In his New York speech, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said - ‘Think Rightly’ and Move Towards the Divine !!
Bhagwat began with a distinction between human beings and the animal world. “Human beings can think. If you think the right way, you can go nearer to God,” he said. Conversely, he argued, wrong thinking could pull human beings towards their animal instinct.
The RSS chief illustrated the point with the example of a cow grazing until it is full. The animal, he said, does not possess the human capacity to think about preserving resources for tomorrow.
The larger message was that human existence carries a responsibility that goes beyond immediate gratification.
He invoked the Indian philosophical formulation: “Nar karni karey to Narayan ban jae … ulti karni karey toh kya ban jae”—underscoring that human action and direction determine the path one takes.
“A direction is important,” he said.
‘You Are America’: Bhagwat’s Message to the Indian Diaspora
In one of the clearest portions of his address, Bhagwat spoke directly about the responsibilities of Indians living overseas. “You are in America. You live in America. You earn in America. So you are America, and you should behave true to America,” he told the audience.
The message was framed around the Indian concept of karmabhumi, or the place where one performs one’s work. Bhagwat’s argument was that Indians living and working in other countries must respect and remain loyal to the societies in which they have made their lives.Hire Grant Writers
The remark is significant because it places diaspora identity within a broader framework of civic responsibility.
The deeper message was : cultural roots can remain Indian while one’s obligations towards one’s country of residence must also be honoured.
Bhagwat then moved from individual responsibility to the nature of societies and nations.
“Everyone searches [in] pursuit of happiness, that is common for all,” he said. According to Bhagwat, humanity has followed two broad tendencies.Trace Family History
One is “Live and Let Live.” The other is “Live and let only those Live who Obey Us.”
It was in explaining the second tendency that Bhagwat used his strongest language.
“Those who say, if you obey us, we will protect you. Those will be protected who only obey … they are Rakshashas,” he said.
The line received applause. Whether this was intended as a commentary on a particular country’s foreign policy is not clear from the speech.
Yet the formulation inevitably invites a geopolitical reading because the language of obedience, protection and power is central to debates over international relations and great-power behaviour.
Was There a Message for Washington?
Bhagwat did not explicitly identify the United States as the target of this particular criticism.Hire Grant Writers
That distinction is important. His remarks can be read at two levels.
At one level, they constitute a philosophical distinction between coexistence and domination.
At another, the timing and location of the speech—New York—make it difficult to ignore the possible geopolitical implications.
The reference to those who promise protection only in exchange for obedience can be interpreted as a critique of any political or international system based on conditional allegiance.
But without a direct reference to Washington or a specific U.S. policy, it would be premature to describe the remarks as an explicit attack on American foreign policy. What is clearer is Bhagwat’s preference for a world order based on fraternity, mutual respect and pluralism rather than coercion.
‘We Are One’: Bhagwat’s Message of Unity in Diversity
Quoting Swami Vivekananda, Bhagwat said every nation has its own unique destiny. He argued that Bharat’s role is to realise the principle of unity in diversity and help the world understand it.
“We are one. And due to diversity, that oneness is decorated. So, diversity has to be celebrated,” he said. This formulation lies at the centre of Bhagwat’s broader argument. Diversity, in this worldview, is not necessarily a threat to unity. Rather, diversity gives expression to an underlying unity.
He contrasted this with approaches that judge individuals primarily on whether they obey, listen to or serve a particular authority.
“What you think about me, how much useful you are to me? These are very minor things. Major thing is we are all human beings,” Bhagwat said.
The emphasis was therefore shifted from utility and allegiance to fraternity. Material Happiness Has a Limit
Bhagwat also turned his attention to another defining feature of contemporary life: material consumption. Using an example that would resonate with his New York audience, he spoke about donuts.
“How many donuts I can have at a time, I don’t know,” he said, before adding that he is diabetic.
He used the exaggerated hypothetical example of consuming 50 donuts in one sitting to make a larger philosophical point: when does abundance stop producing additional happiness? “The donut is the same, what changed?” he asked.
The point was not about donuts themselves but about the limits of material gratification. According to Bhagwat, material happiness is transitory, and abundance eventually reaches a point where it cannot provide proportionately greater satisfaction.
The argument echoes a longstanding Indian philosophical emphasis on restraint and the distinction between material possession and inner fulfilment.
‘We Belong to Each Other’
Bhagwat’s alternative to materialism was not withdrawal from the world. Instead, he emphasised interconnectedness.
“We belong to each other,” he said.
He argued that human life has a purpose beyond individual accumulation and personal achievement. “In Bharat, the concept is you have been given life to utilise it to obtain the truth,” he said, invoking the spiritual idea of liberation.
He also referred to “Jagat Hitayo”—the welfare of the entire world—as a purpose of human life.
The message, therefore, was simultaneously spiritual and social: individual fulfilment should ultimately contribute to the welfare of the wider world.
ends
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