difficult to navigate — and that their differences reflected variations in human perception rather than contradictions in destination. He invoked a traditional Hindu metaphor: just as rainwater falling at different places ultimately reaches the ocean, different spiritual paths move toward a common goal.

'Oh God, you are the goal. How like the water falling from heaven on the earth always leads to ocean,' he said.

India's Historical Role and RSS's Global Mission

Bhagwat highlighted India's historical tradition of providing shelter to communities that could not find safety elsewhere. 'Traditionally, Bharat has been giving shelter to everybody,' he said, adding that those who could not find a safe place in the world came to India and found their place.

He said the RSS considers it its responsibility to carry the message of unity amid diversity to the world. 'Diversity is a decoration for our innate unity,' Bhagwat said. 'It has to be accepted. It has to be respected. It has to be protected. As I protect my own specific nature, I have to protect others also. Because diversity is the rule of nature. Unity is the truth behind it.'

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, founded by K.B. Hedgewar in Nagpur in 1925, marked its centenary in 2025. It describes itself as a cultural and volunteer organisation working to organise and strengthen Hindu society. Bhagwat, a Veterinary Sciences graduate, became the RSS Sarsanghchalak in 2009 and is the sixth person to hold the organisation's highest position.