“It is not correct to consider ‘Religion’ as ‘Dharma’. Religion can be a part of Dharma, but in its true essence, Dharma is duty, Dharma is rule, law, Dharma is character. In short, Dharma is a treasure of virtues. Dharma is not just about rituals and worship. Bharat is a Dharma-bhoomi. The concept of Dharma that the world holds today, Bharat has developed it through the ages in a unique way,” said Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale at the ‘Yuva Dharma Sansad’ held in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago address.
Dattatreya Hosabale said that human birth is rare, the presence of humanity, and the desire for liberation (moksha) within is also rare. Within man, there is a conflict, a duality of sin and virtue, of pleasure and Dharma, of what to do and what not to do. Because of this, man is trapped in the tension between indulgence and character-building. A state of conflict exists within man, within society, and across the world. When the whole society is passing through many conflicts and experiencing crisis, at such a time Bharat, as a civilisation, culture, and nation, stands before the world capable of giving an answer.
Referring to Maharshi Aurobindo’s vision of Bharat rising as a beacon of light, Dattatreya Hosabale said, “Bharat will rise, but not to crush others, not to enslave others through oppression, but to dispel the darkness of the world, to rise as a lighthouse”.
He further said that, Maharshi Aurobindo said so because Bharat is a Dharma-bhoomi. The concept of Dharma that exists in the world, Bharat has developed it through ages in an extraordinary way. Religion is not Dharma. Religion can be a part of Dharma. But in its true sense, Dharma is duty, Dharma is rule, Dharma is character. In short, Dharma is a treasure of virtues. Dharma is not only about worship and rituals.
“Life cannot run without Artha (prosperity) and work, but it is Dharma that puts limits on both prosperity and work. Therefore, the role of Dharma is to establish balance. Dharma nurtures the world, creation, and the universe. Dharma raises up a life that is declining and restores it. When the world stands confused about what ought to be done, that is when Dharma is most needed. The civilisation which has the continuous practice of living life on the basis of Dharma, that civilisation is Bharat. Before the youth of Bharat lies the challenge of preparing Bharat to nourish and balance the world, because we have the knowledge, the civilisation, culture, and tradition, but we are not yet in a position to carry it out. This is because, in the past 75 years, efforts have been made to keep Dharma away from life through our education system. Attempts were made to negate it in the curriculum. In public life, Dharma was shown as a stigma. We have committed this injustice against Dharma in independent Bharat. To build a Dharma-based society which runs life on the basis of Dharma, we will have to move forward. This is why the ‘Yuva Dharma Sansad’ is moving ahead with the goal of man-making on the foundation of Dharma,” he said.
In his address, he also referred to Bal Gangadhar Tilak and said, Tilak was a great writer, an intellectual thought leader. He taught at a Belgium university for 30 years. Afterwards, he began studying Bharat’s Dharma, spirituality, the Vedas, and Upanishads. In a program at Bangalore University campus, he said that for 30 years he considered leftist thought, secularism, and communist ideology as the only truth, but when he came in contact with the knowledge of Bharat, and tried to understand the Vedas and Upanishads, he realised that Bharat can make a huge contribution to the world. The concept of Dharma in Bharat is supreme.
Narrating an anecdote, he said that Jean Pierre once said, “The concept of Dharma is the greatest contribution to humanity from Bharat.” “Today, in the prevailing global situation, conflict among nature and between nations, if anyone can provide morality, it is Bharat, because Bharatiya society has the power to harmonise philosophy, democracy, and religion,” he said.
The Chinese ambassador to America, Hu-Si, once said: Without sending a single soldier, for 2000 years India established its spiritual supremacy on the minds of the Chinese people. Bharat’s past is extraordinary. Bharat’s history is inspiring. We are heirs of the knowledge that has come from this land.
“Talking big about the nation does not make the nation great. For it, one must set an example, one must study, work hard. In the desire for success and achievement, we must not lose our way. Today, Bharat has to be made Dharma-based. This is the need of the hour, and we must prepare for it. A Dharma-based society is capable and competent to give answers to every question of life. Therefore, amid all the crises, challenges, and conflicts of the world, we must resolve to establish a lighthouse of Dharma, on the foundation of spirituality,” he said.
On Day 2 of the Yuva Dharma Sansad, a session on ‘Vedic Tradition & the Ecological Vision of Mother Earth’ highlighted how vedic wisdom teaches us to revere, not exploit, nature. From Bhagwan Krishna’s message of gau raksha to deities symbolising forests, rivers, and creatures as divine companions, sanatan values guide us towards true environmental harmony. In the session, it was also reminded that Bharat, despite centuries of invasions, preserved its spiritual core, and that the youth must carry forward this legacy as torchbearers of a sustainable and dharmic future.
Another session on ‘Mutual Harmony, Commitment & Familial Social Ethics’ reflected that true strength lies in preserving relationships through sacrifice, patience, and unity, values that shape both family and nation.
The Yuva Sansad became a platform to reflect on how youth can be shaped as new Vivekanandas, blending scholarship, spirituality, and responsibility for society and nation-building.
The Yuva Dharma Sansad is organised every year by Sevajna Sansthanam on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago address. It has earlier been organised in four of the Sapta-Puris—Kashi, Ayodhya, Mathura, and Haridwar. This time, the Yuva Dharma Sansad was organised in Kanchipuram on September 12–13, 2025.
The Yuva Dharma Sansad witnessed the august presence of Pujya Shankaracharya Swami Vijayendra Saraswati of Kanchipuram, Mahant Acharya Mithileshanandini Sharan Maharaj of Shri Hanumat Nivas Ayodhya, Prof V Kutumba Shastri (former Vice-Chancellor of Central Sanskrit University Delhi and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi), eminent thinker and economist S Gurumurthy, and renowned poet Dr Kumar Vishwas, along with 1,400 youth delegates from 18 states of Bharat.
