After the recent Vijayadashami speech by Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, the media is abuzz with terms like “Wokeism”, “Cultural Marxism” and “Deep State”. The significance of these words being highlighted in Sarsanghchalak’s Vijayadashami speech cannot be overstated. It shows that Sangh is now prepared to take on the ideological forces that threaten Bharat’s culture and identity head on. What respected Sarsanghchalak mentioned are not just random terms from political discourse, but malevolent ideologies that challenge Bharat’s core traditions. Among them, Cultural Marxism poses one of the most significant threats, subtly infiltrating through media, education and the arts, eroding the very foundations of Bharat’s ancient civilisation.
Evolution of cultural Marxism
Marxism refers to the socio & economic and political theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It analyses society focusing mainly on economic and political aspects and preaches that there is a constant struggle between haves and have nots in the world.
The bourgeois or the upper-class people are exploiting and suppressing the lower class or proletariat. This tyranny has to be ended by bringing a proletarian revolution where the existing capitalist systems are overthrown, a socialist system is established, and private property is gradually eliminated. Eventually, society will move towards a Communist system where there will be no classes, no exploitation and no private property. Everybody will have whatever he needs. Thus, to achieve this ultimate goal of Communism it is a prerequisite to destroy the existing systems, beliefs, religion, etc. Marx famously said, “Religion is the opium of masses”, i.e. religion is like a drug which stops masses/proletariat from revolting. Attempts were made to bring about such “revolutions” and usher society into this dreamland of Communism; Soviet Union and Communist China being its most famous examples. But instead of ending the exploitation as they claimed, these states ended up being the horror shows of tyranny. These Communist/Socialist states ended up killing more people than even Nazi Germany; even the most conservative estimates of deaths caused by them run into crores. What started with a promise of paradise ended in a living hell.
Cultural Marxism
Marx and Engels gave the basic theory, but in the 1920s and 30s it was realised that the said revolutions are not materialising as they were supposed to. This time the blame was put, along with religion, on educational institutes, art, popular culture and media. It was believed that all these tools were being used by the Capitalist state to lure masses away from revolution. Italian Communist leader Antonio Francesco Gramsci and the Frankfurt School of Germany propagated this idea. Therefore, Marxists make every attempt to control these institutions such as media, art, culture, etc. so that masses can be goaded towards revolution. This approach and use of mass media have increased much more and rather aggressively in the last few decades. The reason why Marxist approach has shifted more towards cultural and not political-economic one is rather simple. Suppose if people are told outright to accept a political system that strips them of their freedoms, wealth, and property, dismantles their culture and social structure. This system has a history of doing so throughout history, often leaving millions dead in its wake when any opposition arose. It’s only logical that people would not just revolt but outright banish the proponents of such a system. However, when this same ideology is packaged differently— presented not as a political movement but as provocative music, art, and entertainment—it’s a subtler, more insidious attack. When it’s wrapped in catchy tunes and seductive imagery that celebrate rebellion, promiscuity, and the rejection of tradition, it’s far more likely to infiltrate, especially among the young. If this political agenda is masked as cultural freedom, with songs and shows mocking the values of their ancestors, it becomes dangerously palatable. Over time, the very beliefs that held communities together are eroded, all under the guise of ‘just art’, traditions are ridiculed under the guise of ‘just a joke’.
Cultural Marxism tries to do this only. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union and failure of Communist states all over the world, it was not possible to sell Communism to the masses, especially given its track record of violence and oppression. Cultural Marxism tries to destroy existing systems and traditions and create a vacuum. And it hopes that once this vacuum is created it will be filled by their Communist system only.
Wokeism: Modern progeny of cultural marxism
The latest progeny of this approach is ‘Wokeism’. The term has gained currency in the last few years. Wokeism is a social and cultural movement that claims to fight against social injustice, inequality, systematic oppression, etc. What sounds rather noble in theory takes a completely different form in practice. The advocates of wokeism often censor and even stigmatise those who disagree with them, a new ‘Cancel Culture’ has taken shape. As Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Vishwanathan describe in their new book Snakes in Ganga, that Wokeism has developed into a “…new kind of Church. The high priests of Wokeism are the autocrats deciding who is underprivileged and entitled to special treatment. This is a powerful new institution with its own ideas of blasphemy. Those who disagree are to be attacked viciously. Dissent is not allowed.” The control of Cultural Marxists over mass media is immense. Even a simple Google search of the term ‘Cultural Marxism’ shows the Wikipedia page titled “Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory” which declares the idea of Cultural Marxism as “far-right antisemitic conspiracy theory”. Not with sticks and stones, but the real war with Cultural Marxism is the war of narratives.
Cultural Marxism in Bharat
The impact of Cultural Marxism and Wokeism is not limited to the West. Bharat, with its deep-rooted traditions and cultural heritage, has also become a target of this ideological subversion. The tactics may differ, but the goal remains the same—to dismantle the existing social structure and replace it with a system that aligns with Marxist ideals. In Bharat, whether liberals like it or not, the original social structure is Sanatan Dharma. To quote the Shri Aurobindo’s golden words about India from his Uttarpara Speech:
“This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma, with it it moves and with it it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatan Dharma were capable of perishing, with the Sanatan Dharma it would perish.”
Our culture, traditions, ideals- every aspect of our national life- has its roots in Sanatan Dharma and its Sanskriti. Hence, in India their aim is to dismantle the Sanatan Dharma. This is done both ways- by direct attack on our traditions and by twisting and misinterpreting our Dharma to meet their own end. The discourses on Indology, interpretations of our scriptures are all done in such a way that ultimately leads to ‘adharma’. From the rich and vast ocean of Hindu scriptures stories, quotes and instances are taken out of context and twisted. Currently it’s not easy to directly push the LGBTQ agenda in India so it’s done by twisting the stories of Shikhandi (Mahabharat) and even Lord Ayyappa. Their aim is to corrode the nation’s soul. Anything that is spiritual, deeper than the surface is mocked and rejected. The whole way of life of Bharat is searching your inner self. At least our philosophies like Yoga, which have an unbroken tradition, have given the world a glimpse of what Indian spirituality and worldview is. But even then there are attempts to de-Hinduise Yoga by separating it from Hindu spirituality.
We need to trace and rejuvenate our own knowledge traditions to counter and critique these ideologies. To borrow the approach given by the great scholar and writer Shri Sitaram Goel, a student of Sanatan Dharma will “weigh them on the scales of yogic spirituality systematised by reflective reason. And he will very soon find out that these creeds are not born of a spiritual consciousness at all. On the contrary, they are constructs of the outer mind drawing strength from dark drives of the unregenerate unconscious…”
Sangh Way of Cultural Rejuvenation
One of the basic tenets of Sangh is that चररत्र िनमामाण (character building) leads to राष्ट्र िनमामाण (nation building), and this Charitra Nirman is achieved by व्यक्ति िनमामाण i.e., by focusing on moral and ethical upliftment of every last individual. Clearly, Sangh’s primary objective- moral and cultural rejuvenation of Bharat- is in direct conflict with these subversive ideologies.
When Dr Hedgewar laid the foundation of Sangh, he had this unique vision of चररत्र िनमामाण leading to national resurgence. By instilling a pride of “self”, our culture, and ancestors in society, we can face any adversity. He certainly understood the significance of political independence but at the same time knew that it could be really achieved and sustained only if this spirit of Indianness or Hindutva exists in every individual. It is only obvious that the idea of Hindutva is attacked and maligned by Marxists and Wokes at every possible opportunity. Hindutva is the antithesis to what these ideologies preach.
Even in the past, Bharatiyas have lost political independence but every time we emerged victorious and the foreign yoke was thrown because this spirit was alive. Among the most illustrious symbols of this resurgence are Devi Ahilyabai Holkar and Swami Dayanand Saraswati mentioned by Sarsanghchalak in his speech. When Hindus regained Swarajya under the Marathas, they began reclaiming their holy sites. It was Devi Ahilyabai who constructed temples from the Himalayas in the North to the ocean in the South. It was her vision to construct temples at sites like Somnath and Kashi Vishwanath which helped and is still helping Hindus in reclaiming our sacred sites.
Similarly, Swami Dayanand was arguably the first scholar to systematically critique the ideologies of Islam and Christianity attacking Sanatan Dharma. One could agree or disagree with Swami Dayanand’s philosophy but his contribution towards and indigenous intellectual discourse is undeniable. Both Devi Ahilyabai and Swami Dayanand had an understanding of the impending dangers of the present and a vision for the future. In one of her famous letters to Peshwa in 1772, Devi Ahilyabai cautioned against the nefarious designs of British in India; likening the treacherous ways of British to ‘the embrace of a bear’: “… once caught in its powerful hold; the bear will kill its prey by tickling. Such is the way of the English.”
Today the need of the hour is understanding these dangers of the present and preparing for the future. It is with this objective that Sarsanghchalak said that the greats like Ahilyabai and Swami Dayanand should be our ideals today.
Significance of Vijayadashmi
Vijayadashami is the festival when Hindu kings traditionally used to do सीमोलंघन, crossing their borders and march forward to win new territory. This Vijayadashami it is apt that we move forward and broaden our horizon; the battles are not simply about political and state power but it is about the control over narratives. At its inception, Sangh focused on व्यक्ति िनमामाण, and not on direct politics, to move towards its goal of achieving परम वैभव of the nation. It has helped us to sail through tough times and achieve prosperity in the last century. Similarly, at its 100th year, it’s high time that Sangh focused on ideologies antithetical to Bharat
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